Paarl: Paarl, South Africa

Paarl

Paarl a Town for all Reasons

Only 56 km from Cape Town, Paarl offers historical charm, culture, architectural heritage, wine and fruit farms, breathtaking scenery and many cycling and nature trails. The magnificent countryside, good wines and friendly people welcome you to a town where a feeling of tranquility still transcends modern day living.

Paarl has a large area of unspoilt natural beauty at its doorstep. The Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve has a picturesque landscape of fynbos vegetation dominated by massive rounded granite rock formations set among wild olives, rock candlewoods and wagon trees. Fishing, hiking, picnics, climbing and mountain biking possible.

Paarl Arboretum was established in 1957 and boast with 4 500 trees (750 species) from 6 continents on 32 hectares of land along the Berg River. Enjoy a quiet moment while spotting the colourful Malachite Kingfisher in the 45 hectares of paradise at the Paarl Bird Sanctuary with its 140 species of birds visiting throughout the year.

The Limietberg Nature Reserve is nestled by the Du Toitskloof Mountains. This nature reserve offers superb outdoor opportunites like a day- or multi-day trail, within a pristine natural environment. The fynbos vegetation in the Paarl area supports a number of South Western Cape Endemics like the Cape Sugarbird and the Orange-breasted Sunbird.

Paarl also boasts a unique attraction in the fact that we are home to the youngest language in the world. The foundations for the Afrikaans Language were laid here. The Afrikaans Language Monument on the slopes of Paarl Mountain and the Afrikaans Language Museum are a living memorial to this achievement.

A picture house of architecture is found along the 2 kilometer stretch of the Main Street, starting at the Strooidak Church - the oldest Dutch Reformed Church in the country still in use. Zeederberg Square is surrounded by picteresque Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian houses. The Paarl Museum where you could view Cape Antiques, artefacts, documents and photographs which reflect the cultural diversity and development of the town.

Paarl also offers endless outdoor entertainment - Explore our attraction route and discover the wide variety of animal attractions that Paarl has to offer - Animalzone, Die Vonds Snake Centre, Drakenstein Lion Park, Le Bonheur Crocodile Park, Neffensaan Bird Park, Paarl Bird Sanctuary and Wiesenhof Wild Park. For the adventurous - enjoy a hot-air balloon ride, go mountain biking, climb Bretagne Rock, enjoy a guided horseride in the mountains or a guided cycling trip in the winelands.

The enthusiastic shopper will be delighted with the choice of hand crafted gifts and souvenirs - handspun Mohair and Karakul wool rugs, ceramics and art, reflecting the lifestyles of our local community, from Ikhwezi Community Centre. Paarl also offers a number of Arts & Crafts shops outlets. You can also visit our art galleries - Hout Street Gallery & Gift shop & De Kraal Gallery & Studio. The Paarl Fleamarket takes place every Saturday from 09:00 to 13:00 at Jan Phillips Square, and the Paarl Food & Craft Market takes place every last Saturday of the month at Eccentric Trading from 09:00 - 14:00.

The culinary delights from Paarl range from traditional fare to exquisite international cuisine. Restaurants and eateries are diverse in character and range. Cooking styles reflect individual personalities, the result being a diversity of cuisine from the most formal and elegant to the simplest, yet well-prepared dishes. You can also feast your senses on some strawberries, cheese, olives and nuts from our farms, factories and outlets in Paarl.

In addition to the many various delights to the visitor, Paarl houses the headquarters of a number of large agricultural, manufacturing and financial companies. Paarl also houses some of the oldest schools in the Cape and is home to the BoE Cricket Park which hosts international events. Paarl made headlines when President Mandela was released from the Victor Verster Prison, on the outskirts of town, to freedom and the start of the new South Africa.

Source: South African Tourism

Hotels in Paarl - Show all accommodation in Paarl »»
	Grande Roche Hotel From $113 per person per night	Grande Roche is a celebrated international hotel, famous for its exquisite location in the heart of the beautiful Cape Winelands as well as for its luxurious, cosmopolitan accommodation, award-winning cuisine and matchless service and hospitality.

	Roggeland Country House From $60 per person per night	Roggeland Country House is an exclusive Country Guest House offering a warm welcome with true Cape hospitality and a tranquil wine country atmosphere. Surrounded by the Drakenstein Mountains, this Paarl guest house has a perfect country setting to relax and unwind. Roggeland Country House is ideally situated to explore the wine routes of Paarl, Wellington, Tulbagh, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.

