Kalk Bay must be the coolest place in greater Cape Town. This working fishing village tucked between the mountains and the sea on the Cape Peninsula has a laid-back, retro, artsy vibe. Think cobbled streets, quirky little shops, art galleries, and craft stalls popping up on street corners. Grab coffee, lose yourself in a second-hand bookshop, pick up some fish fresh off the boat, or hang out at the harbour and watch the seals doing their thing.
Kalk Bay can get pretty busy, especially on weekends, and not just with visitors; everyone from Cape Town seems to roll through, for good reason. The place has an eternal holiday feel, even if you’re just popping by to gawp at the sights for the day.
So go on, soak it all in. See the old buildings, feel the sea breeze, listen to the train rattling by right in front of you, and don’t be shy to have a chat with the locals — they’re a big part of what makes Kalk Bay so special.
Here’s my pick of the best things to do in Kalk Bay.
1. Explore Kalk Bay Harbour
Pro tips: Go early if you want peaceful laps. Bonus? The culvert to the pool is right across the road from Chardonnay Deli @ Dalebrook, where you can grab coffee or breakfast straight after your dip. If Dalebrook tidal pool is too busy for you, try Woolley’s Tidal Pool on the other side of Kalk Bay.
3. Take a scenic drive
4. Go whale-watching
5. Go for a hike
Park your car on Boyes Drive and start your hike at the Echo Valley sign. A mix of steep climbs and rocky paths, it’ll take you about two hours to Echo Valley or the Boomslang Caves above Kalk Bay, enjoying the fynbos along the way. You’re in for a treat with this one – epic views over False Bay and a cool cave to explore, as long as you’re not freaked out by tight spaces. Kids generally love it. The cave goes straight through the mountain, and you hike down the other side. Take a torch if you want to explore inside the caves. To be safe, always walk in groups of at least four or six people and be on the alert for dodgy characters who may be looking to mug you (a sad reality of life you need to be aware of).
6. Discover Kalk Bay’s stories
7. Admire old buildings
The stone and thatch Holy Trinity church dates back to 1873 and the neo-Gothic Dutch Reformed church – now home to Die Kalkéry shops – to 1876. The old Majestic Hotel, built in 1916, has been converted into upmarket apartments.
Enjoy dinner and a show at the Kalk Bay Theatre, now at the Brass Bell restaurant. Think comedy acts, music, dance, acrobatics, cabaret, and more. Seats in the theatre are unreserved, but if you book to have dinner at The Brass Bell before the show you get first option of seating from 19:00 before the show starts at 20:30. Your dinner is optional and is not included in the price of the ticket to the show. All info about the shows and where to book tickets is in the link above.
9. Explore Kalk Bay shops
- Kalk Bay Books
- Quagga Rare Books & Art
- Kalk Bay Trading Post for collectables and bric a brac
- Honest Chocolate at De Kalkéry in the old church on Main Road
- Olympia Bakery (around the corner from the Café)
- Whatnot & Chinatown hidden away up a side street
- The flower seller on Main Road for colourful blooms
- The Ice Café for some of the creamiest ice creams in town, with flavours like salted caramel, ginger, lemon cheesecake, and toasted almond.
Be aware that some of the shops only open at 10:00. Stop and chat to people selling crafts on street corners before you buy; they’re an interesting lot.
Perhaps my all-time best thing to do is to visit Kalk Bay restaurants and coffee shops for everything from coffee or a drink to breakfast, lunch or dinner. Here are some of the perennial favourites:
- Brass Bell Kalk Bay has a few different spaces all situated close to the waves for a really immersive experience. Heavy on the seafood but there are steak and burger options too. It’s a great place for a few drinks but gets really busy on the weekends so if you want to eat you’d better book ahead.
- Cape to Cuba – you’ll probably come for the mojitos or daiquiris but you’ll love it for the jumble of colourful chandeliers, mismatched chairs and clutter, the vibey music redolent of Havana cigar smoke and tango dancers. There’s a tip of the hat to Ernest Hemingway and Che Guevara too. The food flavour is Cuban with a hint of Cajun and a wallop of chilli.
