Franschhoek
Table of Contents: Culture and History / Travel to Franschhoek, visa requirements / Get around / Franschhoek attractions and sightseeing / City tours / Shopping, Franschhoek souvenirs / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Franschhoek nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Hotels, youth hostels, lodging / Get out More from Cape Winelands: Breede River Valley, Franschhoek, Paarl, Stellenbosch More from Western Cape: Agulhas National Park, Cape Peninsula, Cape Winelands, Garden Route, Overberg, West Coast (South Africa) More from South Africa: Drakensberg, Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West Province, Western Cape More from Southern Africa: Ai-Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, Botswana, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe More from Africa: Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Saharan Africa, Seychelles, Southern Africa, West Africa |
Franschhoek [1] (Dutch for 'French Corner') is a city in the Cape Winelands of South Africa.
Culture and History
Franschhoek was founded by French settlers (hence the name), who fled the inquisition in Europe and were looking for a little hide-out on the other side of the world. They found it in the fertile valley of Franschhoek - initially known as Oliphantshoek, as they valley was known for its large numbers of elephants.
Even though no one speaks French, most of the street names, restaurant names and wine farms in the "French Corner" are French.
Franschhoek makes a serious attempt at being the "food and wine capital of South Africa". Be as it may, it's a great place to relax, enjoy top food and wine, in an almost European atmosphere.
Travel to Franschhoek, visa requirements
Only one road (R45) leads to Franschhoek from Stellenbosch or Paarl. For a more scenic drive, you can enter Franschhoek all the way over the "Franschhoek Pass" - a spectacular mountain route leading into Franschhoek from Villiersdorp.
There is a taxi service (small buses with loud music and often loud drivers) from Stellenbosch and from Paarl.
Get around
You can walk along the main street to see all the nice old houses and have a look at the shops and various restaurants.
Franschhoek attractions and sightseeing
Franschhoek is a place to relax. Stroll up or down the main street and take your time to have a look around.
City tours
- Rent a bike to go up and down the hills along the wine farms.
- Go fishing to some of the lakes nearby
- Visit the Huguenot Monument
- Take your golf clubs - Pearl Valley and Paarl golf clubs are within 15 minutes drive; Stellenbosch and De Zalze within 30 minutes. All are top quality lay-outs and prices are exceptionally cheap by European standards.
Shopping, Franschhoek souvenirs
Good restaurants and cheap meals
There are many excellent restaurants in and around Franschhoek. Along the main road are a number of very good restaurants.
- Bouillabaisse, [2]. M,W-Sa 10AM-10PM, Su 10AM-5PM. One of the latest additions, run by award-winning chef Camil Haas. This vibrant, trendy 'front-cooking' eatery serves freshly prepared favorites like bouillabaisse and gourmet seafood tasters. French champagne available. The open kitchen lets you watch the chef and his team at work, and be sample tasting portions. Bouillabaisse also sells fresh fish, caters, and has a deli shop.
- The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais (in the heart of the village). Recently voted the best restaurant in Africa and the Middle East by Restaurant magazine.
- Reuben's. More upmarket than Bouillabaise.
- Haute Cabriere (on the road up to the Franschhoek Pass).
- La Petite Ferme (on the road up to the Franschhoek Pass). lunch only.
Franschhoek nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
Wine is plentiful and cheap.
Haute Cabriere and La Petite Ferme (see above) sell their own wines. Just outside of the village are two top wine estates, Le Grand Provence and Boschendal, where tastings are available daily. There are also many other smaller wine estates in the area. Virtually all welcome visitors and tastings can be arranged with most. Enjoy.
Hotels, youth hostels, lodging
- Residence Klein Oliphantshoek (close to the center of town), [3]. Quiet
- Le Quartier Francais, [4].
- Le Ballon Rouge (close to the center of town), [5].
Get out
- Visit one of the other towns in the Cape Winelands, like Stellenbosch and Paarl, or go to Cape Town and enjoy its attractions.
- Follow the N2 highway to the east to get to the famous Garden Route
- Go to the beach at Strand or Gordon's Bay (less crowded) and swim in the False Bay
More from Cape Winelands: Breede River Valley, Franschhoek, Paarl, Stellenbosch More from Western Cape: Agulhas National Park, Cape Peninsula, Cape Winelands, Garden Route, Overberg, West Coast (South Africa) More from South Africa: Drakensberg, Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West Province, Western Cape More from Southern Africa: Ai-Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, Botswana, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe More from Africa: Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Saharan Africa, Seychelles, Southern Africa, West Africa |
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