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9 of the Best Indoor Activities in Cape Town to Enjoy Despite the Weather
- Admire marine life at Two Oceans Aquarium
- Go boulder climbing at CityROCK
- Drink and play retro games in Barcadia
- Skate in The Shred
- Complete the puzzle and escape the room at HintHunt
- Make beautiful pots in Clay Café in the City
- Play indoor golf and discover gemstones at Scratch Patch and Cave Golf
- Ski in the Ice Station at GrandWest Casino
- Become a speed devil at Century Karting
I love rock climbing and spending time outdoors, especially during my rest days. The problem is that sometimes, the weather can be annoying. It can either get too hot, or non-stop raining (I blame climate change).
I don’t want to stay at home doing nothing, and luckily, Cape Town has some great indoor activities to do.
I’m your guide if you’re looking for things to do regardless of the weather. I’ll take you to the best indoor activities in Cape Town for endless fun!
Admire marine life at Two Oceans Aquarium
Media From: 2oceansaquarium
Address: Dock Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
Phone: +27 214 183 823
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday – 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Website: https://www.aquarium.co.za/
Admission Fee:
- Adult – R250
- Teens, students, and pensioners – R185
- Children – R115
At Two Oceans Aquarium, you can witness marine life without going into the middle of the sea. Exhibits like I&J Ocean, Kelp Forest, and Jelly Gallery feature the diverse marine ecosystems found at the southern tip of Africa with tiny seahorses and large ragged-tooth sharks!
It’s not just admiring these creatures from a window; you can also interact with some of the 3,000 marine animals living here. The Touch Pool allows a hands-on experience with starfish, sea cucumbers, and even penguins!
And if you’re a certified diver, you can dive with sharks or feed fish in the Kelp Forest Exhibit.
My kids enjoyed the puppet shows and saw how sharks are fed in the aquarium!
| Tip: If you visit after 3 p.m. the admission fees are less, costing R190 for adults instead of R250. Tickets for teens and children become R185 and R85, respectively. |
Go boulder climbing at CityROCK
Media From: cityrock_cpt
Address: 9 Milner St, Paarden Eiland
Phone: +27 214 471 326
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Thursday – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Friday to Sunday – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Website: http://www.cityrock.co.za/
Admission Fee:
- Adult – R190
- Student – R170
- Children – R160
If you can’t go rock climbing because of the weather, CITYROCK is an ideal alternative with its over 2,500 square meters of climbing space. There are top rope walls, lead climbing walls, bouldering walls, and speed climbing walls that cater to all skill levels.
It also has a yoga and Pilates studio, a cardio and strength training area, and a well-stocked outdoor gear shop, providing you with enough activity for the day.
There’s a Kids’ Climbing Zone, a fun and safe climbing space for children, featuring colorful and engaging climbing routes. And if you’re thirsty or hungry, the Vida Café offers refreshments and snacks to keep you energised.
This was my option when I couldn’t climb the Silvermine Nature Reserve due to heavy rain. The routes in CITYROCK still made me sweat, especially the 600-square-meter bouldering wall.
| Tip: Before tackling the climbing walls, consider warming up first in their fitness gym or yoga studio. This allows you to loosen up your muscles and joints, making climbing easier and safer. |
Drink and play retro games in Barcadia
Media From: barcadiaza
Address: 62 Hout St, Cape Town City Centre
Phone: +27 621 417 887
Operating Hours: Tuesday to Saturday – 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Website: http://barcadia.co.za/
Price Range: R
Barcadia is Cape Town’s first retro arcade bar, combining the nostalgic feeling of arcade shops with modern bar vibes. This is an adults-only venue, so you’ll have to leave your little ones at home. And once you purchase a drink from the bar, all games are free!
Enjoy classic arcade games like Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat, Super Mario, and more. There’s also a PlayStation 5 setup if you want to play modern games.
The bar also serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, like draught beers and lemonade, keeping you hydrated while playing.
A visit here took me back to my childhood. Super Mario, Pinball, Contra—these were the games I used to play as a kid. The only difference is that instead of sipping sodas, I was drinking beer. LOL!
| Tip: Check their Facebook page for themed nights! |
Skate in The Shred
Media From: peaches_skate
Address: 68 Auckland St, Paarden Eiland
Phone: +27 215 102 918
Operating Hours:
- Monday – 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Tuesday to Thursday – 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Friday to Sunday – 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Website: http://www.theshred.co.za/
Admission Fee:
- 3 Hours – R99
- Double Session – R160
- Full Day – R200
The Shred is an indoor skate park that you can enjoy regardless of the weather. It has all the skateboarding facilities—ramps, stair-sets, rails, and quarter pipe. Plus, it has a skate bowl, where you can practice tricks, gain speed, and improve your flow!
It’s not exclusive to skaters since it also caters to rollerbladers, BMX riders, and scooters. And if you want to learn how to skate, they offer private lessons for R380. There’s also the Eiland Eatery where you can grab pizzas, burgers, and drinks.
