Last Updated on November 1, 2025 by Hannah Stephenson
Heading to Franschhoek for a few nights? I’ve got the perfect three-day itinerary for you to follow!
Three days in Franschhoek is the perfect amount of time to soak in everything that makes this wine region special, from the notorious wine tram to the world-class dining. I’ve devised the ideal itinerary for you, with all the need-to-know info on timings and getting around. All you need to do is follow along and enjoy (and try not to give yourself too much of a wine hangover!)
So prepare your palette and bring your appetite, because in this post we’re going to dive into what I think is the best way to spend a three wonderful days in picture-perfect Franschhoek.
Quick Overview
Okay, I know you might be short on time here so before we dive into the details, I’ll give you a brief overview of what your 3 days in Franschhoek will look like. And of course, this is just a base for you to work from and tweak as you see fit!
Day 1: Of course we’re heading out for an epic day of wine tasting on Franschhoek’s famous wine tram! Then in the evening, get ready for dinner at Eleven, which is conveniently located right in town.
Day 2: Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and then you’ve got the option of horse riding or quad biking at one of Franschhoek’s most scenic wine estates! Spend the afternoon relaxing at a gorgeous wine estate, and then head to the legendary Petite Colombe for dinner.
Day 3: Explore more world-class wineries on a private wine tour, then in the evening, you’ll dive into South African cuisine with a gourmet cooking class led by a celebrated local chef!
Day 1
Breakfast – Get Lost Coffee
Now, a lot of hotels in Franschhoek include breakfast (you’ll find my top picks at the end of this post). However, if you stay somewhere that doesn’t feed you first thing, I highly recommend heading to Get Lost Coffee. Trust me, you are going to want some sustenance before you get on the wine tram!
Get Lost opens at 7:30 am daily which gives you plenty of time to enjoy one of their yummy breakfast buns or delicious French toast. The earliest trams typically leave at 9:30 am, so even if you want to catch the first one of the day you’ll still have plenty of time to eat here and make it to the meeting point.
Full Day – The Franschhoek Wine Tram
The wine tram is the single most famous thing to do in Franschhoek, and it’s a full-day tasting adventure. I’ve written an in-depth review here but basically, it’s a total blast.
When you stay in Franschhoek, you’ll need to book your wine tram tickets directly through the official website. Currently, it costs R330 per person which includes a welcome glass of wine, but you pay for all of your food and tastings as you go.
Also, the name wine tram is slightly misleading because most routes involve a “tram bus”. As far as I can tell, this is just a bus that looks like a tram. You’ll end up travelling on both so when you book your tickets, you’ll have to either book the “bus first” or “tram first” option.
It doesn’t matter too much which one you choose but I do suggest choosing “tram first” tickets if possible. I mean, a lot of the wine tram’s appeal lies in the novelty factor of the tram itself, and so starting out this way definitely starts the day off on a fun note!
Which Wine Tram Line to Choose?
There are five different lines you can choose from, although sometimes one or more of them will be under maintenance or road works which might narrow down your choices a bit.
Don’t stress too much about which line to choose, as they are all beautiful. However, personally I would suggest one of the following:
- The Navy Line is my personal favourite. I visited Plaisir, Vrede en Lust, Bartinney, and Le Pommier on this tram line and I loved all of them! Bartinney is my favourite winery EVER.
- The Orange Line is popular because it visits the famous Babylonstoren, but it has been closed for a while due to roadworks – I’ll keep you posted.
- The Blue Line is another great choice. I loved Rickety Bridge and Holden Manz on this route. Plus, you can walk to the starting point from town.
Getting to the Wine Tram
No matter which wine tram line you choose, you’ll need to head to the Franschhoek Terminal, which is a 10-15 minute walk from the center of town. The Blue, Red, and Pink Lines leave from here, but if you’re doing the Orange or Navy Line you’ll need to hop on a shuttle from here over to the Groot Drakenstein terminal, which is a 15-minute drive from town.