	Cathbert Country Inn From $58 per person per night	Cathbert Country Inn is situated in the foothills of the Simonsberg mountains at the start of the Franschhoek Wine Route; an ideal base for daily sightseeing trips - exploring the quaint, historical towns of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl and the surrounding vineyards, tasting the fruit of the Cape Winelands. Enjoy a glass of wine on your private verandah until you can see the valley change as the sun sinks below the mountains.

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Tours covering Cape Winelands - Show all safaris & tours covering Cape Winelands »»
	Western and Eastern Cape Self Drive (CIAA-ELA) From per person per night	Travel at your own pace and explore the beautiful Western Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces. Visit the magnificent Addo Elephant Park, see the whales at Hermanus and enjoy a variety of picturesque little towns through which you will travel before arriving in East London. *Tour Duration:* 20 days

	Safari & Wine - Waterberg & Franschhoek From $1229 per person per night	Welgevonden Game Reserve has grown to become one of South Africa’s premier privately held reserves. Here you will enjoy fantastic game viewing, traversing the undulating hills, following river courses and open savannah plains. This is followed by a stay in the most beautiful Cape Winelands, amidst the world famous vineyards surrounded by absolute luxury. *Tour Duration:* 7 days

	Safari & Wine - Kruger & Franschhoek From $1023 per person per night	Join guided walking safaris, game drives and birding safaris in an area where you enjoy exclusive traversing rights in the best Big Five game viewing area in the Kruger National Park. From here, you travel to what many regard as the most charming and picturesque village in the Cape Winelands, Franschhoek. *Tour Duration:* 6 days

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In and Around Paarl:
Paarl Wine Route Paarl Vintners invites you to explore the world's first 'Red Route'. As the Paarl region's umbrella association of wine producers, Vintners has embraced Paarl's territorial heritage as one of the most... More »»	Afrikaans Language Monument - Paarl This monument was erected in 1975 to honour the Afrikaans language. An imposing structure reaching into the deep blue sky of the Paarl Valley celebrating the language Afrikaans. More »»
Rhenish Complex - Stellenbosch One of the most excellent restoration projects ever undertaken in South Africa. The group of buildings reflect the architectural history of Stellenbosch - Cape Dutch (the old Rhenish parsonage gable... More »»	Franschhoek Wine Route Welcome to Franschhoek, Valley of the Huguenots, one of the premier destinations in the World of Wine. This fertile ground is where the French first made wine in South Africa 300 years ago. Today, that... More »»
Huguenot Museum and Memorial - Franschhoek Situated in one of the most beautiful valley's in the world, amongst a wild flower garden. The Huguenot Monument was erected in 1938 to commemorate the French Huguenots who arrived in South Africa in... More »»	Moederkerk - Stellenbosch Historic church on the outskirts of Stellenbosch After the fire of 1710 had destroyed the first church, the congregation, having little funds, were only able to commence work on a new church in 1717 on... More »»
Bain's Kloof Pass - Wellington A National Monument offering beautiful scenery and mountain fynbos. Wellington nestles at the foothills of the Hawequa Mountains and is also part of the route over Bain's Kloof Pass - a breathtaking... More »»	Constantia Wine Route The Constantia Wineland Experience The well signposted Constantia Wine Route includes Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Buitenverwachting, Constantia Uitsig and Steenberg. Estates are closed on... More »»
Groot Constantia Complex Groot Constantia, the oldest homestead in the Cape. The farm's Manor House, originally allocated to Governor Simon van der Stel in 1685, portrays life in the 19th century. Collections include Cape... More »»	Village Museum - Stellenbosch This museum represents the major stylistic periods of the previous three centuries. The thatched Schreuderhuis is one of the very first of 12 simple dwellings that formed the pioneer settlement. Gabled... More »»
Botanical Gardens - Stellenbosch South africa's oldes university gardens. The gardens contain indigenous and exotic plants, from Amazon water-plants, orchids and lilies, to bonsai, herb and desert plants, some of them extremely rare.... More »»	Wellington Wine Route A short wineroute whereby all the cellars are within easy reach of each other. The fact that the majority of South Africa's vine-cutting nurseries are found in the Wellington area is due to the... More »»

Map of Cape Winelands

	HEAD OFFICE 8 Kramer Road Kramerville Sandton, Johannesburg, 2146 South Africa Tel: +2711 262-6311

In and Around Paarl

Paarl

Paarl

Hotels in Paarl

Tours covering Cape Winelands

In and Around Paarl:

Map of Cape Winelands