☕ A Day in Kalk Bay: Coffee, Ocean, and Little Shops

If you want to get out of central Cape Town for a day without spending the whole time in the car, take a look at Kalk Bay ☕

Here you can have coffee, visit a gallery, get lost among old books and end your walk by the harbour. And all of that without building a complicated route with twenty stops.

🚗 Planning a trip to Kalk Bay and further along the coast? If you need a car in Cape Town, message us on Telegram. We’ll help you find options from our partners for your dates.

I would leave at least a few hours for Kalk Bay. And if you like going into every interesting shop you see, it is probably better to give it a full day.

☕ Start the day with coffee

Come in the morning and first find a table for breakfast or coffee. There are cafés along Main Road, so you can simply walk around and choose whichever place you like.

Bring a jumper with you. Even when it is sunny in central Cape Town, it can be windy by the ocean.

🎨 Visit the galleries

In Kalk Bay, art is easy to add to an ordinary walk.

For example, you can stop by Kalk Bay Modern, where you will find works by artists and handmade pieces.

Then look for Memory Lane and INK BOX ART Gallery.

Even if you are not planning to buy a painting, it is interesting to see what local artists are creating.

Check gallery opening hours before your trip. They can change.

📚 Books, maps and things with a story

If you like old books and unexpected finds, leave some time for Quagga Rare Books and Art.

You can look for rare editions, prints and old maps here.

Then simply continue along Main Road.

You will come across small shops, antiques and things that somehow make you stop and look a little longer than you planned.

Just do not promise the person next to you that you are “only going in for five minutes” 👀

🐟 Walk to the harbour

After the shops, head down to Kalk Bay Harbour.

Look at the boats, watch daily life around the harbour and choose somewhere nearby for lunch by the water.

You may also see seals here.

It is better to watch them from a distance and not try to feed or touch them.

🌊 If you want to continue the day by the ocean

Kalk Bay is easy to combine with Muizenberg.

You can walk along the beach there or watch the surfers.

More ideas for a day by the water are collected in the article “Which Cape Town beach should you choose for your mood?”

And if the galleries leave you wanting more art, take a look at the article “Where to go for art in and around Cape Town”.

📌 What to bring

A windbreaker, comfortable shoes and a little free space in your bag.

There is a good chance that a book, an old postcard or some small find from one of the shops will be coming home with you.

Check the opening hours of the places you want to visit before you go, and do not try to fit everything in.

Kalk Bay is the kind of place where it is nice to leave yourself the freedom to turn off the route if something catches your eye.