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Franschhoek Wine Tram & Stellenbosch Tour
5.0
47 Ratings
Stellenbosch
Embark on a customizable guided tour of the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek Winelands in the Cape. Explore at your own pace with expert guides, clean vehicles, and professional service.
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Stellenbosch - After being picked up from your Cape Town accommodation, you’ll travel along the N2 motorway through the Cape Flats to the mountainous town of Stellenbosch. During the drive, your tour guide will provide commentary on significant landmarks you pass. Upon arrival in Stellenbosch, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the charming town on foot. The town features Cape Dutch-style buildings lining its leafy streets, and over 150-year-old water furrows run along the town’s northeastern gentle slope. You’ll find a mix of old and new shops selling art, antiques, jewelry, and carved wood. You might also want to grab a coffee and soak in the town’s vibrant atmosphere before heading to your first wine tasting of the day.
- Lanzerac Wine Estate - After a brief exploration of Stellenbosch, the next stop is Lanzerac Wine Estate for a chocolate and wine tasting experience. Lanzerac, one of the oldest wine estates in Stellenbosch, spans about 200 hectares at the foothills of the Jonkershoek Mountains. The estate is renowned for its Cape Dutch architectural buildings, including the Manor House dating back to the 1830s, which has provincial heritage status. Lanzerac is where Pinotage was first bottled. Here, you’ll enjoy a unique tasting of five premium wines paired with artisanal chocolates, designed to highlight the wines’ textures.
- Tokara Wine Estate - From Lanzerac, you’ll drive through the hilly and winding Hell’s Heights Pass to Tokara. Unlike the historic Lanzerac, Tokara is known for its modern aesthetic, views extending to Table Mountain, and an olive grove producing some of the area’s best olive oils. The wine tasting here includes five classic wines, including a Rosé and a highly-regarded Cabernet Sauvignon. The deep, rich soils of decomposed granite and weathered sandstone allow Tokara to grow individual batches that are blended into top-tier wines. The Tokara wine advisor will provide detailed information about each wine as you taste them. If time permits, you might also want to try the olive oils or a cheese platter.
- Franschhoek - After your second wine tasting, the journey continues to Franschhoek via the historic town of Pniel. French farmers arrived at the Cape in the 1680s and were granted land here to grow vineyards, giving the town its name, which means “French Corner.” Surrounded by mountains and manicured vineyards, Franschhoek beautifully blends nature and human craftsmanship. The Leeu Estate, with its art galleries, hotel, and restaurants, is particularly captivating. You’ll have a lunch break here and can explore the town’s shops, which offer art, jewelry, fine leather goods, clothing, and chocolates.
- Franschhoek Wine Tram - Official Site (Franschhoek Terminal) - After lunch and exploring Franschhoek, you’ll head to the Franschhoek terminals for the second leg of your wine tasting experience by tram. Your tour guide will provide tram tickets and explain the timetable. The tram takes about 8 minutes to travel between farms, and you can hop off at any farm on your route. You can visit up to two farms by tram, possibly a third if time allows.
- Rickety Bridge Winery - Your first possible tram stop is Rickety Bridge, the first female-owned farm in Franschhoek. The tram will drop you at the Rickety Bridge terminals, where a comfortable farm tractor will take you to the wine tasting area. You can choose from various wine tasting options or opt to relax at Paulina’s Restaurant with a snack, coffee, or a glass of wine while enjoying panoramic views of the mountains and vineyards.
- Franschhoek Cellar - Franschhoek Cellar offers unique wine and cheese or handmade Belgian chocolate pairings. The Belgian chocolates are made locally, as is the wine. Traditional wine tastings are also available. Franschhoek Cellar is the closest to the tram terminals, so you can walk back to meet your tour guide and group if you wish to stretch your legs after a day of wine tasting.
- Groot Drakenstein Prison - On the way back to Cape Town, you’ll have the chance to stop at the prison where Nelson Mandela spent the last two years of his 27-year incarceration. A life-size bronze statue of Mandela stands outside the prison gates, symbolizing strength and courage. Your guide will provide a brief history of the prison and Mandela’s release before you return to Cape Town for drop-off at your hotel.
