Discovering the best boutique wine farms and galleries in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.

A scenic drive to the Dylan Lewis sculpture garden starts the day. Dylan Lewis has created a magnificent seven-hectare garden to showcase more than 60 of his sculptures.

After meandering through the garden, we pause for some much-needed coffee at the Old Storeroom.

Our next gallery stop will be the Delaire Graff Estate, which offers a rare chance to view some of Laurence Graff’s personal art collection in an outstanding setting. The collection is carefully curated to showcase some of South Africa’s finest contemporary artists and includes works by Deborah Bell, William Kentridge, Lionel Smit and Sidney Kumalo. A favourite of many is Tretchikoff’s iconic Chinese Girl.

Our last gallery stop will be Tokara, at the crest of the Helshoogte pass. The panoramic views and strikingly beautiful steep-sloping vineyards are the backdrop for the art. Their winery entrance houses a gallery of unique artwork and tapestries. From the winery we will take a short walk through the olive groves to the sculpture garden located at the delicatessen where we stop for lunch.

On route we will visit three of the following wine farms: Neil Ellis, Antonij Rupert, Topiary, Lynx and Plasir de Merle. For this tour we have specially selected exclusive, lesser known, but always spectacular farms on the route between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. Some are small family owned boutique cellars and others have state of the art facilities on showpiece estates. By combining the best of both, we take you on a unique wine experience.

Afternoon snacks at Bartinney, which is situated on the slopes of Helshoogte Pass and overlooks the picturesque Banghoek Valley in Stellenbosch.

Discovering the fascinating history of Franschhoek and visiting the best local galleries in the village on foot

Galleries visited will include:

Everard Read, the oldest art dealers in South Africa, their custom designed gallery space is in a heritage building and they share a beautiful sculpture garden with the kitchen garden of La Petite Colombe restaurant next door. The gallery shows the finest of South Africa’s contemporary artists in a variety of media.

Ebony, who have two elegant gallery spaces in Franschhoek, showcase classic and contemporary fine art combined with exclusive, local design. We will visit both of their engaging sites.

Is Art, who’s stylish architectural space features regular exhibitions by local artists in one half and fascinating individual pieces curated by Ilse Schermers in the other.

Coffee and ice cream stop at De Villiers Chocolate Café. The best home-made ice cream, chocolate and coffee in Franschhoek.

Discovering the best of Franschhoek – from boutique wine farms to galleries and the history of the Franschhoek Valley

After a pick up from your hotel, we start the day with an introduction to the village, discovering the fascinating history of Franschhoek, and visiting some of the best local galleries on foot.

Galleries visited will include:

Everard Read, the oldest art dealers in South Africa, their custom designed gallery space is in a heritage building and they share a beautiful sculpture garden with the kitchen garden of La Petite Colombe restaurant next door. The gallery shows the finest of South Africa’s contemporary artists in a variety of media.

Ebony, who have two elegant gallery spaces in Franschhoek, showcasing classic and contemporary fine art combined with exclusive, local design.

Is Art, who’s stylish architectural space features regular exhibitions by local artists in one half and fascinating individual pieces curated by Ilse Schermers in the other.

Morning coffee stop at Terbodore coffee roasters. They hand roast their coffee beans and create their own special blends unique to Franschhoek.

The rest of your day can then be tailored to your specific interest, be that fine wine, craft beer, art or gardens. If your focus is on great wine, we will visit three wine farms, or for beer enthusiasts, we have access to three craft breweries. Art lovers can delve deeper into the fantastic collections on three of the estates, and there’s something special for keen gardeners too!

We will visit three of the following wine farms: Haut Espoir, Boukenhoutskloof, Stony Brook, GlenWood, Eikehof, Colmant, La Bri and Moreson. We specially select these farms to visit as they are small, exclusive, off the beaten track wineries, producing exceptional wines, catering for those looking for something unique. Each one produces a variety of cultivars and depending on your preferences we can focus on those producing classic whites, such as chardonnay and semillon, or the full-bodied reds, shiraz, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, or enjoy the wonderful Method Cap Classique’s.