I’ve been wanting to learn how to skate, and I took the extreme weather as the sign for me to visit this place. Thanks to Thalente, I learned the basics!
| Tip: Visit on a Monday to enjoy half-price admission rates. |
Complete the puzzle and escape the room at HintHunt
Media From: hinthuntafrica
Address: The Watershed, 17 Dock Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
Phone: +27 210 014 215
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Thursday – 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Friday to Saturday – 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Sunday – 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Website: https://hinthunt.co.za/
Admission Fee:
- Standard Room – R335
- Marble Escape Room – R395
- Amazing Races – R199
Stimulate your mind or practice teamwork by solving the puzzle rooms at HintHunt, the largest escape room company in South Africa. Here, there are plenty of immersive experiences that challenge your problem-solving skills, and each room has engaging storylines, keeping you entertained and focused.
Save Cape Town from a villain by solving the puzzle in the Marble Room, or search for stolen jewels on a sinking ship in Shipwrecked. And if the weather is great, join their outdoor escape games, combining augmented reality to solve puzzles across the city.
My co-workers and I really had our brains scrambling for answers in the Marble Room. Luckily, one of my colleagues found the last clue, and we defeated the villain.
| Tip: Team size matters! Invite at least four to six people so there are enough minds to tackle the puzzles. |
Make beautiful pots in Clay Café in the City
Media From: claycafe_inthecity
Address: 199 Bree St, Cape Town City Centre
Phone: +27 619 174 191
Operating Hours:
- Tuesday – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Wednesday to Friday – 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Saturday – 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Website: https://claycafe.co.za/clay-cafe-in-the-city/
Admission Fee: R45 per person
Unleash your creativity inside Clay Café in the City, a venue that combines ceramic painting with a tapas bar. It’s a must-visit spot that blends creativity, relaxation, and socialisation in a weather-proof setting.
With over 200 bisque items, from plates to decorative pieces, there’s plenty of opportunity to showcase your artistry. Your fee includes three paints, tools, and a tutorial on how to fire and glaze.
Delicious food and signature cocktails like The Kiss, Punch Bowl, and Masterpiece are served while you paint, helping your creative process.
I’m really proud of the bright mug I made here, and my husband is never allowed to pour his coffee in it (I’m serious)!
| Tip: Bring at least six or more people to paint with you and get a 10% discount. |
Play indoor golf and discover gemstones at Scratch Patch and Cave Golf
Media From: scratchpatchsa
Address: 1 Dock Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
Phone: +27 217 862 020
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Friday – 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
- Saturday to Sunday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Website: http://www.scratchpatch.co.za/
Admission Fee:
- Cave Golf – R40 per player
- Small Scratch Patch bag – R35
- Medium Scratch Patch bag – R55
- Large Scratch Bag – R160
- Cup – R105
At Scratch Patch and Cave Golf, you can collect polished gemstones and play indoor mini-golf. It’s suitable for all ages, so you can make this a family activity on a hot day.
Enjoy “scratching” around in the stones to find tiger’s eyes, amethyst, and rose quartz. I came across a blue lace agate, one of the rare ones, and immediately went into their Mineral World shop to turn it into a ring (which I wear to this day!).
We followed our gemstone hunting with a quick game of mini golf, and my little one scored a hole-in-one!
| Tips: Visit on a morning or on a weekday when there are fewer people, giving you more opportunity to find rare gemstones in the Scratch Patch. You’ll get R5 off in the Cave Golf if you bring 10 or more people with you. |
Ski in the Ice Station at GrandWest Casino
Media From: theicestation1
Address: Grand West Casino, 1 Jakes Gerwel Drive
Phone: +27 215 352 260
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday – 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Website: http://www.icerink.co.za/
Admission Fee:
- Skate Hire – R75
- Without Skate Hire – R60
- Children – R40
The Ice Station at GrandWest Casino is an ideal place to visit regardless of the weather. It features an Olympic-size ice rink where you can skate around for hours.
Children will enjoy the supervised mini-ice rink. I proudly watched from the sidelines as my kids skated nonstop, laughing and screaming.
If you don’t know how to skate, sign up for their skating lessons, so you’ll learn the basics. You can also watch ice hockey or figure skating, which are often hosted here.
| Tip: They regularly host themed skating nights like disco, glow-in-the-dark skating, and more. Check the calendar on their website so you can time your visit. |
Become a speed devil at Century Karting
Media From: indoorkarting
Address: 0A Century Ave, Century City
Phone: +27 649 780 862
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday – 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Website: https://www.karting.co.za/
Admission Fee:
- Beginner – R195
- Intermediate – R290
- Expert – R400
If you enjoy speeding through tracks, the Century Karting is worth checking out. It has a 400-meter indoor track packed with challenging corners and straightaways. Plus, each kart is well-maintained and has safety features, ensuring you’ll have a safe drive.
The track caters to all skill levels, but if you’re already a seasoned racer and are looking to push your limits, the 15-minute expert track is the perfect choice for you.
There are also race formats like the Grand Prix which awards an additional 15 laps to the top 6 drivers.
After your race, enjoy additional entertainment in their arcade games area, where you can play arcade games and billiards.
| Tip: For an extra fee of R50 for 10 minutes, warm up in one of their simulators before hitting the actual track. |
