Things to do in Fish Hoek

Seaside Cottages offers about 30 cute self-catering cottages in the perfect destination behind the sand dunes of the long white beach.

We are less than an hour to Cape Town, Hout Bay, and Camps Bay and just an hour to Somerset West, Gordon’s Bay and Stellenbosch. We are 30 minutes from Cape Point, the Cape’s most popular nature reserve where you can picnic, hike, see the whales and learn about the history of False Bay.

Use our cottages as your convenient base from which to explore Fish Hoek and the Mother City’s top attractions.

Top Tourist Attractions in Fish Hoek and the Southern Peninsula

Fish Hoek Beach

Find the delightful, quaint town of Fish Hoek right on Fish Hoek Beach, the main road running parallel to the train line and the beach. Seaside Cottages is perfectly tucked away between the sand dunes, the railway line and a sunny garden. Our beach holiday spot offers an oasis of tranquillity in a vibey coastal town. There are so many things to do here:

Sunbathe on the beach
Swim in safety behind the shark nets during Summer or along the rest of the beach
Swim in the rock pools on the catwalk, Jager’s Walk
Walk on the catwalk until you reach Sunnycove Bridge and check out the breathtaking views
Find a colourful bench on the catwalk and drink a coffee from the Drifters Takeaway Joint
Eat delicious food at The Galley while the kids play in the playground
Take a run or a walk on the 1.5 km long beach; dogs are permitted beyond the small lighthouse to Clovelly Beach
Hire a paddle ski from the surf ski club or visit the yacht club for a coffee and a chat.

Watch the Trek Fisherman at Fish Hoek Beach

The days of traditional trek fishing have changed but trek fishing on Fish Hoek beach is a daily event in summer. Decades ago, trek fishers would haul out huge nets of 50,000 to 75,000 harders at Fish Hoek beach, at Long Beach [Simon’s Town] and also at Buffel’s Bay at Cape Point. But those days are gone now. The seas are not as rich in fish as they used to be and the types of fish being netted now have changed. A hundred years ago, trek fishermen were taking what was known as ‘angling’ fish: elf, yellowtail and white steenbras, and only 5% harders. It is the opposite today: two-thirds of the catch is harders and the rest is yellowtail, elf, white steenbras, and belman.

Surf Sports for All Ages – Fish Hoek Surf Life Saving Club and Surfski School Fish Hoek

Fish Hoek beach is proud to offer plenty of things to do in the surf – in False Bay’s ocean.

The Fish Hoek Life Saving Club is an institution on the beach where local kids dream of being lifeguards and they train for years to be fit and strong swimmers. It’s one of the best surf lifesaving clubs in South Africa thanks to its specialised training programmes and volunteer-based first responder medical emergency care offered in peak season. Children start training with Nippers from age 4 until 14, learning about the ocean, swimming in the surf, safety skills and life-saving tactics.
Surf ski paddling is equally popular with parents and older kids at Fish Hoek’s surf ski school who enjoy group sessions in the early mornings, evenings and weekends. Start with the basics and learn how to surf ski like a pro before long, taking long paddles out to Millers Point and beyond!
Join the Fish Hoek Beach Sports Club if you want to do all of these things and more, as part of a warm, friendly community of active ocean lovers. Learn how to surf, paddle ski, surf ski, stand up paddle board and sail Hobies. FHBSC is right next to Seaside Cottages and offers wonderful coffee and snacks too. Meet the famous Mockes of Mocke Paddling School and ask for a lesson on your Fish Hoek holiday.

Boulders Beach

Boulders Beach is a beautiful tiny beach outside Fish Hoek, on the edges of Simon’s Town. It’s a home for the rare African penguin and they swim with you here in their natural habitat. It’s a tourist attraction and a local hangout and the name says it all – it contains huge old granite boulders and a beautiful, protected swimming and snorkelling bay where penguins play. South African National Parks owns and manages the beach, ideally situated in a Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area. Stunning rock pools, warm soft white sands and tranquillity. Get there at low tide for more beach space.