- Kalky’s is a popular fish & chips stop that looks out over the fishing boats bobbing in the harbour. That said, on the two occasions I’ve eaten here, I’ve found the food too oily for me. It can also get very crowded, so be prepared to queue to order your food, and be on your toes to scrabble for a table. Eat with your hands or plastic cutlery. (I prefer the fish & chips at Lucky Fish nearby, beneath Harbour House, although it doesn’t have the same vibe.)
- Olympia Café Kalk Bay is an unpretentious and very popular hangout with good coffee, salads, pasta, burgers. You’re welcome to bring your dog. Go early on weekend evenings to ensure you can get a table (they don’t take bookings). Visit the bakery around the corner for a range of breads and pastries to take home.
- Satori Kalk Bay is a Neapolitan restaurant that specialises in yummy pasta and woodfired pizzas. They also have salads, fish, and specials like pork belly with deliciously crisp crackling. Sit inside, where the walls are cluttered with pictures and oddments to keep you amused, or on the pavement outside. It tends to get buzzy at night, especially over the weekend.
- Harbour House Kalk Bay and Live Bait – you won’t find better views than at these two restaurants right on the rocks at the harbour. Watch waves crash on the rocks from Live Bait or look down on them and out to sea from Harbour House upstairs. Both offer great seafood options. Live Bait has sushi too, and my favourite seafood pasta in Cape Town while the crème brulee at Harbour House would be worth a trip, even if the fish and views weren’t so fab.
- Chardonnay Deli @ Dalebrook – good for coffee or breakfast after a sunrise swim at Dalebrook Café just over the road. Eat in or grab and go.
- Lekker Kalk Bay – great flat whites and a range of menu choices from burgers and nachos to wraps, salads, and poke bowls.
- Ohana Beach Café – there’s indoor seating, but the prime spots are outside with beach vibes and a view of the sea.
- Salt – small space with a view of the harbour and ocean from the front window and a blackboard menu of small plates. Beautifully presented food.
- Sirocco Café – bustling place on the main road right next to the railway line. Fairy lights at night make it a romantic spot in summer. Think breakfast, pizzas, wraps, salads, and seafood.
Here’s a potted Kalk Bay history so you can understand how it developed its unique character.
- The name ‘Kalk’ (Dutch for lime) comes from the Khoi and Dutch habit of burning of mussel shells for building lime.
- Under the British, many whales were processed at Kalk Bay between about 1806 and 1850.
- Slaves and free blacks lived here from the early 1800s. Many early fishing families were Muslims with Javan and Batavian ancestry.
- In the 1850s, Filipinos arrived – Spanish-speaking Roman Catholics – and you can still find many Filipino family names in Kalk Bay today.
- The railway line reached here from Cape Town in 1883 and by 1892 Kalk Bay was supplying most of the Cape fish market.
- The Slums Act in 1934 targeted the area south of Clairvaux Road for slum clearance. In response to strong objections, the Kalk Bay Housing Scheme was approved in 1938 and the council-owned Fishermen’s Flats were built in the 1940s for ‘coloured’ families. A section of the beach was also reserved for ‘fisher families and their friends’.
- In 1967 Kalk Bay was proclaimed a white area in terms of the Group Areas Act. After much opposition from the whole community, the government allowed families in the Fishermen’s Flats to stay, although some 20 Kalk Bay families were forced out.
- Today, Kalk Bay retains its unique multiracial/multicultural character.
Let’s face it, there’s so much to do, see and enjoy in Kalk Bay that you just can’t do it all in a single day. Capetonians can – and do – come back whenever they like, but my best advice for visitors is to tag on at least an extra day to your stay in Cape Town. Once you’ve been to all the other famous Cape Town sights – like Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront, Kirstenbosch Gardens, Robben Island, Groot Constantia, Cape Point, and the penguins at Boulders Beach – you’re sure to want to return to Kalk Bay to experience its vibe and atmosphere a second time.
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