Last Updated on December 17, 2025 by Hannah Stephenson
Ready to hop on the Constantia wine bus?
Good! I think it’s underrated. Constantia is home to some excellent wine farms, and it’s so much fun to check them out on the hop-on hop-off wine bus.
It’s budget-friendly, you don’t need a designated driver. Plus, it’s SO much easier than using Uber, which is a bit of a nightmare in this area.
So, strap in and let’s get into everything you need to know to enjoy an amazing day out on the Constantia wine bus.
Quick Answers:
Cost: R365
Duration: 3 – 8 hours
Best wineries: Beau Constantia and Groot Constantia
Where to book: Here
- Where is Constantia?
- What kind of ticket do I need to buy?
- Where do you get the wine bus from?
- What time does the wine bus leave?
- How long does it take to get to Constantia?
- Which wine farms does the bus take you to?
- In which order should I visit the wine farms?
- How often do the buses come?
- Do you need to go to all of the wine farms?
- Do I need to book the wine bus in advance?
- How much does the wine bus cost in total?
Where is Constantia?
Constantia is a wealthy suburb of Cape Town that’s about 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) away from the city centre. It’s very leafy and green, and many affluent families live out here because it’s so peaceful.
To be honest, I’ve only ever gone to Constantia to drink wine. It’s what draws most tourists over this side of the mountain!
What kind of ticket do I need to buy?
To get the Constantia wine bus, you can buy a classic single day ticket for the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus.
This ticket actually grants you access to three different routes: red, blue, and purple. The blue route is the bus that will take you to Constantia.
Then, when you get here, the purple route bus is a smaller bus that visits the Groot Constantia and Beau Constantia wine farms (in that order). A single day ticket costs R365.
You can reserve your wine bus ticket here!
Where do you get the wine bus from?
You can get on the blue route wine bus to Constantia from a few different stops around the city. They depart every 20 minutes.
The route starts at the City Sightseeing office at the V&A Waterfront. This is where I usually catch the bus from. However, you can also catch the bus from:
- Hotel Sky at the foreshore
- Long Street
- The Mount Nelson Hotel in Gardens
What time does the wine bus leave?
The first bus leaves from out the front of the Aquarium at 9 am each day. Then buses depart every 20 minutes after that.
When I go wine tasting with friends, we usually try to catch the first bus of the day. Perhaps we’re just drunkards, but I like to make the most of my time at the wineries!
Then, last bus back to the city leaves from Constantia Nek at 5:25 pm. This means you’ll have to leave the wine farms just before that.
We usually finish our day at Beau Constantia, because the bus picks you up right outside! Plus, it’s the prettiest wine farm in Constantia, and it’s nice to save the best views for last.
How long does it take to get to Constantia?
If you leave from the Aquarium, it will take you about 50 minutes to get to Constantia Nek.
Then, I recommend that you change to the “purple” bus and head to Groot Constantia, which takes another 10 minutes.
So about an hour in total!
Which wine farms does the bus take you to?
The wine bus stops at three wine farms:
- Groot Constantia
- Beau Constantia
- Silvermist
To be honest, Silvermist is not a must visit. The tasting room feels like a gift shop, although the views are nice if you sit outside. My advice is: go if you’ve got time, but don’t make it a priority.
And if you’re interested in Constantia wineries that aren’t on the bus route, you can check out my complete guide to the best Constantia wineries here.
Groot Constantia
Groot Constantia is the oldest winery in South Africa. It was founded by Simon van der Stel, the Governor of the Dutch Cape Colony, aka one of the founding fathers of South African wine.
It’s housed in a beautiful colonial building, and I really like the wines here. I also love the way they do wine tastings! You get to choose five different wines from a pretty extensive set list, and you can keep your glass as a souvenir!
Silvermist
Silvermist is the only certified organic wine farm in Constantia. The estate itself is awesome, but the tasting room feels a bit like a gift shop. It has a lovely view outside, though.
Also bear in mind that Silvermist is closed on Mondays. For the rest of the week, it doesn’t open until 11 am. Again, I wouldn’t recommend going to any hassle to visit this one, so don’t stress.
Beau Constantia
Beau Constantia will wow you with its insane views of Constantia’s rolling hills and lush vineyards. In fact, there’s even a “loo with a view” that has mirrored glass, so you can enjoy the amazing scenery as you relieve yourself.
