Where to stay in Simon's Town
Colourful Victorian buildings along St Georges Street in Simon's Town with the naval harbour behind
A naval village 40 km from the city centre where you can walk to the penguins, reach Cape Point in 25 minutes, and sleep for around half what Camps Bay charges in January.
Who this village suits
Simon's Town is a Victorian naval town strung along one street on the False Bay side of the peninsula, with the South African Navy's main base occupying its harbour and Table Mountain National Park pressing in from behind. It suits people whose Cape Town is the peninsula rather than the city: penguin watchers, divers, hikers heading for Cape Point, whale spotters in the winter and spring months, and anyone who values a village where shopkeepers recognise you by the second morning. It also suits slow travellers who plan to stay five nights or more and drive out rather than in.
It does not suit anyone whose itinerary is centred on the City Bowl, the Waterfront or the Atlantic beaches, because you are 40 km and 45 to 60 minutes from all of them, and that drive is a grind twice a day. It does not suit night owls: kitchens here mostly stop serving by around nine and the town is dark and quiet after that. And it does not suit travellers wanting variety, since the restaurant count runs to perhaps a dozen. Come for the sea and the wildlife, not for choice.
Nightly prices and how they compare
A double in a small B&B or guesthouse on the hillside above St Georges Street typically runs R1,100 to R1,800 with breakfast, and a sea-facing room with a balcony over False Bay lands around R1,800 to R2,800. Self-catering cottages and apartments sleeping four sit in the R2,000 to R3,500 band, and the handful of larger properties towards Boulders and Murdock Valley go higher in summer. Backpacker-style beds exist but are limited; this is a guesthouse town, not a hostel town.
Against the Atlantic seaboard the saving is substantial. In the December to mid-January peak, a comparable Camps Bay apartment can cost double, and Waterfront hotel rooms triple. Simon's Town does have its own peak, driven by domestic holidaymakers and the penguin season, so December and January prices rise 40 to 70 percent and the better sea-view guesthouses sell out months ahead. The best value window is May to August, when rates fall, southern right whales arrive in False Bay and the village returns to itself. Winter rain here is real but generally comes in bursts of two or three days.
The layout: where in town to sleep
St Georges Street is the spine, running from Glencairn in the north through the town centre to Boulders and Miller's Point in the south. The town centre around Jubilee Square, with the statue of Just Nuisance the Great Dane, is where the shops, the Quayside development and the harbour restaurants sit; sleep here and you can walk to dinner in three minutes. Above the main street, the hillside roads climb steeply and reward you with wide bay views across to Hangklip, at the cost of a calf-burning walk home or a car in the driveway.
South towards Boulders and Seaforth is the quieter, greener half, where guesthouses back onto the national park and the penguin colony is a walk away rather than a drive. That is the best area for a two- or three-night wildlife stay. North of the centre, Glencairn and Welcome Glen are cheaper and residential, which suits long stays and self-drive families, but you lose the walk to the harbour. Book Boulders side for wildlife, town centre for convenience, hillside for the view.
Penguins, whales and what is on your doorstep
The African penguin colony at Boulders is the town's headline. The Table Mountain National Park boardwalk section is the managed viewpoint with a conservation entry fee that changes periodically, so check the current tariff with the park authority. Seaforth and Windmill Beaches next door let you swim in sheltered, kelp-free water with penguins in the vicinity, and the walk from Jubilee Square to Boulders is around 20 to 25 minutes along the road. That single walk is what makes staying here materially better than driving down for an afternoon.
The rest of the doorstep list: Simon's Town Museum, the Naval Museum and the Heritage Museum in the historic buildings on St Georges Street; the harbour, where operators run boat trips towards Cape Point and out to the seal colony; and the tidal pool and slipway at Miller's Point a short drive south. Southern right whales move into False Bay through the winter and spring, roughly June to November with the strongest sightings around September and October, and you can see them from the shore road without paying for anything.
The sea: swimming, diving, and how cold it really is
False Bay water is meaningfully warmer than the Atlantic side. Summer temperatures here commonly sit around 17 to 20 degrees, against 12 to 15 at Clifton, which is the difference between a quick shriek and an actual swim. Long Beach, the wide sweep towards Glencairn, is the town's sandy stretch, calm at the southern end and popular with beginner divers and kite crowd on windy days. Seaforth is the family choice: shallow, sheltered by boulders, and lifeguarded in season.
Simon's Town is also one of the best shore-diving bases in the country. Long Beach has a shallow training site with a small wreck, the kelp forests off the point are the classic Cape dive, and dive operators in town run boat charters to wrecks in the bay. Visibility in False Bay is generally better in summer when the southeaster is blowing, which is the reverse of the Atlantic side. Book with a local operator and confirm conditions the morning of the dive, because a strong southeaster can shut the boat sites entirely.
Getting here and getting out
Driving from the city centre, the fast route is the M3 south then Ou Kaapse Weg over the mountain and down into Fish Hoek, about 45 to 55 minutes. The scenic route is the M4 along the False Bay coast through Muizenberg, Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek, which is slower, prettier and jammed on summer weekends. Cape Point's park gate is around 20 km and 25 minutes south, Chapman's Peak Drive is 30 minutes over the spine of the peninsula, and Cape Town International is 45 to 55 minutes.
The suburban railway line runs down the coast to Simon's Town and, when operating, gives one of the best scenic train rides in the country, hugging the water from Muizenberg south. Service levels on this line have varied considerably in recent years, so verify the current pattern with the rail operator before planning around it. There is no MyCiTi coverage this far south. Minibus taxis serve the main road, and e-hailing works in the village but with longer waits and higher fares than in town; do not rely on it for a 6am airport run.
Verdict, and the honest catch
Book Simon's Town for three or more nights if the peninsula is your trip: penguins, Cape Point, diving, whales in winter, and a walkable village where you can eat fish and chips at Jubilee Square and be back at your guesthouse in five minutes. Take a room on the Boulders side or the town centre, budget R1,400 to R2,200, and let the city be a single day trip rather than a daily commute. On value alone it beats anything comparable on the Atlantic side.
The catch is the distance, and people underestimate it every summer. If your plan includes the cableway, the Waterfront, Kirstenbosch and a wine day, you will be driving two to three hours a day and you would be happier in Newlands or the City Bowl. The split-stay solution works well: three nights in town, three down here. And if you want the same coastline with more restaurants and a shorter run into the city, Kalk Bay or Muizenberg sit 15 to 20 minutes closer.
Before you book
The questions people ask about Simon's Town, answered with this month’s numbers.
Yes. From Jubilee Square it is roughly 20 to 25 minutes on foot along the coast road to Boulders and Seaforth, mostly on pavement with sea views. Guesthouses on the southern side of town cut that to ten minutes. Entry to the managed boardwalk carries a park conservation fee.
Around 45 to 55 minutes via the M3 and Ou Kaapse Weg outside peak hours, and 60 to 75 along the coastal M4 or during weekday rush. Summer weekend traffic through Muizenberg and Kalk Bay is the main hazard. Cape Town International is roughly 45 to 55 minutes.
Southern right whales are in False Bay through winter and spring, roughly June to November, with the reliable months around September and October. You can watch from the coast road and the Boyes Drive viewpoints without paying anything, and guesthouse rates in those months are well below the December peak.
