Franschhoek

French history, wineries and a town that makes you want to stay longer

Franschhoek is about an hour’s drive from Cape Town, surrounded by the mountains and vineyards of the Western Cape.

Today, people come here for the Wine Tram, restaurants and beautiful wine estates, but the town itself is more interesting than just a stop between tastings.

There is a small centre, French history, old estates, a strong food scene and that unmistakable Cape Winelands rhythm, where the day quickly stops feeling like a schedule of places to tick off and turns into a long lunch, a walk and one more glass that was never part of the plan.

🇫🇷 Why Franschhoek is called the “French Corner”

The name Franschhoek translates as “French Corner”.

At the end of the 17th century, French Huguenots settled in this valley after leaving France because of religious persecution. Among them were people with experience in farming and viticulture, and over time French influence became part of the culture of the entire valley.

That is why you can still find French names among the estates here, and why the history of the town is closely connected with the development of winemaking.

At the same time, Franschhoek was not the place where South Africa’s wine history began from scratch. Wine had already been produced in the Cape before that. The French settlers became part of a much bigger story and had a noticeable influence on the development of agriculture in this valley.

🍇 What Franschhoek is like today

Franschhoek is quite small, and that is part of its character.

The centre is filled with restaurants, cafés, shops and galleries, while the wine estates begin just outside the town. To move between them, you will usually need a car, a driver or the Wine Tram.

That is why a mixed kind of day works especially well here.

You can spend the morning walking around town, then head to a wine estate, stay there for a long lunch, continue the route and return to the centre again by evening.

Franschhoek stopped being a destination only for people interested in wine a long time ago. Many estates now work as full countryside destinations where people come for restaurants, art, walks, gardens and the atmosphere itself.

🚋 Wine Tram

The Wine Tram has probably influenced the way travellers experience Franschhoek more than anything else.

The system connects wine estates around the region. Part of the route is travelled on a vintage-style tram and part on dedicated buses.

You choose a line, get off at an estate you like, spend some time there and then continue the route.

The biggest advantage is not even the tram itself.

You do not have to spend the whole day deciding who will drive after the tastings or organising the logistics between estates yourself.

Routes, stops and timetables can change, so it is better to check the current information before your trip.

We explain everything in more detail in a separate article: **“Franschhoek Wine Tram”**.

🍷 Which wine estates to start with

There are dozens of estates around Franschhoek, and trying to see all of them in one trip makes very little sense.

It is much more interesting to choose a few places that feel different from one another and give each of them enough time.

La Motte

One of the old wine estates in the region.

Alongside tastings, there is a restaurant, an art gallery and a large estate, so you can come here for more than just wine.

It is a good option if you want to spend a few hours in one place without rushing anywhere.

Grande Provence Wine Estate

Here, the winery is combined with a restaurant, art and a large estate.

Grande Provence suits that classic Franschhoek scenario where one stop can easily take several hours.

You can come for a tasting, stay for lunch, walk around the grounds and not look at the time every twenty minutes.

Boschendal

One of the best-known estates in this part of the Cape Winelands.

There are restaurants, a farm shop, picnics, walking routes and a large estate where you can easily spend a significant part of the day.

Boschendal is especially interesting if you want to see how far a modern wine estate can go beyond the format of “arrive, taste a few wines and leave”.

🍽 Franschhoek and food

Food matters here just as much as wine.

The town and its surrounding estates have restaurants in very different formats, from more elaborate chef-led dining to smaller cafés and wine bars.

Many use produce from local farms, so menus can change with the seasons.

That is exactly why I would not try to squeeze a forty-minute lunch between two tastings.

In Franschhoek, food can easily become a separate part of the day.

If you find a restaurant you genuinely want to try, it is better to give it enough time.

We collect specific places separately in our guide to restaurants in the wine region, so this article does not turn into an endless list of venues.

🕐 How much time to leave for Franschhoek

If you only want to walk around the town and visit one estate, a few hours may be enough.

If you are planning the Wine Tram, several wineries and lunch, it is better to leave a full day.

And if you really like the atmosphere of Franschhoek, it makes sense to stay overnight.

Then you do not need to return to Cape Town in the evening. You can have dinner without rushing, stay among the vineyards and continue the trip the next morning.

This format often reveals the region better than an early departure from Cape Town and constantly checking the time before the drive back.

🚗 How to get there from Cape Town

Franschhoek is about 75 kilometres from Cape Town, and you would usually allow around an hour for the drive.

Travelling by car is convenient if you want to choose the estates yourself, stop along the way and change the route as the day goes on.

If you also need a car for other trips around the Western Cape, you can check the available options in the **car catalogue**.

But if tastings are part of the plan, it is better to sort out the driver question in advance.

Someone needs to stay sober and drive, or you can choose a transfer, a car with a driver or the Wine Tram.

If you need a transfer from Cape Town or back, you can message me on Telegram: **@adelsuprun**.

It is better to send the date, route, number of passengers and approximate amount of luggage straight away.

And if you do not want to think about travelling between wine estates at all, take a separate look at the **Franschhoek Wine Tram**.

🌿 If it is your first time in Franschhoek

I would not try to set a record for the number of wineries visited.

Two or three good stops, a proper lunch and some time for the town itself will give you much more than a route where you need to move on again every forty minutes.

Franschhoek is exactly the kind of place where you can fail to complete half of your original plan and still have an excellent day.

And perhaps that is why people so often want not only to add it to their route, but to give it one more night.

📖 What to read next

If you are still deciding where to go, start with **“Cape Winelands: which wine regions near Cape Town should you choose?”**.

If you have already decided on Franschhoek, the next useful article is **“Franschhoek Wine Tram”**, where we explain separately how the trip works without a car.

And we collect specific wineries, restaurants and other places in Franschhoek in a separate guide.