There are certain things every visitor to Cape Town should try to do, and many of these are available in neatly packaged options or day trips, sometimes with the added benefit of a tour guide.

Such regimented outings are not for everyone, and if you prefer to be left to your own devices to explore the city there's a great new way to do it this summer. City Sightseeing topless tours buses, the Table Mountain Cableway and Two Oceans Aquarium have joined forces to launch the Go Cape Town Card, an all-inclusive ticket for the three popular attractions.

The card costs R360 which includes a return trip on the Cableway, a visit to the Two Oceans Aquarium and a bus ride. Children under 18 years pay R' a card.

Individually, each of these is a destination in itself and the beauty of the card is that it is valid for three months from date of purchase so although everything can be fitted into one day, you also have the luxury of flexibility. Another huge benefit is that you don't have to stand in any ticket queues, and of course there is the small saving on the combined entry and ticket prices.

The City Sightseeing buses depart conveniently outside the aquarium and the Go Cape Town card sends you on the Red City tour, which includes 17 stops on a two-hour round trip. The idea is that you hop on and hop off along the way and have a peek at places like St George's Cathedral, the South African, Jewish, Gold and District Six museums, and the Castle of Good Hope.

The route then takes you up Kloof Nek and to the cable station before heading back down through Camps Bay and the Sea Point promenade. There is a bus every 20 minutes so you could easily spend the entire day visiting places along the way while listening to the recorded commentary in the language of your choice. There is a specially dedicated children's channel narrated by characters like Mandisa the Mongoose and Salty Seagull, and the ones with short attention spans are given activity packs.

Although not part of the Go Cape Town package, City Sightseeing also does a Blue Mini Peninsula tour. It also departs from the Aquarium and follows the same initial route - the clock tower at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town International Convention Centre (I'm guessing this is not so much a tourist attraction as a pick-up point for guests at nearby hotels), past Cape Town Tourism's head office in Burg Street and then heads south to Kirstenbosch, the World of Birds and Mariner's Wharf in Hout Bay and back through Camps Bay and Sea Point.

For the aquarium, I'd suggest you set aside at least two hours, depending on whether you're escorting ankle-biters or whether you want to meditate in the kelp forest. You might also want to take feeding times into consideration, particularly in the predator tank (daily feeding at 3pm, and sharks on Sundays). Brave visitors can also dive in this tank, even with no scuba experience. For a small fee, they will take you to a swimming pool in the morning, teach you to breathe underwater, and plunge you in with the sharks and rays in the afternoon.

At the entrance to the aquarium is the Indian Ocean display, which features a massive tank full of Nemo fish. Yes, they probably have a proper scientific name, but it's not important because the entire world knows them as Nemo. What is so nifty and appealing about this tank, besides the dozens of identical surrealistically coloured fish, is that it has a central cavity that you can climb into and have your photograph taken inside the tank. I was entranced by the Nemos frolicking around in the anenomes and would have loved it if there had been an aquarium staff member on hand to tell me why.

There are lots of other fascinating creatures to be seen before you even leave the foyer - puffer fish, devil fire fish, geometric eels (which have the benefit of being hermaphrodite so they can mate with any other one of their species, which certainly ups their chances of a date on Saturday night), and a giant honeycomb moray eel.

Moving on, there are jellyfish in an ethereal ballet, shy seahorses, and those creepy giant spider crabs which I am pretty sure have not moved since the aquarium opened. Children will be fascinated by the touch pool before popping in at the ongoing frog exhibition where they can watch a puppet show. From there, the path takes you through the Sappi River Meander, notable for the penguins. Apparently they are breeding at the moment and keeping a discreet and low profile.

My all time favourite part comes next - the kelp forest. The gentle rhythmic swaying of the kelp, the streaks of dappled sunlight, and the fish that look like they come from a Monty Python movie make for a restful, contemplative environment...if you're lucky enough to avoid insensitive buffoons on their cellphones, or noisy school groups. Thankfully, these distractions don't usually last long.