What's Included
- Pickup and drop off from Cape Town
- Qualified tour guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Wine tram tickets
- Complimentary bottled water
What's Not Included
- Gratuity (optional)
- Wine tasting fees (Unless if option selected)
- Breakfast
- Lunch
Additional Information
Join our small group tour and discover the Mountainous, best wine growing regions of South Africa. This tour combines the ever-popular Franschhoek tram and also allowing a visit to the historic town of Stellenbosch in a unique setting. We have selected our winetasting stops carefully to allow for a perfect balance between those on a quest for historic architecture and Instagramic photo seekers to the most critical wine connoisseurs of the world. Pickup will be from your hotel in Cape town and so will the drop off. Please bring along, your empty cameras, different outfits if you like and strongest tastebuds as you are about to go on a journey of new discoveries and more.
Location
Stellenbosch
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(47 Ratings)
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Safari04170086571
Jul 31, 2024
Xochitle was the highlight of the tour! - The wine tour itself was amazing with plenty of delicious wines and great value for money. However, the main highlight of the day was definitely our tour guide, Xochitle Botma!
She was extremely friendly, funny and went out of her way to make us feel welcome in South Africa. On our way to the tour, she told us plenty of interesting things about our surroundings and clearly knew her stuff. If you go on this trip and you are looking to have a laugh and have a guide who genuinely wants you to have the best time ever, I would 10000% recommend you request Xochitle. The places we went were all fantastic and cosy, and I think it was great value for money. Thank you Xochitle for your amazing service on our tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_s
Jul 28, 2024
A must do tour. - Peter our guide was exceptional. His friendly good humor, and knowledge added to the experience. The wine farms we visited were great, each a different experience. We got to use the tram, which was the main attraction for us. We had another couple on our tour, Nick and Carrie. All of us had a fun day. Peter skillfully negotiated heavy traffic to return us back to our hotel in Cape Town.
Review provided by Viator
Laura_s
Jul 28, 2024
We had a great time with... - We had a great time with our family of 5 (kids 8, 5, 4). Joseph picked us up in a very clean van and with four other people we visited two wineries before riding the tram and visiting more. It was rainy but we still enjoyed the day! Highly recommend. We also learned more in general about the area and Cape Town.
Review provided by Viator
Rebekah_j
Jul 18, 2024
Lovely day trip - We enjoyed a comfortable ride and exploration of a handful of area wineries. I wish we had a little more time to explore Stellenbosch on our own because it is such a beautiful little town. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable outing with 2 other couples whom we liked getting to know.
Review provided by Viator
Carolyn_s
Jul 4, 2024
Very nice experience - Natasha was a kind and caring guide. She was wonderful company and went out of her way to show us around. We enjoyed the wines very much. The scenery was outstanding.
Review provided by Viator
Vuyisa_h
Jul 2, 2024
Excellent - Our guide Natasha was awesome she made our trip so wonderful. She’s professional and felt like she’s part of our family too.
Review provided by Viator
Tonyaw721
Jul 1, 2024
Great wine - This was a great relaxing day. We booked this with the car service. that was great! Ryan picked us up at our airbnb. The wine was great and the tram was fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fabio_f
Jun 30, 2024
It’s amazing!! - beautiful landscapes !
very friendly guide Joice!!
Very good Lancaster winery with chocolate tasting too!
The only thing missing was a complementary tasting (some cheeses or breads in other wineries)
Review provided by Viator
Tiffiny_h
Jun 28, 2024
Wonderful day! Joseph was... - Wonderful day! Joseph was a knowledgeable guide...learned so much about South Africa history and had a great wine tour!
Review provided by Viator
Amy_k
Jun 21, 2024
Amazing experience - We had a wonderful wine tasting adventure with Rodney! He was a knowledgeable guide and was also a lot of fun to spend the day with!!!!
Review provided by Viator