The shuttle runs once an hour from 8:45 am to 11:45 am. If you’re planning to catch the first tram of the day, you’ll want to catch the 8:45 am one!
The Wine Tram Experience
Exact tram timings do vary from line to line, but usually the first tram of the day leaves around 9:30 am and then they go every half an hour after that, or just once an hour for the Orange and Navy Lines. Personally, I always aim for the first tram of the day to make the most of the day! Plus, nothing beats a crisp glass of breakfast wine, am I right?
If you catch the first tram, you’ll have time to visit a maximum of five wineries. This means roughly an hour at each, plus transit time. Personally, though, I always aim for four wineries so that I can spend two hours enjoying lunch. Let’s be real, you don’t want to rush a gourmet winery cheeseboard.
And don’t stress too much about timings, because the tram staff are super helpful and will give you all the info on the day. When you get dropped off at each winery, they’ll let you know when the next tram will be along to pick you up, or the tram after that if you want to stay for two hours! The winery staff are usually very on it as well.
Usually, you’ll get back to the terminal at around 5:30 pm, give or take a few minutes! Although do remember that it’s a hop-on hop-off tour so you can always go back earlier if you need to.
If you’re doing the Blue, Red, or Pink Line then you’ll end at the Franschhoek Terminal and you can walk back to town in under 15 minutes. If you’re doing the Orange or Navy Lines, you’ll end at Groot Drakenstein and can catch the shuttle back to the terminal near town.
Late Afternoon – Down Time
After a full-on day of wine tasting, you’ll probably want some time to relax back at your hotel (and perhaps sober up a little) before dinner. If you’re staying somewhere with a pool, now might be the time to use it, or you can always enjoy a little wine nap if you trust yourself to get back up again afterwards.
And if you feel like another drink, you could head to the Franschhoek Station Pub which is just a 5-minute walk from the terminal on your way back to town for a pint of local craft beer. Or, I like the Mad Hatter Pub for its relaxed and unpretentious vibe.
What? You can take the Brit out of England…
Dinner – Eleven
Don’t worry – when I say “Dinner at Eleven”, I don’t mean 11pm. Eleven is a trendy, top-rated restaurant along Huguenout Street, aka Franschhoek’s main road. There’s both a tasting and an a-la-carte menu, both of which showcase seasonal South African ingredients like Saldanha Bay oysters, Gruberg cheese, and even Rooibos pineapple sorbet. It’s fancy food, but it’s not stuffy, and the service here is top-notch.
Eleven only opened in 2023, but it quickly established itself as one of Franschhoek’s must-try restaurants. That’s pretty impressive if you ask me! But since it’s popular, I definitely recommend booking a table.
Day 2
Breakfast – Smitten
Yesterday involved a lot of wine, so you’ll probably want to take it slow this morning. You can either grab breakfast at your hotel when you’re ready or head to Smitten, a bright and bougie brunch spot along the main drag.
They make amazing shakshouka and eggs benedict here but they also have a signature hangover specialty for those who have fallen foul of the wine tram, appropriately named “The Morning After”. This is a flatbread topped with chilli jam and minced ostrich meat, so it’s a very South African breakfast!
Smitten is closed on Tuesdays, unfortunately, so if that’s when your second morning in Franschhoek falls you could always head to the pastel-coloured Brunch Club instead for one of their Instagram-worthy breakfasts.
Morning – Horse Riding or Quad Biking at Vrede en Lust (Optional)
Vrede en Lust is a stunning wine estate with acres of rolling vineyards to explore, so saddle (or gear) up for a fun adventure here this morning! Both the horse riding and quad biking tours have an 11 am time slot available, which I think is perfect for a later start after a day on the wine tram.
To get to Vrede en Lust, you can either drive if you’re renting a car or you can usually call an Uber in Franschhoek during the day without too much trouble, especially from the town center. It’s after 5 pm that’s the problem!
