Things To Do In Cape Town: 3 Top Tips For A Picnic

Picnics are not only for the romantic lovebirds; it’s just as great to share a picnic experience with family and friends. This means that your picnic can be any size or shape. To give you a head start, here’s 3 tips for picnics in the Mother City that will help you unwind from the week’s admin and enjoy the experience.

1. Location, Location, Location

Cape Town offers a great range of picnic spots to choose from. Whether you’re think of mountain peaks, beaches, parks, or even rooftops, this beautiful city has it all within a 1 hour drive. Before you get ahead of yourself, just remember that you have to carry your picnic so unless you’re up for a trek and a half, keep it doable.

Here are some of my favourites picnic locations:

• Table Mountain – I suggest going up the cableway from here
• Boulders Beach – Picnic amongst the penguins at this beach spot
• Kirstenbosch Gardens – This lovely garden is a little bit bigger than yours
• Clifton 4^th Beach – If this popular beach is crowded, walk down to 3^rd, 2^nd, or 1^st
• Groot Constantia – Find a spot in front of Jonkershuis restaurant (you don’t need to buy from them, although a bottle of wine would be beneficial)

2. Keep things simple

We all have that friend that plans for a picnic like they’re planning for a 10-night camping trip… rather leave the tent and fire blanket at home and keep things simple. After all, it’s not the items but the company that truly makes a picnic experience memorable **insert corny background music here**

Some must-have elements include:

• Drinks – if you have glass bottles, try manoeuvre a dishcloth between them to avoid any breakages (stay away from using plastic bottles… check out this link if you don’t know what I mean)
• Food – purchase at your nearby Woolworths
• Blanket – you don’t need an “official” picnic blanket; a towel could even work (not recommended if you’re taking a special person on a date)
• Carry Bag – a simple grocery bag (not plastic) if you don’t have a fancy one
• Sunscreen – check how cool this video is of how it protects us from UV rays

3. Food choices

What is a picnic without food? This is so important that I’ve dedicated my last tip to food. You want to prepare your food as much as possible before your picnic so you can enjoy the entire experience.

Some key options include:

• French baguette – the foundation of every picnic (Tim Noakes wouldn’t be proud but hey, YOLO)
• Cheese – pop your cheeses in the fridge 20 minutes before you leave to keep it chilled on your way there
• Fruit – berries and pre-cut fruit are the best on a hot Summers day
• Meat – local is lekker and biltong is baie lekker. If it’s after payday, spoil yourself with some parma ham

The things to do in Cape Town, South Africa are endless. You have the opportunity to try one every single weekend. Start now.

PS: View this blog piece about “Things To Do In Cape Town: 5 Tips For A Splashing Pool Party” if you want to get those guns out when the sun it out.