Exploring Cape Town Without a Car and 2 Kids
Remember we sold our bus a while ago? Well, we still haven’t replaced it and if I am honest, it is not a priority. We are managing just fine and actually saving money (and time). Earlier this year when we went to Cape Town we hired a car, mainly to drive up to my parents. For our most recent visit we decided to not hire a car, stay in Cape Town and explore without a car and I am so glad we did.
I have never felt the pull to move to Cape Town. I hate the wind and I hate the cold, rainy winters. The mountain is not pretty enough for me to look past all of that but the MyCiti busses might just be enough to twist my arm.
We have never booked an Airbnb before but found an amazing apartment in Milnerton and even though David thought it was in a different location, it ended up being perfect – the beach was a 5-minute walk and there was a MyCiti bus station literally outside the flat. Perfect to explore the city without a car.
I will ashamedly admit that I have never read a bus timetable before or had to catch a bus somewhere. It was a little overwhelming to start with but the MyCiti website has a really cool journey planner that tells you exactly what bus you need to get on, where you need to change busses and what the new bus number is. The staff at the stations are also super helpful, when we were sure, there was always someone to ask.
On our first trip Jack, Emma and I went into the CBD to meet Cameron and Kiara at the museum. We left pretty early so the busses were full which was a little overwhelming and I actually let 2 busses go without getting on because they were just too full. We had to change busses at the Civic Centre but it is pretty clearly marked and there are MyCiti staff at all the platforms and the lady at the Information kiosk is really great.
Our first leg of the trip stopped at actual stations but the second leg just stopped at a bus stop on Long Street. From there it was a short walk to the museum. It was a super windy day so we just wanted to get inside but the walk was pretty cool, we walked past some funky little cafes and shops.
IMPORTANT: The bus does not automatically stop at these smaller stops. If there is no one waiting and no one presses stop, they will not stop, so you have to pay attention. We almost missed one of our stops because of this. If your bus has red STOP buttons in it, you have to press it when you want to get off.
The second trip on the MyCiti bus was a little more of an adventure. The initial plan was to get the bus to the Civic Centre, walk to the station and get a train to Kalk Bay. Unfortunately, the Southern Line, which leads to Kalk Bay was closed so we had to course correct and decided to visit the Biscuit Mill and then head to Camps Bay for a late lunch.
The MyCiti bus stops right outside the Biscuit Mill (just remember to press the stop button) and will collect you again from there. You will need to check the bus you get on though – one bus will take you back to the Civic Centre and the other will take a longer route. We did not pay attention and got on the longer route bus and ended up having to hop off at one of the stops.
Once we were back at the Civic Centre we headed straight to Camps Bay. It was such a lovely drive and because the bus is high with huge windows you really get to see Cape Town. The bus drops you off in the main street of Camps Bay, it is a short walk to the beach and all the restaurants, smaller kids will easily manage it as well.
The busses run until 22h00 so you don’t have to rush, you can really explore and enjoy yourself.
They are also super affordable. You will need a card for R35 for each person travelling. I loaded R80 onto each card and we used about half of that over the time we were there. It works out a lot cheaper than ride sharing options or hiring a car.
For the destinations we couldn’t reach by bus we used Ubers/Bolts which are obviously readily available. For the 6 days we were there, we spent a total of R607 on Ubers/Bolts but that included two long trips of R171 each from my brother’s house to David’s aunt.
We spent a total of R1070 on transportation for the 6 days that we spent in Cape Town which is around R180 a day. Hiring a car is a minimum of R350 a day (plus all the hidden costs) and I am not sure R1000 petrol would have actually gotten us everywhere we went during that time.
The bus was a new experience for Jack and Emma and it was a little overwhelming to begin with because it does get busy, seats are limited and if you have to stand you have to hold on but it is definitely something we will use again. It is a great way to see the city, especially when you have to walk around a bit to get to your final destination.
