Trails & Maps

We have laid out 4 trails that you can easily self-cycle, departing and ending at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. In this section you will find route descriptions, Google Street Maps and MapMyRide Elevation Maps. Each trail has been rated according to difficulty and traffic safety.

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Azure Trail: Sky View | Kloofnek - Signal Hill - Lions Head – Bo-Kaap

Blue Trail: Ocean View | Mouille Point - Sea Point Promenade - Camps Bay – V&A Waterfront

Green Trail: Football view | Green Point stadium, Urban Park and The Fan Mile

Orange Trail: The Bay View | Foreshore - Table Bay - Bloubergstrand Beach - Blue Peter restaurant

CITY OF CAPE TOWN - GREEN MAP

Be sure to provide us your feedback. We'll gladly incorporate ideas for new trails, as well as ideas to refine and adapt the existing maps and trails, improving the overall experience.

Have a look at our range of rental bicycles, available from the Cape Grace Hotel and the Cullinan & Waterfront Hotels at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.

We recommend our super light weight Single Speed MTB

Bike & Saddle Single Speed.

Azure Trail: Sky View | Kloofnek - Signal Hill - Lions Head – Bo-Kaap

Distance: 24.28 km | 14.91 miles
Riding time: Approximately 3 hours, with sufficient time for rest stops
Difficulty level: 4 (out of 5; with 5 the most difficult)
Traffic: moderately busy

This route is suitable for experienced cyclists or those who like a challenge, lots of climbing! This is our most challenging trail but the hard work is worth it as you are rewarded with some of the best vistas in Cape Town! You leave the Waterfront and make your way for a short distance along Beach Road before climbing up onto High Level Road, with great views of the Cape Town Stadium and the Atlantic Ocean. You climb up the winding mountain pass of Kloofnek, tough stuff for even the most hardened cyclist, and then make your way onto Signal Hill Drive, passing the base of Lion's Head. The route up to Signal Hill twists and turns, providing stunning views over the city and the deep blue sea, with Robben Island glistening in the distance. Take a moment at the top to catch your breath, the uphill stretch is mainly over now, so you can glide down the mountain pass and back onto Kloofnek. Continue onto Buitengracht and take a left up into the cobbled streets and colorful houses of the Bo-Kaap, a lively suburb home to the Cape Malay community. Hear the mosques blaring out the call to prayer, smell the curry wafting through the air and ease your way back through Green Point to the Waterfront.

View Sky View Trail in a larger map

 

Elevation Map: Sky View Trail (meter | km)

Blue Trail: Ocean View | Mouille Point - Sea Point Promenade - Camps Bay – V&A Waterfront

Distance: 20.85 km | 12.43 miles
Riding time: Approximately 2 hours, with sufficient time for rest stops
Difficulty level:2/5 – suitable for novice cyclists or those who prefer a gentle meander, only a few hills
Traffic: moderately busy

This trail is ideal for those who want to cycle alongside the Atlantic Ocean and beautiful beaches, but have limited time and are not the most ardent cyclists. Starting from the historic Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, this route takes you past the iconic Green Point Stadium and the Mouille Point Lighthouse. Ride along the Sea Point Promenade, a haven for active Capetonians from all walks of life, with the azure Atlantic Ocean within touching distance. The sea breeze will fill your lungs and the views are stunning.

After meandering along the promenade, climb uphill for a short while, being rewarded with superb views over the four beaches of Clifton. Ease downhill into Camps Bay, the perfect place to enjoy a coffee or cocktail, before returning along Ocean View Drive, sheltered beneath Lion’s Head and Signal Hill. You return to Sea Point and ride along Beach Road, before turning off the main drag and paying a quick visit to the iconic Cape Town Stadium and completing your circular cycle back at the V&A Waterfront.

View Ocean view trail in a larger map 

Elevation Map: Ocean View Trail (meter | km)

Green Trail: Football view | Green Point stadium, Urban Park and The Fan Mile
 
Distance: 10.93 km | 6.21 miles
Riding time: Approximately 1.5 hours, with sufficient time for rest stops
Difficulty level:1/5 – suitable for novice cyclists or those who prefer a gentle meander, only a few hills
Traffic: 80% of the trail on dedicated cycle lanes; very safe

This trail is ideal for those who want to immerse themselves in football fever and see the sights and sounds of the city at the same time! Starting from the historic Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, one cycles alongside Beach Road, with the glistening Atlantic Ocean on your right-hand side. Loop through the urban fan park along the designated cycle lanes and take a break at the entrance to The Cape Town Stadium, the state of the art 68,000-seater stadium designed especially for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

After marveling at this impressive construction, you ride under the traffic roundabout, onto the newly designed Fan Mile which connects the stadium with the Cape Town Central railway station. This is easy riding, without any traffic and only a few pedestrians to avoid, who might have stumbled into the bike lane. Cruise through the trendy suburb of Green Point and all its bars and cafes, and into the heart of the city. From the station, pass through the foreshore and Artscape Theatre, back to the Waterfront.

View Football View in a larger map

Elevation Map: Football View (meter | km)

Orange Trail: The Bay View | Foreshore - Table Bay - Bloubergstrand Beach - Blue Peter restaurant

Distance: 43.9 km | 26.72 miles
Riding time: Approximately 4 hours, with sufficient time for rest stops
Difficulty level: 2/5 – suitable for novice cyclists, no real hills
Traffic: 80% of the trail on dedicated cycle lanes; very safe

From the V&A Waterfront, cycle through the working harbor of Cape Town, past the Royal Cape Yacht Club, getting a sense of the sea traffic that stops at the fairest Cape. Continue onto Marine Drive, joining the cycle lanes and passing Milnerton Beach and Table View, a haven for kite surfers. Arrive at the Blue Peter restaurant, the ideal lunch stop overlooking Bloubergstrand, a beautiful stretch of secluded beach.

After a light lunch, it is time to return to the city and you enjoy superb views of Table Mountain on the way back – this is where the postcard pictures are taken of beach beneath the flat-topped mountain! Enjoy the panoramic vistas, see if you can rival the professional photographers and slowly make your way back into the city – this is one of our longer trails but it is flat and easy going, even for beginners!

View Bay View Trail in a larger map

Elevation Map: Bay View (meter | km)

More ideas? Visit the City of Cape Town's Green Map ...