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• Stellenbosch Guide

Surrounded by rolling vineyards and dramatic mountains, Stellenbosch is only 30 minutes from Cape Town and offers the best in Western Cape warmth and hospitality.The stunning backdrop of the Hottentot Holland Mountains, the oak tree lined lanes in the streets and the white gabled Cape Dutch homesteads all blend in to give a visitor to Stellenbosch an unforgettable experience. It is also the perfect base from which to explore the magnificent surrounding countryside or take day trips to Cape Point and Table Mountain, a helicopter ride, or to take a boat or fishing trip off one of the Cape's famous beaches.The Stellenbosch Wine Region today is synonymous with high quality award winning wines. The Wine Route comprises 23 private cellars and 5 co-operative wineries, which produce between them a large variety of red and white wines. Stellenbosch is situated in the heart of the celebrated Cape Wine Route close to many of the Cape's most celebrated wine farms where one can taste and purchase wines from the various estates. Discover the rich natural beauty of the Stellenbosch Winelands on foot, horseback, from a hot air balloon or on a mountain bike. Ample opportunities exist for angling and game viewing enthusiasts, as well as a number of land and water sports.

Stellenbosch has retained much of its original character and is a place to be walked through. Take a stroll along Dorp Street with one of the longest rows of old building surviving in South Africa. It is a gracious blend of old Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian architecture. Essentially an academic and farming centre, many of the 18th Century buildings in Stellenbosch, concentrated mainly on the Braak (village square) and along Dorp Street, the early town's main thoroughfare, and are national monuments, lending charming character and dignity to the first winelands settlement.

A visit to the Stellenbosch Village Museum is a walk back into history and provides a clear picture of the rich and varied heritage of the different houses dating from 1709 to 1929.

A wide variety of accommodation is available to guests who wish to spend a little more time than just passing tourists in winelands. This ranges from backpackers lodgings to bed & breakfast establishments, guests farms, luxurious lodges and country inns. There are also several conference venues with accommodation available.

Whether your choice is a pub lunch, traditional Cape fare or traditional European cooking, you can find it here. Restaurants are often housed in historic buildings and warmed in winter by cosy fires. The wine farms offer a variety of meals.

There are delightful shops both in and around the town centre that offer a wide variety of products including art, home and fresh produce, pottery and ceramics, jeweller and of course the local wines for collection or delivery locally or abroad. A number of delightful farm stalls sell fresh local produce and in season you are invited to pick your own delicious strawberries on some of the farms in the area.

Winter runs from June to August and the sun shines on Christmas Day. Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate. In the interior it becomes very hot in summer and during winter snowfalls on the highest mountain peaks. The mild temperatures make the Winelands a comfortable destination all year round.