Stellenbosch
In 1679 Governor Simon Van der Stel undertook his first inspection tour of the outposts. On the 8 November he pitched his camp on the banks of the Eerste River ( ‘first’) and was so enchanted with the surrounding that he  decided to  found a settlement there and call it Stellenbosch. This was the origin of South African first town . The large number of oaks that line the streets have given the town the colloquial name Eikestad meaning ‘ City of Oaks ‘ Today there are almost 600 farms in the Stellenbosch region. Many of these farms still boats the original Cape Dutch Homesteads built in the late 17th and early 18th century. Of these 600 farms, there are approximately 80 wine estates. Many thousands of visitors follow the wine routes every year,  to taste and buy wine and experience the hospitality for which the valleys have become famous.  The names of some of these estates are household words wherever fine wines are appreciated. Read more about the wine estates in our Favourite Wine Estate section.

Paarl
Paarl was formerly founded in 1690 , five years after Stellenbosch, but its history goes back further.   The town was founded as De Paarl meaning Pearl, named after the Paarl Mountain which looks like a gleaming pearl in the rain. The Afrikaans Language Monument on the slopes of the Paarlberg was designed by architect Jan van Wijk and unveiled on the 10 October 1975 to commerate the origin and growth of Afrikaans and pay homage to the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners. The three columns of unequal height represent the contribution of European Languages to the development of Afrikaans; the three mounds of Africa and its languages; and a low wall that of the Malay speaking people of the Cape. The main column 57m high, curved and hollow and open at the top represents the growth of the language. The smaller column to the right symbolises the Republic of South Africa ; many cultures but one nation.Today Paarl is probably the most industrialised town in the Winelands, but as a tourist there are many  places to visit including : The Afrikaans Language Museum, The Oude Pastorie Musuem, the Huguenot Church, and KWV Wine Headquarters.

Franschhoek
In our opinion the town of Franschhoek is one of the prettiest in the Cape Winelands and definitely worth of a visit, if not a stay . The valley was originally settled in 1688 by French Huguenot refugees, many of whom were given land by the Dutch government in a valley called Olifantshoek ("Elephants' corner"), so named because of the vast herds of elephants that roamed the area.The name of the area soon changed to Franschhoek, with many of the settlers naming their new farms after the areas in France from which they came. La Motte La Cotte, Cabriere, Provence, Chamoic,  and La Dauphine were among some of the first established farms — most of which still retain their original farm houses today. These farms have grown into renowned wineries. This heritage is preserved today with the Huguenot Monument standing at the top of the village. The museum nearby chronicles the history of the first settlers, with each of the original Huguenot farms having its own fascinating story to tell.
The Cape Dutch Architecture in much of the village is unspoilt, with restrictions having been placed on the extent of renovations and new construction in order to preserve the spirit of the original settlers to the area.