How to have the ultimate long weekend in Franschhoek

A weekend in Franschhoek (“French Corner”), cradled in a valley in the winelands, is always luxurious – excellent restaurants, wine farms and spas abound. Known as South Africa’s culinary capital, Franschhoek is a foodie heaven, featuring a surprising number of fine dining options for a small town. The surrounding wine region, established in the 17th century, produces some of South Africa’s best Méthode Cap Classique (or MCC), sparkling wine made using the traditional French champagne method. There are several long established wine farms, but new estates continue to appear, so there is always something different to explore.

Read on for how to have a perfectly indulgent winelands weekend.

Friday

Having taken Friday off, dress in your most luxurious breezy linens, pack a Panama hat, and head to Franschhoek. Everything this weekend is about relaxed winelands hospitality, lingering over wine-soaked al fresco lunches, and slowing down.

Afternoon

Your first stop is Haute Cabriere Wine Estate for lunch (as well as a wine tasting, if you wish – try the Pierre Jourdan MCC). Lunch on the terrace here is casual, but the views out over the Franschhoek Valley are unmatched. Hot tip: Haute Cabriere is also a great spot for pre-dinner sundowners.

Alternatively, go to Le Lude Estate, also known for its MCC (described by one wine critic as “light like a Ballerina”). You can enjoy a more casual lunch in the tasting room, or book at the Orangerie Restaurant for French cuisine – lunch on the terrace, surrounded by the ivy-draped walls, is a very Franschhoek affair.

After lunch, check into your hotel. You are spoilt for choice in Franschhoek, but for unmatched luxury in the centre of town, classic choices include Le Quartier Francais, the Franschoek Boutique Hotel, or Le Franschhoek Hotel and Spa. There are also numerous more pocket friendly options in town, such as Macaron Boutique Guest House or Mont D’or. If you’re more partial to staying at a wine farm, try Leeu Estates, La Petite Ferme or Grande Provence.

Spend the afternoon exploring Franschoek’s art galleries and boutiques (don’t miss Huguenot Fine Chocolates and Ebony Curated, which stocks much coveted Ardmore Ceramics), or visit the Huguenot Memorial Museum and Monument at the top of town. If you like cars, the Franschhoek Motor Museum is a must do.

Evening

For dinner, take your pick of Franschhoek’s excellent fine dining restaurants (these must be booked in advance). It would be a shame to leave without having a meal at La Petit Colombe, the little sister to famed Cape Town institution La Colombe. However, there are many alternatives – also in the La Colombe group are Epice (awarded best restaurant in South Africa) and Protégé (newly opened, and slightly more casual by La Colombe standards, but definitely still fine dining). Other excellent choices are Le coin Français, Eleven or Ōku, for Asian inspired food.

Not into fine dining? Book a ticket for Boschendal’s night market, which operates on Friday nights in the summer.

Saturday

Morning

If you happen to be feeling especially energetic this morning, Franschhoek has a very picturesque Parkrun at Rickety Bridge Winery (note that Parkruns in South Africa usually begin at 8am).

But onto the real fun: this is your wine touring day, and Franschhoek does it in style. Book a tour (again, in advance) on the iconic Franschoek Wine Tram, a hop on, hop off wine estate tour. Another hot tip: it is vital to have a proper breakfast on a wine tasting day. If your hotel does not provide breakfast, try Terbodore Cafe or Smitten, or get coffee and pastries at the bakery at Haute Cabriere.

There are several different tram routes to choose from, which stop at different wine estates, and you choose the route you wish to take in advance when booking. The tour leaves from central Franschhoek (check your particular line for the precise departure point), and takes place on a combination of the tram and a tram bus, for those wineries which are not located next to the railway. The routes and the wine estates change from time to time, but my top choice currently would be the Orange Line, because you want to be able to go to Babylonstoren, Boschendal and Vrede en Lust, which are all great wine farms. The Red Line, featuring Grande Provence, Rickety Bridge, and Mont Rochelle, is also a good option.

The tram or tram bus stops at every wine farm along the route, and then comes back along the same route later in the day. Travellers pile off at each stop, and either walk or are driven to the wine farm’s tasting room. At Boschendal, for example, which is very big, they fetch you from the tram stop in a tractor and drive you to the tasting room.

Lunch

Check the timetable for your particular tram line on the website, and plan where you want to stop and when you will come back. Most importantly, book a lunch reservation in advance at the wine farm where you want to have lunch. Trams arrive at each stop roughly every hour, which is about enough time for a tasting, but you can choose to spend two or even three hours at a particular wine farm (the lunch stop usually takes at least two hours). Note that the ticket you purchase for the Wine Tram does not include the cost of wine tastings or lunch, which must be paid for at the wine farms which you visit.

When planning a Wine Tram outing for big groups, I find that the maximum number of tastings most people want to do is four, and you should aim to have lunch at the third stop (and a pre-lunch charcuterie platter at the second stop never hurt anybody). I usually pick Babylonstoren for lunch, an absolutely enormous and very “country luxury” working farm with several shops and restaurants, really excellent food, a hotel and a spa. Read my review of the Babylonstoren spa here. Note, Babylonstoren is the only wine farm on the Franschhoek Wine Tram route which requires visitors to pay an entrance fee.

Alternatively, Grande Provence is a Franschhoek institution, a stunning wine farm with manicured lawns and sculptures throughout, with two restaurants as well as catered picnics. Vrede en Lust and Zorgvliet are also classic choices, both with multiple options for lunch. Mont Rochelle (owned by none other than Richard Branson) is slightly more casual, also with multiple lunch options, as well as lawn games.

NB: please keep in mind that wine estates will not serve you alcohol, and you may be asked to leave, if you are messy or badly behaved. The tram also has open sides, and if you present a hazard or are in danger of falling off, the staff may prevent you from getting on. Have fun by all means, but keep it classy.

Evening

IMHO, people don’t usually want a complicated meal after a day of wine tasting, and Franschhoek’s more causal restaurants are just as good. Try Reuben’s for really excellently done classics (Reuben Riffel is a very well-loved South African chef, and Franschhoek is his home town), Frank’s Corner for burgers and steaks. If you prefer a pizza and an early night after a day of wine tasting in the sun (there is no shame in that!), there is a Col’Caccio in Franschhoek, in an idyllic setting under the oak trees.

Sunday

Morning

Spend your last morning relaxing at a spa – I recommend the spa at Leeu Estates, which feels like a secret, high-end escape (seriously, if I were Beyonce and wanted a spa treatment in the Cape winelands, this is where I would go). After your treatment, enjoy both indoor and outdoor pools, and the luxurious gardens filled with sculptures.

Afternoon

There are few things better than a relaxed outdoor lunch after a spa treatment. Have your last meal at Maison Wine Estate, at the outskirts of Franschoek, where you have booked lunch under the trees at Chef’s Warehouse. Lunch is in the form of a four course tapas menu, which changes regularly but is always incredibly inventive, with an optional wine pairing. There are also pescetarian, vegetarian and vegan menus available.

Depsite the food being top notch, Maison has a very laid back vibe as a working wine farm. If you have a table outside, there are chickens wandering around, and goats and ponies which make an occasional appearance (I am also convinced that there used to be a pig here – on a recent visit, the staff were baffled by this, but I maintain that I cannot possibly have hallucinated an entire pig).

When you absolutely must leave, wend your way home relaxed and happy, with a very full belly.