Looking for some unusual things to do in Cape Town that are a bit different from your standard tourist trail? While living in Cape Town, I made it my mission to experience some of the most unique things to do, eat, drink, and visit that are a bit farther beyond the guidebook than you may expect.
Everyone knows about Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, and the V&A Waterfront – so let’s explore a bit deeper than that and find some of the more unusual, interesting, and definitely FUN things you can do in Cape Town (and surrounding areas).
Take a Thrill Ride Right in the CBD: SKY-HI Ride
You heard that right – the SKY-HI Ride at Hotel Sky is a full-on thrill ride right in the CBD with views over the entire city. It’s a drop ride that reaches up to 100 km/h – yep, faster than gravity!
You can get a ticket for the ride or just to be an ‘observer’ and enjoy the amazing viewing platform next to the ride – which is sure to still be a fun experience hearing the screams of all the thrill-seekers on the ride!
They give free rides to anyone on their birthday, too. Come for the adrenaline rush, and stay for some delicious restaurants in Hotel Sky – one of the tallest buildings in the CBD – with epic views. Check out my tiktok video about this below for more info.
Learn How to Make a Delicious Coffee… From the Experts at Truth Coffee Barista Academy
Truth Coffee is widely hailed as one of the best cafes in Cape Town (and I strongly agree) or even, as sone say, the world! If you are into proper coffee, head to the Truth Barista Academy for one of their coffee courses ranging from ‘coffee appreciation’ to full-on career training.
If you’re just looking for a fun day out, you can learn a few coffee facts and history as well as the basics of an espresso machine, making a great cup of coffee, and, of course, tasting, in their Coffee Appreciation course from R450.
If you have a machine at home and want to start making coffee yourself, book the Barista Introduction course. Or, if you want to learn a new skill entirely and maybe even become professional, check out the professional barista course. Check out all options here.
Learn to Polish a Diamond… and Taste some Gin and Chocolate Afterwards at Shimansky
Next on my list of quite unexpected and unusual things to do in Cape Town is a totally unique tour that is definitely beyond the guidebook. Shimansky, one of Cape Town’s leading diamond jeweling companies, offers a Diamond Polishing and Gin/Chocolate Pairing experience that can be booked by contacting them directly.
The tour is available in their De Waterkant/Rockwell location, and is truly so much more than I expected. You begin with some delicious drinks and then take a tour back in time through South Africa’s diamond history (and the history of diamonds in general). The tour is expertly led by the Shimansky team through some beautifully decorated areas and displays – even one that looks like a mine!
Then, you get to put on a working shirt and learn how to buff and polish a REAL diamond in the studio with expert diamond handlers. After all this excitement, you finish with a local gin and chocolate pairing/tasting that is absolutely to die for. I also have a video from this activity below, or learn more on their website.
Enjoy Extra Unusual Wine Tasting + Pairing Experiences
Cape Town definitely has plenty of wine tasting and pairing experiences, but there are a few that go above and beyond to be memorable and cool.
Creation Wines Pairing + Tasting Activities
Our favorite winery that has super interesting pairing experiences was actually voted one of the top in the country (and the world) – Creation Wines. While their menu and experience offerings change with the season, you can have 100% certainty that the experience here will be unique and impressive.
The property itself is beautiful and art-filled, and its menu is creative and well-balanced. In the past, they even offered a multi-sensory wine rating and pairing experience involving not only your sense of taste but smell, touch, hearing, and, of course, sight! Check what tasting activities are on offer this season.
Lourensford Wine and Chocolate Pairing
In the beautiful suburb of Somerset West, you’ll find a couple of wineries within walking distance of each other with a stunning mountains backdrop. My favorite is Lourensford, which is less of a winery and more of a whole lifestyle village where people come to eat at multiple restaurants, picnic in the park, visit the spa, enjoy outdoor art, and even attend art classes.
Tastings can be done right in the cellar, where 4 wines are deliciously paired with 4 different flavors of chocolate. It’s a little something different than your usual wine tasting, and a new area to explore besides heading to Stellenbosch! If you want to further explore the are, make sure to stay at the unique Erinvale Estate.