Just choose whichever one intrigues you more. But of course, if you’ve plumped for one of Franschhoek’s more luxurious stays, I appreciate that you might want to skip this and just use this morning to enjoy your gorgeous wineland digs.
Horse Riding
This guided horse riding session at Vrede en Lust is a relaxed way to explore this beautiful estate and connect with Franschhoek’s beautiful scenery. The riding route takes you to some seriously scenic viewpoints and it’s ideal for beginners so you don’t need any prior riding experience to join in the fun.
You do need to book this tour for at least people. It includes free cancellation and you’ve got the option to buy now and pay later, so you can guarantee your spot while staying flexible – happy days!
Find out more and book this scenic horse riding tour here!
Quad Biking
If you’re after a bit more of a thrill, this quad bike tour is just the ticket. You’ll swap the gentle trot for an exhilarating ride along dirt trails up and down the slopes of the wine valley. Be sure to wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty – after all, that’s half the fun!
No ATV experience is required to participate in this tour, you just need to be sober and willing to follow the instructors’ safety rules. This is such a fun and exciting way to explore the winelands and trust me, if I can ride a quad bike, you can!
You can book this ATV tour here with free cancellation!
Afternoon – Relax at a Wine Estate
After a relaxed or adventurous morning, depending on what you chose to do, it’s time for lunch and a classy afternoon at a wine estate – you’re in Franschhoek, after all! Whereas yesterday, we went hopping from winery to winery, this afternoon is more about slowing down and taking it all in.
If you go horse riding or quad biking at Vrede en Lust, both of those activities wrap up at around 12 pm. You can either head back to your hotel and change before heading to another estate, or stick around for lunch and tasting at this winery. After all, you’re already here!
If not, I’ve got a few other suggestions for wine estates you might want to visit. I recommend visiting one that’s not on the tram route to ensure no overlap! To get these estates, you can ask your hotel reception to arrange a taxi to take you and pick you up, or get in contact with Franschhoek taxis.
La Petite Ferme
La Petite Ferme is a fantastic winery that’s not on the tram. The restaurant here is excellent – I genuinely had one of the best meals of my life here. The menu is small and seasonal, which is really how it should be in somewhere like Franschhoek!
The restaurant is open for lunch between 12 – 3:30 pm, with the last seating at 2:30 pm so you should have plenty of time to get here if you did one of the adventure activities at Vrede en Lust. The restaurant here is open on Monday which is good news as a lot of places in Franschhoek close on Mondays. I definitely recommend making a booking!
L’Ormarins
L’Ormarins makes my favourite cap classique wines ever (South Africa’s answer to champagne) and their wine estate is right here in Franschhoek. This sprawling estate is actually pretty unique because it has its own little tram system that you can use to get around!
If you’re interested in classic cars, I highly recommend a visit to the Franschhoek Motor Museum, which is part of this estate. Then, you can hop on the tram over to the Anthonij Rupert tasting rooms to sample their famous sparkling wines.
It’s best to make a booking if you want to visit this estate. The Anthonij Rupert tasting room operates by appointment only, although if you don’t get a booking for that you should be able to get into the Terra Del Capo tasting room or antipasti bar.
What I actually recommend doing is booking the L’Ormarins Estate package because it includes a guided tour of the Motor Museum, an antipasti lunch at Terra del Capo, and a premium tasting at Anthonij Rupert. It costs R780 per person and you should allow about 3-4 hours to enjoy the experience properly. I think this is the perfect way to make the most of your time at this famous wine estate.
Le Lude
Le Lude actually used to be on the wine tram, but no longer. It’s a very well-known brand of cap classique, and I really loved doing a tasting here. However, I actually recommend heading to the Orangerie restaurant first for a delicious lunch, then doing a tasting afterwards.
When we came wine tasting here we just walked in, but we did come early in the day (hey, don’t judge) so that may have had something to do with it. You can make reservations here, but not on Mondays.
