How do I get to Cape Town?

CPT sits along the N2 freeway between the City Bowl and the Cape Flats. One terminal, two levels: international arrivals on the ground floor, domestic upstairs. The building is functional rather than glamorous; you'll catch that particular mix of jet fuel and dry fynbos scrubland the moment you step outside into the wind. Unlike Johannesburg's OR Tambo, CPT rarely feels overwhelming. Immigration queues in peak season (December through January) can stretch to 45 minutes, but off-peak you'll clear in 15-20. The free airport Wi-Fi holds up well enough to pull your transfer confirmation or message your host. One thing to know: the southeaster wind that locals call the Cape Doctor can delay landings in summer, not dangerous, just bumpy on approach and occasionally rerouted to a different runway.

From London, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic fly direct daily: 11.5 hours southbound, slightly less on the return. Expect £500-800 return in shoulder season (March-April or September-October), climbing past £900 over the December holiday crush. From the US, there is currently no nonstop to Cape Town from any American city. Your realistic routing options: Delta via Johannesburg on their JFK-JNB service, Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa, or Emirates via Dubai. Total travel time runs 18-22 hours depending on your layover length. Round-trip fares from the East Coast sit around $900-1,500; from the West Coast, add $100-200. Worth noting: United has signaled interest in a Newark direct, so check closer to your travel dates whether that's materialized.

KLM flies direct from Amsterdam Schiphol in about 11 hours, Lufthansa from Frankfurt, and Turkish Airlines routes through Istanbul with tight but manageable connections. From elsewhere in Africa, FlySafair and Airlink connect Johannesburg to Cape Town in 2 hours for R800-2,000 one-way: that's roughly $50-120 at current rates. South African Airways still operates this corridor too, though their schedules have been inconsistent since restructuring. If you're coming from East Africa, Ethiopian via Addis tends to run cheaper than routing through JNB, and the Addis Bole transit is surprisingly smooth for a 2 AM layover.

Cape Town's high season is December through February: southern hemisphere summer, when the city smells of sunscreen and braai smoke drifting from every backyard. Flights from Europe and North America spike 40-60% in this window, and you'll want to book 3-4 months out for anything reasonable. The sweet spot for flight value is March-April (autumn, still warm enough for the beach at Clifton, fewer crowds on the cable car) or October-November (spring, wildflowers blooming along the West Coast, jacarandas starting up in the suburbs). May through August is winter: cool mornings around 8-12°C, rain rolling in off the Atlantic, and dramatically cheaper airfare. Mind you, winter Cape Town still has its pull: whale watching peaks in Walker Bay, the Winelands are quieter with cellar-door fires crackling, and restaurant reservations that are impossible in January suddenly open up.