OR if you are more of a beer connoisseur, Franschhoek has three craft breweries: Hey Joe, The Franschhoek Beer Company and Tuk Tuk microbrewery, producing local ale, lagers and Weiss beer. We will visit all three to get a real taste of local beer production.

OR, if you are interested in continuing with your art adventure, we visit the following estate-based galleries based in the valley:

Grande Provence, who showcase works by leading and emerging South African artists. They have an extensive selection of artworks including paintings, drawings, original prints, ceramics, photography and traditional beadwork. Their sculpture garden features specially selected works from world renown artists like Anton Smit and others within the beautifully landscaped estate.

La Motte, one of the oldest farms in the valley, who’s museum and gallery features the history of the estate and its magnificently renovated buildings. It is permanent host to the heritage collection of Jacob Hendrik Pierneef and also presents other excellent rotating exhibitions.

Leeu Estates, who’s landscaped gardens and manicured vineyards are home to the personally curated art collection of Analjit Singh. Featuring predominantly life-sized bronze sculptures by Angus Taylor, Deborah Bell, Dylan Lewis and Otto du Plessis, among other well-known mainly South African artists.

OR, a short distance from the village is the magnificent Babylonstoren Estate. A must visit for those with a keen interest in gardens. Their extensive fruit and vegetable garden has great botanical diversity and their numerous farm shops sell a fascinating range of goods.

In between the farm stops we head over to the Berg River Dam viewpoint, for stunning views and tranquillity of the dam and Groot Drakenstein mountains that very few people get to see.

We also visit the iconic Nelson Mandela statue at Drakenstein prison. This is the site where Mandela was released in 1991, with the eyes of the world watching, after spending 27 years in prison, to go on to become the country’s first democratically elected president.

Lunch stop at a local restaurant (for own account).

Afternoon snacks served at the best lookout point on Franschhoek pass.

The half day option will include two wine farms/two breweries and two galleries and either the lunch stop or snacks on the pass.

Discovering the fascinating history of Franschhoek and visiting the best local galleries in the village on foot

Galleries visited will include:

Everard Read, the oldest art dealers in South Africa, their custom designed gallery space is in a heritage building and they share a beautiful sculpture garden with the kitchen garden of La Petite Colombe restaurant next door. The gallery shows the finest of South Africa’s contemporary artists in a variety of media.

Ebony, who have two elegant gallery spaces in Franschhoek, showcase classic and contemporary fine art combined with exclusive, local design. We will visit both of their engaging sites.

Is Art, who’s stylish architectural space features regular exhibitions by local artists in one half and fascinating individual pieces curated by Ilse Schermers in the other.

Coffee and ice cream stop at a local coffee shop.

Ride the mountain trails around Franschhoek and the Berg River Dam that only the locals know. High quality Trek or Giant mountain bikes, full suspension or hard tail bikes available. Choose your route depending on your fitness, technical ability and how long you would like to ride for.

Not a wine drinker or have a family to entertain? Discover unique experiences in Franschhoek and the surrounding areas for those that don’t drink wine.
Here are a few alternatives. If you like the sound of them, we will put together a bespoke, wine-free, family itinerary for you.
Visit the farms that offer more than just wine. For example, Babylonstoren have extensive family friendly gardens and an excellent spa. Dalewood and Fairview produce wonderful local cheeses. Boschendal has a host of activities including family picnics.
The Lion rescue centre, between Franschhoek and Paarl. Enables people to get a closeup view of lions (in large enclosures not cages) that have been rescued from captivity around the world but are not able to be released into the wild. Some of the stories are quite tragic, but it’s a very worthwhile cause which allows these unfortunate lions to live out the remainder of their lives in peace.
Watch a live polo match at Val de Vie. Not as expensive as one would imagine. They are trying to expand their market by offering reasonably priced tickets for the Verve Cliquot matches. Something different for those who have never been to polo and would like the experience. On the way we can stop at the Nelson Mandela statue at Drakenstein prison – an important site in SA’s history, where Mandela took his first steps to freedom when he was released.
Ziplining and Quad biking in Grabouw. A 40-minute scenic drive from Franschhoek, but definitely worth it. The Grabouw and Elgin area has gained a reputation for being the centre of adventure sports, but they have very limited accommodation options. It would be very easy to be based in Franschhoek and drive there for the activities.