Franschhoek Wine Valley
The valley announces itself with mountains on three sides and a main street lined with Cape Dutch Revival facades and late Victorian shopfronts that have barely changed in a century. Franschhoek — French Corner, in Dutch — stretches across 1,254 hectares and holds more than fifty working wine estates, some of whose vines trace their lineage to the late 1600s.
What sets it apart from its neighbours is the density of things worth doing within a short radius: the Wine Tram loops between estates on tracks laid in 1904, the Huguenot Memorial Museum occupies an 18th-century building moved here brick by brick, and La Motte Estate has been producing wine since 1695.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to book the Wine Tram on the earlier departures — lines leave from 08:45 — and pace themselves to three or four estates rather than rushing through more. La Motte's Pierneef à La Motte restaurant earns repeat visits on its own. Book tram tickets well in advance; specific dates sell out, particularly from November through February.
The story behind Franschhoek Wine Valley
In 1687, Simon van der Stel arrived with twenty-three Dutch settlers to establish a supply station for ships on the Cape route. The following year, nearly 300 French Huguenot refugees — fleeing religious persecution after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes — disembarked at the Cape and were allocated land in the valley. Among them was Pierre Joubert, from La Motte-d'Aigues in Provence, who received the farm later known as La Motte in 1694. Those settlers who came from wine-producing provinces began laying out vineyards almost immediately.
Despite producing wine continuously for over three centuries, Franschhoek was only formally recognised under South Africa's Wines of Origin Scheme in 2010. The Huguenot Monument followed much earlier, erected in 1948, and the Saasveld Building — designed by French architect Louis Michel Thibault and originally built in 1791 — was relocated brick by brick to stand beside it, reopening as the Huguenot Memorial Museum in 1967.
Good to know
Franschhoek sits 45 minutes from Cape Town, roughly 49km from Cape Town International Airport — a straightforward drive. The Wine Tram runs five colour-coded hop-on hop-off lines; tickets are date-specific and must be booked ahead. A full day covers three to four estates comfortably; many visitors extend to two nights for the food and wine focus.
Franschhoek runs on a Mediterranean rhythm: summers from December to February are dry and warm, with afternoon highs regularly reaching 25–30°C, though evenings cool quickly. Winter (June to August) brings cold, wet days with highs around 15–18°C — harvest season, running roughly February to April, is the sweet spot for visiting active estates.
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What travellers say about Franschhoek Wine Valley
Breath Taking landscapes, beautiful wine yards, interesting restaurants and pubs... All what you need in that region. A definite place to visit!!!
The Scene from Franschhoek Pass is Pure Bliss...Love to look down on the Valley Below❤💫🌟❤
Amazingly beautiful with many wine estates left & right on the main road on R45, from intersection R310 ( Allée Bleue ).
Franschhoek is glorious. Lots of wine farms, restaurants and little gift shops. Lots to do, eat, drink and buy
Great views, wine and variety of wine estates catering for all tastes
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