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What the budget actually goes on

The expensive things in Cape Town are the cableway at about R440, Cape Point entry at about R400, Robben Island at about R600 and Kirstenbosch at about R240 for international visitors. Skip two of those four and your three-day fee bill drops below R500. The city rewards cheapness better than almost any comparable destination because its best assets, the mountain paths, the beaches and the promenades, are free. Food is the other lever: a sit-down main in Sea Point is R190 and a plate of curry at the Eastern Food Bazaar is R70.

A realistic three-day budget looks like this: R500 in entry fees, R600 in food across nine meals, R450 in transport and R250 in contingency, so R1,800 per person plus a bed. Hostel dorms in Gardens and Observatory run R280 to R400 a night; a private double in a Sea Point guesthouse starts near R750. Add cash for tips, because staff wages here are low and R20 to R50 to a car guard, guide or waiter matters more than it costs you.

Day one: hike the mountain instead of riding it

Start at 07:00 at the Platteklip Gorge trailhead on Tafelberg Road, a 25-minute walk uphill from the top of Kloof Nek Road or a R60 Uber from the City Bowl. The route is a relentless staircase of switchbacks up the front face, two to two and a half hours for a reasonably fit walker, with no shade after about 09:00. Take two litres of water each, a windproof layer for the summit and cash for the one-way cableway ticket down at about R240 if your knees object to the descent.

Do not hike alone. Muggings on the lower slopes of Platteklip, Lion Head and Signal Hill are the city's one persistent tourist crime, and they happen at quiet hours on quiet paths. Go in a group of three or more, start when other hikers are already on the trail, and leave the watch at the hostel. On top, walk the free Dassie and Agama loops for the Camps Bay views, then descend the same way. Total cost for the day: nothing, or R240 if you ride down.

Day one afternoon and evening: free city

Come off the mountain and walk the flat city. Company's Garden costs nothing and has enough shade for an hour of recovery. The National Gallery and Slave Lodge sit on its edges; the Iziko museums are around R40 to R60 each, and several waive fees on national heritage days. The Bo-Kaap costs nothing to walk through if you skip the museum. Buy koesisters, samoosas or a chilli bite from a corner shop on Wale Street for R10 to R25 and you have lunch for the price of a coffee elsewhere.

For dinner, the Eastern Food Bazaar at 96 Longmarket Street is the single best cheap meal in the centre: Indian and Turkish counters, biryanis, rotis and shawarma from R60 to R85, open until about 22:00, no alcohol. Alternatively hunt a Gatsby, the Cape Flats foot-long roll of chips, masala steak or polony that feeds two for R90 to R130; Golden Dish or Mariam's Kitchen on Long Street will sort you out. Finish with a R35 beer at a Long Street bar rather than a R95 cocktail at the Waterfront.

Day two: the peninsula by train and shared transport

The Metrorail Southern Line from Cape Town station to Simon's Town is the cheapest scenic transport in the country at roughly R25 one way, and from Muizenberg onwards it runs metres from the surf on False Bay. Travel in daylight, in the middle carriages, off-peak, and keep valuables out of sight; service has improved on this line but it remains a train you use with your eyes open. Get off at Kalk Bay for the harbour, or ride to the Simon's Town terminus in about an hour and ten minutes.

From Simon's Town station it is a 25-minute walk or a R40 short Uber to Boulders. Penguin boardwalk entry is around R200, which is the one fee worth paying; if not, the free viewing deck at Boulders Beach car park and the rocks at Seaforth still show you penguins waddling past swimmers. Cape Point is 20km further with no public transport, so budget-wise you either skip it or share a car for the day. Lunch at Kalky's on the Kalk Bay quay is about R80 for hake and chips.

Day three: beaches, promenades and markets

Day three costs almost nothing. MyCiTi route 108 and 107 buses run from the Civic Centre to Camps Bay and Hout Bay for R12 to R20 a ride with a myconnect card, which itself costs R35. Camps Bay's white sand and the Clifton coves are free; the water is 13 to 16 degrees and genuinely painful, so treat swimming as a dare. Then walk the Sea Point Promenade, 3km of paved seafront between the Mouille Point lighthouse and Bantry Bay, with free outdoor gyms, tidal pools and the best people-watching in the city.

On a Saturday morning, swap the beach for a market. The Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill on Albert Road, Woodstock, runs 09:00 to 14:00 with free entry and plates from R60 to R120. The Oranjezicht City Farm Market at Granger Bay is similar money in a better setting. On other days, the Grand Parade traders opposite the City Hall sell fruit, clothes and fried snacks for pocket change. End the trip watching the sun go down from Signal Hill, which is free to drive or walk up.

Cutting costs without cutting the trip

Get a myconnect card at any MyCiTi station and load R100; the airport route A01 to the Civic Centre is about R120 and beats a R300 Uber. Walk the flat city rather than short-hopping by car. Drink Cape wine by the glass at R45 in a bottle store bar rather than R110 at a hotel. Buy water and breakfast at a Woolworths Food or Shoprite; a loaf, cheese and fruit is R90 and covers two breakfasts. Most guesthouses will lend you a cooler bag for picnics.

Time your visit if you can. May to August drops accommodation rates by a third or more, and the mountain is at its greenest even if the rain is real. Avoid the second half of December, when locals holiday and every rate doubles. Book Robben Island only if the history matters more to you than R600 does; the District Six Museum at R60 delivers a similar gut-punch for a tenth of the money and no ferry cancellation risk.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask before they set off on this one.

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