From the rugged tip of Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, all the way up to Muizenberg, a string of charming and historic coastal communities line the False Bay side of Cape Town’s peninsula, but none are more historic or charming than the tiny settlement of Simon’s Town.
One of South Africa’s oldest towns, for more than 350 years Simon’s Town has been the headquarters of first the Dutch, then the British, and now the South African navy. However, this neighbourhood has more to offer than its rich maritime history; Quaint buildings line the historical mile from the train station to Jubilee Square, set against the dramatic mountainous backdrop where you will find gorgeous beaches, rich history, and the colony of African penguins that make Simon’s Town worth stopping by for a day or two.
About Simon's Town
One of South Africa’s oldest Towns and Naval bases, Simon’s Town was originally named Isselsteijn Bay by a Dutch East Indiaman of the same name who sheltered from a storm here in 1671. As reports of the bay’s discovery filtered back to the Governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel, he recommended that it be developed into a port, owing to the fact that it provided ideal shelter from the winter winds and storms that batter Table Bay on the opposite coast of the peninsula. It was later renamed Simon’s Bay in his honour.
A small dockyard facility was first established in Simon’s Town by the Dutch East India Company in 1743, which was eventually taken over by the British Royal Navy in the 1790s, under whom the facility was further developed over the following century and a half. The Naval Base was handed over to the South African Navy in 1957 under the Simonstown Agreement.
Unfortunately, in the 1960s, Simon’s Town was proclaimed a White Group Area and over the next few years black people, many of whom had family ties dating back to the early settlement of the area, were forced to move out. Their houses within the town fell into disrepair and a lot of them were eventually demolished despite the Historical Society’s efforts in preventing it. Luckily, some buildings were proclaimed National Monuments and survived. In recent years, the Town’s main street and Jetty have been restored and all along the ‘Historic Mile’ you will find beautiful Dutch colonial buildings steeped in history.
Getting to Simon's Town
The easiest way to reach Simon’s Town is by car, taking the M4 south from Cape Town to the Cape of Good Hope before travelling up the east side of the Cape Peninsula.
For public transport, there is a regular MetroRail service from Capetown via Fishhoek, Kalk Bay and Muizenberg. It is recommended that you buy a 1st class ticket and although safety has been an issue on MetroRail trains in the past, they are currently considered relatively safe. However, it is not recommended that you take the train at night. The station is located just 10-minute’s walk north of the town centre.
Where to Stay in Simon's Town
With the Penguins at Boulders Beach putting Simon’s Town on the tourist map and drawing in huge numbers of visitors from all over the world, the town isn’t short of hotels looking to cater to them. Truly budget options such as dorm rooms and camping spots are a little hard to come by, but both Airbnb rental apartments and the area’s 3 to 4-star hotels are of a high standard and competitively priced.
Simon's Town Boutique Backpackers
Just 5 minutes’ walk from the railway station, Simon’s Town Boutique Backpackers is the only hostel in town but despite the lack of competition, it manages to provide everything a backpacker needs; a bar, lounge, BBQ facilities and a shared kitchen.
aha Simon’s Town Quayside Hotel
Perfectly positioned on the water’s edge of the Simon’s Town harbour, with breath-taking views over False Bay and the majestic Simon’s Kloof Mountains, this nautically styled, 4-star hotel is one of the best in the area.
Tintswalo at Boulders
A stone’s throw from the nearby penguin colony, this nine-room boutique B&B offers direct access to the beach and colony’s walkways. Inside is luxuriously appointed yet relaxed, offering a spectacular view across False Bay to the Hottentots Holland mountains.
Things to do in Simon's Town
The coast hugs the main – and only – drag of Simon’s Town where a walk from the train station at the northern end to Boulders Beach in the south offers spectacular sea views and the chance to spot calving whales between June and November. The town’s seafront location also means plenty of trips out to sea can be had from the harbour; whale watching, kayaking with penguins or shark cage diving are all on offer.
If you’re the type to get seasick, don’t fear, there’s plenty to keep a landlubber occupied. In the compact town centre, you’ll find fantastic restaurants, craft markets, and museums.
See African Penguins at Boulders Beach
One of the few remaining homes to the rare African penguin, Boulders Beach – named for its enormous boulders that divide the small, picturesque sandy coves – is home to a colony of almost 3,000 delightfully comical birds.
Much of the colony, which has grown from just two breeding pairs that decided to settle here in 1982 and has since ballooned to the numbers seen today, can be found on Foxy beach where a series of elevated walkways (the beach itself is off-limits) wind their way from the visitor centre, across the sand and through the dunes, allowing visitors to get up close and personal with the penguins.
