South Africa, Africa

Cape Town in February

The locals' favorite: school holidays over, sea at its warmest, long golden evenings. Late summer at its best.

BestWarm and dry, highs near 80F (27C), wind easing

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

The straight answer

February is one of the best months of the year to visit Cape Town. The locals' favorite: school holidays over, sea at its warmest, long golden evenings. Late summer at its best.

Weather: Warm and dry, highs near 80F (27C), wind easing
Crowds: 4 of 5
Prices: 4 of 5

What February is like in Cape Town

February is the month locals love. Highs sit near 80F (27C), the days are dry and golden, and the sea is at its warmest of the year, though the Atlantic side still runs cold. School holidays are over, so beaches and restaurants breathe again, and the Cape Doctor starts to ease. Prices stay high but lower than the holiday peak, and everything is open.

This is the best all-round month for a first visit, for couples, and for families who can travel outside school holidays. It suits beach time, mountain days, winelands lunches and the peninsula drive equally well. The only people who should pick another month are whale watchers, who need June to November, and those chasing the lowest prices.

Make the most of February

What is especially good about Cape Town this month.

Harvest in the winelands

Grape harvest gets going in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. Estates are busy and cheerful, and a long lunch under the oaks is at its best.

The warmest swim of the year

False Bay water is as warm as it gets, and even the St James tidal pool feels inviting. Kids can actually stay in the water.

Calmer mountain days

With the southeaster easing, the cableway runs more often and the summit views are clearer. A sunset ride up is a treat.

Sunday concerts at Kirstenbosch

The summer concert series is still running. Warm evenings make it the easiest night out in town.

What to pack for February

Reef-safe sunscreen and a sun hat
A light sweater for breezy evenings on the mountain
Comfortable shoes for the Platteklip Gorge hike
A cooler bag for winelands picnics

Our timing tip

Book the first Robben Island ferry of the day early in your trip, since morning seas are calmest and a cancelled sailing can be rebooked before you fly home.

Book Cape Town for February.

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Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in Cape Town
Opens a hotel search for Cape Town in February, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
Hotels for February
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 February. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
Tours and tickets

What's on in February

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 February, quick answers

Is February a good time to visit Cape Town?

February is one of the best months of the year to visit Cape Town. The locals' favorite: school holidays over, sea at its warmest, long golden evenings. Late summer at its best.

What is the weather like in Cape Town in February?

Warm and dry, highs near 80F (27C), wind easing.

Is Cape Town crowded in February?

Cape Town is busy in February, though mornings and late afternoons stay workable.

What is happening in Cape Town in February?

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