From the kelp forest, you move on to the predator tank which can be viewed side-on through a giant window, or inside the tunnel for an amazingly close up view of the ragged-tooth sharks' lethal jaws. Along with the placards announcing the tanks's inhabitants. There is also one headlined "Human - homo sapien, a fierce predator found in both warm and cold waters...offspring, if uneducated, may imitate behaviour of adult species." The aquarium is not just about looking at pretty fish, but educational too.

Your journey to the top of Table Mountain could also take a good couple of hours, especially if you want to go on a bit of a walk. My recommendation is that you try to get up there as early as possible.

Firstly, it's quieter and you're likely to see the dassies and lizards basking in the morning sunshine before they get scared away by the hordes of visitors. It's also a bit cooler, and you've a very good chance of missing the howling south easter wind that can pick up later in the day, ruining your plans to ascend the summit.

Table Mountain is without a doubt the most iconic landmark in Cape Town and is on the shortlist for the New 7 Wonders of Nature competition, along with legendary sites such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Grand Canyon in the USA and the Amazon in South America.

The view from the top is unbeatable and the only way you'll get to experience the full panorama of the peninsula without flying in a plane or helicopter. You'll be able to see all the way to Cape Point and False Bay and gaze down onto the pristine beaches and turquoise waters of Camps Bay and Clifton. There's a great restaurant where you can sit down to eat, or buy goodies (and wine) to take away for a picnic.

While the Go Cape Town card offers you a good three-way sightseeing option, do check other special offers, like the cableway's sunset special, which you can tailor to suit your needs. Currently, adults pay R80 return while children under 18 years pay R40 return after 6pm only. The special is valid every day until Sunday, February 28, 2010 and on New Year's Eve (last car up at 11pm and last car down at 1am). Sunset special tickets can be purchased at the cableway ticket office from 6pm every day.

The cableway operates weather permitting. First car up 8am, last car up 8.30pm, last car down 9.30pm. For information call 021 424 8181 or visit www.tablemountain.net

The aquarium is open from 9am till 6pm. Normal price: adults R88, children R42 (4-13 years ) and R68 (14-17 years ). For more information 021 418 3823 or www.aquarium.co.za

The Meadowridge Library children's holiday programme: Christmas beading on December 14 at 1.30pm (R10 per child), and an interactive puppet show on December 21 at 3pm (R10 children, R20 adults). There will be Storytime on December 23 at 10am. Booking is essential 021 7129360.

Get in touch with nature with the Meridian Hiking Club. Hikes include a sunset hike from Kommetjie on Saturday (Call 021 686 6045 6 - 8pm), the Newlands contour path ( 083 261 3326) on Sunday, December 13, sunset hike on Knife Edge on December 15 (e-mail mareascott@meridian.org.za), Penguin Walk in Simon's Town on December 16 ( 082 295 4451), a Constantia ramble on December 19 (021 782 2379) and a hike on Groot Constantia wine farm on Sunday, December 13 (082 498 0361).

Visit www.meridian.org.za for more information. Non-members: R15/hike

The House of JC Le Roux in Stellenbosch offers a summer taste sensation by pairing fruit sorbets with a selection of sparkling and Méthode Cap Classique wines. Sheer indulgence on spectacular summer days for just R30 a person. Open seven days a week, bookings essential for special tastings, breakfast or lunch. Call 021 865 8200

Roadworthy testing company AVTS is offering free vehicle safety tests until Saturday. Call 021 934 4900.

The exhibition Butamana Afrika, the life and times of Kimpa Vita by Patrick Tankama from DRC, Alliance Fran231aise (155 Loop Street). For more info culture.cpt@alliance.org.za, www.alliance.org.za or 021 423 5699.

Works of art that have been painted by members of the South African Society of Artists will be auctioned off today (6 for 6.30pm) in the Stone Cottages opposite the Church of the Good Shepherd-Protea (Kirstenbosch).

All proceeds from the evening will go to the building fund. Finger snacks will be provided, please bring your own drinks.

Please confirm your attendance with Andrew or Jenny Wilson at consultaew@iafrica.com or on 021 762ö4 or 082 575 3861.

Hot Water perform at Alliance Francaise (155 Loop Street) today, 8pm, R50. For more info culture.cpt@alliance.org.za, www.alliance.org.za or 021 423 5699.