Franschoek

The gourmand’s mecca of South Africa comes in the form of picture-perfect Franschoek, which can be found nestled in its own little enclave of rolling vineyard and verdant backcountry between the snow-capped summits of the craggy Drakenstein and Hawequas Mountains.

With its formidable line-up of celebrated eateries and cellar doors, the town has established itself as one of the food and wine capitals of South Africa, and today thousands of visitors a year make a detour from the picturesque stretches of the Garden Route to case out the tracks of the Franschhoek Wine Tram, which wind their way through the valley between prestigious bodegas bearing names like La Motte and Bourgogne and La Terra de Luc. In the town, award-winning bistros hide beneath the facades of old Dutch colonial homes, the Huguenot Memorial and Museum draw attention to the town’s French antecedents, while visitors are treated to a different yet exceptional dose of history at the Motor Museum. Franschhoek tour guides are also quick to champion the excellent connections with nearby Cape Town, the region’s fantastic golf courses, the excellent hiking routes and the warming swimming spots of False Bay to the west.