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Articles > Africa > South Africa > Cape Town > Top 10 Safety Tips For Cape Town Visitors
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Top 10 Safety Tips For Cape Town Visitors
Don't let the bad press about South African crime put you off visiting the beautiful city of Cape Town! Follow these simple safety guidelines and look forward to a fun, incident-free vacation in one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.
1. Don't walk around late at night unless you keep to well-lit places like the Waterfront and Camps Bay. Rather take a (decent) taxi than risk being mugged in a dark side street after nightfall.
2. Don't accept help from a stranger at an ATM when drawing cash.
3. Stay in a group when out at night.
4. Don't "wave" your bag, camera or cell phone around while walking in the city, day or night. This attracts undesirable attention. Avoid keeping anything of value in back pockets or open backpack compartments.
5. Keep the windows up and the car doors locked when driving around the city.
6. When driving, discourage "smash & grab" theft by keeping bags, keys, cell phones or anything "tempting" on the floor and not on the seats.
7. If you wish to visit a township, go with a reputable tour guide, not alone. It's easy to get lost and some neighborhoods are less safe than others.
8. Fancy a train ride? Go on one with a blue "Biggsy's Restaurant Car", enjoying a cup of coffee or a yummy breakfast while watching Cape Town's suburbs pass by the window. Unfortunately, despite the security staff on the trains, muggings and harassment are fairly frequent. Traveling in the restaurant car is a safer, more comfortable experience.
9. Don't give cash to beggars. Rather make a donation to a registered local charity. Money gained through begging, unfortunately, is inevitably ill-spent. Giving out cash also makes you a candidate for being mugged once you have your wallet out.
10. If you are eating out or watching a movie, do not put your bags on the floor or hang them over the back of your chair. Keep them on your lap, to avoid becoming a victim of opportunistic bag-snatchers. These scoundrels have even been known to operate in churches!
Remember: Pickpockets and muggers are a sad fact of life the world over. Just be careful, and you'll find Cape Town as friendly, safe and enjoyable as any busy cosmopolitan city in the world.
1. Don't walk around late at night unless you keep to well-lit places like the Waterfront and Camps Bay. Rather take a (decent) taxi than risk being mugged in a dark side street after nightfall.
2. Don't accept help from a stranger at an ATM when drawing cash.
3. Stay in a group when out at night.
4. Don't "wave" your bag, camera or cell phone around while walking in the city, day or night. This attracts undesirable attention. Avoid keeping anything of value in back pockets or open backpack compartments.
5. Keep the windows up and the car doors locked when driving around the city.
6. When driving, discourage "smash & grab" theft by keeping bags, keys, cell phones or anything "tempting" on the floor and not on the seats.
7. If you wish to visit a township, go with a reputable tour guide, not alone. It's easy to get lost and some neighborhoods are less safe than others.
8. Fancy a train ride? Go on one with a blue "Biggsy's Restaurant Car", enjoying a cup of coffee or a yummy breakfast while watching Cape Town's suburbs pass by the window. Unfortunately, despite the security staff on the trains, muggings and harassment are fairly frequent. Traveling in the restaurant car is a safer, more comfortable experience.
9. Don't give cash to beggars. Rather make a donation to a registered local charity. Money gained through begging, unfortunately, is inevitably ill-spent. Giving out cash also makes you a candidate for being mugged once you have your wallet out.
10. If you are eating out or watching a movie, do not put your bags on the floor or hang them over the back of your chair. Keep them on your lap, to avoid becoming a victim of opportunistic bag-snatchers. These scoundrels have even been known to operate in churches!
Remember: Pickpockets and muggers are a sad fact of life the world over. Just be careful, and you'll find Cape Town as friendly, safe and enjoyable as any busy cosmopolitan city in the world.
About the Author
Author of this article is Francois L. Botha. Francois is the administrator of Book Cape Town, where you can book fun things to do in Cape Town online.
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Word count: 371
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