MetroRail [20] has two classes on commuter trains in and around Cape Town : MetroPlus (also called F

Cape Town [1] is the second largest city in South Africa and is the capital of the Western Cape Province , as well as being the legislative capital of South Africa (the Houses of Parliament are here). It is located in the south-west corner of the country near the Cape of Good Hope, and is the most southern city in Africa . It is a stone's throw from South Africa's world-famous Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch , Paarl and Franschhoek .
Cape Town seen from space: Most of the urban area visible in this NASA Astronaut opryland hotels photo is part of the greater Cape Town metropolitan area. Also visible are Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Fransch Hoek to the north east, and Rooi-els and Pringle Bay to the south east
The Cape Town metropolitan area covers a large area, from Durbanville and Somerset West in the east to Cape Point in the south and Atlantis in the north. The city centre is located in a relatively small area between Table Mountain and Table Bay .
For thousands of years, Cape Town was inhabited by the Strandloper (ancestors of Kalahari Bushmen). Cape Town's European history began in 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck established a trading post there on behalf of the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company). The first European settlers were mainly Dutch, with some French Huguenots that had to flee from religious persecution in their home country. The first settlers soon explored the adjacent hinterland and founded the cities of Stellenbosch and Paarl in today's Cape Winelands . The Voortrekkers (Pioneers of European descent) started from here to explore and settle the rest of South Africa.
Today Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is a world-class cosmopolitan city with numerous sites of historical significance, and a lively night-life, as well as a large gay community.
The summer months are from December to February. Days are usually hot, but the humidity is low, so it is not uncomfortable. You should stay inside or in the shade during the midday heat and use sufficient sun block. You will fight for space on the beach around opryland hotels New Year's with all the local tourists but it is still a great time to visit as there are a lot of events happening.
opryland hotels The winter months of June to August tend to be rather wet, which does not mean rain every day although it can rain for two weeks straight on occasion. It can also get very cold at night, with temperatures as low as 2 or 3°C (this is the temperature of the ocean so it will not get colder opryland hotels unless you go far inland) but 5-7°C normal. opryland hotels It will become warmer during the day, with temperatures between 9-15°C typical. It is often very cloudy with far fewer hours of sunshine.
October and November: opryland hotels The weather is getting warmer. Spring is in the air, but it is not as hot as mid-summer yet. These months can be windy months. The South-Easter is known as the Cape Doctor as it blows away a great deal of pollution!
December to February: These are the prime summer months of long hot days. The sun sets late in the evening (it stays light up until about 8:30PM in December) and there is generally a lot going on. February is the most reliable month for weather, with week after week of hot days.
March to May: This can change from year to year, but generally it starts raining and the temperature begins to become cooler. There are far fewer visitors around, and you can get excellent deals on accommodation, food and most tourism services.
During the dry summer months ( even more so when there is strong wind ) fire poses a serious threat to the flora and fauna of the region, especially the National Parks. The fynbos in particular can become very dry and burn easily. opryland hotels Over the last couple of years a number of fires have almost devastated the slopes of Table Mountain. Please take care not to be the cause of any runaway fire and report any fires that you might see to Table Mountain National Park Fire Management on +27 (0)21 689-7438 or +27 (0)21 957-4700 outside office hours .
Cape Town International Airport is the second largest airport in South Africa (the largest opryland hotels being the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg ). There are multiple flights daily to Johannesburg , Durban and all other major South African cities, as well as the Namibian opryland hotels cities of Windhoek , Swakopmund and Walvis Bay and other destinations, including Gaborone , Maun and Nairobi .
The most used airlines for international flights from Europe, the US and Asia include South African Airways , Lufthansa [4] , British opryland hotels Airways [5] , KLM [6] , Singapore Airlines [7] , Malaysian opryland hotels [8] and Emirates [9] .
Further international flights arrive from Buenos Aires , Dubai , Doha , Amsterdam , Paris , Frankfurt , Kuala Lumpur opryland hotels , London , and Singapore . Formerly, nonstop service to/from the United States existed, but now, you must use OR Tambo in Johannesburg as a gateway city from/to New York City or Washington DC . In the summer, (October-March) several charter airlines operate direct flights from all over Europe to Cape Town. Spare seats are sold with substantial discounts but during Christmas time and New Year prices rises significantly.
