Cape Town is famous for its gorgeous beaches, and for very good reason! They’re stunning, there are so many of them, and they’re surprisingly varied. Some of our beaches are incredible for snorkelling, with some of the best conditions in the world for spotting marine life. Others offer some of the best surfing in the world, and others are just terrific for swimming and sunbathing. Truly, we have world-class beaches.
I’ve put together a list of the best beaches in Cape Town to help you decide on the perfect option for you. You can enjoy a lazy day of sunbathing and swimming at all of these – or take to the waters with one of the above activities!
I’ve also added a section on safety tips from a lifeguard, and another on dog-friendly beaches, so you’ll be fully prepared to enjoy Cape Town’s beaches.
Best beaches – quick breakdown
Before I jump into a more detailed guide to the beaches in Cape Town, let’s run through a quick list of the top options. This is for those of you who are in a hurry!
- Learning to surf: Muizenberg
- Surfing: Llandudno
- Kitesurfing: Bloubergstrand
- Swimming & sunbathing: Clifton 4th
- Snorkelling: Windmill Beach
Cape Town’s best beaches
Cape Town has dozens of lovely beaches, but these are the best and most beautiful of them!
Llandudno
Best for: Surfing – but only for people with boards, as Llandudno is a residential-only neighbourhood, so you won’t find any boards to rent here
Llandudno is really one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. With perfect white sand, striking rounded rocks on either side of the bay, and a small natural forest surrounding it, it’s pretty impeccable.
Because of its fantastic beauty, Llandudno is a very popular spot, and you may struggle to find a place to lay down your towel on a perfect weekend day. But if you can get here during the week, or on a slightly less perfect day, you’ll have a lot more space to yourself. Or, just enjoy the happy crowds! Be sure to explore the rocky outcrop on the right, and watch the surfers from beyond the break.
On a day when the ocean is calm, you can also go kayaking here. We pulled out an old plugged-up kayak, and a little trip around the rocky outcrop brought us into contact with thousands of tiny pink jellyfish! It’s ever-changing, but who knows what you’ll find. You can also go kayaking in Hout Bay, just around the bend.
Clifton beaches 1 – 4
Best for: Sunbathing and socialising
Clifton 4th, photo courtesy of jbdodane
The Clifton beaches, located in the wealthy neighbourhood of Clifton, are widely known as Cape Town’s most beautiful and accessible beaches. The fine white sand and gentle ocean – usually not ideal for surfing – make them fantastic beaches for swimming and lazing about.
There are usually volleyball nets set up, lazy chairs and umbrellas available for rental, and cooldrink and ice-cream hawkers passing by, so that a dreamy lazy day is all catered to. Of course, this can all get a bit pricey, but the beaches themselves are free to enter, and you can bring your own gear along!
Clifton also has relatively few rocks hidden in the water, making them safer to swim at, and there are lifeguards on duty.
Muizenberg
Best for: Surfing, and learning to surf
Muizenberg’s famous colourful structures, photo courtesy of K. Venema
This is widely considered the best beach for learning to surf because it’s super long, experiences good conditions, has very few dangerous rocks, and there are plenty of surf rentals and lessons just above the beach.
Muizenberg is a beautiful area, with many tourists choosing to stay in the neighbourhood, as close to the beach as they can get. You can also have a swim, and/or surf, and then finish off a fantastic afternoon with a trip to one of the many cafes or ice-cream spots lining the top of the main beach area.
Boulders Beach
Best for: Swimming with penguins
Boulders Beach is one of the most unique beaches in the world. You’ll walk along a forested path for a little while, before emerging onto the beach that’s home to many of South Africa’s little African Penguins!
This beach gives you the incredibly rare opportunity to swim with free penguins without needing to suit up for arctic temperatures, and not as a curated experience. Just swimming off the same beach as the penguin colony itself.
The beach, as part of the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area, has a conservation entrance fee of R65/person to keep the penguins’ local habitat as safe and pristine as possible. African Penguins – once rather rudely called Jackass Penguins because of the braying call they make – are an endangered species. But visiting them here, the only place in the world where you can, helps fund research and support for the birds. So it’s doubly worthwhile!
Windmill Beach
Best for: Snorkeling
Windmill Beach, photo courtesy of Peter Southwood
Windmill Beach is Cape Town’s best beach for snorkelling. It’s a beautiful little spot surrounded by rocks, with plenty of tree shade to sit under. But much more importantly, is what’s in the water!
When I went snorkelling here, it was without a wetsuit, so I could only spend 20 minutes, and even then I spent the rest of the day recovering from the cold (in other words, bring a wetsuit!). But in that time, I saw hundreds of colourful sea urchins, lots of gently swimming fish, and even a small sand shark, resting at the base of the tall kelp forests.
I have a number of friends who go snorkelling and freediving regularly, and they all suggest Windmill Beach as their top pick. So, it’s well-vetted!
If you’re keen on a little snorkelling inspiration, check out my interview with local underwater photographer Helen Walne!
Bloubergstrand
Best for: Kitesurfing and kayaking
A long, long beach, Bloubergstrand is a lovely place to chill on calm days. On windy days, its long coastline is also dotted with kitesurfers, as it’s the perfect place to get into the sport. I used to pass the beach twice a week, and often see kitesurfers soaring three, five meters in the air! So if you’re keen on that rather scary-looking adventure sport, this is definitely the beach to visit.
Bloubergstrand is so long that it doesn’t have lifesavers, so be sure to stay shallow and avoid any strong currents. And if you come here on a calm day, it’s another lovely beach for kayaking and even stand-up paddleboarding.
Beta Beach
Best for: Sunbathing and enjoying the views
Another of the city’s prettiest beaches, Beta Beach is a secluded little spot in Bakoven. You’ll have gorgeous views of the Twelve Apostles and Lion’s Head from here. It’s also hemmed in by large boulders, so there are gentle waves and very little wind.
Heading down to Beta, you’d be excused for thinking it’s a private beach. But, while it is surrounded by very exclusive property, it’s totally public, and a lovely little footpath will take you right there. Just be aware, it really is a small beach, so you’ll either have to visit early or during the week.
Camps Bay
Best for: swimming and sunbathing
Camps Bay Beach backed by the Twelve Apostles, photo courtesy of Serena Tang
This beach is a lot more commercial than the others, backed by a line of restaurants, bars and cafes. Still, its view of the Twelve Apostles is fantastic, and it’s super accessible. You can just walk right off the Hop-on Hop-off sightseeing tour, or the Myciti bus, and you’re right here.
It gets really full on a beautiful day, but it’s pretty spacious, with some lovely swimming. There are also giant rounded boulders along its left flank, which you can scramble up for an even better view! Finally, Camps Bay beach has a tidal pool, which is the perfect spot for kiddies to learn to swim.
Noordhoek Beach
Best for: Long strolls, sunset views and evening dog walks
Noordhoek at golden hour, photo courtesy of Ian Usher
A stunning beach far from the madding crowds, Noordhoek Beach seems to stretch on forever! It’s a huge beach, perfect for a long walk and a more natural environment than the spots further North. Do keep in mind, though, that on windy days the sand can whip up quite painfully!
You can reach Noordhoek Beach by