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Franschhoek - Things to do

1. Stroll up old ‘Cat se Pad’ walking trail.
2. Take a bottle of wine up to the top of the Franschhoek Pass and watch the sun go down.
3. Catch some trout, fly-fishing at one of the many venues in the valley.
4. Wine tasting on horseback.
5. Swim in the rock pools over the pass.
6. End, or start, the Boland Hiking Trail at Jan Joubert se gat.
7. Take a stroll with Professor Rust and learn about the heritage and the flora of the valley.
8. Play boules at one of the courts in the village.
9. Play golf at Pearl Valley, the newest Jack Nicklaus Signature Course in the country.
10. Drop off the top of the pass and paraglide down to the village.
11. Take a guided walk through the vineyards.
12. Play tennis on the Franschhoek tennis courts.
13. Dine alfresco.
14. Tour of the valley with one of our guides.
15. Take a helicopter ride and see the valley from a different perspective.
16. Walk to Breakfast Rock in the Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve and see Table Mountain on a clear day.
17. Take a tour round Wemmershoek dam (by appointment only).
18. Rent a Mountain bike and go riding in the mountains and forests around the valley.
19. Play Bowls on the Bowling green.
20. Hike to the top of Du Toit’s Kop.
21. Picnic at Chamonix, Dieu Donné, Boschendal or Riverside next to the Berg River.
22. Feed the ducks on the dam in Van Riebeck Street.
23. Jog through the vineyards.
24. Visit the new Berg River Dam.
25. Go hiking in the mountains.
26. Visit the Historical Groot Drakenstein Games Club and watch (or participate in) a game of friendly cricket on the first turf wicket laid in South Africa. *
27. Walk through the orchards and vineyards behind Mont Rochelle Winery, past two dams, to reach the beacon, giving you a fantastic view of the valley.
28. Enjoy a challenging 4x4 trail in the mountains.
29. Visit Bien Donne Werf, with its fruit research farm, lavender fields, herb garden, manor house and restaurant.

Music & Life

30. Jazz on Friday evenings outside at La Grange.*
31. Classical music at the NG Church.
32. Monthly classical concert in the historical cellar at La Motte. *
33. Barnyard theatre.
34. Watch international sporting events at a local pub
35. Listen to Alfio playing your requests on the piano, at La Couronne Hotel.

Food & Indulgence

37. Enjoy an evening of fine-dining that you'll never forget.
38. Visit the Huguenot Fine Chocolates and taste wonderful Belgian delights! The chocolatiers can be seen making their confections, and tours can be arranged.
39. Picnic at Boschendal. *
40. Indulge your palate with internationally acclaimed, eclectic cuisine at some of South Africa’s top restaurants.
41. Learn how to make bread in winter at Bread and Wine, on Môreson Estate. *
42. Try some local cheeses at La Fromagerie.
43. Enjoy a French Cheese Tasting at Fromages de France.
44. Dine under the full moon at Boschendal. *
45. Enjoy great coffee and a sticky bun at one of the coffee shops or delicatessens.
46. Try Ansie’s homemade ice-cream and cakes at Tracey's.
47. Afterwards, go for a dietary consultation with a dietician, to lose weight!!
48. Watch the sun set against the Mont Rochelle Reserve Mountains with its pink hue while sipping a cocktail on the terrace at La Couronne.
49. Sample a local cheese, smoked salmon-trout and several wines at the Information Centre.

Wine & Savour

51. See Achim von Arnim sabrage at Cabriérè.
52. Wine tasting at over thirty outstanding wineries.
53. Jump in a vat of grapes at the annual ‘Blessing of the Harvest’ at Môreson Estate.
54. Descend into the depths of one of the greatest wine shops in the country: La Cotte Inn.
55. Have some wine shipped home.
56. Experience an entertaining and informative cellar tour at Mont Rochelle.
57. Take a tour of a vineyard.
58. Taste John Platter's 2006 "Wine of the year" at Glen Carlou estate.
59. Enjoy a taste of the La Motte harvest - the grapes, the fermenting juice, the wine... (during harvest time)

Heritage

61. Walk ‘ the long walk to freedom’, at Groot Drakenstein prison, from where Nelson Mandela was released.
62. Visit the Huguenot Museum and take a step back to a wilder time.
63. Stroll around the Boschendal Manor house built in 1685.
64. Take a stroll along the village streets and take in the different architectural styles of a time gone by.
65. Take a tour of Mooiwater Township.
66. Discover the history of Delta farm at "Museum van de Caab" on Solms Delta.
67. Visit the town and monument of the first free slaves: Pniel.
68. If you're a Huguenot descendant, trace your family tree.
69. Visit the Old Manor Houses in Franschhoek and on Farms such as 'Burgundy & Bourgogne'.
70. Don’t miss the thatched Dutch Reformed Church built in 1847.

Shop

74. Amble amongst an array of art shops, galleries and specialist stores that grace the village centre. 
75. Buy a plant at Keerweder Nursery and support a greener life.
76. See the largest collection of corkscrews in Africa at ‘The Old Corkscrew’.
77. Discover the treasures tucked away in our antique shops.
78. Stroll through the nursery at the Information Centre.

Amour

83. Get married in Franschhoek!
84. Shop for diamonds at Tracey’s.
85. Order a beautiful floral bouquet for your lover.
86. Celebrate your anniversary with a weekend away.
87. Take a long, lingering kiss under the Huguenot Monument.

Indulge

89. Take a massage with one of the many qualified masseurs.
90. Have a facial and a body wrap.

Craft

91. See the carpet-makers making hand knotted ‘Works of Art to walk on, at Kei Carpets.
92. Watch master potter David Walters throw his clay.
93. Design some personal jewellery at Du Toit’s Jewellers.
94. Make your own Shona sculpture at the Munhutapa Gallery at Boschendal. *
95. Take the ‘Franschhoek Meander’ or ‘Kuns Rondvaart’; an art, craft and antiques route around the village and surrounds.