Book excerpt: Blessed with blue skies, a balmy climate, a rich cultural heritage and a magnificent backdrop of ocean and mountain, Cape Town boasts a profusion of museums, art galleries, restaurants, shops, theatres, night spots and landmarks, Presided over by Table Mountain and skirted by the Atlantic Ocean and a string of exquisite beaches, top attractions include the V&A Waterfront, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Table Mountain National Park, Robben Island, and the Cape Winelands. The bestselling Seven Days in Cape Town is essential for anyone wanting to make the most of their stay in one of the world’s most exciting cities. Filled with the insider knowledge that every visitor needs, it offers seven day-tours of the peninsula, covering seven different areas of the city and its immediate surrounds. For those who wish to extend their stay, there are six suggested itineraries for longer excursions to the Winelands towns of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek, the Garden Route, the Southern Cape coast, the West Coast and Namaqualand. Handy directories cover shopping, dining and nightlife, and include names, addresses, and other relevant information. Over 200 colour photographs, including aerial images for a bird’s-eye view of the city, illustrate the informative text that covers everything from historical background and useful facts to engaging anecdotal information. Nineteen essential full-colour maps will help you find your way quickly and effortlessly. Sean Fraser is a Journalism and Media Studies graduate from Rhodes University and the author of a number of coffee-table, reference, travel and guidebooks on the people and places of southern Africa. His titles include South Africa, Picturesque South Africa, Cape Town A-Z and Gauteng A-Z, all published by Penguin Random House. He lives in Cape Town with his wife and two sons.