The French Charm of Franschhoek

Franschhoek

Meaning French Corner, Franschhoek, was first col­on­ized by the French Huguenots in 1692. One of the most fam­ous attrac­tions in the town remains the Huguenot Memorial, with its dis­tinct­ive three arches, rep­res­ent­ing the Holy Trinity and the woman, hold­ing a bible and broken chain, sym­bol­iz­ing these early set­tlers escape from reli­gious oppres­sion, which is loc­ated at the end of the main road. When enter­ing Franschhoek, one is imme­di­ately aware of an air of relax­a­tion and eleg­ance, and on any given day, the streets are lined with hol­i­day makers and leis­ure seekers.

A cul­tured and refined little town, the French influ­ence on the cul­ture and archi­tec­ture is vis­ible almost any­where, and many of the Franschhoek attrac­tions reflect this his­tory. The town hosts a large array of annual fest­ivals, ran­ging from the Bastille Festival, com­mem­or­at­ing the towns his­tory, to the Franschhoek lit­er­ary fest­ival, wine, cham­pagne and cheese fest­ivals to name a few, all dis­play­ing the same air of refine­ment that the town itself is renowned for.

As far as fine din­ing is con­cerned, Franschhoek has some­what of a repu­ta­tion for being among the best. The Franschoekian ded­ic­a­tion to food is clear. There are 36 res­taur­ants in the town itself, which has a total pop­u­la­tion of around 6000 people in total. Art gal­ler­ies, curio shops and farm stalls abound in and around the town, and any­one look­ing for memen­tos of their trip, or gifts for their loved ones at home will be spoilt for choice.

Franschhoek

After all that eat­ing, it will prob­ably be prudent to do some­thing a little less sedent­ary, and the sur­round­ing coun­tryside offers vari­ous choices. The Mont Rochelle Equestrian Centre offers horse riders tours and trails through the hills and val­leys sur­round­ing the town, while cyc­ling enthu­si­asts can hire bicycles from Manic Cycles and explore the area them­selves. Fishing enthu­si­asts can take advant­age of the fly fish­ing on offer at Dewdale Flyfishery, which also offers train­ing to novices. Along with hik­ing, quad bik­ing, 4 x 4 trails and other out­door activ­it­ies, as well as the Wemmershoek dam and water sports within easy reach of the town, out­door activ­it­ies are abundant.

After a days fun in the sun out­doors, what could be bet­ter than set­tling down to a movie? Settle down at the Screening Room which offers a unique movie watch­ing exper­i­ence from the com­fort of a couch or arm chair, while sip­ping a local wine and enjoy­ing tasty snacks. This private movie house screens everything from golden age clas­sics to cinema nouveau.

Long touted as an advanced town in terms com­munity empower­ment, many uplift­ment pro­grammes have been ini­ti­ated, a good example being the Huguenot Fine Chocolates chocolat­erie, which is a joint ini­ti­at­ive between the town and the Belgian gov­ern­ment. Watch the experts make your chocol­ates while you wait, and then savour every bite.

So it is clear, if you are plan­ning a trip to Franschhoek, whether for a romantic get­away, a fam­ily out­ing, or a wed­ding, with all the fine food and other del­ic­acies on offer, as well as the slower pace of life to be enjoyed, you had bet­ter for­get about your waist­line, at least tem­por­ar­ily. One thing is assured though, nowhere else will you find this kind of ded­ic­a­tion to the good life. C’est La Vie.

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Franschhoek Attractions
Franchhoek Hotels
Franschhoek Accommodation