South Africa, Africa

Cape Town in December

The holiday crush: South African school break plus international peak. Book months ahead and expect wind-shuffled plans.

TradeoffsHot and dry, highs near 78F (26C), southeaster blowing

Table Mountain above Cape Town — Cape TownPhoto: KodachromeFan, CC BY-SA 3.0

The straight answer

December is a month of real tradeoffs in Cape Town. The holiday crush: South African school break plus international peak. Book months ahead and expect wind-shuffled plans.

Weather: Hot and dry, highs near 78F (26C), southeaster blowing
Crowds: 5 of 5
Prices: 5 of 5

What December is like in Cape Town

December is peak summer and peak holiday. Highs sit near 78F (26C), rain is rare and the days are very long. From mid December into early January, South African school holidays and international visitors fill every beach, restaurant and road. Prices hit their high, and the southeaster blows hard, sometimes closing the cableway.

December suits families tied to the Christmas break and travelers who love a lively, festive city. Book everything months ahead and expect to reshuffle plans around the wind. If you can move your dates, early November or February gives you the same summer with far fewer people and lower prices.

Make the most of December

What is especially good about Cape Town this month.

Summer concerts at Kirstenbosch

The Sunday sunset concerts are in full swing. Big-name shows sell out, so book as soon as the lineup is out.

Early December before the rush

The first half of the month has summer weather and noticeably thinner crowds than the holiday weeks.

Sheltered False Bay swims

When the wind hits the Atlantic side, Muizenberg and Fish Hoek are calmer and warmer for kids.

What to pack for December

High SPF sunscreen and a hat that ties on
A windbreaker for the Cape Doctor
Wraparound sunglasses to keep sand out
Swimwear and a rash vest for kids

Our timing tip

Travel before about December 15 if you can, and book the cableway online for a ride before 9am on the first calm morning.

Book Cape Town for December.

Sponsored links to Expedia and Vrbo. We may earn a commission; it never changes a verdict.

Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in Cape Town
Opens a hotel search for Cape Town in December, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
Hotels for December
Vacation rentals. Vrbo
Vacation rentals in Cape Town
Whole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
Rentals on Vrbo
Tours and tickets. Expedia
Tours and tickets in Cape Town
Timed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in Cape Town for December. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
Tours and tickets

What's on in December

Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts

Roughly November through April, on Sundays

Open-air concerts on the garden lawns with the mountain behind the stage. Bring a picnic; big-name shows sell out early.

Things to do in Cape Town

Full guide

Table Mountain

Ride the cableway up or hike Platteklip Gorge. Go the first clear, still morning of your trip, not the day your plan says: wind closes the cableway and cloud erases the view without notice.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

The Cape Peninsula loop

Chapman's Peak Drive, the Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Point in one spectacular day's circuit. Start early to reach the point before the buses.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Boulders Beach penguins

A resident African penguin colony on sheltered granite coves near Simon's Town. Boardwalk viewing year-round; mornings are calmer, in both crowds and penguins.

Tickets and tours →

Robben Island

The former prison island where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years, reached by ferry from the V&A Waterfront, with former political prisoners among the guides. Book ahead; ferries cancel in rough seas.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

One of the world's great botanical gardens, set against the mountain's eastern slopes. From roughly November to April, Sunday sunset concerts on the lawns are a Cape Town institution.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

The winelands: Stellenbosch and Franschhoek

Historic estates, tastings, and long lunches under oaks. The Franschhoek wine tram solves the driving problem; harvest runs roughly February to April.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Beat the crowds

Sequence by weather, not by itinerary: do Table Mountain the first clear, windless morning, keep the peninsula loop and winelands as flexible swaps, and never save the mountain for the last day.
Book the cableway online and ride before 9am, or hike up Platteklip and ride down: the midday queue in season can run past an hour at each end.
Reach Cape Point and Boulders before 10am; both absorb the tour-bus wave from late morning, and penguins are livelier early anyway.
Skip the December 15 to January 5 window if you have any choice: it is the national summer holiday, and the whole region operates at capacity with prices to match.

Know before you go

The Table Mountain cableway closes for wind, frequently in the December and January southeaster season, and typically pauses for a couple of weeks of annual maintenance in late July into early August. Check the live status the morning you go; the mountain makes its own schedule.
Robben Island ferries cancel in rough winter seas and rebook you onward, so put the tour early in the trip, not on departure eve.
Winter, June through August, closes very little but changes character: some seasonal beach-strip businesses shorten hours, boat trips cancel more often, and the Kirstenbosch concerts pause, while museums, wineries, and restaurants run all year. The city never seasonally shuts the way resort coasts do.
Whales and wildflowers are strictly seasonal: whales along the Overberg coast roughly June to November, West Coast blooms roughly August into September. Outside those windows they are simply not there, no matter what a tour listing implies.

Cape Town in December, quick answers

Is December a good time to visit Cape Town?

December is a month of real tradeoffs in Cape Town. The holiday crush: South African school break plus international peak. Book months ahead and expect wind-shuffled plans.

What is the weather like in Cape Town in December?

Hot and dry, highs near 78F (26C), southeaster blowing.

Is Cape Town crowded in December?

December is peak crowd season in Cape Town; expect lines at the headline sights.

What is happening in Cape Town in December?

Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts (roughly november through april, on sundays).