Somerbosch Sstate – Wine + Wine Ice Cream Pairing
Another of the most unusual things to do in Cape Town involving wine, Somerbosch Estate offers a signature wine and ice cream pairing with three red wines and three wine-infused iced creams. So, yes, there’s wine in the ice cream too! That’s something I have never tried before and a super unique way to enjoy a beautiful wine farm.
Experience Table Mountain Beyond the Crowds with Top of The World Events
So, everyone and their mother goes up table mountains while visiting (or living in) Cape Town. But what if I told you there’s a more unique and fancy way to experience Table Mountain beyond the crowds?
Enter: Top of the World Events. A booking with them allows you to go up table mountain after it has closed to the public to experience a sunset and dinner like nothing ever before. This unique bespoke event company and its founder, Claire, offers a way to have Table Mountain (or at least a certain part of it) all to yourself.
They have multiple different styles of events and can use a few different spaces for couples and groups with a curated menu and even music – for a company event, a romantic dinner, or a truly epic celebration with friends. Book their Summit, Sunset, Soiree, or even Cove packages (involving wine tasting by helicopter… yes, you read that right).
This is a truly epic idea for a very special occasion. View their website and catalogue or check out their Instagram page. Or, see my video about a mini Top of the World experience below!
Visit (or Take the Steam Train to) Elgin Railway Market inside an Old Railway Station
If you’re keen to get out of the city, happen to be heading to (or from) the Garden Route, OR want to take a steam train from Cape Town, a fun and unusual place to visit outside Cape Town in Elgin is the Elgin Railway Market.
This market takes place on Wednesday and Friday to Sunday, and fills an old railway station with all kinds of market stalls with live music and food, too. The architecture and steampunk vibe is amazing, as well as the incredible views for nature in the area.
The Elgin Steam train from Cape Town ends at the market, so for an extra fun and unusual day in Cape Town, hope on the steam train, enjoy the views along the way, and experience all the market has to offer before heading back.
Do Dinner and Tastings inside Table Mountain National Park at Cape Farmhouse Beer Garden (and Lakeside Brewing)
We happened to stumble upon this spot while on the way back from hiking around the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, and oh my goodness am I happy we did!
Locatedd pretty much smack dab in the middle of the Cape Peninsula, Cape Farmhouse has a collaboration with Lakeside Brewing to offer a beautiful patio with amazing food and delicious, local beer. They have an amazing BBQ, Burger, and Tex Mex menu with a southern flare.
The beers are delicious, too, and you can opt for tasting flight of beer (which is what I always do). One of the more unusual things they offer is two different kinds of mead tastings – one with 4 styles of mead and one with 2 meads as well as a honey lager and honey spirit. You best believe we tried them all!
Stay in a Unique Boutique Hotel
Cape Town is full of super unusual and awesome hotels and vacation rentals. Here are some epic ones that are sure to enrich some unusual things to do in Cape Town:
- Grand Daddy Boutique Hotel: An epic boutique hotel with fun design and air stream trailers on the roof you can stay in!
- The Silo Hotel: By far one of the most unique hotels in Cape Town and maybe the world! Just look at a few photos and you’ll see why.
- Mojo Hotel: This spunky and colorful hotel is perfectly located bt the shore in Sea Point and is also home to the amazing Mojo Market with ton of food and pereformances.
Comedy Night at Time Out Market
So the Time Out Market may be touristy (rightfully so – it’s awesome), but did you know they have comedy nights every week? Head to the market on a Thursday, buy a ticket, head upstairs with your chosen food and drink options, and listen to some local comedians trying their hand at standup!
Head to an Open Air Cinema
The Galileo has over a dozen epic venues for open-air cinema all over Cape Town an the winelands. There are some truly epic places to watch a movie outside, from Kirstenbosch gardens to Century City to plenty of gorgeous wine estates.
