Timing the Sundowner: Where to Watch the Sun Set Over the Atlantic

Sep 22

In Cape Town, sunset is an event. Around the city, people pause what they're doing, cars pull over on Victoria Road, and everyone on the beach turns to face the same direction. Here's where we go to watch it, and how to time it right.

First, why the Atlantic?

Cape Town has two coastlines, and only one of them gets the sunset. The Atlantic Seaboard (Sea Point, Clifton, Camps Bay, Llandudno) faces west, so the sun drops straight into open ocean. False Bay faces south and east, so the sun sets behind the mountains. That's lovely in its own way, but you won't see it touch the water. For the classic moment when the sun sinks into the sea, head to the Atlantic side.

When to be there. The sun sets around 8pm in midsummer (December and January), around 6:45 to 7pm in spring and autumn, and as early as 5:45pm in midwinter. Arrive about an hour before to catch the golden light. Stay 15 minutes after the sun has gone, because the best colour often comes in the afterglow, once everyone else has started packing up.

On the sand

Clifton. When the summer southeaster is blowing, Clifton is where locals go. It's tucked in the wind shadow of Lion's Head, so you can sit on a towel while the rest of the coast gets sandblasted. Take a picnic down the steps to 4th Beach, stay after the swimmers leave, and watch the granite boulders turn gold.

Llandudno. Our favourite sunset on the peninsula. There are no restaurants, shops or crowds, just a curve of white sand between huge boulders and a surf break with the sun falling behind it. Bring a blanket and find a sheltered spot among the rocks. Get there before the small car park fills on warm evenings.

Saunders' Rocks. This small tidal pool and patch of sand between Sea Point and Bantry Bay is a local favourite for a sunset picnic. It's easy to reach, there's usually parking, and it's close enough to the city for a spontaneous after-work plan. Note that alcohol isn't allowed on City beaches, and the rule is enforced.

The Sea Point Promenade. For a sunset with no planning at all, walk the promenade from Sea Point towards the Mouille Point lighthouse as the light goes. Joggers, dog walkers, families and couples all come out for the same view, and it's one of the best free things to do in Cape Town.

From up high

Signal Hill. This is the city's famous sunset lookout, with Lion's Head beside you, the Atlantic on one side and the City Bowl on the other. You can drive almost to the top, and there are picnic spots along the ridge. Arrive about an hour before sunset to get a good spot, and head down as soon as the sun has set. SANParks advises keeping visits to daylight hours, and the traffic down the hill is also much easier if you leave promptly.

Table Mountain. Watching the sun set from the top of Table Mountain, with the whole peninsula laid out below, is hard to beat. Ride the cable car up in the late afternoon and have a drink at the summit café as the light changes. Check the time of the last car down on the day you go. In the height of summer the cableway runs later into the evening, but hours change by season, and the cableway closes at short notice when it's windy.

Lion's Head. The view from the top is spectacular, but a sunset summit means climbing down in the dark, and SANParks discourages after-dark and full moon hikes for safety reasons. Our advice: hike in the afternoon, enjoy golden hour from the upper slopes, and be back down as the light fades. Or go with a registered guide.

With a drink in hand

Café Caprice, Camps Bay. It calls itself the original Camps Bay beachfront bar, and it's been serving sundowners on the strip since the '90s. Sit on the terrace facing the palms and the sea, order a cocktail, and watch the sky change over the beach.

The Bungalow, Clifton. It sits above Glen Beach between Clifton and Camps Bay, and it's all about golden hour: sushi, cocktails and a front-row view of the sun setting behind the Twelve Apostles coastline. Book ahead in summer, and ask for a table on the edge.

Grand Africa Café & Beach, Granger Bay. This restored boathouse near the Waterfront has its own stretch of private beach, where you eat and drink with your toes in the sand. It's open daily from 11am until midnight, and it bills itself as the home of the best sundowners in Cape Town. On a still summer evening, we find that hard to argue with.

La Perla, Sea Point. A Cape Town institution at the end of the Sea Point promenade, run from this spot since 1969. Order a classic Italian dinner and a bottle of something cold, and watch the sun go down over Beach Road. It's old-school in the best way.

Blue Peter, Bloubergstrand. It's across the bay, but it's worth the trip for a completely different view. Stretch out on the famous lawn with a pizza and a drink as the sun sets over the ocean, and look back across Table Bay: Table Mountain turns from blue to pink in the last light. Come for the lawn and the view, which is the postcard shot of Cape Town.

For a special occasion

Chefs Warehouse at Tintswalo Atlantic, Hout Bay. This is where we'd go for an anniversary or a proposal. You're chauffeured down a cliffside road to a restaurant set among boulders just above the waves at the foot of Chapman's Peak, and the five-course sharing menu is excellent. Dinner starts at 6pm, and booking is essential. Time your reservation so the sun sets during the meal.

Chapman's Peak Drive. For a simpler kind of special, drive Chapman's Peak in the last hour of daylight and stop at one of the lookouts to watch the sun disappear into the Atlantic below you. Check the road status before you go, because rockfalls and bad weather occasionally close it.

A sunset sail. Or see it from the water. Catamarans leave the V&A Waterfront on 90-minute trips timed to the sunset, with a glass of bubbly in hand and Table Mountain behind you. (We've covered the details in In the Water: Cape Town's Best Ocean Experiences.)

A few things locals know

Bring a jacket. However warm the afternoon, the temperature drops quickly once the sun goes down, especially on the Atlantic side.
Watch the wind. On southeaster days, head for Clifton or find shelter among the rocks at Llandudno. Exposed spots like Camps Bay and Blouberg can get uncomfortable.
Don't linger alone after dark at isolated lookouts. Watch the sunset, enjoy the afterglow, then head somewhere with people and lights.