Complete guide & itinerary for South Africas Wine Region: Visit Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl and beyond
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If you love wine, visiting the Cape Winelands should definitely be on your bucket list! But even if wine isn't exactly your cup of tea (pun intended), the region’s breathtaking landscapes and charming vineyard estates make it well worth exploring. In total, we've now spent over a year visiting different vineyards all around the Cape and this article is our handpicked guide, sharing the best vineyards, hidden gems, and insider tips we've gathered along the way. So... Let's get started!
Key information at a glance
| Price if renting a car: | 30 - 60 EUR / day, depending on car type and time of year |
| Itinerary lenghth: | 1-5 days |
| Best time to travel: | October to February for best weather, but we think Cape Town is a great destination all year around! |
| For you if: | you love food and/or wine |
| Country Overview: | Head here for a general overview over South Africa |
Quick introduction
South Africas history with wine dates back to 1659, when the first bottle was produced in the Cape Colony. When the French Huguenots arrived shortly after, they brought with them their wine making experience and started to regularly produce wine. Today, South Africa is known around the world as a major and award-winning wine region. Pinotage, a hybrid of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, is the flagship wine of the region.
Usually people think of Stellenbosch and its surrounding wine farms when they think of South African wine regions. However, the regions where wine is produced around the Cape stretches much further than that! Franschhoek, Paarl, Constantia and the Cape South Coast with Elgin, Overberg and Walker bay all boast beautiful wine farms that produce some delicious blends. Also, there are some places in the Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape regions that produce wine.
Even if you are not a big fan of wines or don't drink alcohol, I would argue that the Cape Winelands are still well worth visiting. Many of the vineyards and estates are simply beautiful, and often they have restaurants that serve scrumptious dishes that in itself would be worth the trip. The region features many art galleries, markets, outdoor activities and historical sites that you can visit if you're not too keen on sampling wine.
How to get to the Cape Winelands
The easiest way to get to, and around the Cape Winelands, is in your own car. This gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace and stop at a whim if you see something beautiful (which happens frequently for us when driving around the Cape). The drawback of this is that you need to designate a driver or use Uber for trips where you want to drink more than a glass of wine. From Franschhoek, you can leave your car and use the wine tram to go to the vineyards and do tastings.
There are also organised (day) excursions leaving regularly from Cape Town. The advantage of this is that you do not need to worry about being able to drive after a wine tasting.
Stellenbosch & surroundings
Stellenbosch is a beautiful, quaint town about a 40min drive from downtown Cape Town. It's also a university town and there are lots of cute cafes, boutiques and restaurants all around the centre.
What to do
Visit vineyards, of course - Vergelegen Wine Estate has both great wines and a beautiful manor house and gardens. Waterford Estate is a beautiful vineyard that is completely different than the others in the region due to its finca-like Italian architecture. Rust en Vrede Wine Estate and Oldenburg Vineyards are both beautiful estates that offer excellent wines. If you are looking for a smaller, more modern and family-run wine estate, Rainbows End is a great option. Though a bit further out of Stellenbosch, we love the wines produced at Kaapzicht Wine Estate.
For a full list of which vineyards to head to when in Stellenbosch and to plan your visits to these vineyards, check out our Wine App!
On weekends, the Root44 Market is a great stop over between vineyard visits to get something to eat.
We highly recommend to head to Old Nectar Gardens (check out their concert schedule!) and Dylan Lewis Studio & Sculpture Garden when in Stellenbosch. Dylan Lewis creates some fascinating sculptures of both humans and animals and is renowned around the world for his work. In the sculpture garden you can visit his studio and wander around the garden and admire some of his work.
If you are looking for some exercise in between vineyards and dinners, check out the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve. It has some gorgeous trails for all fitness levels.
Where to stay and eat
If you get the chance, join a lunch at The Table at De Meye. It's a beautiful estate and you dine outside sitting on tables in their garden. You do need to reserve quite a bit in advance though. Within Stellenbosch, De Vier and - if you are feeling fancy - Mertia are great options.
To stay, we can recommend Sunset Farm and the Log Cabin.
Franschhoek & surroundings
Franschhoek, known as the culinary heart of the Cape Winelands, is a picturesque town nestled among stunning mountains, about an hour’s drive from Cape Town. Its French heritage is visible everywhere: from street names to architecture, to - of course! - the wines. Similar to Stellenbosch, there are plenty of charming boutiques, art galleries, and cafés you can visit.
What to do
Again, the wine tastings and vineyards are of course a highlight in Franschhoek. We particularly enjoy Eikehof Wines, because it offers a relaxed and authentic experience, and Dieu Donne Vineyards, with its spectacular valley views. For a complete experience, hop on the Franschhoek Wine Tram. We particularly recommend the Orange Line, as it includes Babylonstoren. This is a truly remarkable vineyard with beautifully curated gardens and plenty of activities beyond wine tasting (check their website for all of them!).
For a bit of physical activity in between wine tastings, hike the Perdekop Hiking Trail - it gives you a beautiful view of Franschhoek and the surrounding fields. We also loved the zip-line tour with Cape Canopy Tour: It is built deep in the Finbosch, in the mountains, and you glide over breathtaking canyons. If you have a car, make sure you drive the scenic Helshoogte Road between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek and the breathtaking R45 south of Stellenbosch.
Where to stay and eat
Franschhoek is famous for its exceptional restaurants. There is a lot of high cuisine, but the two we enjoyed most so far are Hari Kitchen Restaurant and Eleven.
