Simon's Town Travel Guide

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Simon's Town - and indeed, most of the little towns along the False Bay coastline of the peninsula - is a narrow ribbon of development that clings to the eastern slope of the mountain, so as soon as you venture inland of the main road, you start to climb steeply.Your reward... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  I'm all for functional buildings, but when functionality comes in such a downright ugly form in an otherwise beautiful town, it really makes my hackles rise.This architectural carbuncle is the Naval headquarters in Simon's Town, located on the southern fringe of town on the... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Simon's Town has such a Victorian atmosphere, redolent of Empire and firm conviction that God is an Englishman (and probably an Anglican to boot) that it comes as a surprise to see a signpost for a mosque off the Historic Mile.Most people wouldn't associate South Africa with... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  There are a multitude of trips that you can do from Simon's Town harbour, from whale watching tours (in the whale season between April and November) to trips to Sea Island.This is also the point of departure for the water taxi to Kalk Bay.Other more energetic pursuits which... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  When I fell desperately in love with my husband well over a decade ago, little did I suspect that he would turn out to be a tweezer-wielding nerd!In case this conjurs up wholly unrealistic metrosexual images, I should add that he is a third generation philatalist, and that... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Of all the gorgeous buildings in Simon's Town, I think that the British Hotel is my absolute favourite.This glorious building dates back to 1871 and, for me, epitomises the very best of Victorian colonial architecture. The balance and proportion of the building is just... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  The Prince Alfred building is one of the few surviving pre-Victorian buildings in Simon's Town and dates back to 1802, which means that it predates the transfer of the Cape Colony from Dutch to British control in 1814.Interestingly, although the architecture is much simpler... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  By far the best view of Simon's Town is from the Red Hill Road, which is a left turn from the coastal road heading north, located about 1km out of town.In order to accommodate the steep gradient, this section of the road incorporates a series of hairpin bends (switchbacks)... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  I had always assumed that the remains of the aerial cableway that are still visible on the mountain behind Simon's Town was a precaution to ensure the safe storage of munitions for the dock yard away from the dense settlement of the narrow coastal strip.However, in... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Simon's Town is the home base of the South African navy, which is often in evidence conducting its routine manoeuvres in False Bay.The photo shows three vessels (the corvettes, I think?) that we watched from the vantage point at the top of Red Hill up the mountain from... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  I was taught never to play with my food, but inspired by an e-mail link sent to me by Gerald_D in response to a forum discussion, I couldn't resist!My kids and I spent a hilarious half hour constructing these little darlings from boiled eggs, slivers of raw carrot and black... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Simon's Town harbour is a small but lovely place where you won't struggle to spend a couple of leisurely hours.The Simon's Town naval dockyard and marina are a couple of kilometres further north up the coast and the town no longer has a fishing fleet to speak of, leaving the... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  (work in progress)As you might expect, Simon's Town is not short of places to eat seafood, from fairly upmarket sushi restuarants to more affordable fish and chip joints.On our most recent visit (March 2012) we had a fish and chip lunch at the Salty Seadog at the Simon's... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  The Mellow Yellow water taxi must simply be the coolest way to get between Kalk Bay and Simon's Town (or vice versa) and you've just got to love a service provider who warns you of possible slight delays due to whales!In pursuit of my personal mantra to never travel the same... 

 CatherineReichardt Says:  (work in progress)Finding parking is always a challenge along the False Bay coastline - particularly in peak season - as the towns have developed as ribbons along the narrow coastal strip of flat land between the mountains and the sea. There is limited street parking along...