Boulders Beach has three different sections, including an area where you can walk on the beach and even swim with the penguins, located at the southern end of the boardwalks (an entry ticket is required to access this section of beach).
Although the penguins wander around town freely and are relatively indifferent to people, do not touch and feed them.
Pay Your Respects to 'Just Nuisance' in Jubilee Square
The African Penguins of Boulders Beach aren’t the only famous animals to hail from Simon’s Town. Taking pride of place in Jubilee Square is a statue dedicated to a local legend, a Great Dane that continues to capture the hearts and imagination of Simon’s Town almost 80 years after his death: Able Seaman Just Nuisance.
Owned by Benjamin Chaney, who ran Simon’s Town United Services Institute (USI), Just Nuisance took a liking to the Royal Navy Sailors that frequented the bar and constantly fed him scraps, pies and beer. Eventually, he began to follow them to the naval base, taking naps on the deck of HMS Neptune at the top of the gangplank where sailors would have to step over him to board, which led to them declaring him a nuisance, thus giving him his name.
On Friday, 25th August 1939, Just Nuisance was enlisted into the Royal Navy. Like all new sailors, he underwent a medical examination which he duly passed and was declared fit for active duty. The proper enlistment forms were filled in and he signed them with a paw mark.
Despite never going to sea, Just Nuisance provided a boost in morale for those fighting in the War from the South Atlantic Station. He was renowned for the love and care he showed for his sailor mates, including guiding drunken sailors from the railway station to the base and appearing at parades wearing his seaman’s hat. However, he did get in a fair bit of trouble: his “Conduct Sheet” that can now be found in the Simon’s Town museum shows that he was guilty of several misdeeds, such as travelling on the train without his free pass, sleeping on a bed in the Petty Officer’s dormitory, going AWOL, losing his collar and resisting eviction from pubs at closing time.
Following his death, Just Nuisance was laid to rest with full military honours at Klaver Camp on top of Red Hill (the current site of the South African Navy Signal School) in a solemn ceremony that included a firing party of Royal Marines and a lone bugler.
The area of jubilee square around his statue is a local meeting point and every weekend, hosts a local craft market known as the Just Nuisance Community Market between 9am and 3pm.
Go Whale Watching
Due to its calm and sheltered nature, False Bay is the year-round home to Bryde’s whales but also features migratory Southern Right & Humpback whales from June to November.
Simon’s Town Boat Company was started 20 years ago by avid naturalist and expert on cetacean behaviour in the bay, Dave Hurwitz, and is the only licensed whale watching company in Simon’s Town that is permitted to approach and interact with whales, providing they choose to.
The 2.5 hour long tours operate twice daily (at 10.30am and 2pm) during the migratory months when large mating pods and mothers teaching their babies to swim in the protected shallows can be seen lob tailing, sailing and breaching. Tours cost R1100 per adult and R730 per child.
Simon’s Town Boat Company also offer tours to Seal Island, home to a thriving population of around 75,000 Cape fur seals and a large variety of endangered sea birds, including a small population of penguins.
Take an Audio Tour
There’s no better way to explore a new destination than with the help of a knowledgable local and in this audio tour, storyteller and writer Maureen Miller takes you on a guided stroll along Simon’s Town’s Historic Mile where she will regale you with stories about navies past and present, Admiralty House, thundering cannons, and Jubilee Square. The walk starts at the Simon’s Town train station and ends in the village centre.
Browse the Museums
If you would like to delve deep into the storied history of Simon’s Town, there are multiple museums in the town. Simon’s Town Museum is housed in ‘The Residency’, a building constructed in 1777 as the winter residence for the Dutch East India Company Governor at the Cape that has since been used as a hospital, post office, school, customs house, police station, gaol and magistrate’s court. The Simon’s Town Museum collects and exhibits the cultural history of the people of Simon’s Town and their connections with the Dutch East India Company and the Royal Navy.
Elsewhere, the South African Naval Museum pays homage to the country’s naval history, from its early origins in 1922 when the South African Naval Service was established, to its involvement and expansion during the Second World War (1939-1945). It includes glimpses into modern naval operations with models of submarines, a life-size submarine control room, naval guns, torpedoes and more as well as displays that show the historical ties with the British Royal Navy, the age of sail and South African involvement during the First World War (1914-1918).
Kayak With Penguins
Although wandering with the penguins of Boulder Beach is a must-have experience in Cape Town, more intrepid travellers can get even more up close and personal with Simon’s Town’s famous birds. Kayak Cape Town offers a daily kayak tour that leaves Simon’s Town jetty, paddling out past the civilian and Naval Harbours (where you get a bonus close up view of the naval vessels) and then out to Boulders Beach where you can float amongst the penguins as they swim and dive in False Bay.
