Table Mountain → V&A Waterfront

This is the longest city route on this site, and the only one that is essentially a descent from a mountain into a harbour. From the lower cableway station on Tafelberg Road down to the working waterfront is four miles and about 300 metres of elevation loss, through the whole cross-section of central Cape Town.

The route

From the lower cable station, walk down Tafelberg Road to Kloof Nek Road, then descend through the Gardens neighbourhood via Kloof Street. Continue onto Long Street through the city centre, cross to Buitengracht, and follow the pedestrian route under the foreshore highways to Dock Road and the V&A Waterfront.

About 6.4 kilometres, or 4.0 miles. The straight line is roughly 3.1 miles. The gap is large because you are coming off a mountain: the road has to switchback down the slope rather than drop straight, and the foreshore's highway interchanges force a specific crossing point.

What the number is made of

Four miles is about 8,580 steps — close to a full day's target in one walk. It is downhill throughout, dropping roughly 300 metres, which is easier on the lungs and harder on the knees. Sustained descent lengthens stride for most walkers, so the actual count often comes in slightly below the flat-ground estimate, perhaps 8,300 to 8,500.

The surface is paved the entire way. The first section on Tafelberg Road has no pavement in places and shares the carriageway with cable-car traffic, so walk facing oncoming vehicles.

A mountain, a tablecloth, and a converted dock

Table Mountain is a flat-topped sandstone massif whose summit plateau has been eroding for a very long time — the rock is among the older exposed sedimentary sequences anywhere, and the mountain is far older than the Alps or the Himalaya. It supports a startling amount of endemic plant life: the fynbos on its slopes includes hundreds of species found nowhere else, packed into an area smaller than many single city parks.

The cloth of cloud that pours over the edge — the "tablecloth" — is an orographic effect. Moist south-easterly air is forced up the mountain's windward side, condenses at the top, and then evaporates as it descends the warmer leeward face, which is why the cloud appears to spill over and vanish rather than accumulate.

The V&A Waterfront at the bottom is Cape Town's original harbour, built from 1860 when Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria's son, tipped the first stone. It remained a working port and was largely closed to the public until redevelopment began in 1988. It is now among the most visited destinations in Africa while still operating as a functioning harbour — tugs and fishing vessels work alongside the shops, which is what distinguishes it from most converted waterfronts.

Walking it well

Downhill only. Doing this route in reverse means a 300-metre climb on roads, which is a much harder proposition than it looks and is not a pleasant walk.

Check the wind before you commit. The south-easterly known locally as the Cape Doctor blows hard through summer and closes the cableway regularly — if it is shut you will need to descend on foot from wherever you are, and the Platteklip Gorge trail is a steep, rough, exposed 700-metre descent that should not be attempted casually or in poor light.

Long Street is best in daylight for a first-time visitor. The foreshore section under the highways is unremarkable and worth moving through briskly.

Your step count, by height

Step length varies with height by more than 25 per cent across the adult range, so the single figure at the top of this page will not be right for everyone. Here is the same distance for a range of heights, using the standard estimate of 0.414 × height.

Your height	Est. step length	Steps for this route
1.55 m	0.64 m	10,027
1.65 m	0.68 m	9,425
1.75 m	0.72 m	8,879
1.85 m	0.77 m	8,404
1.95 m	0.81 m	7,977

These are estimates. If you want a figure that matches your own gait, our guide to measuring your stride length takes about five minutes.

Common questions

How long does it take?

About 75 to 85 minutes of walking downhill, before stops. Kloof Street and Long Street both invite them.

Can I walk up instead?

You can, but it is a serious climb of about 300 metres on roads. Most people take the cableway up and walk down.

Is the route safe on foot?

The Kloof Street and Long Street sections are busy and well used in daylight. As in any city, take standard precautions, avoid the quieter foreshore stretch after dark, and prefer daytime for the full route.

Try your own route

Enter any two places into the step calculator to get a figure for a walk of your own, or browse all twenty routes and eight articles.