I was honestly blown away the first time I visited Beau Constantia, and I absolutely love coming here for a tasting.
There are a couple of different tasting options available here, so you can decide how fancy you want to go. This place is super beautiful and very popular, so it’s best to book your tasting in advance.
In which order should I visit the wine farms?
I recommend doing the Constantia wine bus route like this:
- Catch the bus between 9 – 10 am
- Get off the blue route bus at Constantianek
- Change to the purple route single-decker bus to Groot Constantia
- Do a tasting and get a cheeseboard at Groot Constantia
- Catch the purple route bus back to Constantia Nek and walk up to Silvermist
- Do an organic tasting at Silvermist but don’t bother with the food
- Walk from Silvermist to Beau Constantia (10 mins)
- Spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying views, wine, and maybe another cheeseboard at Beau Constantia. Have this tasting booked for 2:30 – 3:30 pm
- Catch the bus back to the city from outside Beau Constantia at (or before) 5:23 pm
If you’re going on a Monday when Silvermist is closed, then no worries. The bus from Groot Constantia can take you directly to Beau Constantia. Just book the tasting at Beau Constantia for around 1:30 pm instead.
How often do the buses come?
Buses come around every 20-30 minutes, so you don’t need to stress about timings too much – just head to the bus stop when you’re ready. You can track the live bus times online, which makes everything really easy. When you get your physical ticket on the day of your tour, it will have a QR code that you can scan to see where the buses are.
Do you need to go to all of the wine farms?
Nope, if you’d rather not consume too much wine or want to do something else with your day, you can choose to just visit one or two of the wineries. It’s totally up to you – that’s what I like about hop-on hop-off tours.
I mean, I usually visit them all because, well, when in Constantia…
Do I need to book the wine bus in advance?
You don’t usually need to book your bus tickets far in advance, but I would recommend doing so if you’re going in late December or early January. This is when Cape Town gets insanely busy because everyone is on holiday!
If you buy them online, you can redeem them at the City Sightseeing tour office at either:
How much does the wine bus cost in total?
A bus ticket costs 365 rand per person. I think this is pretty good for transport to Constantia and back, and between wineries.
Your tastings aren’t included in your ticket and you will need to pay for these once you arrive at the wine farm. Prices are as follows:
- Groot Constantia: R170
- Silvermist: around R150
- Beau Constantia: R100 – R220
You will also probably want to buy lunch somewhere along the way. You can get cheese and charcuterie boards at all of the wine warms, so no worries there. Oh, and remember to tip. Tipping is a must in Cape Town – I’ve got a full guide to that here.
The last time I did the wine bus, I spent around R1,000, which covered three tastings, plenty of food, my bus ticket, and a few extra glasses of wine.
You can book your Constantia wine bus tickets here, with free cancellation!
Thanks so much for reading this blog post! I think that the Constantia wine bus is such an underrated way of going wine tasting in Cape Town, and I really hope that you enjoy it. For more underrated activities in Cape Town, check out the following:
Really useful, thank you 🙂
You’re so welcome – thanks for reading!
Good info, thank you! How do you get to Constantia Glen from Constantia Nek? Do you walk on the road or is there a secret cut-through somewhere? The road seems to be rather busy with no shoulder for pedestrians
Hey Matt!
Yes, you can just walk on the road. It’s a windy road up to Constantia Glen but it’s not usually that busy. Just keep your eyes and ears open for cars!
This is so helpful, thank you. I’m wondering whether to book my tastings at Groot and Beau Constantia in advance but it’s difficult to know what times to aim for depending on how long the bus takes and whether there are delays. I’m visiting in a few weeks – do you think it’s necessary to book the wine tours in advance? I’m thinking of setting off on the 9am blue route bus and booking an 11am tasting at Groot followed by perhaps 2pm at Beau. Do you think that allows enough time for travel in between? Thanks for your help!
Hiya. That’s plenty of time. It’s only a 10 min bus ride between the two! You don’t need to book Groot Constantia, but it’s a good idea to book Beau in advance! Have a wonderful time ☺️
Very useful blog, thanks. If I take an Uber to Groot Constantia , can I still get the purple bus to Contantia Nek and how much would it cost? (I’m guessing it’s included in the R325 of the blue bus route already?). Thanks
Hi Nick! Yes, in theory you can but you’d still need to buy your sightseeing bus ticket in town – it’s all covered under one ticket.