Customer Care

City Sightseeing Hints and Tips

Below are a few hints and tips to make sure your holiday in Cape Town tops your list as one of the best holidays ever!

At City Sightseeing it’s all about you – our customer. While we take every precaution to ensure that you enjoy the highest standards of care and safety on our buses, we are unfortunately not able to look after you once you have chosen to get off and explore one of our exciting destinations.

You’ve got your ticket, you’re ready to go – but before you get on the bus, have a quick look at the following (very useful) advice: 

Hints & Tips

• In South Africa, not all drivers are as courteous as our City Sightseeing bus drivers, so never assume that a car is going to stop for you – even at a Zebra crossing. Cross only once a car has stopped, or if you are sure you have sufficient time to cross the road safely.
• Remember that in South Africa cars drive on the left hand side. Keep this in mind and think carefully before you cross a road – especially if you come from a country where people drive on the right hand side. 
• Like any other city in the world, Cape Town is not without its share of petty crime. While there is very little reason to worry about your personal safety, we do however suggest that you keep your wallet and valuable items in a safe place at all times and remain aware of what is happening around you. There’s no need for alarm, though – in the world we’re living in, it just makes sense.
• Wear sunscreen! The African sun is bright and warm, but it’s never gentle – even on a cloudy day. Make sure you cover up all exposed skin with a high protection factor sunscreen and wear a hat or a cap. Don’t forget to reapply your sunscreen at regular intervals.

About Tickets

Buy your Red City Tour, Blue Mini Peninsula Tour or special tickets on this website by simply clicking on the ticket icon provided on each page. If you prefer, these are also available at the City Sightseeing V&A Waterfront ticket office opposite the Two Oceans Aquarium, or if it’s more convenient, you can buy them directly on the bus. Cape Town transport doesn’t get easier than this! 

The City Sightseeing Visitors Centre

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit the City Sightseeing kiosk! We have everything you need to ensure that your Cape Town experience remains an unforgettable experience for years to come. Choose from our great selection of City Sightseeing Cape Town souvenirs after your trip – or pop in beforehand for last-minute necessities, like sunscreen, cold drinks or a City Sightseeing cap to keep all those hot, open-top sunbeams at bay.

Safety

The safety and security of visitors to Cape Town is of paramount importance and authorities are working hard to ensure that the city is a safe holiday destination.

The CCID’s security partnership, working with the Central City’s business community, the South African Police Services and other security organisations and stakeholders, have formed a tight security net around the City.

Due to this cooperative effort, the crime rate has dropped significantly and many incidents are prevented from happening. The valuable complementary services provided by the CCID security partnership ensures that additional officers are being deployed in the Central City 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Safety and security measures include:

• Visible policing
• Reaction units
• Policing of traffic infringements
• ATM fraud detection
• Regulation of informal trading
• Event security
• Public assistance
• Vehicle breakdown assistance
• Security forums

Security tips

In The City

Cape Town's Central Business District and major malls have made considerable efforts to safeguard tourists against crime. Surveillance cameras monitor activities in the CBD and security guards watch over the major shopping centres.

Nonetheless, tourists should take the precautions they would in any major city:

• Avoid carrying large sums of cash and never carry your wallet in your back pocket
• Don’t have cameras or video cameras loose, carry them close to your person
• Don’t leave belongings unattended
• Do not flaunt valuable items e.g. expensive jewellery, cameras, cell phones.
• In general take advice on where to go after dark from the locals and your hosts
• Take special precautions at lonely outlook points at dusk and or after dark
• Do not allow strangers to assist you in any way at ATMs. (Concentrate on your transaction, don’t be distracted. Don’t accept assistance from strangers or divulge your pin number to anyone. Ensure the person behind you stands well away from you. Cover the keypad when entering your pin.)
• At night, park in a secure, well-lit area.
• Keep photocopies of all valuable documents in a safe place.
• Street children and beggars may approach you for a hand out.

(Many social workers counsel against giving money to the children as it usually gets handed over to some older figure or is used for sniffing glue. If you wish to do good for these children, rather give them food.)

In The Car

• When driving, keep car doors locked and be aware of loiterers standing around at traffic lights, although not as prevalent as in Gauteng, hijackings do happen.
• You should also be aware of who is in the immediate vicinity when getting into our out of your vehicle in the parking lot at the supermarket or mall.
• It's advisable not to leave bags, cameras, mobile phones etc lying around on car seats, thieves are known to break the windows, snatch valuables and disappear into the crowd.
• Ensure that hired or borrowed vehicles are reliable, recent models that have been serviced recently.
• Make sure that you have sufficient fuel for your journey, breaking down next to a shanty town can be dangerous.

At The Mall

In some shopping areas, uniformed attendants will take a fee, or offer to mind your vehicle for a tip. The City of Cape Town is committed to controlling this practise and you should feel free to decline the services of these 'parking attendants'. Alternatively, use a parking garage or official parking lot. At night, park in a secure, well-lit area.

On The Train

Cape Town has an extensive suburban rail network and while trains are generally safe during the day, it's not advisable to travel alone by train after dark.

Cape Town Tourism, in partnership with Protection and Emergency Services, runs a successful Visitor Support Programme to assist you further, should you be involved in an incident.
Contact Cape Town Tourism on 021 487 6800 for more information.