Scenic Stellenbosch and Fabulous Franschhoek: Two Winelands Towns You Simply Have to See

Stellenbosch, with its acorn-bearing tree adorned streets, sits at the heart of the Cape Winelands nestled in the Jonkershoek Valley between the Stellenbosch Mountains. This scenic second oldest city in the Cape fights it out for best Winelands destination drive route with Franschhoek, a mere 40 minutes away. The best way to get there is either to fly in to Stellenbosch (or nearby Cape Town International Airport), base yourself at the many accommodation options in the wine route, hire a car and drive. Luckily, Kulula car hire in Cape Town and Mango car hire Cape Town are your fly in, stay and drive all-in-one cost-effective solutions.

Kulula Car Hire Cape Town

Kulula is one of three reliable low-cost carriers in South Africa, with the other two being Mango and the no-frills arm of South African Airways. Kulula.com’s positioning though is as more than a portal to book flights – several Kulula partners and affiliated loyalty programmes converge on this platform to make the complete travel experience from flights to accommodation and car hire, such as Kulula car hire in Cape Town, for example as seamless, cost-friendly, pleasant and pain-free as possible.

One of the big attractions of the Kulula car hire Cape Town offering is the ability to save up to 20% and get up to 200 km car mileage free when you combine your flight with your local car hire, accommodation or both. Avios can be used to for or towards your flight. The Kulula network is extensive and efficient, with Europcar being the vehicle partner for Kulula car hire in Cape Town and throughout the country.

If you’re a Discovery member, you qualify for even greater discounts on your Kulula car hire in Cape Town (and also nationwide) depending on  your Discovery Vitality status. Find out more about Kulula Car hire here.

Mango Car Hire Cape Town

Mango Airlines, another massive player in the South African no-frills market, also has innovative travel package options with all the fun, minus the budgetary frowning. Mango car hire Cape Town partners with car giants Avis and Tempest so you can be assured of good deals, top service and solid availability.

One of the best things about going the Mango car hire Cape Town route is Mango’s convenient payment methods, with some methods attracting slightly lower rates than others. Book online, in person at a Mango desk at an airport, or through Shoprite, Checkers and Computicket, for example. A major convenience is that you can also use your Edgars Thank U account when booking Mango flights and travel packages, including Mango car hire Cape Town to get you around once you actually land.

Stellenbosch

Start your tour by popping in at the Wine Route Office and local Tourist Information Office in Market Street.

Stellenbosch architecture

The town square isn’t far from here and this is where you’ll get your initial taste of this town’s historical architecture in the form of these buildings: The VOC Kruithuis (Powder House), the Church of St Mary, the Coachman’s Cottage and the old Burgerhuis, and the Old Rhenish Mission.

The Cape-Dutch architecture with its distinct gables, thatched roofs and farmhouse feel reflect the original Dutch colonial heritage of this seemingly sleepy town. Today, the predominant language in the town is still Afrikaans, although English is very wide spoken. The university – the only in the country to offer a wine making degree – now uses English as its language of instruction so as to be more inclusive.

Wining and dining

So well-known is this region for its superlative wines, many of them now exported, that it would be a sacrilege not to go on one of the many wine-tasting courses or wine-pairing outings. The Cape is home to particularly good Sauvignon Blanc, Blanc de Blanc, dry and medium-bodied reds and South Africa’s signature wine, the famed Pinotage.

Pinotage is a bit of an acquired taste – the tannin’s hit the bitter back of tongue quite hard if you’re a dry red novice – but persevering with this uniquely delicious liquid ruby has distinct flavour profile rewards. Expect to taste hints of red licorice, rooibos, chocolate, sweet and sour sauce, sweet pipe tobacco, plum and blackberry. Historically, the grape variants Pinot Noir and Cinsaut were crossed – although no one knows why with certainty – to yield the Pinotage varietal. Today, it has grown in popularity across the globe, with New Zealand now being the second biggest grower of this varietal behind South Africa.

Franschhoek

The name of this town, roughly translated, means ‘French corner’. From Stellenbosch, you’ll reach it in 40 minutes in the likes of your handy Mango car hire in Cape Town. Don’t drive too quickly though, as you’ll want to remember every mile of this drive!

The French influence is everywhere in homage to the French heritage of the first French settlers in this region. You can’t miss the French names on the farms! Interestingly, the Cape Dutch architectural style persists here too, and that could probably be attributed to the fact that French Provincial style has many similarities with Cape Dutch building design. Vineyards are never far away and neither of course are cellars, ranging from the niche to commercially huge.

The Cape was inhabited by the indigenous Khoisan tribes originally, but with colonial expansion, came settlers and influences from far and wide.

Award-winning cuisine

Some of this influence is most distinctly experienced today in the French-Malay-South African fusion of food dishes in the region. Franschhoek has become known as South Africa’s culinary capital and constantly find its restaurants in the top ten coveted gourmet spots come food awards season, year in and year out. Also look out for cheesemaking tours, cooking demos and short classes, market days and more.

In addition to wine, Franschhoek is also known for its distinct and commended Méthode Cap Classique ‘bubblies’.

Since 2014, Franschhoek has been a member of The Délice Network of Good Food Cities of the World. Délice is an international network of like minded cities who actively elevate and promote traditions of culinary excellence and good food. To that we’re sure you’ll borrow a word from the Italians, not the French, and say delicioso!.