August 2026

Hout Bay’s winter glow – the perfect day

On a recent sunny day over a weekend, we decided to drive to Hout Bay. It had been quite a few years since we were last there, and it’s always nice to walk on the beach and pier, while looking at all the colourful fishing boats. And best of all, visiting Hout Bay always includes a fish and chips lunch. Take a drive with us to visit this beautiful seaside and harbour town.

Hout Bay is just 31km/19.2 miles from Cape Town, making it a comfortable (and very beautiful) drive to do when you visit the Mother City. Of course, this also means that the iconic Table Mountain will make an appearance during our drive – something that always fills me with joy.

Table Mountain as seen from the N1 highway

Before we get to the beach and harbour at Hout Bay, there’s first something interesting we want to show you. I’ve mentioned a few times before that we don’t have castles in South Africa, but forgot about a well-known castle in Hout Bay – and not just one, we could see three castles on the slopes of Karbonkelberg.

Two of the castles on Karbonkelberg at Hout Bay

The first castle was built in 1986 (and finished in 1998) by a German-born South African businessman Reynier Fritz. It’s called the Lichtenstein Castle, and a few years ago I read that it can be rented out as a venue – I’m not sure if that’s still the case. But now I wonder why three castles were built so close to each other. Anyway, my apologies; we do have castles here in South Africa (even if they’re just mock castles).

Another view from the pier of one of the castles

Hout Bay has quite a long history and was always known as a fishing village. Jacob Trautmann, a German immigrant and farmer, established the first fishing village in Hout Bay in 1867. Over the years, harbour facilities have improved steadily which make Hout Bay one of the busiest fishing harbours in the Western Cape.

Panoramic view of the sheltered bay of Hout Bay

White sandy beach at Hout Bay

During weekends and the peak season in December, this small town receives a large number of visitors. From previous visits, we know that traffic can build up very quickly and that the area around the harbour can become quite overcrowded. One of the main reasons why visitors flock to Hout Bay is to enjoy the fresh seafood at Mariner’s Wharf, Africa’s first waterfront emporium which opened in 1984.

Mariner’s Wharf

During our visit today, however, there were few tourists – probably because we are still in the winter season and it was fairly early in the morning. At first, we walked past Mariner’s Wharf to have a look at all the fishing boats in the harbour.

Heading towards the fishing boats

Beautiful beach opposite the harbour

If you’re up for a boat trip to see a large seal and seabird colony, you’re at the right place. There’s a boat that regularly leaves from Hout Bay harbour to take tourists to this attraction. We saw one of the boats returning to the harbour after their visit to Duiker Island.

Boat with tourists returning from Duiker Island

The harbour is home to the Hout Bay Yacht Club and we saw many privately owned yachts on the other side of the fishing boats.

Yachts in the harbour

It was, however, the fishing boats that caught our attention, and we strolled from one boat to another. We like seeing the names and different colours of the boats, as well as the smaller details, like knotted ropes – everything that shows this is a working fishing harbour.

Colourful fishing boats

Ropes connecting the boats

The smaller details of the fishing boats

On the other side of the bay, we could see the famous Chapman’s Peak Drive carved out of the mountainside – one of the most beautiful coastal drives in the world. We’ve written about Chapman’s Peak on our blog before (if you want to read more about this stunning drive, click here).

Chapman’s Peak Drive in the distance

We were also on time to see how large quantities of crates with freshly caught fish from one of the fishing boats, which had just returned from the sea, were being unloaded. A truck was waiting on the pier to load the fish and take it to either factories or restaurants.

Fresh fish being unloaded from a fishing boat

Some of the fishing boats look quite old and worn out, probably a new coat of paint could give them a fresh look. But there is one boat that we don’t think will ever go out to the deep sea again and has found its final resting place in the harbour.

A slightly weathered look

Final resting place of a fishing boat

Whether you prefer to see fishing boats or yachts, both can be found here in Hout Bay harbour. For us, the choice always falls on the brightly coloured fishing boats, especially because these boats are the lifeline that keeps the fishing community afloat each day.

Fishing boats and yachts

After we left the pier, we walked to an area with stalls selling handmade souvenirs. There are also a few other shops here that sell coffee, ice cream, and other curios.

Old signboards at Mariner’s Wharf

Stalls selling handmade souvenirs

Wall art

More shops

We also saw a shop that sells tanzanite and diamond jewellery. It was, however, locked up, otherwise I might have persuaded Berto that we should pay a visit.

An interesting shop at Hout Bay harbour

There is also a restaurant, The Lookout, where visitors can enjoy, among other things, grilled seafood, sushi, and oysters. However, we were heading over to Mariner’s Wharf for lunch – probably one of the best seafood spots in Hout Bay.

The Lookout restaurant at the harbour

The Wharfette Bistro at Mariner’s Wharf is an extremely popular outlet serving take-outs on wooden benches on the wharf side. Its speciality is fish and chips, but you will also find other seafood here like calamari, prawns and grilled lobster.

Staff preparing fresh meals inside The Wharfette Bistro

We walked into the bistro just after 12:00, and within half an hour there was a very long queue. Every wooden bench was packed with families who came to enjoy the fresh fish and chips that this place is so famous for. The portions are really generous, and you definitely get good value for your money. And there’s also nothing wrong with the view while you’re enjoying lunch.

Boxes packed to the brim with fresh fish, calamari and chips

Our view

Satisfied and with our tummies full, it was time to head back home. This time we chose the scenic route over the pass, known as ‘Suikerbossie’, between Judas Peak and Little Lion’s Head, while enjoying a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Last view of the sheltered bay (and Chapman’s Peak) at Hout Bay

The first place you see once you go over the pass, is Llandudno. This coastal suburb of Cape Town has some of the most expensive residential properties in South Africa – with a view like that, I can understand why.

Over the pass with a view of Llandudno and the Atlantic Ocean

We drove in the direction of Camps Bay – another expensive neighbourhood in Cape Town – with a beautiful view of Lion’s Head.

Lion’s Head

We will, however, write about Camps Bay with its beautiful beach another time. For now, we hope you enjoyed the visit to Hout Bay with us.

The vast Atlantic Ocean (and me)