Stellenbosch is a small, yet youngish city, because one of the best universities of South Africa is located here. In Stellenbosch you will old town houses, Cape style, like this building from 1907.

Another beautiful building of Stellenbosch, located at the historical core of the city.

And one more nice buidling, the Neethling Huis at 31 Ryneveld Street, which is used by the mayors office today.

In this area, you simply have to do at least one or two winetastings directly at the vineyard. We did our first session at Blaauwklippen Vineyards, which is quite easy to find. It is not too crowded, and both the wine and the service were excellent.

You may also take a look around the main building, to discover even more old houses built in the traditional "cape style".

If you are into hiking, you may want to consider to visit the Helderberg Nature Reserve in Somerset West. A few trails lead up the Helderberg, and you can easily spend a full day of hiking there. At the main entrance you are greeted by a Bontebok deer (or, for you latin guys, Damaliscus dorcas dorcas).

If you are thinking of another winetasting session, you might consider one of the largest vineyards in the area, called Laborie in Paarl.

We found that their wines are tasty, but the service was poor: the woman behind the counter did not explain anything related to the wine. We think, that Blaauwklippen (see above) was far better at this.

At Laborie, you can admire once more the traditional style of old cape houses.