Eikehof
What sets Eikehof Wine Estate apart is the fact that it’s a proudly family-owned winery. In fact, it has been passed down through four generations, and the farm also has the oldest Semillon vines in South Africa. Tasting here is like sipping a little piece of Franschhoek’s history!
Eikehof is actually on the Blue Line of the wine tram, but it’s open on Mondays and I do think it’s really worth visiting because it’s a more traditional winery. Plus, they do really yummy cheese and charcuterie platters and it’s clear that so much thought and care goes into running this farm. You can book a tasting here!
Evening – Gourmet Cooking Class
Franschhoek is regarded as South Africa’s food capital, so take the opportunity to go behind the scenes and learn all of the local secrets with this cooking class. It’s led by a celebrated local chef who will teach you how to prepare classic South African dishes but with a gourmet twist. Oh, and she’ll ply you with bubbles and wine along the way!
The class begins at 5 pm, and it takes place right in the heart of Franschhoek town, so head here straight after this afternoon’s winery. You’ll prepare, and eat, a delicious seasonal 3-course meal, and there will be music, laughter, and stories along the way. This small group class is also a great way to meet some fellow foodies in Franschhoek!
Not only is this class a ton of fun, it’s a great way to delve deep into South African cuisine. I mean, I love checking out different restaurants but you definitely learn a lot more about food by getting hands on and cooking it yourself.
Read the glowing reviews and book this gourmet cooking class here!
Day 3
Breakfast – Weisenhof Lifestyle
As mentioned before, a lot of hotels in Franschhoek include breakfast but if yours doesn’t, you can head to Terbadore Cafe for a relaxed breakky. It opens at 7 am daily so you’ll have plenty of time to line your stomach before today’s wine tour. But the tour doesn’t start until 9:30 am so you don’t need to get here at the crack of dawn!
As for what’s on the menu, there’s a super yummy strawberries and cream oat bowl, yummy toasted sandwiches, and an excellent breakfast burger. There are lots of pastries and muffins on the counter, too, if you prefer something a bit lighter first thing in the morning.
Full-day Small Group Wine Tour
We’ve visited quite a few wineries by now, but there are around 45 in the region so your last day in Franschhoek is the perfect opportunity to tick off some more. That’s why I recommend booking this wine tour today because it’s an in-depth experience that will teach you so much about the region.
What I love about this tour is that it’s not a cookie-cutter experience. Your guide will gauge the group’s reaction to your first tasting of the day, and then tailor the route based on everyone’s preferences. So if there’s a winery you’re dying to visit or a particular varietal you can’t get enough of, it’s definitely worth mentioning because your guide will usually be able to find a way to work it into the day!
On a similar note, you can also advise your guide on where you’ve already been to ensure there are no repeats. You’ll typically visit 3-4 wineries over the course of the day and the tour includes all tasting fees, and there will be the opportunity to buy lunch at one of the estates.
This tour has great reviews and they all mention how interesting and knowledgeable the guides are! So I think this tour is truly the perfect way to wrap up your time in Franschhoek and discover some excellent wine estates that you would have otherwise missed out on.
You can book this small group wine tour here, with free cancellation and hotel pickup included!
Dinner – La Petite Colombe
For many, dinner at La Petite Colombe is a quintessential Franschhoek experience, so what better way to wrap up your time in this iconic wine region? It’s easily the area’s most celebrated restaurant, and it’s actually a sister restaurant of La Colombe in Constantia, which is regarded as one of the best restaurants on the entire African continent. Not bad!
La Petite Colombe is a 3-star fine dining experience. They don’t do a la carte dining here, so for dinner you’ll need to book the Chef’s Full Experience. It currently costs R2,395 per person for dinner, whether you do the regular or the vegetarian version.
You MUST make a reservation for La Petite Colombe – I really can’t stress this enough. I suggest doing this at least a week in advance but during December and January you want to do it more like three weeks ahead of time. You can check availability and book your experience here!
FAQs
So that’s it – your perfect three days in Franschhoek, all planned out. But I know you might still have some questions, so here are the FAQs that I haven’t yet covered.
