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Franschhoek lies in a beautiful and picturesque fertile valley deep in the Cape Winelands and is only a 45-minute drive from Cape Town.
In 1685 the French Huguenots, who were exiled for their religious beliefs, settled in the valley to make it their new home and bought with them their winemaking skills with the first wine being pressed in 1700. Many of the old farm homesteads still exist with the characteristic Cape Dutch architecture. In 1938 the Huguenot Monument was built to commemorate the arrival of the Huguenots.
Franschhoek is known as the gourmet capital of South Africa and has well over 25 restaurants and boasts 8 of South Africas top 100 restaurants. One can also tour and enjoy many the valleys fine wines on the local estates. The village also has a host of jewellers, art shops, galleries and specialist stores.
For the more active one can enjoy paragliding, horse riding, mountain biking, hiking, a game of boule, fly-fishing as well as golf on a number of nearby courses.
Both the Stellenbosch and Paarl Wine routes are within a 25-minute drive and whale watching can be done from the cliffs in Hermanus, which is approximately an hour and a half away.
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