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South Africa Travel + Tourism Guide: Cape Winelands

The Cape Winelands

• less than an hour from Cape Town
• arguably South Africa's most beautiful province
• area contains the earliest European settlements
• Winelands best traveled by car
• known for its wine, Cape Dutch architecture and beautiful flowers
• enjoy good food, wine and excellent accommodation

Stellenbosch B&B - comfortable, spacious home in the Winelands region of the Cape.
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Cape Town¡s hinterland, the Western Cape, is mainly winelands. The region¡s lofty mountains are surrounded by vineyards and orchards, and its quiet valleys are home to the distinctive, picturesque dwellings of the early Dutch settlers.

The Cape winelands have been producing the region's famed reds and whites for well over 300 years. Their Mediterranean climate, the richness - and variety - of their soils, and the expertise built up by their vintners over the centuries, have made the Cape a household name in wine.

Stellenbosch is the first of the wineland towns to be established - in 1679. Of the main Western Cape settlements, Stellenbosch is the closest to Cape Town. Along with Paarl, 50 km to the north, Stellenbosch has the best historic architecture: the distinctive white-facaded, gabled, Dutch-style dwellings that combine quaint decorativeness with bold simplicity.

The main places to visit in the Western Cape are Stellenbosch and its winelands just to the east, Vergelegen, Tokara, the Boschendal Manor House, Paarl and the Paarl winelands just to the south-west, Worcester, the Kleinplasie Open Air Museum, Robertson, and Montagu.

Stellenbosch is both a wine town and a university town. Its old homes feature a variety of historical and regional styles: Cape Dutch, Cape Georgian, Regency, and Victorian. It has a thriving artistic community, with numerous studios and galleries. Wander down Dorp Street, lined with oak trees, to take in some of the town¡s best-preserved old houses.

The Stellenbosch Village Museum (18 Ryneveld St.) gives an intimate and tangible impression of the history of the town¡s settlers. The Sasol Art Museum (Eben Donges Center, 52 Ryneveld St.) takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the art history of not only South Africa, but Central and West Africa, too.

Just south-west of Stellenbosch is the Van Ryn Brandy Cellar (take the R310 from Stellenbosch, then exit 33), home to Van Ryn and Viceroy brandies. Learn all about brandy, study how it is made, and, of course, taste it over dinner.

Tokara is a very famous winery in Helshoogte Pass in Stellenbosch (take route R310), home to the award-winning Zondernaam label. The scenery is breathtaking, and as well as wine, Tokara offers excellent dining, and even art. Boschendal Manor House is just north-east of Tokara.

Boschendal Manor House is an exquisitely preserved example of the old Western Cape Huguenot way of life. Built in 1812, it is a gem of Cape Dutch architecture, and its furnishings the epitome of grandeur and elegance. Take the R45 from Stellenbosch. Open 9.30am to 5pm, daily.

Vergelegen in Somerset West, down Lourensford Road from the R44, is a more than 300-year-old estate with cellar famous for being dug into the slope of a hill: a unique arrangement that produces superb wines. Check out the wine museum, and the beautiful restored octagonal garden.

Paarl is a town dating from 1690. It is located a little south of the three bald domes of Paarl (Pearl) Mountain (a huge granite outcrop which can easily be climbed). While a center of finance and industry, Paarl still retains the beauty of its early history. Check out the Paarl Museum (303 Main St.) and also the stunning modernist Language Monument down Jan Phillips Drive, accessible from Main Street. It was at nearby Victor Verster Prison (now Groot Drakenstein) that Nelson Mandela walked to his freedom in 1990.

The Paarl Winelands that surround the town of Paarl contain several renowned estates: Rhebokskloof, Nederburg, Avondale, Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons, Fairview, three or four of which can easily be toured in a day.

Worcester is the biggest production area of table wine grapes in South Africa. It is located on the N1 110 km east of Cape Town. Getting to Worcester takes you through the stunning Du Toit's Kloof Pass, which rises to an elevation of over 800m, offering superb views of Paarl and the Berg River Valley.

Attractions in Worcester itself include the old home of the South African artist, Hugo Naude, and the Worcester Museum. Just outside the town is the Karoo National Botanical Garden, an award-winning reserve of often weird and wonderful succulent flora.

The Kleinplasie Open Air Museum is a recreated community just north-east of Worcester featuring handicrafts and ways of doing work from over the past three centuries. The traditional real-life exhibits include a blacksmith, a harness room, a horse mill, a brandy distillery, and a tobacco shed.

Robertson and Montagu are towns 50 km from each other in the far east of Western Cape. Robertson is on the R60 from Worcester and occupies the Breede River Valley. It comprises orchards and vineyards, and is a famous Chardonnay producing area. Montagu, further east, on the N15 from Robertson, is a haven of 19th century architecture. A little out of the town are the Avalon hot springs, hiking and mountain bike trails, and the ruins of Sidney Fort from the South African War.

Boesmankloof Traverse is a hiking trail through the Riviersonderend Mountains in the south-east of the province, about 60 km from Robertson on the R21. The 5-6 hour hike goes over some very undulating terrain, so requires a good level of fitness. Permits must be reserved 3 months in advance from the Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve.

Access

The Winelands of the Western Cape are best traveled by hire car, though public transport is available. Metrorail trains make the roughly one hour journey between Cape Town and Stellenbosch every two hours.

Intercity buses between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town stop in Stellenbosch. Metrorail and Spoornet trains connect Cape Town with Paarl (1 hour; 15 mins). From Paarl to Stellenbosch, change at Muldersvlei.

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Stellenbosch Bed & Breakfast
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