The best source of information about the city is Cape Town Tourism ( ) which has two excellent information bureaux : the city-centre visitor centre (March-Nov: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 8.30am-1pm & Sun 9am-1pm; Dec-Feb: Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat 8.30am-1pm & Sun 9am-1pm; tel 021 426 4260, fax 021 426 4266), at the corner of Burg and Castle streets, a five-minute walk two blocks northwest of the station; and the Clocktower Precinct visitor centre (daily 9am-9pm; tel 021 405 4500) in a fabulous office at the V&A Waterfront next to the Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island overlooking the harbour. Both centres operate comprehensive accommodation and activity booking services, have a swanky coffee shop, a book shop and cybercafé as well as lots of brochures and very cheap city maps.

The best sources for weekly events listings are the Top of the Times supplement in Friday's Cape Times , and the Good Weekend pullout in the Saturday Argus , while the Mail & Guardian (Fridays) injects some attitude into its reviews and listings supplement. Cape Review , a monthly listings magazine with a passing resemblance to London's and New York's Time Out , gives a broad range of information on food, wine, gay venues, nightlife and sporting events.

If you're planning to explore beyond the confines of the city centre, you'll need to invest in a detailed street atlas , found at most bookshops, including the ubiquitous CNA chain. MapStudio's A to Z Streetmap is the cheapest; it's adequate for the centre and most of the suburbs, but doesn't cover Simon's Town. There are countless guidebooks on walks around Cape Town, hikes up Table Mountain, dive sites, fishing locations, surfing breaks and windsurfing spots. For the best-stocked shelves and nicest atmosphere, head for one of the Exclusive Books stores, one in Claremont, one in Constantia and one at the Victoria Wharf at the V&A Waterfront; you'll also find some useful books on all aspects of South Africa at the second hand bookshops down Long Street.