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Guide · Table Mountain
Hop-on hop-off bus to Table Mountain with the cable car
The hop-on hop-off bus to Table Mountain drops you at the lower cable station. Here is how the combo ticket works, what the cable car costs on its own, and how to beat the cloud.
Check availabilityfrom $61 · cancel at no cost
Editorial team, capetownbustour.comUpdated October 26, 20266 minutes to read21 sources
Quick answer
- 01The combo
- From $61: a 1-day bus ticket plus a cableway return.
- 02Weather window
- The cable car part can be used within 14 days.1
- 03The stop
- Stop 7 on the Red route, the lower cable station.2
- 04Cableway alone
- 475 rand return for an adult, bought online.3
- 05Quiet hours
- The Cableway says afternoons are generally quieter.4
How the bus and cable car combo works
The combo booked on this page starts from $61 and averages 4.64 from 3,465 reviews. It pairs a 1-day hop-on hop-off ticket valid on all 3 routes with a return ticket on the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, and it includes the historical city and Bo-Kaap walking tours that leave from stop 5 at 81 Long Street. Its transport scores 4.7 with reviewers and its value 4.6.
The hop-on hop-off bus to Table Mountain is the Red route, and stop 7 is the lower cable station, where the operator suggests 2 hours.2 You get off, show the combo ticket at the lower station and ride up once and down once.5 Keep the voucher open on your phone before you reach the entrance, and keep your bus ticket handy too: you will need it again for the ride on to Camps Bay.
You can also skip the bus on mountain day. The listing says you may go straight to the cableway on Tafelberg Road and show the voucher there, or start the bus at stop 1 on Dock Road at the V&A Waterfront. That is handy if you are staying on the slopes above the city and want to be at the cable station before the first bus arrives.
Mountain day
From the Waterfront to the summit and back
-
Morning
Stop 1
Board the Red route at the Waterfront.6
-
First bus
Stop 7
The early bus reaches the cableway at 8:50 or 9:20.7
-
At the station
Show the combo
Show the ticket at the lower station to redeem the cableway pass.5
-
On top
About 2 hours
The time the operator suggests for this stop.2
-
Afternoon
Camps Bay
Back on the bus for the beach and lunch.8
The 14-day window for clear weather
For many visitors Table Mountain is the point of the whole day, and the weather decides whether it happens. The Cableway says bad weather days are always risky for taking the cable car and that it cannot guarantee it will be open.9 The bus operator adds that the cableway may close in bad weather.10
The combo is built for that. The listing gives the ticket 14 days: the bus can be used on one day, and the cable car within 14 days of the first use of the bus ticket, which lets a weather closure move to another day. The operator's own version says the same: once either part is used, the other can be redeemed within 14 days.1
Read the small print, too. Once either the cableway ticket or the bus ticket has been used, the combo is not refundable. So ride the bus first on a cloudy day, keep the mountain for the next clear morning, and do not wait until your last day in town: a run of grey days can use up the whole window.
Reviews
How travellers rate the combo
of 5
Three ways up
Combo, cable car alone, or a reseller ticket
14-day window
Pay as you go
No busDecision helper
Combo or separate tickets?
It depends on the weather and your days in town
The combo
The cable car part waits up to 14 days for clear weather.
Buy online
An adult return is 475 rand online and 530 rand at the office.3
An afternoon visit
Afternoon tickets start at 13:00 and often catch the sunset.4
Check child fares
Ages 4 to 17 pay 230 rand return online.12
The cable car
Ramps and elevators below, paved paths on top.16
The Cableway is generally quieter in the afternoon, so we encourage you to buy an afternoon ticket, which is valid from 13:00 onwards.
What the cable car costs on its own
The Cableway publishes its own fares, and they are the yardstick for any combo. An adult return costs 475 rand online and 530 rand at the ticket office; a one-way ride costs 300 rand online and 330 rand at the office.3 A child aged 4 to 17 pays 230 rand return online and 270 rand at the office.1213 A Fast Track return costs 1200 rand.14
A Cableway ticket bought online is valid for 7 days.15 If the cableway is closed on the day of your visit, you can reschedule, depending on the slot you want, or ask for a refund.17 Add the price of a plain bus ticket, from $32 on this site, and compare the total with the combo price shown on the booking page.
There is also a ticket from a reseller, which starts from $61 and averages 4.12 from 400 reviews. Its voucher alone does not open the gates: the bar-coded cableway ticket is sent separately by WhatsApp and email. For a bus day with the mountain in it, the combo keeps everything on one booking. Whichever you choose, buy the mountain part online rather than at the window: the Cableway charges more at the ticket office.3
Checklist
Before you go up
01
Check
- The Cableway's status on the morning
- The last car down and the last bus
- Days left before your window closes
02
Bring
- A warm layer for the summit
- Water if you plan to walk on top
- The combo voucher on your phone
Cost calculator
Combo against bus only
Enter your group size to compare the bookings.
People
Total from$122
each from $61
Check availabilityfree cancellationTotals use each listing's starting price on GetYourGuide, converted at today's rate; the booking page shows what you pay.
Video
A city tour and the cable car ride up Table Mountain
Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play on this clip.
