CAPE WINELANDS
Situated just over an hour outside of Cape Town, you will find the beautiful Cape Winelands. South Africa is famous for its wine production and it is here that you will find South Africa's best and most internationally recognised wine farms, open for tastings. The Cape Winelands are made up of 3 towns; Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl, all situated amongst mountains, rolling hills and valleys, providing good views wherever you go, so even if you are not into wine, it is still worth a trip just for the stunningly beautiful scenery.
Stellenbosch is the second oldest town in the country and therefore home to some of the biggest, oldest and grandest wine farms in the country. It is also home to the University of Stellenbosch.
Franschhoek is situated in a fertile valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides. It is here that French Hugenots settled when arriving in South Africa in the 17th century and the town still retains something of a French flair. Today, it is recognised as the culinary capital of the South Africa and is home to some of the country's top restaurants. Bookings need to be made months in advance. Franschhoek is the smallest and quaintest of the towns in the winelands and is therefore the easiest to get around. It is also home to the Franschhoek Wine Tram, which is possibly the best way to go wine tasting. You can visit many different wine farms without worrying about how to get home later. The wine tram will even keep safe all the wine you have bought on your tasting trip. Franschhoek is our favourite of the winelands towns.
Paarl is the biggest of the 3 towns and is situated the furthest away from Cape Town. It is the least visited of the 3 towns, despite being home to the KWV Cellar, the largest wine cellar in the entire world, by area. It is situated at the base of the Drakenstein Mountains.
And we must not forget about Constantia. Today, Constantia is a suburb in southern Cape Town, but it was once the oldest and biggest wine farm in the country. Through the years, it was subdivided through inheritances and even though much of it is suburbia today, there a variety of still productive wine farms in the area where one can stay. Being situated in Cape Town itself means that one doesn't have to embark on an extra journey and add on a few nights to your stay to sample some of the fabulous wine in South Africa. You can stay on one of the small wine farms in Constantia and still easily visit Cape Point, the penguins and the V&A Waterfront, before returning to your hotel for a tasting.
Situated further afield and less well-known is the town of Robertson. Robertson is situated along Route 62, in the Karoo semi-desert and boasts many of South Africa's best red wines. It is a good stop over for people interested in doing the Garden Route.
A night or two in the winelands is often added on to any Cape Town itinerary to round off the trip and is a must-do for anyone who considers themself a wine aficionado, a foodie, or simply likes to unwind surrounded by beautiful scenery. The winelands are easy to get to from Cape Town, with the journey being on good roads. One can rent a car and drive oneself, or we can arrange a transfer for you.
Stellenbosch is the second oldest town in the country and therefore home to some of the biggest, oldest and grandest wine farms in the country. It is also home to the University of Stellenbosch.
Franschhoek is situated in a fertile valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides. It is here that French Hugenots settled when arriving in South Africa in the 17th century and the town still retains something of a French flair. Today, it is recognised as the culinary capital of the South Africa and is home to some of the country's top restaurants. Bookings need to be made months in advance. Franschhoek is the smallest and quaintest of the towns in the winelands and is therefore the easiest to get around. It is also home to the Franschhoek Wine Tram, which is possibly the best way to go wine tasting. You can visit many different wine farms without worrying about how to get home later. The wine tram will even keep safe all the wine you have bought on your tasting trip. Franschhoek is our favourite of the winelands towns.
Paarl is the biggest of the 3 towns and is situated the furthest away from Cape Town. It is the least visited of the 3 towns, despite being home to the KWV Cellar, the largest wine cellar in the entire world, by area. It is situated at the base of the Drakenstein Mountains.
And we must not forget about Constantia. Today, Constantia is a suburb in southern Cape Town, but it was once the oldest and biggest wine farm in the country. Through the years, it was subdivided through inheritances and even though much of it is suburbia today, there a variety of still productive wine farms in the area where one can stay. Being situated in Cape Town itself means that one doesn't have to embark on an extra journey and add on a few nights to your stay to sample some of the fabulous wine in South Africa. You can stay on one of the small wine farms in Constantia and still easily visit Cape Point, the penguins and the V&A Waterfront, before returning to your hotel for a tasting.
Situated further afield and less well-known is the town of Robertson. Robertson is situated along Route 62, in the Karoo semi-desert and boasts many of South Africa's best red wines. It is a good stop over for people interested in doing the Garden Route.
A night or two in the winelands is often added on to any Cape Town itinerary to round off the trip and is a must-do for anyone who considers themself a wine aficionado, a foodie, or simply likes to unwind surrounded by beautiful scenery. The winelands are easy to get to from Cape Town, with the journey being on good roads. One can rent a car and drive oneself, or we can arrange a transfer for you.
where to stay...
From our visits to the Cape Winelands, we have first-hand knowledge of the hotels and below you can find the ones we most commonly use. Those hotels include mainly our favourites sorted from low-key to deluxe, which are usually smaller hotels with very personalised service, but also some bigger places, if they are the best or only option available. Open, close, then open each tab again to display the images fully.
franschhoek |
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l'ermitage
avondrood
La fontaine
lavender farm
mont d'or
protea hotel franschhoek
akademie street boutique hotel
the last word franschhoek
le quartier francais
angala boutique wine estate
boschendal
babylonstoren
mont rochelle
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stellenbosch |
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Spier wine estate
devon valley
oude werf
Majeka house
lanzerac
delaire graff
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paarl |
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andreas guest house
grand roche
constantia
The Last word constantia
the alphen boutique hotel
the cellars-hohenort
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robertson
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robertson small hotel
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To see some of our Garden Route itineraries that already include the Winelands, please click on the Garden Route itineraries button below or request a bespoke itinerary including the Winelands.
