South Africa · Western Cape · Cape Town
Clifton, Cape Town — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Clifton is a small coastal suburb on the Atlantic seaboard of Cape Town, built into the steep lower slopes just below Lion's Head. Bungalows and apartments climb the hillside. Four sheltered white-sand beaches lie at its foot, divided by granite boulders and reached by long staircases down from Victoria Road. It sits between Bantry Bay and Camps Bay.
About Clifton
Where to stay in Clifton
The right area depends on your trip — here's what each neighbourhood is best for.
Staying in Clifton means an upmarket base right above the beaches, quiet at night and a long way in feel from the city-centre bars. Most beds are private villas and self-catering apartments, not big hotels. The four coves sit right below, sheltered from the summer south-easter by Lion's Head, so the swimming is calm and the sand stays busy through the afternoon.
Nightlife sits south, in Camps Bay. For a wider choice of hotels, most visitors look to Sea Point or central Cape Town, a short drive along Victoria Road.
About Clifton
What are the main landmarks in Clifton?
Clifton's draws are natural, not built. Four beaches, numbered First to Fourth, curve below the bungalows, each split from the next by granite boulders. Fourth Beach is the widest and the only one reached directly by road.
Above them all stands Lion's Head. Its lower slopes hold the walking paths, while the tidal pools of Maiden's Cove mark the southern edge toward Camps Bay.
What is the history of Clifton?
Clifton began as a rocky shore below Lion's Head, outside the early town of Cape Town. Reaching it meant a walk down the slope. Through the twentieth century, bungalows and cottages were built into that hillside, packed tightly along wooden walkways above the four coves.
As the Atlantic seaboard filled in between Sea Point and Camps Bay, Clifton grew into one of the city's most sought-after stretches of coast. The beaches kept their plain numbering, First to Fourth.
Where is Clifton?
Clifton sits on the Atlantic seaboard of Cape Town, on the west-facing flank of Lion's Head, with Bantry Bay adjoining it to the north and Camps Bay to the south. Maiden's Cove, a rocky stretch of tidal pools, lies just beyond its fourth beach. Victoria Road runs above the beaches.
The whole suburb faces west across the open Atlantic, within the Western Cape.
More areas in Cape Town
Updated July 2026