LON CPT
Flights from London to Cape Town
Everything worth knowing before you book this route — how far it is, how long you will be in the air, whether a direct flight exists from London, and what the fare is doing.
How long is the flight from London to Cape Town?
The great-circle distance from London (LON) to Cape Town is 6,011 miles. Flown nonstop, that works out at roughly 11h 55m in the air, including taxi time at both ends.
Can you fly London to Cape Town direct?
Nonstop from Heathrow and Gatwick
From Heathrow: British Airways and Virgin Atlantic (seasonal). From Gatwick: Norse Atlantic (seasonal).
What it costs from London
The cheapest return we have measured from London to Cape Town is £536, flying out 29 Nov and back 14 Dec. That is this airport's own best week, found by searching it separately from the other nine — every UK airport wins on a different date. The search allows one stop, so this can be a connection rather than one of the nonstops above.
Price LON → CPT on KiwiWhen to book
Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate in the southern hemisphere, which is the whole point for a British traveller: its dry, warm, cloudless half falls exactly across our worst months. The peninsula sits where the cold Benguela current meets warmer water, and the practical consequence is that the Atlantic beaches at Camps Bay and Clifton are beautiful and genuinely freezing, while False Bay on the other side of the mountain is meaningfully warmer for swimming.
Seasons, prices and the full Cape Town guideLanding in Cape Town
Barely any time-zone shift — you can plan a full first day without allowing for jet lag.
| Airport | CPT, twenty-five minutes east of the city on a good road. Small, calm and easy by the standards of the other long-haul airports on this list. There is a MyCiTi bus into the centre for about a pound, which runs frequently in daylight; most visitors take an Uber, which costs a few pounds more and goes to the door. |
|---|---|
| Currency | South African rand. Cards work almost everywhere including car parks and small cafés, and contactless is normal. Keep some cash for car guards — the men in high-visibility vests who watch parked cars expect five or ten rand and this is a real informal economy rather than a scam. |
| Language | English is one of twelve official languages and is universal in Cape Town, alongside Afrikaans and Xhosa. No barrier whatsoever, and signage is in English throughout. |
Where to stay in Cape Town
Most visitors stay in Camps Bay or Gardens. The list below is filtered to places rated 9+ by guests and sorted by price, with dates already filled in — change them for your own trip.
Top-rated places to stay in Cape TownCape Town from other UK airports
Other destinations from London
Every destination from London, comparedReady to price it? The fare moves daily.
Open the Cape Town guide for today's confirmed fare from every UK airport, or search this route directly with your own dates.
See today's Cape Town fares