Beyond Cape Town
Stellenbosch: oaks, gables and the wine route
The back story
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Raymond Ellis · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Stellenbosch: oaks, gables and the wine route
Stellenbosch is a university town under the Simonsberg and Jonkershoek mountains, its streets lined with oaks and whitewashed, gabled houses. Around it lie the wine estates of the Stellenbosch wine route; Visit Stellenbosch (visitstellenbosch.org) is the official tourist office.
Getting there
By car east on the N2 and R310, or with a driver if you plan to taste wine.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Andrew Atina · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe town
Walk Dorp Street and the streets around the Braak, the old village green, with their Cape Dutch houses.
Stellenbosch is under an hour’s drive east of Cape Town, traffic permitting.
Wine and lunch
Delaire Graff Estate on the Helshoogte Pass, Lanzerac in the Jonkershoek valley, and Babylonstoren on the road to Franschhoek.
Our advice: pick two estates, not five, and book lunch.
Why it's on our list
- Getting there
- The town
- Wine and lunch
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Stellenbosch: oaks, gables and the wine route before you go.
What’s nearby
Distances from Stellenbosch: oaks, gables and the wine route are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 12 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Key sights
- Cape Town International Airport25 kmCar or taxi 65 min
- Kirstenbosch41 kmCar or taxi 103 min
- Zeitz MOCAA41 kmCar or taxi 104 min
- Robben Island boats41 kmCar or taxi 104 min
- The V&A Waterfront42 kmCar or taxi 105 min
- The Table Mountain cableway43 kmCar or taxi 109 min
- Cape Point58 kmCar or taxi 145 min
Railway stations
- Cape Town station41 kmCar or taxi 103 min