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| Cape Town Accommodation Cape Town
is one of the world's top destinations. Reminiscent
of other stunning coastal cities (such as Monaco and San Francisco)
with its spectacular scenic drives, Cape Town offers a fantastic
assortment of irresistible experiences. Much of the province's
appeal lies in its geography and topography. This creates a
stunning diversity of regions within the Western Cape, each
with its own special character. Click on a Cape Town suburb below, to find accommodation in Cape Town: The centre of Cape Town is located at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula. Table Mountain forms a dramatic backdrop to the Cape Town city bowl, with its plateau well over one kilometre (3,300 ft) high; it is surrounded by near-vertical cliffs, Devil's Peak and Lion's Head. Sometimes a thin strip of cloud forms over the mountain, and owing to its appearance, it is affectionately known as the "tablecloth". The peninsula consists of a dramatic mountainous spine jutting southwards into the Atlantic Ocean, ending at Cape Point. There are over 70 peaks above 1,000 feet (304.8 m) (the American definition of a mountain) within Cape Town's official city limits. Many of the suburbs of Cape Town are on the large plain of the Cape Flats, which joins the Cape Town peninsula to the mainland. The Cape Town Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate with well-defined seasons. In winter, which lasts from May to August, large cold fronts come across from the Atlantic Ocean with heavy precipitation and strong north-westerly winds. The winter months are cool, with an average minimum temperature of 7 °C (45 °F). Most of the city's annual rainfall occurs in wintertime, but due to the mountainous topography of the city, rainfall amounts for specific areas can vary dramatically. Cape Town and the valleys and coastal plains average 515 millimetres (20 in) of rain per annum, while mountain areas can average as much as 1,500 millimetres (60 in) per annum. Summer, which lasts from November to February, is warm and dry. The Peninsula gets frequent strong winds from the south-east, known locally as the Cape Doctor, because it blows away pollution and cleans the air. The south-easterly wind is caused by a high-pressure system which sits in the South Atlantic to the west of Cape Town, known as the South-Atlantic High. Summer temperatures are mild, with an average maximum of 26 °C (79 °F). Devil's Peak (Afrikaans Duiwelspiek) is part of the mountainous backdrop to Cape Town. When looking at the mountain from Cape Town harbour, or when looking at the standard picture postcard view of the mountain, the skyline is from left to right: the spire of Devil's Peak, the flat mesa of Table Mountain, the dome of Lion's Head and Signal Hill. The central districts of Cape Town are nestled within this natural amphitheatre. Cape Town grew out of a settlement founded on the shore below the mountains in 1652 by Jan van Riebeeck, for the Dutch East India Company. Some of the first farms in the Cape were established on the slopes of Devils Peak, along the Liesbeek River. Devil's Peak stands 1000 meters (3281 feet) high, less than
Table Mountain's 1087 meters. One can walk to the top (western
slopes provide the easiest approach) but the ascent is nicer
and safer outside of the cold, wet, winter months of May - August.
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