The tour lasts 2 hours and gives you the opportunity to encounter Cape Fur seals, whales (during the migration season) and hop off your kayak to swim with the penguins once you reach Boulders Beach. Tours cost R290 per person.
Take a Ghost Walk Through a Haunted Village
Do you want to hear about the Lavender Lady that wanders the rooms of a Simon’s Town museum? How about tales of butchering barbers and horrific mass murderers? With such a long and storied history, Simon’s town has plenty of creepy secrets to tell and André Leibbrandt, a qualified Western Cape Tourist Guide has scoured its history for the most gruesome tales which he regales as part of his two-hour long ghost walks of the town’s historic mile.
The Ghost Walk costs R100 per person and takes place every Friday and Saturday evening. In winter, the walk starts at 6.30pm and in summer by 7pm.
Where to Eat & Drink in Simon's Town
For a town of its size, Simon’s Town is disproportionately blessed with an abundance of fantastic cafes and restaurants, the majority of which are found along the main road or clustered around the pretty harbourside and Jubilee Square.
The Salty Sea Dog
This compact little eatery on the water’s edge of Simon’s Town jetty and harbour is a local institution. Originally built as a fish market in 1925, ‘Salties’ is known to serve the best fish and chips in town, both for takeaway and eating in.
Where: 2 Wharf St
When: Mon to Sat 10am – 9pm; Sun 10am – 4.30pm
Bertha’s Restaurant
Situated centrally on the quayside, Bertha’s Restaurant is one of the town’s largest and most popular eateries, occupying a large portion of the seafront. As well as offering spectacular views of False Bay, Bertha’s simple menu mixes delicious seafood with classic African cuisine. The seafood is the star of the show with fish and chips, west coast mussels and calamari being among the most ordered dishes but be sure to save room for their delicious home-made malva dessert.
Where: Just off Jubilee Square
When: Daily 6am – 10pm
JB’s Ice Cream Parlour
Located opposite Jubilee square on the main road, JB’s has the retro look and feel of an old school ice cream parlour but serves up a huge number of inventive flavours that are easily the best scoops you will find in town. The salted peanut brittle and Peaches & cream flavours are both spectacular.
Where: 104 St George’s St
When: Daily 9.30am – 5.30pm
Saveur Restaurant
Occupying one of the town’s best harbourside sunset spots, Saveur serves up mouthwatering European and international dishes. Make sure to try the delectable Moroccan spiced lamb skewers with roast veg on a bed of spiced cous cous.
Where: Waterfront Centre, Wharf St
When: Tues to Sat 9am – 9pm; Sun & Mon 9am – 5pm
The Sweetest Thing
If you have had your fill of seafood, succumb to temptation and pop into The Sweetest Thing to try their delectable range of cakes and pastries such as lemon meringues, eclairs and more. The patisserie also serves good coffee, breakfast, pies and quiche, all made locally or on the premises. If in doubt about how good the sweet treats are, owner Doreen Alcock has previously won the South African Diners Club National Dine Award for the Most Promising Pastry Chef.
Where: 82 St George’s St
When: Opening times vary
Monocle & Mermaid
Despite being primarily a coffee spot, the rustic, seafaring themed Monocle and Mermaid also serves some of the best food in town from its small but perfectly formed menu, ranging from sandwiches and wraps (including vegan options) as well as some heartier dishes such as their excellent Venedict, a take on eggs benedict featuring succulent, lean Eland Steak.
Where: 126 St. Georges Street
When: Mon to Thurs 8am – 10pm; Fri to Sun 8am – 10pm
Kelp Cafe
A wonderful café and workspace that, as well as serving great coffees, has a vegan-friendly, organic, locally sourced menu. The Café also hosts a rigging shop and has a pay-it-forward ethos where they provide free coffee to locals in need and take on inexperienced staff with the aim to train them to become top-quality baristas.
Where: 136 St George’s St
When: Opening times are subject to change
The Lighthouse Cafe
The shabby chic interior of the Lighthouse Café perfectly complements its seaside setting, as does the seafood-heavy menu cooked fresh and from scratch by café owner Brett Rathbone.
Where: 90 St George’s St
When: Sun to Tues 8.30am – 4pm; Weds to Sat 8.30am – 10pm
When is the Best Time to visit Simon's Town?
South Africa is a year-round destination, with varying regional climates. The Western Cape is busiest during the summer months of December to February, however the shoulder months of from March to May and from September to November have fewer crowds, lower prices while still offering crisp, clear days. If you plan to do some whale watching in False Bay, July to September is when migratory whales arrive along the coastline.
I visited Simon’s Town as part of a media visit to South Africa with Edits by Exodus. However, all views expressed are my own.
