City Bowl to Table Mountain Cableway: Walking and Shuttle Options

The cableway base sits roughly 700 metres above the City Bowl, and how you close that last stretch shapes your whole morning.

The climb on foot from the City Bowl

Walking from the City Bowl to the lower cableway station is a steady uphill pull rather than a hike. From the top of Long Street or the Company's Garden the route runs through Oranjezicht and up Molteno Road, then follows Tafelberg Road for the final two kilometres. Allow 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes from the city centre at an easy pace, most of it on pavements and a well-used mountain path. Start before 08:00 in summer (November to March) to beat both the heat and the queue, and avoid the exposed Tafelberg Road stretch after 16:00 unless you have checked the cableway's last-car time.

The path rewards you with views over the Bo-Kaap, the harbour and Robben Island that the cable car itself cannot match. Carry a litre of water per person and wear shoes with grip, because the sections above Oranjezicht get loose underfoot. There is no shade on the upper road. This is the option to choose if you are a confident walker staying in Gardens, Tamboerskloof or the lower City Bowl; from a hotel near Greenmarket Square it is close to a two-hour commitment each way, which is worth weighing against the ride down.

Shuttles, taxis and the MyCiTi question

No public bus runs to the cableway station itself. The practical road option is a metered taxi or e-hailing car from the City Bowl, typically 10 to 15 minutes and a short fare outside surge periods; agree the drop-off at the lower station rather than Tafelberg Road's upper bends. Hotel-arranged shuttles exist at many larger City Bowl properties and are worth asking about at check-in, as are the small group transfers some tour operators bundle with a cableway ticket. The MyCiTi bus gets you to the Gardens and Kloof Street on its City Bowl routes, which shortens the walk by perhaps a kilometre but does not remove the climb.

Every option has a return problem worth planning. The cable car can suspend operations in high wind, and the queue for the descent often runs 45 minutes or more on clear weekend afternoons. If you walked up, walking down the same way as light fades is unwise; book a taxi pickup time before you ascend or buy a one-way ticket and plan to descend by road. Groups of three or four usually find a taxi cheaper and faster than the shuttle, while solo travellers do better joining a hotel shuttle or an organised transfer.

What to skip and when to go

Skip the idea of driving yourself up in a rental car between December and February. Tafelberg Road parking fills by mid-morning, and circling for a bay above the city wastes more time than the taxi would have cost. Also skip hiking up on a day forecast to exceed 30°C or when the south-easter is blowing hard, since the cableway may close and you would be walking both ways. Mondays and weekday mornings are quieter than Saturdays and public holidays, and the first hour after opening is consistently the calmest window.

Book where you can walk to the start. For this trip the best-value choice is a mid-range hotel in Gardens or Tamboerskloof, where you are 15 minutes on foot from the mountain edge and still close to Kloof Street's restaurants. A Kloof Street or Orange Street property puts you between the city and the cableway. Lower City Bowl hotels near Bree Street suit travellers who prefer the nightlife, but add 20 minutes each way on foot. If your trip centres on the mountain rather than the city, staying nearer the lower station simplifies everything.

Questions, answered

How long does it take to walk from the City Bowl to the Table Mountain cableway?

From Long Street or the Company's Garden, allow 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes to the lower station, following Molteno Road and Tafelberg Road. It is uphill almost the whole way, with little shade on the upper section.

Is there a public bus to the Table Mountain cableway station?

No MyCiTi or city bus serves the lower station directly. The bus reaches the Gardens and Kloof Street, trimming the walk by about a kilometre. A metered taxi or e-hailing car from the City Bowl usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.

When is the best time to visit the cableway from the City Bowl?

Aim for the first hour after opening on a weekday, especially between November and March. Avoid windy days and weekend afternoons, when the queue for the descent often runs 45 minutes or longer and high wind can suspend operations.

← Cape Town's page