Franschhoek

Franschhoek is a single long valley closed at the far end by the Franschhoek Pass, with one main street running through the middle of it. For its size it has a great deal of accommodation, and the stock skews upmarket: country-house hotels, wine-estate lodges and guesthouses, with more modest guesthouses and self-catering cottages on the streets behind the main road.

Where you stay changes the shape of the day more here than in most Winelands towns. Staying in the village itself means you can walk to dinner, which matters in a place whose reputation rests largely on its restaurants, and it puts you at one of the wine tram stops. Staying on an estate along the valley floor or up the slopes gives you vineyard surroundings and quiet, and commits you to driving in and out for every meal.

The valley is compact enough that nothing is far, so the decision is mostly about atmosphere and about how you plan to handle tasting and driving. It is also worth booking further ahead here than elsewhere in the Winelands: the village is small, the restaurant scene draws visitors from Cape Town for single nights, and weekends fill early.