If you only have a few days to explore the Cape Winelands, I highly suggest adding the Franschhoek Wine Tram to your list. Franschhoek is known as South Africa’s wine and food capital. The wine tram is the best way to experience as many wine farms in the area as possible without having to worry about driving around. This is a hop-on-hop-off experience, and here you can experience some of the best wine in the world and the picturesque views that Franschhoek has to offer.
How does it work?
There are multiple lines to choose from. I suggest you find out all the farms you’d like to visit and then select a line with most of them on the list.
There are currently 8 lines/ routes available. These include the pink line, blue line, grey line, green line, yellow line, purple line, red line, orange line, navy line and burgundy line.
The most famous line is the purple line, but the main reason why we didn’t choose this one, was because we’ve already been to most of the farms on this line.
So… We decided to go for the Burgundy line, mainly because we wanted to visit Vrede en Lust and Boschendal.
Most of the lines start at the Groot Drakenstein (GPS coordinates), so you can either climb up there or start your journey at the central station (GPS coordinates) where you get on a bus or train and that will transport you to your starting point.
How to buy tickets?
We bought our tickets online via their website. Here you choose the line colour you’d like to experience. This is the best option and on the day of your trip, you get your sticker at their central station (GPS coordinates), where you will also get onto your first transportation. This will be either the tram or the bus.
There is also a wine tram station in town where you can buy tickets. Another option is to buy tickets at the main station.
The price per person is R280 per adult and R90 per child. You can also arrange a shuttle at an additional price.
Note that the price only includes the wine tram and none of the wine tastings at the farms are included. Some of the farms also require a booking for wine tasting and/or wine pairing, so make sure to check out the Franschhoek Wine Tram’s website, as they have a clear table that indicates which requires a booking and which doesn’t.
Buy your wine tram and shuttle ticket here.
All about our experience
We started our tour at 10 a.m. at the central station where we were transported to the Groot Drakenstein station via a bus and started our trip on the burgundy line. We didn’t have to wait long before our first tram arrived. From here we made it to our first farm. We spent between one to two hours at each farm, but you can spend as many hours as you want.
Once you get onto your first tram, you will receive a complimentary glass of wine.
We only had time to stop at 4 wine farms. These were Vrede en Lust, Boschendal, Allee Bleue and Le Pommier.
Vrede en Lust
We started our morning at Vrede and Lust. We didn’t book a wine pairing, so we just did the Premium tasting and the Flagship tasting. You have a stunning view overlooking the Vrede en Lust vineyards.
Some information about wine tasting/ pairing at Vrede en Lust.
Wine Tasting:
- Premium Tasting includes 5 wines at R90pp.
- Flagship Tasting includes 5 wines at R120pp.
Wine Pairing: (booking required!)
- Lindt Excellence Chocolate and Wine Pairing at R150pp.
- Dalewood Cheese and Wine Pairing at R170pp.
You can also order something to eat from their menu to enjoy with your wine.
There is also a restaurant called Lust Bistro and Bakery that is worth a visit. This is located at the entrance where the wine tram drops you off.
Boschendal
Our second stop was at the Boschendal Wine Farm. Once we got off the tram, we got onto a bus and were then transported to the wine-tasting area. This bus trip adds an extra 20 minutes to your trip. We spent most of our time at this farm, as we opted for lunch here.
Here you can enjoy your wine tasting under the massive Oak tree that is older than 320 years. We did one Under the Oaks tasting and a chocolatier’s wine tasting.
Wine Tasting:
- Under the oaks tasting is R50pp.
- 1685 range wine tasting is R85pp.
- White/ red wine tasting is R125pp.
- Their premium tasting is R250pp.
Wine Pairing:
- Chocolatier’s wine pairing is R150pp.
- Cheese and wine pairing is R150pp.
- Charcuterie and wine pairing is R150pp.
The staff here were extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the history of the farm and the wine.
Also, check out their restaurant and Friday markets during the summer months.
Allee Bleue
Allee Bleue is a modern farm that offers some really good wine tastings. You can either enjoy your wine tasting outside overlooking the vineyards or inside. There are two tastings available.
Wine Tasting:
- Signature collection includes 5 wines at R150pp.
- Estate collection also includes 5 wines at R65pp.
Le Pommier
Le Pommier was our final farm for the day and here you have a beautiful view of the Franschhoek mountain range. We only did the 3 wine tastings, as it was already late and they started packing up already. You can also have some wine pairing at their restaurant.
Wine Tasting:
- 3 Wines at R40pp
- 5 Wines at R75pp.
- Their Vertical Cabernet Franc Voyage is R125pp.
Wine Pairing:
- Pizza and Wine pairing at R105pp
- South African Food and Wine pairing at R105pp
- South African soup and Wine pairing at R105pp
This was one of the best experiences I’ve had and I recommend adding this to your Cape Winelands itinerary!
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