Franschhoek Wine Tram

The wine tram exists to solve one problem: the Franschhoek valley has dozens of estates, tasting means drinking, and the roads between them are narrow and policed. An open-sided tram runs on a restored section of the old branch line, and connecting buses complete the loops, so a ticket buys a hop-on hop-off circuit of six to eight estates on a chosen colour-coded line. You get off, taste, eat if you want, and pick up the next vehicle roughly every hour. The valley itself is the other half of the appeal - vineyards against high mountain walls, and a village founded by French Huguenot refugees in 1688 whose farm names are still French. Tastings and food are paid separately at each estate and add up quickly. Booking well ahead matters in season; the popular lines sell out weeks in advance.

What you actually see

• The tram line - open-sided cars on a restored section of branch railway.
• Six to eight estates - a colour-coded hop-on circuit, no driving required.
• The valley - vineyards enclosed by high mountain walls.
• The Huguenot names - French farm names surviving from the 1688 settlement.

When to go

All year; February to April for harvest. A full day. Book weeks ahead in season.

Honest expectations

Tastings and meals are not included and the day becomes expensive. The schedule is fixed, so a slow lunch means missing a stop. Lines sell out far ahead in summer. Much of the route is by bus rather than tram.

Nearby

Stellenbosch is west over the Helshoogte pass; Paarl is north.