Walking Tours
With its cosmopolitan buzz, street music, markets and busking acts, as well as a multitude of cafes and restaurants to take a rest in, Cape Town is a great city for exploring on foot. Wanderlust (tel: (021) 426 4252; www.wanderlust.co.za), offers three ‘Cape Town on Foot' walking tours of the city. The ‘Full City Walking Tour' takes 2 hours 30 minutes to cover the main sights of the city centre; these depart from the Cape Town tourism office (see Sightseeing) Monday to Friday. The 1 hour 30 minutes ‘Bo-Kaap Experience' tour departs from the Bo-Kaap Museum, 71 Wale Street, Monday to Friday.

Bus Tours
Hylton Ross (tel: (021) 511 6000; www.hyltonross.co.za) runs a regular open-topped double-decker bus tour, the ‘Cape Town Topless Tour', which takes in all the major sights of Cape Town, with a running commentary. The 2-hour ‘Red Route' tour can be hailed anywhere along the route and takes in the V&A Waterfront, Sea Point, District Six (Zonnebloem), the lower cable car station and Camps Bay.

A second tour in smaller regular buses known as the ‘Blue Route' goes further afield from the V&A Waterfront, along the Atlantic Seaboard to Hout Bay, then crosses the mountain and returns to central Cape Town via Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Each route has 13 stops and hop-on hop-off tickets are valid 0930-1910 in summer, 0930-1710 in winter, and can be purchased on the bus, at the Cape Town tourist offices or in advance from Hylton Ross. The company also offers a range of half- and full-day tours around Cape Town, including half-day city tours (0745-1230 or 1345-1800) that include Table Mountain (cableway tickets not included), as well as a half-day township tour (0815-1345 or 1345-1800), which includes a visit to the District Six Museum, District Six (Zonnebloem) and the townships. There is the option of extending the tour with a trip to Robben Island.

Boat Tours
Waterfront Boat Company (tel: (021) 418 5806; www.waterfrontboats.co.za) offers a range of tours, from harbour tours to excursions and champagne cruises, departing from the V&A Waterfront Quay Five. Tours range from a 30-minutes harbour cruise to a full-day fishing trip. Whale-watching tours are available during the season (Jun-Nov); these take 3 to 4 hours. Thrill seekers might enjoy a high-speed 1-hour motorboat trip to Clifton beach. A popular pastime is a spectacular sunset sailing experience across Table Bay, which includes sparkling wine.

The Waterfront Information Office (tel: (021) 408 7600; www.waterfront.co.za) in the Union Castle Building and at kiosks in the Victoria Wharf Mall, provides information on other tours available from the V&A Waterfront.

Boat tours to see the Cape Fur Seals on Duiker Island in Hout Bay are operated by Drumbeat Charters (tel: (021) 790 4859; www.drumbeatcharters.co.za). All cruises depart from Hout Bay Harbour daily at 0915, 1000 and 1045, with more departures in the afternoon over summer, and take about 35 minutes.

Bicycle Tours
Daytrippers (tel: (021) 511 4766; www.daytrippers.co.za) organises a number of tours that include cycling, including the ‘Cape Point Tour', which follows the Atlantic Coast past Hout Bay and Chapman's Peak to the Table Mountain National Park, where bicycles are available to explore the reserve around Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, before the tour continues on to Boulders Beach. The full-day tour includes picnic lunch and entrance fees. Other cycling tours include a Winelands tour, various mountain biking tours, and a whale-watching tour (Jul-Nov).

Other Tours
Civair (tel: (021) 419 5182; www.civair.co.za) and NAC Makana Aviation (tel: (021) 425 3868; www.nacmakana.com) both on East Pier Road, beyond the Table Bay Hotel at the V&A Waterfront, offer 20-minute, 30-minute and 1-hour helicopter tours. Civair also offers 50-minute Winelands tours.