When to go · Western Cape, ZA
When to visit Cape Town
January through March is the sweet spot for Cape Town. Days run 16-26°C with under 31mm of rain across the window, before the peak-season surge.
The year at a glance
- Excellent
- Good
- OK
- Avoid
How we score weather
How we score months: each starts at 50 and earns or loses points across three signals. Temperature in the 18 to 26°C comfortable band adds 30; 14 to 17°C adds 15; warm 27 to 30°C adds 10. Past 30°C or below 14°C the page starts taking points back, with a 30-point hit at the extremes (below 5°C or above 33°C). Rainfall under 60mm adds 15, 200mm costs 25, over 300mm costs 40. Sunshine over 240 hours adds 10; under 80 hours costs 20. The result lands in one of four bands: Excellent (80+), Good (60-79), OK (40-59), Avoid (under 40). Crowds and prices come from the events calendar, separately, so weather and busyness stay readable as two different signals.
Jan
26°
17mm
Feb
26°
9mm
Mar
24°
31mm
Apr
22°
30mm
May
20°
62mm
Jun
17°
127mm
Jul
17°
93mm
Aug
17°
76mm
Sep
18°
49mm
Oct
21°
34mm
Nov
22°
25mm
Dec
24°
25mm
Best to worst, by weather.
- Excellent
- January, February, March, April, May, July, August, September, October, November, December
- Good
- June
Peak demand in Cape Town starts in January. Lock flights and the room you actually want by September, or you'll pay for what's left.
Month by month
January
26°C days, 17mm rain. The window.
February
26°C days, 9mm rain. The window.
March
24°C days, 31mm rain. The window.
April
22°C days, 30mm rain. The window.
May
20°C days, 62mm rain. The window.
June
17°C, 127mm rain. Pack a shell.
July
17°C days, 93mm rain. The window.
August
17°C days, 76mm rain. The window.
September
18°C days, 49mm rain. The window.
October
21°C days, 34mm rain. The window.
November
22°C days, 25mm rain. The window.
December
24°C days, 25mm rain. The window.
Pack for the window
Light layers, with one warm piece for evenings. High-SPF, even when it's cool.
Ready to put it on the calendar?