Cape Town’s popularity as a tourist destination is growing in leaps and bounds, and this is especially apparent when you visit popular tourist destinations. However, avoiding the crowds and getting an insiders view of the Mother City isn’t as difficult as one might think.

As in every city around the world, there are many destinations in Cape Town that the locals frequent to avoid the crowds, particularly in season.

Beaches
Based at the southern end of Chapman’s Peak Drive, Noodhoek beach is well known to locals, horse riders, kite flyers, and the like. The longest of any of the Atlantic Seaboard beaches, Noordhoek offers great sunset views and hours of walking.

Llandudno Beach, a small, beautiful, boulder bordered beach along the Atlantic Seaboard, is a local favorite among the surfers and nature lovers. Its secluded location tends to keep Cape Town’s wind away and its lack of cafes and bars keeps the Camps Bay beach scene away.

Market
With its original cobble stones, old church on the corner, few coffee shops and hawkers from all over Africa showcasing their curios, Greenmarket Square has quite an eclectic atmosphere. But seeing as locals don’t have much need for curios, they don’t go there very often.
Instead, one of the most popular markets in Cape Town is the Neighbourhood Goods Market every Saturday morning. Held at a converted Biscuit Mill in the crumbling, but fascinating Salt River area it offers a huge selection of organic produce, cheeses, homemade breads, pastries, savoury quiches, preserves and other exciting tidbits to taste, take away or eat right there at their makeshift trestle tables.
The market also has permanent art galleries and quirky craft shops that are open during the week too.

Restaurant
If you really want to eat where the locals eat and get a taste of Africa, head for Mzoli’s in Gugulethu, one of Cape Town’s most popular restaurants in one of her most famous townships. Mzoli’s is a relaxed place of plastic chairs and table cloths with a butchery and open fire at the back.
Choose your meat from the butcher’s counter, buy your ice cold beer from the shebeen across the road and relax. Your meat will be cooked on the fire, delivered to your table smothered with the tastiest blend of spices and accompanied by traditional chakalakka and salad.

Live music
There are several places in the city that offer live music – at a cost. However, Capetonians with their ear to the ground know that the uber trendy Grand Daddy Hotel hosts free live music at their rooftop trailer park every Friday evening. This quirky, cleverly designed setting is an intimate venue with a classy bar and views of the city around you.

Day Trip
Yes, Table Mountain and Cape Point are certainly worth a visit, but the perfect place for a less crowded day trip is Silvermine Nature Reserve.
Overlooking the Cape Flats, False Bay, and Noordhoek, the two sections of Silvermine offer hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and bouldering and picnicking. Part of the Table Mountain National Park, Silvermine feels as if it should be hours from any city, yet is actually only a short drive away.