The University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a great place to be a student. There are a ton of cool places to go to, fun things to do, and great people to meet. But one thing that is absolutely essential is food. There are hundreds of great restaurants around UCT. Bree Street near the city centre is full great restaurants, as is Kloof Street. The Eastern Food Bazaar has many different delectable and affordable options to choose from. The Creamery is a must if you’re in the mood for something sweet, and Dean Street (where one of them is located) has a few other great places to grab a bite. If you’re in the mood for large portions of Mexican food, Panchos in Observatory is one of the best options, and they sell delicious margarita jugs too. Although slightly pricey, Gibsons at the V & A Waterfront has some of the best burgers and milkshakes in Cape Town. I can promise that you’ve seen a larger variety of milkshakes in your life!
Transportation
The Jammie Shuttle bus service is indispensable in getting you to and from UCT, as well as many other places around Cape Town, and is completely free to UCT students, with buses running often. Bus timetables and routes can be found on the UCT website. Cape Town also has a bus service which is very useful in getting to places not covered by Jammie shuttles. My CiTi buses are cheap, and cards to use them can be purchased from the My CiTi bus kiosks.
Accomodation
After a good night out you’re going to need a bed to go back to, and UCT and indeed Cape Town offer plenty of great accommodation options for your time in South Africa. UCT residences can be fully catered or self-catering, or somewhere in between, and are great to meet people. Smuts House (for boys) and Fuller House (for girls) are two of the best, are fully catered, and are located right on campus, so you can wake up 5 minutes before your lecture is due to start and still get there in time! Observatory Square is slightly further away, but very popular with exchanges, and is self-catering. Besides these, there are many other UCT residences to choose from. If you would rather not go for UCT accommodation, Campus Key is a great (although pricey) option for student accommodation. There is one in Rosebank and one in Mowbray, and you are sure to meet cool people and have a raucous time here! My Domain is another student flat option, and whilst not quite as ‘vibey’ as Campus Key, it is much cheaper. There are many reasonably priced student flats in the suburbs surrounding UCT. These can be cheap or pricey, depending on your preferences. Rondebosch, Claremont, Rosebank, Observatory and Newlands are all suburbs that are close to UCT and good options for student flats/houses.