For accommodation, Maison at Dieu Donne Vineyards is highly recommended: You get the chance to stay on a vineyard and are treated to unbeatable views.
Paarl & surroundings
The town of Paarl itself is not as picturesque as Stellenbosch or Franschhoek, but the immediate vicinity has at least as much to offer as the other two!
What to do
In terms of vineyards to visit, we recommend the small, family-led Bosman Family Vineyards - it is small but a real gem! Glen Carlou is a bigger vineyard, whose wines can also be found in many wine stores around the world. Brookdale Estate is a gorgeous vineyard, and we had some of the best food ever at their restaurant! If you want to eat there, call ahead to reserve.
Cordt and I love abseiling, and if you do too, you should check out Frixion Adventures. Again, just outside of Paarl you can find some great hikes, e.g. the Krom River Trail where you can swim in a beautiful waterfall pond at the end, and Huguenot Peak that gives you beautiful views of the whole valley.
If you have enough of wine, you could head to Soul Barrel Brewing to switch up wine with beer tastings.
Where to stay and eat
To stay, untether on Olive View is a fancy option in the middle of nowhere with gorgeous views - perfect to unwind. We can also highly recommend Jacaranda Wine & Guest Farm and Wildepaardejacht.
For restaurants, we really loved both FABER and Noop - the last one is set at a vineyard. And of course, as mentioned above, ehe food at Brookdale Estate is insanely good.
Constantia and Cape Point
Constantia, a part of Cape Town, also features some excellent vineyards that you can simply add to a trip to Cape Town if you do not have the chance to head all the way to Stellenbosch. Driving further down the Cape, you also find quite a few of vineyards.
What to do
The Cape is not only gorgeous, but there is also a TON of things to do here - hikes, museums, quaint towns, scenic drives. So many things in fact that it merits a separate article - head here for our guide and itinerary ideas for Cape Town and surroundings. For that reason I'll just focus on the vineyards worth visiting here.
We don't love the wines at Cape Point Vineyards, but their Thursdays market is a great experience you shouldn't miss. You can picknick on their lawn and watch the sunset from there, and they also have a small stage where people can dance. The atmosphere is great and there is some delicious food to be had!
Hout Bay Vineyards and High Constantia Wine Cellar both come highly recommended. Both are small and off-the-beaten-path, but produce great wines. Within the City of Cape Town, Minimalist Wines is a new winery that we haven't had the chance to visit yet, but have on our list as many have recommended it to us.
Even though not a vineyard, Furny's Fine Wines & Taste Room gives you the opportunity to sample a wide variety of wines from the Cape Region, and also serves delicious food!
Where to stay and eat
Vineyards on Victoria is a cute little self-catering accommodation that we can recommend. The same goes for Whole Earth Cafe & Accommodation, which is a great option for the budget-conscious. If you have money to spare. Kinghorns Gardens is a breathtakingly beautfiful property to stay at in Noordhoek, but it does come at a steep price.
Bistro Sixteen82 If you are visiting on the weekend, Suikerbossie Restaurant & Estate has a great all-you-can-eat Brunch on Sundays - reserve early though as it books out fast!
1 - 5 day itinerary
1 day itinerary
If you only have one day, pick one area such as Stellenbosch or Franschhoek.
In Stellenbosch, visit 2-3 vineyards like Vergelegen and Waterford Estate. Enjoy lunch at The Table at De Meye (make sure to reserve beforehand!). End the day exploring the charming town centre.
Alternatively, head to Franschhoek, using the Wine Tram Orange Line to visit vineyards including Babylonstoren. Finish with dinner at Hari Kitchen.
3 day itinerary
Spend your first day in Stellenbosch exploring vineyards like Rust en Vrede and Oldenburg Vineyards. Grab lunch at Root44 Market and stay overnight at Sunset Farm.
On day 2, drive the scenic Helshoogte Road to Franschhoek. Visit Dieu Donne and use the Wine Tram to explore more vineyards. We recommend dinner at Eleven and your overnight stay at Maison at Dieu Donne.
Day 3: Head to Paarl and visit Glen Carlou and Brookdale Estate. Head to FABER for lunch and end the day with an afternoon hike at Krom River Trail.
5 day itinerary
Day 1-3: Follow the 3-day itinerary above.
Day 4: Drive to Constantia. Visit Hout Bay Vineyards, High Constantia Wine Cellar. Evening market at Cape Point Vineyards. Stay at Vineyards on Victoria.
Day 5: Explore Cape Point. Enjoy scenic drives, hikes, and then lunch at Suikerbossie Restaurant (reserve early!).
Where to after the Cape Region?
South Africa has so much to offer and so many places you can explore! If you have more time, head to our article on South Africa in general for tipps on where to go next.
Try our Wine app
We recently finished the first version of a passion side-project that helps people discover vineyards in the Cape region — based on things like your wine preferences, whether you’re going solo or with friends, if you want to have lunch with your tasting, and even the weather.
If you love the winelands and enjoy trying out new tools, we’d love your help! We’re looking for a few people to test it out and tell us what you think — what works, what doesn’t, and what you'd love to see added. No catch, just something we built for fun and want to improve.
🚨 It’s iOS only for now.
💰 This is free of course - we are looking for feedback on something we built.
📩 If you're keen to test it, just drop us an email (info[at]zermin.de) and we’ll add you to the beta list.
