Cape Town to Citrusdal is 176 km (109 miles), about 2 hours by road. You drive north on the N7 the whole way, over the Piekenierskloof Pass, then take the R303 turn-off down into the valley. It's a self-drive town: bring a car and the whole valley opens up.
| From | Distance by road | Driving time |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Town (city centre) | 176 km (109 mi) | ~2 hours |
| Cape Town Airport (CPT) | 179 km (111 mi) | ~2 hr 10 min |
| Stellenbosch | 172 km (107 mi) | ~2 hours |
| Paarl | 162 km (101 mi) | ~2 hours |
| Ceres | 128 km (80 mi) | ~1 hr 40 min |
| Vredendal | 133 km (83 mi) | ~1 hr 40 min |
| Lambert's Bay | 114 km (71 mi) | ~1 hr 45 min |
| Malmesbury | 112 km (70 mi) | ~1 hr 20 min |
| Clanwilliam (north) | 58 km (36 mi) | ~45 min |
| Piketberg (south) | 48 km (30 mi) | ~35 min |
| The Baths hot springs | 18 km (11 mi) south of town | ~20 min |
| GPS | 32°35′S, 19°01′E | |
Road distances and driving times routed on OpenStreetMap data (OSRM, August 2026), measured to the centre of Citrusdal. Mile figures are conversions of those kilometres, not a separate measurement. Real driving time depends on traffic out of Cape Town and on the Piekenierskloof Pass.
Driving from Cape Town
It's one of the easiest routes in the Western Cape — almost entirely on the N7.
- Leave Cape Town heading north on the N7 (the West Coast / Malmesbury road).
- Stay on the N7 for about 170 km, through the Swartland farmlands and past Piketberg.
- Climb the Piekenierskloof Pass — the dramatic first view of the valley opens here.
- Take the signposted R303 turn-off and drop down into Citrusdal.
The Piekenierskloof Pass was first cut by the engineer Thomas Bain in 1857 and rebuilt to its easier modern gradient in 1958. It's the moment the drive turns into the destination. More on the history ›
Thinking of driving up and back in one day? It is four hours in the car, and there is one thing a day visitor cannot do here. Citrusdal in a day ›
Citrusdal to Cape Town — the drive back
The same 176 km, about two hours, in reverse: the R303 out of town, onto the N7 southbound, over the Piekenierskloof Pass and straight in past Piketberg and Malmesbury. Two things are worth knowing before you leave.
- Sunday afternoons are the slow one. Returning weekend traffic builds on the N7 from Piketberg south. Leaving before noon or after four makes a real difference.
- You come down the pass into the afternoon sun. It is the one stretch of the drive where the light works against you — worth a clean windscreen.
If you would rather break the drive, the pass and the farm stalls on the way down are the obvious stop: Kardoesie, at the top, has fed the N7 since 1997, and you can eat at The Daily inside it. Stopping on the N7 ›
Flying in
Cape Town International Airport (CPT) is the nearest major airport — 179 km (111 miles) and about two hours ten by road, so most visitors fly into Cape Town and hire a car. Citrusdal has a small airfield for light aircraft only, with no scheduled flights.
Arriving from outside South Africa? Getting here from abroad covers hiring a car, driving on the left, the currency and what season it actually is in the southern hemisphere.
Can you get here without a car?
Not easily. There's no passenger train, and public transport is limited — long-distance coaches on the N7 can drop you near the turn-off, but the farms, the hot springs and the Cederberg are spread across the valley and need a vehicle. Plan to drive, or hire a car in Cape Town.
Getting to The Baths
The hot springs are about 18 km (11 miles) south of the town along The Baths Road, on the far side of the valley — a short, signposted drive of around 20 minutes from the town centre. Sleeping somewhere else? The guest farms, cottages and campsites are on where to stay in Citrusdal.
The Baths hot springs ›Last updated July 2026 · distances are approximate road distances