Direct Flights from Washington to Cape Town
Cape Town · South Africa
Nonstop service from IAD to CPT on United. Here's the schedule at a glance — plus what to do once you land.
How rare is this nonstop?
This is a rare nonstop: only 3 cities fly direct to Cape Town, and Washington is one of them. From anywhere else you'd be connecting.
How long to go to Cape Town for, from Washington
16h 20m in the air, 7,932 miles. Give Cape Town a week: the first day goes to the journey and the jet lag, whatever you intend.
The schedule narrows it further. This route does not fly daily, so assuming the return runs the same days, your trip is 2, 3, 4 or 5 nights — or a full week. Worth checking before you book time off.
About Cape Town
Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa. The capital of Western Cape Province, it is also the legislative capital of the nation. Cape Town is on South Africa's southwestern coast close to the Cape of Good Hope, and is the southernmost city on the African continent. It is the gateway to the globally renowned Cape Winelands which includes the towns of Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl.
Summary from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA).
Top things to do in Cape Town
- The Afrikaans Language Monument is located on a hill overlooking Paarl, Western Cape Province, South Africa.
- Table Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park, is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on 29 May 1998, for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the T…
- Boulders Beach is a sheltered beach made up of inlets between granite boulders, from which the name originated. It is located on the Cape Peninsula, in Simon's Town, in the southern region of Cape Town, South Africa.
- Kirstenbosch is a botanical garden nestled at the eastern foot of Table Mountain in Cape Town.
- Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa is a public non-profit museum in Cape Town, South Africa. Zeitz MOCAA opened on September 22, 2017 as the largest museum of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora.
- The Two Oceans Aquarium is an aquarium located at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
- The Iziko South African Museum, formerly the South African Museum, is a South African national museum located in Cape Town. The museum was founded in 1825, the first in the country.
- The Iziko South African National Gallery is the national art gallery of South Africa located in Cape Town. It became part of the Iziko collection of museums – as managed by the Department of Arts and Culture – in 2001.
- The Rhodes Memorial is a large monument in the style of an ancient Greek temple on Devil's Peak in Cape Town, South Africa, situated close to Table Mountain.
- The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town serve as the seat of South Africa's national legislature.
- Groote Schuur is an estate in Cape Town, South Africa. In 1657, the estate was owned by the Dutch East India Company which used it partly as a granary. Later, the farm and farmhouse was sold into private hands.
- SS Lusitania was a Portuguese twin-screw ocean liner of 5,557 tons, built in 1906 by Sir Raylton Dixon & Co, and owned by Empresa Nacional de Navegação, of Lisbon.
Attraction descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); place data from Wikidata (CC0).
Cape Town weather, compared with Washington
7° warmer than Washington on average across the year, on daytime highs:
- January
- Cape Town 81°F · Washington 43°F · 38° warmer
- April
- Cape Town 75°F · Washington 67°F · 8° warmer
- July
- Cape Town 64°F · Washington 88°F · 23° colder
- October
- Cape Town 72°F · Washington 68°F · 4° warmer
Cape Town is the steadier of the two, moving 17° between its coldest and warmest months where Washington moves 45°.
Average daily highs, 1991–2020 station normals from Meteostat (CC BY 4.0), measured at each city's airport.
Planning a trip to Cape Town
- Best time to visit
- Cape Town is comfortable to visit year-round, with daytime highs averaging around 73°F.
- How long to stay
- Cape Town rewards a longer visit — a full week lets you explore its many sights, from Afrikaans Language Monument, Table Mountain National Park, and Boulders Beach and beyond.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a direct flight from Washington to Cape Town?
- Yes — you can fly nonstop from Washington (IAD) to Cape Town (CPT) on United.
- Which airlines fly nonstop from Washington to Cape Town?
- United flies nonstop between Washington (IAD) and Cape Town (CPT).
- How far is Cape Town from Washington?
- Cape Town is about 7,932 miles from Washington by air.
- How many days can I spend in Cape Town flying from Washington?
- Because this route doesn't operate daily, your trip is effectively 2, 3, 4 or 5 nights — or a full week — assuming the return flies the same days as the outbound.
- Is there a direct flight from Washington to South Africa?
- Yes — Cape Town (CPT) has nonstop service from Washington on United, making it a nonstop gateway to South Africa.
- What is there to do in Cape Town?
- Popular things to do include Afrikaans Language Monument, Table Mountain National Park, Boulders Beach, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, and more.
More nonstop destinations from Washington near Cape Town
Airports near Washington
The closest other departure airports to Washington — each opens up more nonstop destinations.