Drive into Franschhoek on a summer afternoon and the mountains close around you on three sides, the vineyards climb their slopes, and the village waits at the end of the valley like a secret.
Before the settlers came, this was Olifantshoek, the Elephants’ Corner, because the herds came over the mountains to calve here. Then in 1688 some two hundred French Huguenots arrived at the Cape, Protestants who had fled their homes in France for their faith, and many of them were given land in this valley. They brought little more than their Bibles, their skills and their vine cuttings, and the valley became the French Corner, Franschhoek.
More than three hundred years later their names are still everywhere: on the farms, on the wine labels, on the street signs. And the village they began has become one of the loveliest in South Africa, with its galleries and chocolatiers, little shops under the trees, and some of the finest restaurants in the country.
John Sparks
What we love here
The Huguenot Monument
Three tall arches against the mountains, with the sun of righteousness and the cross above them, and in front a woman standing on the globe, holding a Bible and a broken chain: freedom of faith. Next door is the Huguenot Memorial Museum.
The main street
An easy walk under the trees, past galleries, chocolatiers, little shops and cafés, with the mountains at the end of every side street.
The wine
Cap Classique, the Cape’s own sparkling wine made the traditional way, is at home here, along with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Semillon from old vines. Haute Cabrière sits just above the village.
The table
Franschhoek is famous for its food, from long lunches on the wine farms to some of the most celebrated restaurants in South Africa.
Franschhoek, the way I like it
Up the valley
From the Drakenstein valley, along the road through the vines, with the mountains closing in ahead.
At the monument
We stop at the Huguenot Monument and I tell you the story of the families who came here with nothing and made this valley.
A walk through the village
Time to wander the main street, browse, and sit somewhere shady with something cold.
A glass to finish
A tasting in the hills above the village before we drive home.
They came with their faith and their vine cuttings, and they made a valley that the whole world now comes to see.
See it for yourself
Before you go
Where
About an hour and a quarter from Cape Town, half an hour from Stellenbosch over the Helshoogte Pass, and fifteen minutes from Boschendal.
When
Lovely all year. In February it is harvest, the vines are heavy with grapes and the afternoons are warm.
The monument
Open daily, at the top of the main street, with the museum beside it.
What to wear
Light clothes, a hat and comfortable shoes for the walk.