All scheduled South African passenger trains are run by PRASA [14] (the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa), which has different divisions for long-distance (inter-city) trains and commuter (suburban) trains. Shosholoza Meyl [15] operates inter-city trains and MetroRail [16] operates commuter trains opryland hotels in major cities.
Shosholoza Meyl [17] has three classes of inter-city trains : Economy Class , Tourist Class and Premier Classe [18] . In economy class there are seats only (no bunk beds), tourist class provides bunk beds for overnight trips (bring a sleeping bed or buy bedding on the train) and premier classe is luxurious and comfortable, with all meals and bedding provided. Economy and tourist class trains have a buffet car for food. Prices on the three classes vary accordingly.
opryland hotels MetroRail opryland hotels [20] has two classes opryland hotels on commuter trains in and around Cape Town : MetroPlus (also called First Class) and Metro (called Third Class). MetroPlus is more comfortable and less crowded but also more expensive. Every trainset has both MetroPlus and Metro coaches ; the MetroPlus coaches are always on the end of the train nearest Cape Town. Prices are cheap so it is better to be more comfortable and use MetroPlus. Note that there are steep fines if you are caught in a MetroPlus coach with a Metro ticket (vice versa is allowed).
MetroRail commuter trains are a great way to get between Cape Town and neighbouring towns such as Stellenbosch , Strand , Paarl , Somerset West , Malmesbury, Worcester and through the Southern opryland hotels Suburbs (Claremont, Wynberg, Retreat) or to the beaches at Muizenberg , Kalk Bay , Fish Hoek , Glencairn and Simon's Town . Contrary to many reports that you might read, MetroRail trains are safe, but it is probably wise to avoid avoid traveling at night if possible. If you need to use trains at night, use the most crowded first class (MetroPlus) car and don't stay alone.
The train line from Cape Town to Simon's Town is fabulous ; from Muizenberg south to Simon's Town it runs right next to the sea. You can often see whales, and if it's windy you may have sea spray hitting the train windows. For the best views make sure you sit on the east side of the train (the left side as you face away from Cape Town and towards Simon's Town). This route previously boasted a moving restaurant coach (called Biggsy's) opryland hotels that did the return trip from Cape Town to Simon's Town between 2 and 4 times a day, every day except Monday. However, Biggsy's restaurant car was withdrawn from service on July 2007 for renovations and by June 2009 had not yet been re-introduced. You can buy a Tourist "hop on, hop off" ticket for the Cape Town-Simon's opryland hotels Town route that allows you to get off and on any train for the entire day.
Trains to Stellenbosch run every two hours (more or less), but this journey might take a while. Ask at the ticket counter if there is an earlier train you could use, as there are also trains to Stellenbosch starting in Bellville and Eerste River.
The vast majority of roads in and around Cape Town are in a very good condition, making travelling by car an easy issue. However, please be aware of hijackers at night or at traffic lights. The danger is not as high as often emphasized by the media, but a good portion of precaution opryland hotels should be taken. Please opryland hotels ask your hotel staff or anyone familiar with the area about where it is safe and where it is not safe.
N2 runs along the East Coast towards the Garden Route , George and Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape , through the Wild Coast up to Durban and Swaziland . Note that the N2 is a toll road through the Tsitsikamma National Park .
Hiring a car in South Africa is not as expensive as in Europe or many other countries. Petrol is also cheap compared to Europe but a bit more expensive than in the United States. The locals will tell you that the Cape Town drivers opryland hotels are the most courteous drivers in South Africa (except the mini bus taxi drivers who are unpredictable) and generally drive slower in comparison with other cities.
The starting point is next to the train station at the corner of Adderley and Strand Street, near the Golden Acre building. Please ask at the nearby tourist information or in your hotel for connections and where your bus is going to leave, as finding your bus can become difficult.
Also, there are a few bus services available while travelling from eastern Africa, notably Tanzania and Kenya. The general route followed is Nairobi (Kenya), Dar-es-salaam (Tanzania), Lusaka (Zambia) and Harare opryland hotels (Zimbabwe) in order to reach Johannesburg. The journey from Nairobi takes about two to three days.
Unless you are staying within walking distance of the beach in Camps Bay (or some other area where everything you want is close by) then you will find it very frustrating not to have your own transport. Even short distance walks (like from V A Harbour to the Castle of Good Hope) are problematic by foot, in a