Getting to Table Mountain

Where the cable car starts

The cable car leaves from the lower cable station on Tafelberg Road. The upper station sits on the plateau at 1,067 metres. Tickets can be bought online or at the lower station, but on days when the cableway is at capacity, the operator says only ticket holders are admitted and onsite sales are suspended. If you have booked, you will also find a separate fast-track entrance. Whichever way you arrive, the operator's advice is the same: use the free shuttle from Lower Tafelberg Road rather than looking for a space beside the station.

Park and ride

The operator's own advice is to park at the free Lower Tafelberg Road parking area and take its free cableway shuttle, which runs between Lower Tafelberg Road and the lower cable station. The operator notes that parking on Tafelberg Road is limited at peak times. Hikers who drive are also encouraged to use the free parking at the bottom of Tafelberg Road. If you are driving, plan your arrival for the quieter parts of the day, and keep the shuttle in mind as your default rather than your fallback.

By MyCiTi bus

The operator lists MyCiTi buses that stop in the Kloof Nek area and says to ride to the Lower Tafelberg Road bus stop, then take the free shuttle to the station. Each passenger needs their own myconnect card loaded with money or points, because cash is not accepted on the buses. Children under four years old and under one metre tall travel free. The operator gives the City of Cape Town's public transport information line for route questions. Buy and load your card before you set out, and check the current routes with the city rather than relying on an old map.

By taxi or e-hailing app

Metered taxis can be booked by phone in advance. Fares are charged per kilometre and vary by company, so the operator suggests asking for an estimate before you get in. Uber is also available in Cape Town, and the operator gives the same advice for other e-hailing services. For any of them, ask the driver to drop you at the Lower Tafelberg Road bus stop, then take the free shuttle to the lower cable station. For the trip back, order your car once you are down, and tell the driver where you will be standing.

The hop-on hop-off bus

The City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus is the route with no changes. The operator says it calls at its Long Street tour office and then goes directly to the cableway. It is a sensible choice if the mountain is one stop in a day of sightseeing and you would rather not drive. Tickets are sold at City Sightseeing offices or by the drivers. The bus is separate from your cable car ticket, so you buy each on its own, and check the bus company's current timetable for when it runs.

How long to allow

The booking page shows two hours for the visit, and that is a sensible plan. The ride itself takes four to five minutes. There is no time limit at the top, but the operator asks you to be down before the last cable car descends, and its first and last car times change through the year. Short summit walks add to your time: the operator gives roughly fifteen minutes for the easiest loop, thirty for the most popular one, and forty-five for the longest of the three. A free guided walk takes thirty minutes.

• Ride: four to five minutes each way
• Booked visit: two hours
• Summit loops: fifteen, thirty and forty-five minutes
• Be down before the last car descends

What to wear and bring

The operator's advice is to pack layers: the city can be warm while the summit is cold and windy. Wear suitable hiking or trail shoes, and bring plenty of water. Its visitor guide asks you to stay on the marked pathways, not to feed the animals or pick the flowers, and not to smoke on the pathways. Parents are asked to supervise children at all times, and the plateau has drops, so keep young children close. Bring your confirmation on your phone, since the ticket is sent to a mobile.

Children, wheelchairs and mobility

The booking page lists the ticket as wheelchair-accessible. The operator says the lower station has ramps and lifts, wheelchair users get priority at the ticket office, and an elevator at the upper station gives wheelchair access to one of the summit venues. The summit has paved pathways, and the operator publishes a route map for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Wheelchairs can be borrowed from staff against ID, and mobility scooters are at the top station, with an indemnity form to sign. Children under four travel free on the operator's tickets.

What you see and hear on top

The operator's summit map marks viewpoints towards Clifton Beach, Lion's Head, Sea Point, Robben Island, Signal Hill, Cape Town Stadium, the Bo-Kaap, the V&A Waterfront, Table Bay, Bloubergstrand and the Castle. Much of the plant life is fynbos, part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest of the world's six plant kingdoms and the richest for its size. The rock hyrax, called the dassie, is the most commonly seen animal. For sound, the operator offers free audio tours on the VoiceMap app and free guided walks led by its staff from the Twelve Apostles Terrace.

Read next: Table Mountain tickets

Walks on the plateau

The operator describes three short marked walks from the upper station: the Dassie Walk, a very easy fifteen minutes; the Agama Walk, about thirty minutes with 360-degree views; and the Klipspringer Walk, about forty-five minutes and 1.4 kilometres along the plateau edge to the top of Platteklip Gorge. The walk to Maclear's Beacon is roughly three kilometres along the mountain, and the operator's pages give different times for it, so allow generously. Platteklip Gorge is the operator's easiest route up, at one and a half to two hours.

Who this isn't for

This page is not for you if you want a hike: the plateau walks are short, and the routes up the mountain are serious. India Venster, which the operator rates extremely difficult on the way down, involves climbing. It is also not for you if you need a guaranteed view, because the cableway runs weather permitting and the summit can be cold and windy. And if you want transport arranged for you, the free shuttle runs only between Lower Tafelberg Road and the lower station, so you plan the rest.