Cape Town, South Africa Weather and Climate

General and geography

According to abbreviationfinder, Cape Town is the second largest city in South Africa and one of the most popular travel cities in the world. According to current statistics, the metropolitan region in the Western Cape is home to around 3.9 million people.

As the first city to be founded during the Dutch colonial era, Cape Town is still known today as the Mother City, i.e. the mother city of the rainbow nation.

Cape Town achieved worldwide fame above all for Table Mountain, which became the symbol of all of South Africa. Together with the neighboring elevations of Lion’s Head and Signal Hill as well as Devil’s Peak, the skyline of the city is largely dominated by the Table Mountain massif.

In many places it is said that Cape Town is the only city on two oceans. In fact, Cape Town only stretches across the Atlantic. The confluence of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean only takes place around 205 kilometers below at Cape Agulhas.

Cape Town is around 9,400 kilometers from Frankfurt am Main, and the flight time by direct flight (for example with Condor) is around 11.5 hours.

Climate in Cape Town

The climate in Cape Town and the provinces on the Cape is largely Mediterranean with a typically humid winter. The seasons are exactly the opposite of ours in Europe. The Atlantic Ocean has a major influence on the climate, so that there are comparatively low temperature fluctuations over the course of the year.

The cooler rainy season in winter usually begins at the end of April and usually lasts with foothills until mid- September. Then the Cape region shines particularly colorful, the landscapes literally bloom. The October is already quite dry, but has often strong and pretty cool storms.

In November, the South African spring then turns into summer, the days are now much friendlier, sunnier and warmer. From December to February it is midsummer in Cape Town, and March is still pleasantly warm. The vineyards are now glowing in the most beautiful autumn colors and look forward to the slowly onset of moisture from the end of April.

When is the best time to visit Cape Town?

The more you deal with the topic of the best time to travel to Cape Town, the more you will come across contradicting information. This is mainly due to the fact that many providers like to market Cape Town as an ideal year-round destination in order to better sell it for combinations with other parts of the country.

In fact, you can travel to Cape Town all year round – but that information applies to pretty much every city in the world, doesn’t it? Winter in the Cape region is not only quite cool, but also extremely humid. There is comparatively no wind, but there is regularly unpleasant drizzle or even heavy rain.

We therefore recommend the period from November to the end of March as the best time to visit Cape Town. December, January and February are particularly hot, but also the driest months and therefore the absolute main season. This drought makes Cape Town’s weather usually very bearable, even during periods of heat.

The transition months of October and April are also a good time to travel to Cape Town. The time before and after the African Christmas holidays is particularly beautiful, which in the Cape region between mid-December and mid-January attracts large numbers of visitors. Our favorites are especially February and March as well as October.

Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine

Temperatures

The annual average temperature is 16.7 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is February (21 ° C), coldest month of July with averages of 12.2 ° C. The maximum water temperature is 19 ° C. Pleasant bathing is possible from temperatures of around 21 ° C. The months of January, February, March, April, May, November and December have a water temperature of at least 17 ° C. Bathing is then possible to a limited extent.

Precipitation

The annual precipitation is 520 mm on 69 days with precipitation. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. There is no rainy season, i.e. months with more than 175 mm of precipitation. Snowfall is generally not expected in any month.

Sunshine

As our climate table shows, January is the sunniest month with an average of 10.9 hours of sunshine per day. On average over the year, the sun shines for 8.5 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.

Cities nearby

The following larger towns are nearby and have a similar climate: Paarl.

Highlights & sights

Cape Town is rich in attractions and sights that can be done either on your own or in guided tours. A visit to Table Mountain and the world-famous Victoria & Alfred Waterfront are of course a must. A trip to Robben Island, Nelson Mandela’s prison island, is also a must.

The colorful houses in the Bo-Kaap district are always a popular photo opportunity. With the rental car, a tour along the peninsula to the Cape of Good Hope beckons. Meanwhile, there is beach life at Clifton Beaches, Bloubergstrand or Camps Bay. The delicacies of the Old Biscuit Mill should of course not be missing either.

Cape Town weather in March, April and May

Average daily temperatures between 20 ° C and 25 ° C can be expected over the next three months. In Cape Town it gets warmest in March, but May is a bit cooler.

Do you want to go on a beach holiday? The water temperatures are in March, April and May 17-19 ° C. This is good weather for a great time on the beach and in the water.

The expected rainfall is around 3 days in March, around 6 days in April and around 8 days in May.

In the period from March to May, the sun shines an average of 7 to 9 hours a day. The sunniest weather is in Cape Town in March, but with less sun you have to get by in May.