I recently traveled to a beautiful wine region near South Africa, Cape Town. Often referred as Cape Winelands, there are several wine regions within 1-2 hours drive from Cape Town. This was my second visit to the area and while Franscchoek and Stellenbosch are the most well-known area, my favorite part of the trip was Hermanus. I recommend spending at least 2-3 nights in each town to visit wineries in the area, relax at the pool with vineyard views, and check out a few different restaurants.
Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are only ~30minutes away by car so you can technically pick one and do day trips. We opted to stay in both for change in scenery: staying walking distance to the main street in Franschhoek while doing a more resort style vineyard stay in Stellenbosch. Here are quick notes about each region:
Franschhoek
Franschhoek means “French corner” and it is such a cute wine town. You can even see lavender fields while driving around! You can typically find various red blends, whites like Chenin Blancs, and traditional method sparkling wines here.
Try the famous wine tram that stops by a number of wineries in the area.
Try more remote wineries that are not on the wine tram route. They tend to be more quite and small vs. large wineries on the tram route. Ubers are readily available in the area.
Walk around the cute main town. The main street and town is very walkable and you can find cute restaurants, shops, and wine bars.
Stellenbosch
Certain areas in Stellenbosch is high in elevation with visible mountain ranges around the town. You can find similar wine varietals as Franschhoek. If Franschhoek is like a little French town, you can feel more Dutch influence in this town.
Stay at a vineyard hotel. We had beautiful view of the mountain and vineyards with infinity pool.
Lots of wineries in the area have amazing view due to the mountain range!
It’s a college town and there are more restaurant options in the main town compared to Franschhoek.
Hermanus (Hemel-en-Aarde)
Hermanus is a coastal town and considered a cooler region, producing varietals like Pinot Noir and Chardonnays.
Take a day trip to Hemel-an-Aarde, wine region famous for Pinots and Chardonnays.
Go whale watching. During the season (early JUNE to end of NOVEMBER), Hermanus is considered the best place to watch whales from the land!
Hermanus town is artsy and super cute. I loved taking morning walks around the town exploring small alleys.
Enjoy amazing seafood at any of the restaurants with a view. Most of the town is surrounded by the coast and there are many restaurants with a direct view of the ocean!
Follow @fine.vining on Instagram and stay tuned for more detailed guide on where to eat, drink, and stay!