Travel to Franschhoek

fabulous lodges, restaurants and wineries

Franschhoek is, without doubt, the most attractive location in the Cape Winelands of South Africa.

This beautiful village is set at the end of a gorgeous sweeping valley, surrounded by scenic vineyards and backed by impressive granite mountains.

The settlement was established by French Huguenots in 1672, with the intention of producing fine quality foods and wines to provision the ships passing through the increasingly busy harbour Cape Town.

Back then this was a truly wild frontier territory, where elephants and lions roamed free. These days there are still leopards in the mountains, but the valley floor has long since been manicured into a beautiful patchwork of fields and farms.

The modern day village is a very pleasant place to explore on foot. The main street may get a little busy during high season, especially when the residents of Cape Town come out for lunch on the weekends, but generally the place has a relaxed, comfortable and rather upmarket atmosphere.

The long-established tradition for fine foods and wines is very much continued today, with the village being the undisputed culinary capital of southern Africa. You can dine here at a Michelin starred restaurant for the price of cafe food in many parts of the world.

Key experiences

Dining out is one of the great pleasures of staying in Franschhoek, with a wide selection of quality eateries, from Michelin starred restaurants to excellent bistros. If you want to eat at one of the finer places then it is definitely work booking in advance, your accommodation concierge should be able to help you with recommendations.

Visiting the wineries is another very popular activity, with a range of facilities from large commercial producers to small artisan vintners opening their doors to visitors. Some wineries also have restaurants for lovely leisurely lunches. Again the concierge service at your accommodation will be able to make recommendations, everyone knows everyone in the valley, so it will be personal recommendations.

Back in the village there is a good selection of stores, including fashion outlets, jewellery and art galleries, a little bit touristy on the whole, but with some nice stuff mixed in.

Bicycles are available to rent in the village. Mountain bikers are able to access a reasonable network of single tracks out beyond the reservoir, as well as cycling around the various vineyards. Road bikers will no doubt enjoy the sweep out to Robertsvlei Reservoir, the long drag up the Franschhoek Pass and down to Villiersdorp on the other side.

There are also some excellent hiking trails in the reserve at the top of the Franschhoek Pass, from scenic strolls of a couple of hours to strenuous day hikes around some of the highest peaks in the area. Permits need to be purchased in advance in the village centre.

It’s also possible to visit other parts of the Winelands from here. The university town of Stellenbosch is half an hour away, as are the wineries of Paarl and Wellington. It is even possible to reach the wineries of Robertson and Montagu to the east on a good day trip (perhaps with lunch in the quaint village of McGregor).

It is extremely important to appreciate that the Western Cape of South Africa has a very different climate from virtually everywhere else on the continent.

In fact the climate here is not only different, but almost completely opposite to the seasonality in most safari areas, which can really add a curve ball into planning a trip.

The Western Cape has what is known officially as a Mediterranean climate, but being in the Southern Hemisphere, the timing is reversed.

Summer : Nov-Mar

The summer season in the Cape Winelands is characterised by comfortably warm temperatures, both day and night, usually with only the occasional light rain shower. Daylight peaks at around 14.5 hours, with plenty of sunshine. The only significant potential negative is that the south-easterly wind, known as the Cape Doctor, can be quite relentless at times.

Autumn/Fall : Apr-May

The autumn/fall season in the Cape Winelands represents the standard transition from a hot dry summer to a cool wet winter, with conditions generally remaining pleasant and comfortable, but with increasing chances of occasional prolonged showers and overcast skies.

Winter : Jun-Sep

The winter season in the Cape Winelands is relatively mild, with day time temperatures still reaching 17C/63F. However the daylight hours are shorter (bottoming out around 10 hours). Rainfall is rather higher (peaking around 95mm/4″ in June), but tends to come in bursts, as storms roll in off the surrounding oceans, long overcast periods are rare (although more frequent than at Cape Town) and there’s usually plenty of mild sunshine in the mix.

Spring : Sep-Oct

The spring season in the Cape Winelands represents the standard transition from a cool wet winter to a hot dry summer, with conditions generally being pleasant and comfortable, but still with a chance of occasional prolonged showers.

Getting there

The Cape Winelands are almost always visited in combination with and accessed from Cape Town.

Whilst in the Western Cape, the majority of our guests pick up a self-drive vehicle at the airport, but it is also possible to connect the various locations by guided road transfers if you don’t fancy driving.

Where to stay

In terms of where to stay, there is a very good range of accommodation in this Franschhoek area, from very upmarket boutique hotels to simple guest-houses and self-catering establishments.

We feel particularly confident in making recommendations here in Franschhoek because the village is home to our South African office. This means that not only do we regularly visit the main properties, but we’ve stayed in many of them and have grown to personally know the owners.

The main decision is whether you want to stay in the village itself or out in the surrounding winelands …

Staying in the village means that you are able to easily walk out to an array of fine restaurants. The best areas are to the south and east of the village, the western side is a lot less attractive and usually best avoided.

We also enjoy staying in the vineyards slightly out of the village. Again the best areas are to the southeast, in the peaceful areas at the head of the valley.

worth staying at least two nights