South Africa Guide
Cape Town
The Southern Suburbs
Away from Table Mountain and the city centre, the bulk of Cape Town's residential sprawl extends east into South Africa's interior. It's here that the southern suburbs, the formerly whites-only residential areas, stretch out down the east side of Table Mountain, ending just before Muizenberg on the False Bay coast. All the main suburban attractions are concentrated in this area and, not surprisingly, the best shopping areas and cinemas.
From anywhere in the southern suburbs you can see Table Mountain rising above Cape Town. The area offers some quick escapes from the city heat into forests, gardens and vineyards, all hugging the eastern slopes of the mountain, and its extension, the Constantiaberg. The suburbs themselves are pleasant enough places to stay, eat and shop, but sights are thin on the ground.
The quickest way of reaching the southern suburbs from the city centre, Waterfront or City Bowl suburbs is the M3 highway. Travelling by train, you can get to Woodstock, Salt River, Observatory, Mowbray, Rosebank and Rondebosch.