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Buckle up and prepare to be amazed: when you leave town and head south on the Atlantic coast, you'll be gaping westward for the rest of the journey.
The coastal road grumbles through Sea Point, meanders through the desperately fashionable Clifton and Camps Bay strips and then suddenly opens up into a jaw-dropping sweeping ride along the mountainous coastline to Hout Bay, a sleepy little town lounging around an outrageously picturesque cove.
Take a moment to pause for breath and collect new adjectives; you'll need them as you continue along Chapman's Peak Drive. It's a toll road but worth every penny – the views are sublime and there are plenty of places to stop and swoon.
If you still have the energy, the road wanders south to Cape Point and back via the Indian Ocean coast, but if you are out of superlatives then take a cheeky short cut over the fynbos-covered (Cape's unique, shrubby vegetation) mountains of Ou Kaapse Weg and back to town on the M3 southern suburbs highway.
Start your adventure on the tree-lined M3 highway heading south to Muizenberg.
Connect with the coastal road (leave town early to avoid the queues) and slow down to gape at the azure waters of the Indian Ocean as you cruise through the False Bay coastal villages – Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek and Simons Town - chock-a-block with antique shops, fish markets and cafes.
Throw in the bonus of leaping whales from July to October, pull in at Boulders Beach to check out the penguin colony and carry on to Cape Point. For the return journey, head back to town via the stunning Atlantic Seaboard.
The N2 highway isn't the prettiest of drives but it does take you out of town in a hurry.
If you are up for a bit of an adventure, take the beach-hugging Baden Powell Drive - the end result is the same: you join – via Gordon's Bay - the legendary Clarens Drive, a zigzagging, cliff-hugging road that heads south along the eastern shores of False Bay to the southern Cape coast, depositing you – after stupendous views – in Hermanus, the whale watching capital of South Africa.
Break up the journey with a stopover at some of the almost deserted Indian Ocean beaches or the secret gem of the Harold Porter National Botanical Gardens – it's Kirstenbosch without the crowds.
Come back to town the same way or head inland to connect with the N2.
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