7 things to do in Cape Town

Table Mountain should be your first stop. You may have to wait for its familiar fluffy wig of white cloud to lift before riding to the summit, which is as high as Snowdon.

The easiest approach is by cable car, which revolves so that the tourists don't need to elbow each other out of the way for the best views. The plateau of a summit is home to almost 2,000 species of wild flowers, hence the official ranking as one of the 7 wonders of the natural world alongside such places as the Iguazu Falls in Argentina/Brazil and Halong Bay in Vietnam.

Tip: the temperature on top drops significantly so take a sweater.

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The restored wharves and warehouses of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is

Cape Town at its most lively, packed with interesting shops, restaurants and cafes. There's also an excellent tourist office in the Clock Tower where you can pick up brochures on everything, including b&bs (there's a booking service too).

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The 100-year-old Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens is ranked among the top 10 in the world. Situated on the Eastern slopes of Table Mountain and forming part of the Cape Floral Kingdom UNESCO World Heritage Site, only indigenous plants are cultivated.

There are free walking tours daily at 10am, concerts on several Sunday evenings in summer and lots of footpaths, including a tree canopy walkway and those that will lead you to the top of Table Mountain.

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Cape Town has several, with Camps Bay with its palm-lined prom, a backdrop of the dramatic Twelve Apostles mountains and lots of restaurants, being the most popular.

Wildlife enthusiasts should visit Boulders to see its colony of penguins, a testimony to just how chilly the Cape seas can be.

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Cape Town has some of the world's most attractive vineyards on its doorstep. Encased by mountains, the vines that are cultivated on the distinctive Cape Dutch, squinting white and gabled estates date back to the 17th century (Constantia wines, for example, were served to sun king Louis XIV at Versailles).

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Take a drive along the cliff-hugging corniche to Cape Point where two mighty oceans, the Indian and the South Atlantic, collide, literally, in a fury of froth and foam. There is nothing between you and Antarctica and, with luck, you may also spot whales.

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From the V&A waterfront you can take a ferry and join a tour, guided by previous inmates, of the prison island where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years. The worst of South Africa's history, in fact, has become Cape Town's number one attraction.

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Once the home of the chief surgeon of the Dutch East India Company, Cellars Hohenort, set in 9.5 acres of garden, is an elegant, tranquil property with arguably South Africa's top restaurant, The Greenhouse. It stands among the Constantia vineyards just a 15-minute taxi ride from the V&A waterfront.

Getting there: Virgin Atlantic flies daily from London Heathrow to Cape Town between the months of October and April; fares from £974.

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