See the Best of the Cape of Good Hope in an Overnight Hike
Looking for unusual things to do in Cape Town for outdoor adventurers? Well, a two-day hike should do the trick! You can hike just over 33km/21 miles in 2 days across the best of Table Mountain National Park to Cape Point/the Cape of Good Hope and all the epic beqaches and views in between. Check out the trail here.
Learn to Cook Cape Malay Food in a Cooking Class
There’s nothing better than getting into the local cuisine to get a feel for a place and its history. That’s why one of the most unique things you can do in Cape Town is to take a Cape Malay cooking class right in the historic neighborhood of Bo Kaap. I have heard great things about this one here.
Enjoy Street Parties at First Thursdays
If you can organize to be in Cape Town on the first Thursday of the month, Bree Street and surrounds (and the Silo District) come alive with tons of art galleries, events, bars on the street, shops open ’till late, and parties going on everywhere. It’s tons of fun jut to explore around and see what’s on! See my vlog of First Thursdays below.
Labia Theater
The Labia Theater not only has an interesting name, but interesting architecture and story as well! It’s the oldest independent art cinema in the country, after starting its existane as a ballroom.
This theater is also an art gallery, terrace, and cafe/bar. While it is more of an old-school cinema, it still places a few select new releases. Check their site for current showings.
Oranjezicht Night Market
The Oranjezicht farmer’s market will be on every list of what to do in Cape Town, but what people don’t tell you is that every Wednesday, they have a night market! The night market here is an amazing vibe, with market stalls selling local products and dozens of food stalls selling everything you can imagine to eat, and of course, drink!
Explore Cape Town from a Colorful Sidecar!
One of the most delightful ways to explore Cape Town, these sidecars are an absolute riot. I smiled so big every time I saw them go by – sometimes with dogs in tow, too! Cape Sidecar Adventures offers a few different routes of adventures around the Cape, and yes, they come with a driver! This is definitely one of the most unusual ways to explore Cape Town.
Pet Animals and Enjoy Pig-Made Art at Pigcasso Winery
Have you ever wanted to buy art painted by a pig? No? Well, this is your chance to change your mind. Located in the stunning wine region of Franschhoek. Pigcasso Winery is a vegan property with a petting zoo, multiple pigs and goats you can feed, cute farmstay properties, and, of course, wine tasting.
Visiting this winery was maybe the most fun e had in Franschhoek, but also the most chaotic! The goats climb all over you as they seek out food, and you have to watch your wine closely as they may knock it from any angle. But I have also never laughed as hard!
Unfortunately, Pigcasso passed away recently, but you can still buy merch and prints from the most prolific non-human artist in history!
Go Shark Diving And Spot Other Sea Life
It’s important to spend some time near the ocean while in Cape Town, and what better way than discovering the underwater world with the experts? We spent a day diving with Shark Explorers out of Simonstown and had the best time!
We did a dive in the magical kelp forests, spotted tons of smaller sharks, and then did a dive near Seal Rock and got to see dozens of adorable seals twisting and turning underwater. It was one of the coolest and most unusual dives I have done, and I highly recommend it! See my video summary below 🙂
That’s it for unusual things to do in Cape Town for now! Let me know which activities you tried and what I should add to the list.
If you are looking for more Cape Town roundups:
- 100 Things to do in Cape Town (not as unusual, but definitely must’s)!
- Top Adventures in Cape Town
- And more!
Passionate, full-time travel blogger with over 230k on social media and 150kMPV blog. Extraordinary photographer with two DSLR's + a drone with a love for capturing candid moments, epic drone shots, and magical compositions. I'm a natural-born content creator originally from California, but I've been on the road for 9 years living, working, traveling, blogging, and photographing my way around the world. I recommend the most amazingly adventurous and unique + boutique travel experiences/stays and helpful products to my audience and write comprehensive guides on my website that have helped millions of travelers so far. I love to inspire people to plan their dream trips, and many readers have given feedback as such. The reach on my platforms continues to soar, especially when combining cutting-edge social content with optimized articles on my high-authority website.