Follow hiking trails, go bike or horse riding or indulge in some trout fishing. Absorb Franschhoek’s French heritage at the Huguenot museum or enjoy a round of golf at one of the many golf estates in the area – or simply catch a tan at the pool.
Franschhoek Activities
- Cheese Tasting
- Chocolate Tasting
- Wine tasting on Horseback
- Picnics
- Music concerts
- Hot Air Ballooning
- Rent a mountain bike and explore the valley at your leisure
- Helicopter rides – discover the Winelands from the air!
- Dive into the crystal rock pools found along the Franschhoek Pass
- There are many fly-fishing venues in the Franschhoek valley
- Paraglide off the Franschhoek Pass into the village
- Franchhoek has tennis courts that can be reserved and hired out
- Enjoy a challenging round of golf at Pearl Valley Golf Estate, Jack Nicklaus' latest offering to the golf world, one of the championship golf courses in the Winelands
Franschhoek Hiking Trails
- Conquer the Boland hiking trail beginning at 'Jan Joubert se Gat'
- Hike up Du Toit's Kop (medium gradient)
- Wind your way up the old ‘Cat se Pad' walking trail for a more sedate walk
- Table Mountain can be seen from Breakfast Rock at the Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve, so make a morning picnic out of this walk
- Take sundowners up to the top of the Franschhoek Pass
Franschhoek Heritage & Culture
Take a tour of Mooiwater township or Pniel, the first town of the free slaves. Visit the Huguenot Memorial Museum for a history lesson on the Franschhoek settlers. Professor Rust will educate you on the heritage and the flora of the valley. For some French-Huguenot architecture, visit the Boschendal Manor (1685), Burgundy Bourgogne farm or the thatched Dutch Reformed Church (1847).
David Walters at Roubaix House Gallery showcases some of the best South African art and promotes local artists. Watch artist David Walters himself throw clay. Make your own Shona sculpture at the Munhutapa Gallery at Boschendal.
Franschhoek Shops
The village centre boasts an array of art shops, galleries and specialist stores trading items such as Cape furniture, African and tribal artifacts, cottage furniture and scientific instruments, amongst others.
Watch carpet weavers at work on hand-knotted carpets at Kei Carpets. The street market is open on Saturdays and the ‘Kuns Ronvaart', an arts & crafts and antiques route around the village, is another interesting alternative.
Be sure not to miss out on the many interesting Franschhoek tourist attractions available in this beautiful area, along with the magnificent wine estates and golf estates in the Winelands.
Activities in the surrounding areas
- Snake Park
- Ostrich Farms
- Crocodile Farm
- Butterfly World
- Lion Sanctuary
- Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve
- Afrikaans Language Monument and Afrikaans Language Museum
- Bird Sanctuary – along the banks of the Berg River featuring 136 species
- Sasol Arts Museum
- University of Stellenbosch Botanical Gardens
- Stellenbosch Village Museum
- Oom Samie se Winkel – A typical village shop in existence for many years
Hermanus
This is a day’s trip and really worth the visit. On your way there take the coastal route from Gordon’s Bay and return over the Franschhoek pass from Villiersdorp. The scenery there and back is worth the trip and Hermanus is a beautiful town. It is also known as one of the best spots in the world for whale-watching - the months of August to September are the best time.
