The Southern Suburbs Region, Cape Town
The group of suburbs lying south east of the City Bowl and Table Mountain in Cape Town are collectively known as the 'southern suburbs'.
Did you know? Once you've booked your hotel or Cape Town accommodation, explore the destination pages below for info on attractions, activities and things to do when you visit the Cape.
Rosebank, Rondebosch, Observatory (known as Obs), Mowbray, Pinelands, Claremont, Kenilworth, Newlands, Bishopscourt and Wynberg are also more established and sought after than their northern counterparts; although property right at the coast on the Atlantic Seaboard is still amongst the most exclusive in Cape Town.
For the most part, the Southern Suburbs lie at the base of Table Mountain National Park, a mountainous backbone that stretches all the way from Signal Hill to Cape Point, creating an impressive backdrop that infuses the southern suburbs with a natural leafiness, in most part due to the frequent blanket of clouds that tend to hang over the mountains, and relative shelter from the wind.
The southern suburbs are predominantly residential, and most of them incredibly pretty with a variety of older-style homes that range from cottage-style semis in Mowbray, Claremont and Wynberg, to more ornate and certainly far larger homes in Constantia, Newlands and Bishopscourt (also see the Constantia Valley).
Did you know? For the most part, the Southern Suburbs lie at the base of Table Mountain National Park, a mountainous backbone that stretches all the way from Signal Hill to Cape Point, creating an impressive backdrop that infuses the southern suburbs with a natural leafiness.
Extensive gardens, pretty shopping areas like Cavendish Street from the Vineyard Road corner in Claremont, and Wynberg village; the cosmopolitan high street of Observatory, and attractions like Kirstenbosch, Mostert's Mill in Mowbray, the Baxter Theatre in Rosebank and the Irma Stern Museum, make this part of Cape Town rather attractive.
It is also the home of the University of Cape Town, which lies on the mountain above Rosebank, Rondebosh, Mowbray and Obs. As a result these parts are often a good place in which to party when the budget is tight, and there are many student digs and a lively street atmosphere.
Find accommodation in the Southern Suburbs
South Africa Accommodation / Western Cape Accommodation / Cape Town Accommodation / Southern Suburbs Accommodation
The Andros Boutique Hotel
The Andros is a gracious Cape Dutch homestead, dating from the early 1900's, set in 5000 sqm of mature, park like gardens. It is positioned in th...
Carmichael House Boutique Hotel
Elegance, style and class will define this fully renovated Guesthouse. The Guesthouse reflects the perfect balance between the charm of the "Heri...
Fernwood Manor
Fernwood Manor is an elegant colonial style home in the leafy suburb of Newlands surrounded by lush greenery with wonderful mountain views. Our e...
The Quadrant Penthouse A406
The Quadrant Penthouse is a holiday apartment in Claremont offering self catering accommodation in Cape Town close to major shopping centres and ...
Riversong Guest House
Enjoy affordable luxury and tranquillity set in the heart of Newlands. Riversong Guest House is beautifully furnished and offers 4 star quality a...
Thirty on Grace
Thirty on Grace is a charming guest house found in the bubbly suburb of Claremont. It is a lovely bed & breakfast offering five double bedrooms t...
Garden Retreat
Garden Retreat is a luxurious Cape Town guesthouse in the heart of Old Pinelands and 600m from the King David Mowbray Golf Club. The original pro...
Hedge House
Hedge House is a guest house located in a peaceful pocket of Newlands. Four en-suite rooms, with separate entrances and comfortably furnished wit...
Medindi Manor
Medindi Manor is a secluded Edwardian house of grand dimensions, banded by ground and first floor verandas with a garden and swimming pool tucked...
Destinations in the Southern Suburbs Region
Athlone
Overnight? Athlone accommodation
Athlone lies to the east of the city centre in what's commonly known as the Cape Flats - a large and very flat section of low-lying land to the southeast of the City Bowl, colourfully described as apartheid's 'dumping ground'.
Athlone is a large subur...
Claremont
Overnight? Claremont accommodation
Another of Cape Town's suburbs divided by Main Road, Claremont, is virtually synonymous with the trendy Cavendish Square, and quaint semi-detached cottages much sought after as ‘starter' homes or for the young and single.
