Cape Town Warnings or Dangers – Stay Safe!

Cape Town Warnings and Dangers

South Africa’s Cape Town is one of the largest cities in the world. And while the city does have industrialized areas and modern services, the country itself is still quite poor. With any kind of population like this some sort of crime will take place. Here a handful of the best tips and warnings on how to stay safe when visiting the city.

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How to Avoid Crime

In order to avoid crime and scams, you need to play it safe. When using an ATM, use ATMs inside of respected stores or head to a bank. Card scammers are everywhere, which can take your debit card information when you insert the card into the ATM.

Purse snatching is one of the most common crimes within Cape Town. With such a large population, many of the places you walk through will be full of people. If a purse is snatched, it becomes extremely difficult to track that person down, so just avoid wearing a purse all together.

Drug Use

Drug use is common here, and it’s especially visible at night. You can see a wide variety of drug use, and while some crime does come with the territory, it isn’t a major contributor. You still should avoid walking on dark streets and alleys at night. Stick to the well-lit areas.

Areas to Avoid

Ultimately, use your head and common sense. Avoid dark streets and alleys at night, don’t go off by yourself, and don’t go around showing off extravagant wealth, as this will simply identify you as someone who has money and increases your chances of being robbed.

Long Street in Cape Town can be unsafe. While there are a few restaurants here, there isn’t really anything that would draw you to the street above other destinations in the city, so there is no true need to venture down Long Street.

Transportation

While you can take most forms of public transportation, you’ll be better off taking a marked cab at night, as crime does occur on busses during this time.

More from SmarterTravel:

• Cape Town: Wines, Scenic Drives and Sharks!
• Cape Town Transportation – Taxi, Train, Bus & Airport Tips
• How to Spend Three Perfect Days in Cape Town

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Editor’s note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about Cape Town warnings and dangers.