You don't have to limit yourself to a single destination when visiting the Cape Winelands: the popular wine-making towns of Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl all lie within easy reach of each other and most scheduled Wineland day tours include a taste of all three.

Even closer to Cape Town, the leafy suburb of Constantia is where to go in the Cape Winelands for the birthplace of South Africa's wine-making industry and to visit some of the country's oldest and most beautiful estates which lie conveniently close to other places of interest such as the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

For those who prefer to wander off the beaten track, we'd recommend the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near the whale-watching town of Hermanus or the wine estates of the hugely scenic Route 62. Although not as well-known as Franschhoek and Constantia, these alternative wine routes are equally pleasing to both eye and palate, and can easily be combined with a self-drive holiday along either the Whale Coast or the beach-lined Garden Route.