Living in Cape Town

Living in Cape Town, South Africa, offers a life that is rich in culture, entertainment and history. Cape Town, regarded in many ways as the cultural capital of South Africa, began life as a supply station for the ships of the Dutch East India Company in 1652. Since then, South Africa’s been conquered by the British, become the gold mining capital of the world, risen to infamy as the home of Apartheid, and finally been born anew as the liberation story of the 20th Century, the home of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

Shorn of political controversy, Cape Town has also grown into one of the most fashionable tourist destinations in the world. It’s not hard to see why. Literally wrapped around mountains, the area’s beautiful natural scenery, mingling of colonial and Victorian architecture and well-developed infrastructure give it the feel of an island getaway, but one with all the convenience of a modern city.

With an exchange rate that favors Americans and Europeans, its easy proximity to the verdant wonders of the Garden Route and the Cape Winelands, and a sunny climate running counter-cyclically to the countries of the Northern Hemisphere, Cape Town’s summers also attract international directors and photographers by the score each year, along with enough supermodels to beat out Miami. Holiday homes owned by Hollywood's most famous actors are scattered along the coveted stretch of the Atlantic Riviera, where you’ll find some of the best beaches and surf-spots in the country, all within five minutes of the city centre.

Living in Cape Town- Guide Contents

Our Expat relocation guide to living in Cape Town contains the following vital information about living overseas in this amazing city-

1) Living legally in Cape Town

Getting one’s hands on the correct visa prior to arriving in Cape Town is crucial as changing the category of your work or business permit will usually require you to return to your home country. The comprehensive information contained within the Expat Info Desk guide to Cape Town can help you to avoid this massive inconvenience and help your relocation to be as pain free as possible.

2) Setting up home in Cape Town

There is a wide choice of different residential areas in Cape Town and choosing where to live can be a difficult process. The Expat Info Desk relocation guide to Cape Town contains detailed information about popular expatriate suburbs together with information about what you can expect from each of these areas.

3) Navigating the infrastructure

As developed as the local expat community may be, knowing who to call and where to go to make the connections to ensure that you thrive in Cape Town can be difficult. Expatriates are faced with a great many logistical and bureaucratic challenges while relocating. This guide provides all the practical information any expat could need for a smooth, successful transition.

4) Having fun in Cape Town

Being a foreigner in Cape Town need by no means be a lonely business. An average night out in Long Street, the centre of local nightlife, will put you in the company of no end of German, French, Italian and Portuguese expatriates and backpackers. The Expat Info Desk international relocation guide to Cape Town aims to help expats ‘find their own Cape Town’, providing an overview of the top shopping, dining and leisure locations as well as additional indispensable advice about enjoying and acclimating to life in this exciting and vibrant city in Africa.

5) Staying safe and healthy in Cape Town

Your safety, that of your family, and that of your personal possessions should be a top priority if you are considering relocating to Cape Town. The Expat Info Desk guide to Cape Town contains critical information about how you can find reliable security companies and ensure that your home and possessions are suitably protected when living in Cape Town.

6) Blending in

For the majority of expats Cape Town is a place of contrasts and challenges. The varied mix of Cape Town culture and lifestyle means that the average expatriate will take time to adjust to life here. The Cape Town guide is an essential reference guide that can help you to understand the culture and customs here and make your move to this city as smooth as possible.

7) Reality bites

The Expat Info Desk guide to Cape Town is written and updated by an expatriate who has first hand experience of relocating to, and living in, Cape Town. All of the information contained within the guide is based on the first hand experiences of someone who knows what it takes to move to a new country- they’ve been there and done that. This means that you can be assured that our relocatio guide contains real and accurate knowledge that can really make a difference to your experiences here.

Your only expat guide to living in Cape Town; Feel at home abroad – Fast! 

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About the guide author

John Callely Born in Ireland and raised in London, John Callely was dragged to Cape Town at the tender age of 18 to live under the strict roof of an irate German stepfather. Five years later, a little tougher, a lot browner, and with a much expanded mind, he's a happily integrated South African citizen, and works as a writer, editor and entrepreneur. He lives in Cape Town's Central Business District, and despite a few encounters with the darker sides of the city, maintains that he wouldn't live anywhere else.

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