Cape Point Nature Reserve

There is so much to do at Cape Point Nature Reserve, only 30 minutes from Fish Hoek and Seaside Cottages. Cape Point is the main attraction on the southern Peninsula! Pack a picnic lunch and go hiking, mountain biking, fishing, snorkelling, deep sea diving and doing some shipwreck research too. Jump on the exhilarating Flying Dutchman funicular to get up to the top lighthouse in minutes. It was built in 1859 and is still there, a beacon of warning to all ships that pass here. Bartolomeu Dias first viewed and named Cape Point the ‘Cape of Storms’ in 1488, a landmark that sailors admired in rough seas, fogs, storms and winds. Find Cape Point inside the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, within the Table Mountain National Park, a haven for the Cape Floral Region, and a World Heritage Site.

Muizenberg Beach

Muizenberg has been revived into a delightful surfers’ mecca where coffee bars line Surfers’ Corner and restaurants serve everything from breakfasts to dinners, vegan health foods to Starbucks coffees and freshly baked bread to take home. The main activities at Muizenberg centre around the beach and entertainment strip – surfing, swimming, stand-up paddle boarding, kite surfing, windsurfing, walking, running, hiking, dog walks at Zandvlei nature reserve and coffee all the way. Everyone gets around on foot in Muizenberg and the tiny historical houses have been lovingly renovated while murals and mosaic art decorate houses and street walls.

Kalk Bay

Everyone knows about Kalk Bay and everyone wants to see and experience its laid-back beauty and historical fishing vibe. The harbour and the park are the main attractions in Kalk Bay for sightseeing and seals, great fish and chips, cappuccinos and the aroma of the sea. A stroll down main street takes you into Bohemian clothing shops, art and book shops, bric-a-brac, collectables and cafes. Find fresh seafood, fresh coffee, authentic bars servicing South African wines, and rough old fishing boats sounding their horns. Walk around the cobbled streets, go up the many steps to Boyes Drive for a captivating view and listen to live music.

Scratch Patch Mineral World

If you have never experienced the famous Scratch Patch just outside Simon’s Town then you must do it this time! It has been here since 1970, a False Bay, Southern Peninsula landmark for the whole family. Have loads of fun scratching for your own pile of gemstones, all colours of the rainbow, in the mass of these stones with a stream running through it. Tiger’s Eye, Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Jasper, Agates and Crystals, maybe even Lapis Lazuli, Blue Lace Agate and some really exotic stones! A delicious coffee and scone await, a game of cave golf and a visit upstairs to watch the machines turning as they polish the stones! Buy some beautiful gemstone jewellery and artefacts while you are here too!

Simonstown

There is lots of action and activities in Simon’s Town, probably one of the oldest towns in South Africa. Take a walk there if you like long scenic road walks (about 90 minutes from Fish Hoek beach) or grab a bus or taxi. It’s gracious and old, elegant and vibey – sip a coffee overlooking the yacht basin and the huge navy harbour with all its ships and noises. Walk the streets and buy a curio or a second-hand shirt, order a pizza or sushi or a Durban curry. Drive out of the town to see the penguins at Seaforth Beach or take a boat to Cape Point. This is the False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula and so sheltered from the violent northwest and southeast gales that boating is a huge hobby here and even Simon van der Stel chose this bay for his own safest anchorage in the Cape!

Whale Watching

The whales still come to Fish Hoek and False Bay but their numbers have dropped dramatically. Whale watching is so good for the soul as humans have an innate connection to whales since time immemorial. False Bay is the ideal calm haven for whales so look out for these gentle giants as you walk the prom from Fish Hoek beach to Glencairn Beach: Southern Right whales, Humpback whales and Bryde's whales. Sometimes, Killer whales arrive and chase seals in Simon’s Town bay! Take a stroll from Fish Hoek beach, Seaside Cottages, down to Clovelly beach, then along the prom to Kalk Bay harbour for a bit of seal watching too and a coffee from the many cafes.

Silvermine Wetlands

Hiking, walking, bird watching and flower seeking, frog fun and simple joy – find them all in the extraordinary Lower Silvermine Wetlands in Clovelly, next door to Fish Hoek. There are plenty of things to do here when you visit an exquisite urban nature reserve, caught beautifully between ocean, mountain and dune habitats. A lovely natural sponge of clean water, home to various indigenous species, especially frogs. According to Wikipedia, this reserve protects a section of Hangklip Sand Fynbos and the biodiverse indigenous Cape Wetlands of the Silvermine River. Rehabilitated due to local flooding problems, it is a breeding ground for many amphibians including the endangered Western Leopard Toad, the Arum Lily Frog, the Cape River Frog and the Clicking Stream Frog.