Timing your ride up the mountain
Mornings and afternoons feel different on the mountain. The Cableway says it is generally quieter in the afternoon, sells an afternoon ticket valid from 13:00, and notes that a late afternoon visit often catches the sunset.4 On the bus side, the first Red bus of the 2026/2027 timetable reaches the cableway at 8:50 or 9:20, depending on the season.7
Watch the clock at the top. If you miss the last cable car down, you have to use the emergency phone at the upper station and wait for rescue services to advise.18 Check the time of the last car down before you go up, and check the last bus at stop 7 on the timetable as well, so you are not left at the station after the buses stop.
Expect a full cabin at busy times: a car normally carries 65 passengers.19 The Cableway describes Table Mountain as one of the New7Wonders of Nature, and on a clear day the view explains why.20 Stand by the windows on the way up, and give yourself time at the top to walk the paths rather than rushing back for the next car.
Access, children and hiking
The Cableway has a wheelchair route map, ramps and elevators at the lower station, and paved paths at the summit.16 Families pay the child fare for ages 4 to 17.12 Families with small children can plan the mountain for the late afternoon, when the Cableway says it is quieter, and spend the morning on the bus.4
Walking up instead of riding is a different trip, and official advice is cautious. The UK government reports violent attacks and muggings against hikers and tourists in Table Mountain National Park, including on Lion's Head and Signal Hill.21 It advises avoiding quieter parts of the park early and late, staying on busy marked trails, and hiking in groups of 4 or more.21
For most bus riders the cable car is the simpler choice, and the combo makes it easy to fit in. Wear comfortable shoes, bring water if you plan to walk at the top, and book ahead to avoid queues, as the bus operator advises.10 A warm layer helps too: the summit is often cooler and windier than the city below.
Planning a mountain day by bus
A good mountain day starts at the Waterfront. Take an early Red bus from stop 1 and ride straight to stop 7.6 Go up, spend the 2 hours the operator suggests, and come down before the cloud sets in.2 Then continue on the Red route to Camps Bay, where the operator suggests 1 hour for the beach and lunch.8
In the afternoon, follow the Atlantic back through Sea Point and Green Point to the Waterfront.6 If the mountain was closed in the morning, use the day for the bus and keep the cable car for another day inside the 14-day window. The listing also mentions an annual maintenance closure of the cableway, so check the Cableway's dates before you fix your mountain day.
Check the Cableway's website on the morning you go, and look at the mountain itself from your window. When the tablecloth of cloud is down, the bus still gives you the city and the coast, and the mountain will wait. The combo is built for exactly that kind of flexibility, and that is the main reason to choose it over two separate single-day tickets.
Your days in town
Let the red buses show you the city.
Three routes, commentary in 15 languages, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
You ask,we answer.
Does the hop-on hop-off bus go to Table Mountain?
Yes, the Red route. Stop 7 is the lower station of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway.2
Is the cable car included in the bus ticket?
Only in the combo. The combo adds a cableway return to a 1-day bus ticket, from $61.
What if the cable car is closed for weather?
Use it another day. The combo's cable car part can be used within 14 days of the first bus ride.
How much is the cable car on its own?
475 rand return online. That is the Cableway's adult fare; at the ticket office it is 530 rand.3
Can I get a refund on the combo?
Not after first use. Once the bus or cableway part has been used, the combo is not refundable.
When is the cable car quietest?
In the afternoon. The Cableway says afternoons are generally quieter and sells a ticket valid from 13:00.4
How many people fit in a cable car?
65. That is the normal carrying capacity of a car, the Cableway says.19
Sources
Where the information comes from
- 1City Sightseeing South Africa (operator of the Cape Town hop-on hop-off buses)Bus and Table Mountain Cableway Ticket↩
- 2City Sightseeing South Africa (operator of the Cape Town hop-on hop-off buses)Red Cape Town City Tour to Table Mountain↩
- 3Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site)Ticket prices↩
- 4Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site data)Visitor questions, tips and facts↩
- 5City Sightseeing South Africa (operator of the Cape Town hop-on hop-off buses)Bus and Table Mountain Cableway Ticket↩
- 6City Sightseeing South Africa (operator of the Cape Town hop-on hop-off buses)Red Cape Town City Tour to Table Mountain↩
- 7City Sightseeing South Africa (operator of the Cape Town hop-on hop-off buses)Cape Town timetable 2026/2027 (PDF)↩
- 8City Sightseeing South Africa (operator of the Cape Town hop-on hop-off buses)Red Cape Town City Tour to Table Mountain↩
- 9Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site data)Visitor questions, tips and facts↩
- 10City Sightseeing South Africa (operator of the Cape Town hop-on hop-off buses)Bus and Table Mountain Cableway Ticket↩
- 11Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site)Ticket prices↩
- 12Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site)Ticket prices↩
- 13Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site)Ticket prices↩
- 14Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site)Ticket prices↩
- 15Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site data)Visitor questions, tips and facts↩
- 16Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site data)Visitor questions, tips and facts↩
- 17Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site data)Visitor questions, tips and facts↩
- 18Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site data)Visitor questions, tips and facts↩
- 19Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site data)Visitor questions, tips and facts↩
- 20Table Mountain Aerial Cableway (official site data)Visitor questions, tips and facts↩
- 21UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development OfficeSouth Africa travel advice: safety and security↩
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