How to get to Franschhoek from Cape Town?
Franschhoek is roughly an hour’s drive from Cape Town. For overnight stays, the easiest way to travel between the two is to rent a car and drive yourself. Once you’re here, you’ll use a combo of walking, taxis, and tours to get around – drinking and driving is obviously a complete no-no.
If you want to rent a car, I suggest using Discover Cars. It’s a third-party comparison site (a bit like Booking.com, but for cars) and it will help you to find the best prices, plus you can see reviews of different rental companies to ensure you choose a reliable provider.
Using Discover Cars has definitely saved me some money on car rentals in Cape Town, and you can pick up your vehicle at the airport or downtown.
Otherwise, you can take an Uber from Cape Town to Franschhoek. Getting an Uber from the city out to Franschhoek should be easy, but returning from Franschhoek to Cape Town will probably take you a bit longer – especially if you try to get a car after 5 pm. You’ll get there in the end but you might need a bit of patience!
Renting a car is likely to work out a bit cheaper than relying on Uber, and it gives you more freedom so that would be my first choice personally. But do what works for you!
Is Three Days Enough Time in Franschhoek?
Yes, I think three days is an ideal amount of time to do a deep dive into the region. You could even trim this itinerary down to two days if you’re short on time, but I think for foodies and wine enthusiasts, three days is really the sweet spot.
What Is the Best Time to Visit Franschhoek?
Now, I don’t think there’s a bad time to visit Franschhoek to be honest. However, if I was planning a trip I would ideally go in October – November or March – April. These are the sweet spots when you typically get plenty of sunshine and days that are nice and warm, but not swelteringly hot.
However, summer in Franschhoek is a lot of fun because the town (and the tram) is buzzing! You will need to be organised and book your tours, accommodation, and dinners in advance though because this is the busiest time of year. In winter, you don’t need to worry as much – and if it rains, you can always cozy up inside the warm and inviting tasting rooms.
Where to Stay in Franschhoek
So now that you’ve got the perfect Franschhoek itinerary all mapped out, you need a great place to stay. To make your life as easy as possible, I suggest staying in the town itself since the centre is very walkable.
Now, accommodation here tends to be pretty luxurious but I’ve done my best to find hotels to suit a range of budgets in this picture-perfect town. I’ve also ensured that they’re super central so you’ll be able to get to the town’s best coffee shops and eateries on foot!
Luxury – $$$
Le Petit Manor is a stunning boutique hotel right on Huguenot Road, which is Franschhoek’s main street. I love the decor here, which includes a lot of plants and greenery as well as a boho-chic pool area. There’s a spa on site where you can grab a massage, and the location means you can walk to the town’s best breakfast spots and late-night bars. What could be better?
Suites tend to cost between R8,500 and R19,000 per night, depending on the room category and time of year. Find out more and reserve your stay here!
Mid-range – $$
Macaron is a gorgeous boutique guesthouse right in the heart of Franschhoek. It’s housed in a beautiful Victorian mansion and it offers lovely mountain views from its beautiful garden and pool area, and the rooms are decorated in that chic farmhouse style. In case it’s not clear, I’d quite like to live here!
Rooms and suites here typically range between R3,100 and R6,700, depending on the season and level of luxury you choose. See availability and reserve your stay here!
Budget – $
Last but not least, The LAB is one of Franschhoek’s more budget friendly options but trust me, it’s no slouch. It offers big, modern rooms with standalone bathtubs and lots of natural light. There’s a small pool and breakfast is included with your stay. I think this is a perfect choice for a lovely Franschhoek stay that won’t break the bank.
Expect to pay between R1,700 and R6,300 per night here. Check all the details and book your room here!
Thanks so much for reading this blog post! Franschhoek is a really special place and I hope that my itinerary helps you to enjoy a fantastic three days here. For more resources on exploring the Cape Winelands and Cape Town’s food scene, check out the following: