Transport

Our focus here is Cape Town but much of what is written below will apply to the whole country.

​Airport

The airport for Cape Town is Cape Town International.  The only other airport in the country that connects with other continents is O.R. Tambo International at Johannesburg.  There are lots of other airports, many of which are for just domestic services, or (such as Port Elizabeth/Gqeberha) that connect with neighbouring countries.

Cape Town requires either a taxi or a car hire to get into the centre.  Generally we find a trip to South Africa is going to be quite limited without hiring a car (package tours excepted).  From O.R. Tambo you can also get a train to the city. We have compiled more extensive information on both airports so look out for those.

In the City

For Cape Town, as already mentioned, car hire is close to essential if you aren't on a tour.  However, you will find the usual array of buses and taxis, as well as trains. 

Buses and trains can be paid for using a My CiTi card but it can be complicated to work out how much to add to it.  You can instead use a day pass - for one day it is 88 Rand, for three days 202 Rand and for seven days 290 Rand.  Generally we find trains don't go to that many places visitors will need.​

If you use taxis you will find a wide variety and differing levels of quality.  Uber use is widespread and presence of a metred 

taxi on a rank isn't a guarantee of quality.

You will also find mini van taxis - these are perhaps for the experienced traveller.  They are very common in the day time, unscheduled, generally cheap and cash only.  Don't sit by the door or you might find you're taking the payments!

Beyond the city your options are limited.  Buses tend to be for long journeys between towns, and the bulk of the rail network outside the cities is limited to expensive high-end rail services.  Hiring a car is the most sensible option.

If you need to know more about Johannesburg please ask - it's broadly similar to Cape Town in terms of options.