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Cape Winelands
Why visit the Cape Winelands?
The sheer beauty of the Cape Winelands has to be seen to be believed. Rolling vineyards with mountain backdrops, pretty Cape Dutch buildings and of course world-famous wines at every turn. You don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to spend time here though. Whether it’s a romantic riverside picnic or fine dining in some of the country’s top restaurants, food is a way of life here, often with a real farm-to-fork story.
Arts & crafts, unique boutiques & café culture abound. Many working wine farms also offer a host of activities in addition to tastings, making the area a firm favourite with families too. It’s a wonderful relaxing start to your holiday, or an easy first drive out of Cape Town. Either way, we feel experiencing the magic of the Winelands is a must do for all ages.
Discover the Cape Winelands
Cape Winelands Highlights
- Franschhoek is an arty town, crammed with boutique shops, galleries and fantastic restaurants, hence why it is known as the gourmet capital of South Africa.
- The Franschhoek Wine Tram is a novel way to spend a day exploring the Franschhoek Valley and its wine estates. It’s a hop-on hop-off experience, allowing you to choose the route you prefer and the wines you want to taste.
- The university town of Stellenbosch has a vibrant café culture and an historic town centre with lovely examples of the Cape Dutch architecture. The university’s botanical gardens are perfect for a peaceful stroll and some of the area’s oldest wine estates offer tastings, cellar tours and gourmet dining.
- The area around Paarl also has many wineries and the Spice Route is worth a visit, with its restaurants and collection of artisans, including an art gallery, glass-blowing studio, biltong bar, gin distillery and chocolatier.
- Following the signposted wine and brandy routes may lead you to discover some exceptional producers. Staying on a vineyard or a working wine farm is a wonderful way to fully immerse yourself in the Winelands experience.
- Enjoy a gourmet picnic in the grounds of the Boschendal Estate or visit the night market which runs every Friday during the summer months.
- Take time to visit the fruit and vegetable gardens at Babylonstoren, followed perhaps by a freshly produced meal in one of their excellent restaurants.
- The Cape’s winelands extend south to Hermanus and as far north as Tulbagh – our team will help plan your ideal route through this beautiful region.
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Ask the African Pride team for advice to personalise your holiday on 01904 619428 or contact us.
Places to stay in the Cape Winelands
"The best trip we have ever had and we have had some wonderful holidays. Africa is a very special place - we will definitely be returning to South Africa."
Mr S via The Travel Shop
" Just want to say a huge thank you for organising this honeymoon for us! It’s been even better than we ever imagined it could be. I couldn’t even tell you a highlight because I felt like we had one every day! "
Mr & Mrs R
"Everything was absolutely perfect, every hotel, transfers, food was just exceptional. Service brilliant , African Pride were amazing everything went like clockwork "
Mr & Mrs G via Travel Counsellors
"We had an amazing holiday thanks! It was super from start to finish. African Pride did us proud. Our £££ took us much further than would have been the case in Europe - meals out were much cheaper, as was drinking. We were delighted. The Harley Davidson coastal tours and Franschhoek ebike tours were excellent, and we would definitely recommend. It was a really lovely holiday making memories that we will treasure always!!"
LA via Bakewell Travel
"A fantastic way to celebrate our Golden wedding anniversary! We used a local driver in the winelands who climbed up Paarl Rock with us and took us to the local Park Run. We donated the money we would have spent on a vineyard visit to a soup kitchen feeding 300 children - a humbling experience. We have stayed at Tanda Tula 6 times where nothing is too much trouble - including a daily run in the reserve with a guide following us in a vehicle for safety. We even had a leopard drinking from the plunge pool! We had a wonderful trip and will be saving up to go again soon. "
Mr & Mrs B, via Hays Travel
How to travel the Cape Winelands
The Cape Winelands cover quite a large area, and each valley, town or estate has its own attractions that you will want to see. Self-driving is therefore the easiest way, though with wine to try it can be a conundrum how to experience it fully! Most travellers drive and also take tours and so the following is an outline of how to make the most of the area and our team are on hand to advise and guide you further.
Self-Drive Touring
A day spent exploring the winelands by car will reveal turn after turn of simply stunning scenery. Driving up one of the breathtaking mountain passes will reward you with views into the next vine clad valley. En-route you can visit towns such as historic Stellenbosch or pretty Franschhoek or spend time at one of the estates like Babylonstoren. Well planned ‘Wine Routes’ will take you on a journey through the various valleys, recommending vineyards and other attractions along the way.
Guided Day Tours
A wide collection of day tours covering the main sights and experiences are available departing from either Cape Town or your base in the winelands. This can either be a small group tour or with a private guide if you have a specific choice of estates you wish to discover. The Franschhoek Wine Tram is good fun and allows a little more independence. There are also a wide range of alternative ways to take in a few wine estates, cycling or by horseback are popular examples.
Family Fun
The area isn’t just about wine and therefore unsuitable for families, quite the contrary. Time spent at one of the estates like Boschendal will leave you with a sense of a satisfaction, having spent the day learning about farm life, how food is grown, space for little ones to run around to burn off some energy, or even play in a tree house. For older children there are mountain bike trails, horse riding, segway trails, or while you enjoy a wine tasting, they can experience chocolate tasting.
Active Winelands
Making the most of the great weather and the outdoors lifestyle, adventure activities in the Cape Winelands are many. In addition to cycle routes and horse riding which are available in numerous places you may also wish to consider putting on your boots and following a hiking trail, climbing Paarl Rock or if you are wishing to make up for all the wonderful food, why not partake in a local Parkrun. Speak to the team for details and they will gladly help.
Eat & Drink
Franschhoek is at the centre of South Africa’s amazing food culture and some of the best restaurants in the country are found here. Leisurely lunches can be spent at a wine estate, be that with a picnic basket, in a more formal setting or grab some food from one of the many delis and head up into the hills to enjoy the food with a view. Aside of the hundreds of wine tasting options, you can also taste chocolate, brandy, charcuterie or craft beers.
Something different?
Whilst the wine and food are the main stars of the show, the towns of the winelands reflect South Africa’s early history. Historic Stellenbosch has oak lined streets and heritage buildings which help create the relaxed feel of the town, whilst Cape Dutch style houses with their ornate whitewashed gables can be seen everywhere. Alternative attractions include olive oil farms, farm visits, or an historic car collection on the outskirts of Franschhoek.
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DiscoverWhen to travel to the Cape Winelands
The Cape Winelands are a year-round destination, but the summer months from November to March are the warmest time to travel.
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Cape Winelands
The vine-clad hills and pretty villages of the Cape Winelands are an area of truly outstanding natural beauty and not to be missed.
The heart of the Winelands lies between the historic towns of Franschhoek, Paarl and Stellenbosch.
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