The town of Stellenbosch, once considered quaint, has grown into a vibrant cultural centre. It’s filled to the brim with students, restaurants and coffee shops, galleries, hotels and boutiques. If you are planning a trip to the Western Cape, you are sure to find numerous places to visit in Stellenbosch.
The university town of Stellenbosch is the 2nd oldest town in South Africa, coming in behind the Mother City, Cape Town. It’s known for its beautiful Cape Dutch architecture and oak-lined avenues. Stellenbosch is as picturesque as it is deeply historical. The vineyards that surround this town are second to none and winetasting in the area leaves no thirsty traveller wanting.
Here is a List of Places to Visit in Stellenbosch:
The Root 44 Market
The Root 44 market was officially started in 2012 and has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings. This market attracts locals and travellers with their usual market days and their events, like Japan Day. Surround by lush vineyards and trees, this indoor-outdoor market leaves its visitors with a sweet taste in their mouths.
Every weekend the venue fills up as crowds gather to experience amazing musical entertainment and enjoy delicious food. There really is a little something for everyone as the market is comprised of slow fashion stalls, food stalls, wine pairing, children’s entertainment, and it is proudly pet friendly.
The Stellenbosch Village Museum
If you’d like to get to know the town itself more intimately, the Village Museum should be top of your list of places to visit in Stellenbosch. The museum is actually four separate houses of historical interest and their gardens. Together, they create the full museum experience. The four houses are called The Schreuderhuis, Blettermanhuis, Grosvenor Huis, and OM Berghuis. .
We would suggest you allocate a good 1 to 2 hours for your tour around the museum. You can expect an informative, friendly, and well-presented guided experience if you choose to tour the museum with a guide. If you are at all interested in how the Dutch settlers lived in the 1700s, this museum is the place for you.
Eagle Encounters & Segway Tours at Spier Wine Farm
The Spier Wine Farm proudly hosts a wildlife rehabilitation, conservation, education, and eco-tourism centre. For those with a heart for animal rehabilitation, Eagle Encounters is a wonderful wildlife experience. This activity is both fun, hands-on and ethical. You can experience the raptors every day except for Mondays. You’ll learn all about local raptors and even get to witness them hunting.
If you’d like an even closer look at what the historical Spier Wine Farm offers, we suggest you opt-in for a guided Segway tour around the farm. The tour takes around 1 hour to complete and costs R375 per person. You get a first-hand experience of the vineyards and Spier’s natural farming methods in action.
Stellenbosch Equine Sport Center
Just 15 minutes outside of Stellenbosch lies the perfect holiday activity for the equine inclined. This equine center takes a holistic to animal care and training and offers trail rides to the public. You can choose to attend a sunset ride, a winetasting trail, or other trail riding experiences that suit your budget.
If your child isn’t quite ready for the full package, the Equine Sport Center offers pony rides at only R100 per child. All riding experiences that they offer come fully equipped with tack and safety gear.
Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden
For a relaxing day, filled with fresh air and stunning nature, the Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden is a must-see. This garden needs to be on your list of places to visit in Stellenbosch because of its outstanding amount of diversity of both indigenous and exotic plants. If you’d like to eat lunch and unwind in the garden, the Katjiepiering Restaurant is available for a bite to eat.
If you are interested in buying plants that would have avid collectors’ mouths watering, visit the botanical garden’s plant sales area. The entrance is only R15 and is more than worth it for the amount of diversity to get to experience.
Bottelary Hills Mountain Biking Trail
This renosterveld conservancy has opened its doors to the adventurous by offering the use of its mountain bike trails. These routes are well marked out and feature rolling hills, vineyards, farmland, and conservation areas.
Although the trails aren’t too technical, Bottelary Hills offers beautiful routes for riders of all fitness and skill levels. There are 6 trails that either forms a loop or rejoin other trails that spit you back out where you began. For only R70 per day, you can experience these incredible mountain biking trails.
Jonkershoek Nature Reserve
The Jonkershoek Nature Reserve is a Cape Nature project that hosts activities like mountain biking, swimming, walking and hiking. The admission is about R50 per adult, although it’s important to note that access to the mountain bike trails come with extra costs as they are owned by MTO Forestry.
The nature reserve is home to over 1100 species of plants and many species of mammals, birds, and reptiles. Keep your wits about you as you may run into berg adders, puff adders, boomslang and Cape cobras. Remember to bring your swimming clothes and take a dip in the waters of the Jonkershoek mountains which are the start of four separate rivers. You’ll be sure to find many rock pools and waterfalls on your adventures through the reserve.
Strawberry Picking at Polkadraai
Wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to set off on your strawberry picking expedition at Polkadraai farm. Imagine biting into a sweet, juicy strawberry that you choose and hand-picked. Although this farm offers more than strawberry picking, the picking is the main attraction. The price ranges from R45 to R200 depending on the size bucket you’d like to take into the field with you and there isn’t even a need to book.
Stellenbosch is home to stunning nature, vibrant markets, and amazing animal experiences that are once in a lifetime. Make sure that a few, if not all, of these destinations, are on your list of places to visit in Stellenbosch.