South Africa’s Winelands

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
7
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
7
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
7
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
6
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
7
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
70 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
157th/454
Top 40%
continent
Africa
country
South Africa
Length of time
3-4 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$190 ($350-$850 in 2024 prices)
Time of year visited
October
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Forests Mountains Vineyards
All Tags
Bustling restaurants Fabulous hotel Hiking Market Restaurant recommendations Wine
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary

South Africa’s Winelands have a magnificent setting with the nearby mountain ranges, stunning picture-perfect white-washed old Dutch wineries to explore, and some of the best (if under appreciated) wines in the world. I’d put South Africa’s winelands in the top 3 globally for overall experience (alongside the Bordeaux region in France and the Duoro Valley in Portugal), and a must, even as only a day trip, if visiting the Western Cape.

 

We loved it so much we spent 10 days there, so keen to share a few tips.

 

South Africa's Winelands of Stellenbosch, Frranschoek and Paarl

Table of Contents

The Winelands – my Top 10

South Africa Winelands #1 The natural beauty all around - white-washed old Dutch colonial buildings, nestled in amongst rows of vines and with the backdrop of the stunning surrounding mountains make the South African Winelands one of the most picturesque wine regions in the world

#1 The natural beauty all around - white-washed old Dutch colonial buildings, nestled in amongst rows of vines and with the backdrop of the stunning surrounding mountains make the South African Winelands one of the most picturesque wine regions in the world

#2 The luscious and oh-so-well-done-because-the-owner-is-a-billionaire gardens of Babylonstoren

#2 The luscious and oh-so-well-done-because-the-owner-is-a-billionaire gardens of Babylonstoren

#3 A hike up through the surrounding mountains. In this case, the Seven Sisters near Wellington

#3 A hike up through the surrounding mountains. In this case, the Seven Sisters near Wellington

#4 Staying in the Palmiet Valley Estate by Paarl, with its glorious grounds and wonderful restaurant

#4 Staying in the Palmiet Valley Estate by Paarl, with its glorious grounds and wonderful restaurant

#5 Taking a walk through one of the trails of the Plaisir wine estate and finishing on the lawns for wine tasting, and, more wine

#5 Taking a walk through one of the trails of the Plaisir wine estate and finishing on the lawns for wine tasting, and, more wine

#6 The view from lunch on the balcony of Glen Carlou

#6 The view from lunch on the balcony of Glen Carlou

South Africa's winelands #7 Just how cheap it all is!

#7 Just how cheap it all is!

#8 Driving up to the Lanzerac Wine Estate just outside of Stellenbosch

#8 Driving up to the Lanzerac Wine Estate just outside of Stellenbosch

#9 Oysters and rose pairing. You haven't?

#9 Oysters and rose pairing. You haven't? Try Lynx

#10 The Boschendale Friday night market. Defintely worth checking out if timings work, and a nice end to the day

#10 The Boschendale Friday night market. Defintely worth checking out if timings work, and a nice end to the day

Which Region?

 

Firstly the choice between the 3 main towns of Stellenbosch, Franschoek and Paarl isn’t as important as your choice of hotel or which wineries to visit.  Unlike stays in places like the European wine regions with their cute medieval narrow-street villages, the towns of the Western Cape aren’t the focus of your stay.  Plus, the wineries really aren’t that far from each other, with most being a max 30min away.

 

That being said, as a rough high level guide to the three:

  • Stellenbosch is the largest town and one that is very much dominated by the university.  It has a nice tree-lined section and stately Dutch vibe.  We stayed just outside of town at the Simonzicht Guest House which was nice.
  • Franschoek is by far the smallest and probably the cutest with the most beautiful immediate setting.  We stayed at a small placed called Squirrel Cottage was also nice.
  • Paarl is a distant third as it’s the ugly cousin of the 3.  But . . . we stayed at the Palmiet Valley Estate which had stunning grounds and would highly recommend.  Just emphasises the point that the choice between these 3 isn’t the focus.

Which Vineyards?

 

Everyone has a list (typically lacking consistency as you’re in various degrees of lashed as you work your way through them). So, in that vein, here is mine:

 

5 Musts:

  • Babylonstoren – best for overall wow factor.  Gardens, museum, beautiful grounds, high quality restaurants, farmer-style shops.
  • Glen Carlou – best view for lunch. Be sure to book an outside table.
  • Tokara – fanciest meal.
  • Plaisir wine estate – nicest grounds and a lovely area for chilling late afternoon in the gardens.
  • Boschendale – beautiful grounds and, if there on a Friday, the night market (starts 5pm) is very cool.

South Africa's Winelands - Wandering up to the Plasir Wine Estates

Wandering up to the Plasir Wine Estates

 

4 Also very nice spots: Le Mott; Lanzerac; Rust en Vrede; Vrede en Lust.

 

South Africa's Winelands - Lanzerac

The gorgeous walkway on the way in to Lanzerac

 

3 for something a bit different:

  • Fairview – for goats cheese pairings and, well, lots of goats.
  • Pigcaso – yes . . . the place where the pig made art, but done surprisingly well!
  • Lynx – for oyster pairings with Rose.  I was a bit ambivalent, but this seems to generate quite a squeak of excitement from ladies.

 

South Africa's Winelands - No kidding about at Fairview

No kidding about at Fairview

 

2 Don’t bother:

  • Leopards leap – it’s ok, but just not up to the standards of those above.
  • Franschoek wine cellar – proper gash.

 

Wine tram as an option – the wine tram is fun and actually has several routes to give you quite a few options for where to go, but it’s not essential. The vineyards are not actually that far from each other and Ubers are so cheap in South Africa that I’d probably lean more towards doing it on your own … with the added advantage that you avoid the crowds. But, if up for a meeting-people-group-lash-style experience, definitely go for it.

The route for the Wine Tram and see the detailed one at Wine Tram – hopn-hop-off

If you’ve only got a day in South Africa’s Winelands

Most likley if you’re just popping over from Cape Town and just have the day, I would:

  1. Aim for Babylonstoren to walk through the gardens, see the museum and perhaps a wine tasting.  Its wow and won’t disdappoint.
  2. Then head over to nearby Glen Carlou for lunch on the balcony with their wonderful views across the valley and mountains . . . and more wine.
  3. Next to Plaisir to wander through the grounds and see if you’re up for a final wine tasting on the lawn . . . followed by wine.

All 3 are super close to each other so minimises your time travelling.  Don’t bother with the 3 towns – it’s all about the vineyards.

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Other great Wineland experiences

Champagne region wine tasting
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wine tasting and cycling around the vineyards of Mendoza
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wine tasting around Pinhao in the Duoro Valley
⭐⭐⭐

Driving the Alsace Wine Route
⭐⭐

Sampling wines in Saint Emilion
⭐⭐⭐

The Rioja Wine Region
⭐⭐

Wine tasting in the Barossa Valley
⭐⭐

Ronda
⭐⭐⭐

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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