Claremont is some 20 minutes'...
Constantia Valley
Overnight? Constantia Valley accommodation
Rich in heritage and beauty, the Constantia Valley is the birthplace of the South African wine industry. Explore the five historic farms on the Constantia Valley wine route and savour the wines that were the toast of European nobility in the 18th century....
Harfield Village
Overnight? Harfield Village accommodation
Admittedly, tagging on the description - 'Harfield Village' – to advertise property well out of the boundaries of Claremont's Harfield Village happens often. Apartments in lower Kenilworth and Claremont suddenly find their way into the village on the map....
Kenilworth
Overnight? Kenilworth accommodation
Stay in the convenient locale of the southern suburbs when you book your holiday accommodation in Kenilworth, home to some of the best hotels in Cape Town.
This pretty suburb is flanked by the Constantia Winelands and the world-renowned Kirstenbosch B...
Lansdowne
Overnight? Lansdowne accommodation
The suburb of Lansdowne lies east of the M5, right next door to Rondebosch East and Crawford, bordered to the south by Race Course Road and to the north by Lawson Road. It is connected to Claremont and the more westerly southern suburbs - that lie beneath...
Mowbray
Overnight? Mowbray accommodation
Mowbray, an alternatively chic neighbourhood, with beautiful examples of Victorian terraced homes on the banks of the Liesbeek River, and a student digs with a healthy mix of north Africans and refugee communities that have given Mowbray its reputation as...
Newlands
Overnight? Newlands accommodation
Synonymous with the world of rugby and cricket, Newlands is known as Cape Town's ‘green' suburb - located against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain only 15 minutes' from the centre of Cape Town city.
This leafy, upmarket suburb has some gorgeous ho...
Observatory
Overnight? Observatory accommodation
Observatory, fondly known as ‘Obz', has a distinctly bohemian flavour and those who identify with the young, trendy and artistic buy quaint, semi-detached and larger renditions of Victorian terraced homes here.
Some of these are a little run-down, par...
Ottery
Overnight? Ottery accommodation
The Cape Town suburb of Ottery is located in the Southern Suburbs of the Mother City, close to Plumstead, Wynberg, Kenilworth and the massive region known as the Cape Flats. This is a residential area that is well serviced by public transport providers, a...
Pinelands
Overnight? Pinelands accommodation
Although attributed with looking distinctly English, Pinelands' wide streets lined with its distinctive pine trees, hence the name, falls short of the narrow lanes and one-up-one-down style homes that dominate English towns.
Homes here are sprawling a...
Plumstead
Overnight? Plumstead accommodation
The fairly large suburb of Plumstead, just south of Wynberg, divided into two by the Main Road and the railway line, could easily be mistaken for the English village after which it is named - if a village is possible in the heart of London's Greenwich or ...
Rondebosch
Overnight? Rondebosch accommodation
Stay in the heart of Cape Town in one of it's prettiest pretty suburbs when you book your holiday accommodation in Rondebosch. The leafy suburb of Rondebosch is perhaps most sought after for its incredible views of Table Mountain, but also because of its ...
Rosebank
Overnight? Rosebank accommodation
Wedged in between Mowbray and Rondebosch, the suburb of Rosebank is similarly home to a number of the University of Cape Town's students who make use of the many blocks of flats in the Village of Rosebank. Homes here are primarily Victorian, many of which...
Wynberg
Overnight? Wynberg accommodation
Only 10 kilometres from the centre of Cape Town, Wynberg is high on visitors' lists mainly because of the Old Wynberg Village, declared an urban conservation area and home to one of the biggest collections of historic properties in a declared conservation...
Additional Reading
- Why The best of Cape Town is found in the ‘burbs
- 22 Things we LOVE about Cape Town
- Walks in the wilds – 8 green city spaces in South Africa
- Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden
- Van Riebeeck's Hedge
- Rhodes Memorial
- Cecilia Forest
- Constantia Wine Route
- Groote Schuur Hospital
- Rondebosch Common
- University of Cape Town
- Arderne Gardens
- Kenilworth Racecourse
- Rondebosch Golf Club
- Rondebosch Park
- Royal Cape Golf Club
- Silvermine Nature Reserve
- Steenberg Golf Club