Bo-Kaap Cooking Class or Walking Tour: Which One to Book in Cape Town
6 min read
For most visitors: the Malay cooking class and lunch in Bo-Kaap from €42.94, 4.8 stars from 671 reviews, 2.5 hours in a local home. If you would rather see the neighbourhood than stand at a stove, take the Bo-Kaap and city highlights walking tour from €34.89. And if you want both in one half day, the walking tour plus cooking class from €59.04 does that.
See prices and dates for the Bo-Kaap cooking class
Bo-Kaap is the steep, brightly painted neighbourhood below Signal Hill, and the home of Cape Malay cooking. The booking pages describe the cuisine as a fusion of African traditions with those of the Malaysian and Indonesian slaves brought to the Cape by the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries. The question is whether you want to eat it, or hear about it, or both. Prices are starting prices per person on GetYourGuide.
Four Bo-Kaap Experiences Compared
| Experience | Duration | Price from | Stars | Reviews | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malay cooking class and lunch | 2.5 hrs | €42.94 | 4.8 | 671 | food lovers, a low-key afternoon |
| Cape Malay cooking class, three courses | 2 hrs | €45.63 | 4.8 | 137 | a full three-course meal in two hours |
| Bo-Kaap walking tour and cooking class | 4 hrs | €59.04 | 4.7 | 136 | culture and cooking in one morning |
| Bo-Kaap and city highlights walking tour | 2 hrs | €34.89 | 4.8 | 425 | history first, no cooking |
The Classic: Cooking in a Local Home
On the 2.5-hour class you cook with a local chef in their home in Bo-Kaap. You meet at 109 Wale Street, and the class itself is held at what the itinerary calls a “secret stop”. The dishes may include stews, roasts and sauce-heavy curries, built on ginger, fennel, star anise, tamarind and above all turmeric. Then you sit down to eat what you made.
Ingredients, equipment, instructor, lunch and soft drinks are in the price. The page does not count alcoholic drinks or transport as part of the price, and alcohol and smoking are not allowed during the class. Teaching is in English. For a quiet afternoon that rewards a good appetite, this is a practical choice.
The three-course class runs two hours and costs €45.63, with 4.8 stars from 137 reviews. You cook a starter, a main and a dessert from scratch with a local resident and talk about family and the community over the meal. The instructor speaks English and Afrikaans. Choose it if the three courses or Afrikaans matter to you. The meeting point is 67 Jordaan Street.
Adding the Streets: The Walk and Cook Combination
The walking tour with cooking class takes four hours. First you walk the cobbled streets, with the oldest mosque in South Africa and the cultural museum and a spice shop. Then you cook at your host’s home: samosas to start, chicken curry and roti, and sambal, which the page calls salsa salad. Dessert is koesisters, spiced donuts served with cardamom tea. You leave with all the recipes.
The combination costs €59.04 per person; the cooking-only class costs €42.94. Both start at 109 Wale Street and run in English. Confirm on the booking page whether museum entry is included in your chosen booking.
Walking Tour Only: Bo-Kaap as the End Point
The walking tour is a city history walk that ends in Bo-Kaap. It starts at Truth Coffee Roasting and passes the District Six Museum, the Grand Parade, the Iziko Slave Lodge, St George’s Cathedral, Greenmarket Square and Long Street. At €34.89 for two hours, with 4.8 stars from 425 reviews, it is offered in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa and Zulu. The page asks guests to avoid Strand Street near the station on the way to the meeting point for safety reasons. The operator excludes people over 95 and lists jewellery as not allowed. Arrange your own journey to the meeting point; check any admission charges before adding interior visits.
Check availability for the Bo-Kaap and city walking tour
What It Costs and Where It Fits
For two people, budget 2 × €42.94 for the cooking class, plus transport to Wale Street and any tip. It is also an indoor option, which helps on a grey day: our article on a rainy day in Cape Town with kids uses this class for that reason. Fitting it around a bigger day is easy, because the class is short. For other cultural visits, such as the township tour, keep a separate half day.
When It Is Not a Good Idea
If you are strict about diet. If you are vegetarian or allergic to something, write to the operator before booking rather than finding out at the stove.
If you want photographs only. The coloured houses are free to see from the street. Residents live here, so photograph the houses, and ask before you photograph people.
If time is tight. A 2.5-hour class plus travel fills an afternoon. With a ship to catch, see shore excursions in Cape Town.
Our Recommendation
For most visitors: the Malay cooking class and lunch from €42.94. You cook and eat in a local home, with lunch and soft drinks included.
For a morning of culture plus lunch: the walking tour with cooking class from €59.04. It takes four hours and includes both the neighbourhood walk and cooking.
Not the right call for everyone. If you do not enjoy cooking, the walking tour at €34.89 gives you the neighbourhood without the stove.
