 Beautiful valleys along the way by Eish | Trains tips and advice posted by real travelers and Cape Town locals. • 12 Photos
• 10 Reviews
See all Cape Town Transportation |
 | Cape Town Trains Reviews | 1 - 10 of 10 |  |
 Simonstown-Cape Town train
along the seaside by lynnehammanLeave a Comment Theme: TrainWebsite: www\tourismcapetown.za.co
|
Visiting Cape Town?
Read reviews about Cape Town Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
 Blue Train by cokesLeave a Comment Theme: TrainPhone: +27 12 334-8459Website: www.bluetrain.co.za/ Other Contact: bluetrain@transnet.co.za
|
 Metrorail train at Fish Hoek
Beach by Jenniflower
I have done this trip MANY times, for both work and social purposes. It isnt that frequent a service if you compare it to other First World country train services, but is excellent if you compare it to other African services.
I always try and sit in a carriage that is already occupied. Be aware as there have been criminal activities on these trains, when you get 'chancers' that will try and rob you etc. I never had anything happen to me in many years, but things do happen. Dont look like a tourist, hide your expensive camera and watch and just be alert. Having said that I have had many a superb trip on this service and always enjoyed it.
Metrorail is the company that runs it and it's core business is to provide rail services that meet the country needs for affordable public transport. Security has always been a huge challenge to them as Cape Town has a high unemployment rate. Leave a Comment
|
 | |  |
From Jo'burg, the Trans Karoo is a great way to get to Cape Town. The train ride takes about 24 hours and crosses the Karoo. Wonderful experience.
The city center can be explored by foot. There are buses and trains going from the suburbs to town. Leave a Comment Theme: Train
|
 Cape Town train station by mvtouringLeave a Comment Theme: Train
|
Visiting Cape Town?
Read reviews about Cape Town Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
Avoid the trains - they are not considered safe.
Best way to get around is by taxi or bus Leave a Comment Theme: Train
|
Be VERY careful on the local trains. Robberies, assaults and similar occur on a regular basis and although the Rail service provider have done their best to provide security guards on the trains (according to them), it is not enough to deter criminal activities.
Believe me when I say that these occurances are not the exception, but the rule and I speak from experience.
In December 1999 a couple of hoods grabbed my handbag and threw me from a running train in full view of numerous other people. I suffered servere head injuries.
A few months ago a young man was killed for his cell phone. They did not ask him for it first. They killed him with a knife and then just took it, according to eyewitnesses.
TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS:
1. Wear any jewelery inside your clothers if you must wear any at all.
2. Keep your bag close to your body and zipped tight.
3. NEVER TRAVEL ALONE
4. NEVER TRAVEL AT NIGHT
5. Position yourself so you can see all entrances to your compartment / coach.
6. Be watchful of any unusual behaviour - like people standing at the door when there are enough seats available, or wearing long sleeves on a hot day.
7. Keep parcels to a minimum as it will enhance your chance of running away in case of trouble.
8. Do not fight to keep a grabbed bag / jewelry - it is not worth your loosing your life over!
9. Never display expensive equipment openly. I.e. keep your phone, camera, mp3 player, palmtop etc. hidden from view.
10. If you have to travel on the trains, travel during peak hours when there is lots of people around or be smart and hire an accredited taxi. Theme: TrainPhone: +27 21 11111
|
| | |
 by never10111
explore the place and you will see the beauty of the city. Leave a Comment Theme: Train
|
The train is a wonderful way to get to and from Cape Town from Gauteng. It takes 26 hours from Joburg, or 27 hours from Pretoria. This is certainly not as luxurious as the Blue Train or Rovos rail, but it travels the same route, and is no less fun. There is very little difference between 1st and second class - first class has showers in the same coach. First class compartments sleep 4 people, and coupes sleep 2. Second class compartments sleep 6 people, and the coupes 3. You will get a whole compartment or coupe to yourself if you book a family, or a mixed sex group. If you book a single bed, you could be put with someone else, unless you pay the premium for booking the whole coupe.
You can buy bedding for the night on the train for R25, and in the late afternoon they will come around and "make up" your bed for you. This means rolling out the pre-folded sheets and blanket onto your bunk.
There is a small basin in each compartment/coupe. There is a communal toilet (the sort that flushes onto the train track) at each end of the coach.
The food is awful: greasy, tasteless, and really recommended only if you have a steel-lined stomach. You can take food onto the train, and I would highly recommend this option.
People come past at each station and try to sell fresh fruit or curios through the windows. Do not leave valuables in reach - passersby have been known to grab what they can see from the inside of the coach. However, they are not pests as a rule.
The Trans Karoo is run by Shosholoza Meyl, the mainline passenger services of the South African Railways (Spoornet). It costs probably about the same as a coach journey, but you can stretch your legs and take in the passing scenery. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
Take the metrotrain from Cape Town to Simonstown for a day outing. It is very safe (there is a lot of security guards patrolling the train) and dirt cheap - a return ticket cost R23- first class! The "plus" on the metro plus carriage indicates it's first class. The route is very scenic right on the beach from Muizenberg and takes about an hour from Cape Town if you don't hop off. Have breakfast at the Brass Bell at Kalk Bay - the train stops right at the restaurant's entrance. Take a later train to Simonstown. In Simonstown you can walk to the pengiuns - about 3km's walk to the Boulder's from the station Leave a Comment Theme: Train
|
 | 1 |  |
|
- Sinerset West Guest House
136 Helderberg College Rd, Cape Town - Lanzerac Hotel
Lanzerac Road 1, Cape Town - Cape Waters Hotel
71 Waterkant Street, Cape Town - Colona Castle
1 Verwood Street, off Old Boyes Drive Lakeside, Cape Town - Les Cascades De Bantry Bay
48 De Wet Rd, Cape Town - Metropole Luxury Boutique Hotel
38 Long Street PO Box 1073, Cape Town - Capetonian Hotel
Pier Place Heerengracht, Cape Town - Al Villa Romantica La Spiaggia
15 The Fairways, Cape Town - Erinview Guest House
37 Vergelegen Avenue, Cape Town - Sunset Manor Cape Town
Sweet Waters Road PO Box 1141, Cape Town - Apricot Garden Guesthouse
off Sir Lowry's Pass road Gordons Bay, Cape Town - Southern Sun Waterfront
1 Lower Buitengracht, Cape Town - Spring Tide Inn Cape Town
Oliver Road Sea Point, Cape Town - Leisure Bay Luxury Suites Cape Town
Lagoongate Rd Milnerton, Cape Town - Mount Nelson Hotel
76 Orange Street Gardens, Cape Town
|
