Cape Town - Paarl Travel Guides | Cape Town | Sub Regions | Cape Town - Paarl

While Paarl is home to two of South Africa’s better-known wine estates, KWV and Nederburg, the town itself is not as interesting as Stellenbosch nor as fashionable as Franschhoek. All of the attractions and restaurants are strung out along Main Street at the base of Paarl Mountain. When the first European, Abraham Gabbema, saw the mountain in October 1657 it had just rained; the granite domes sparkled in the sunlight and he named the mountains paarl (pearl) and diamandt (diamond). The town grew in a random fashion along an important wagon route to Cape Town. Several old buildings survive, but they are spread out rather than concentrated in a few blocks like Stellenbosch. Paarl is also a delightful place to watch an international cricket match in a peaceful rural setting. A good braai and some fine local wines make for a perfect day out.

There are regular trains between Cape Town and Paarl.

Paarl Museum Mon-Fri 0800-1700. Afrikaans Language Museum Mon-Fri 0900-1300, 1400-1700.

The 1-km walk along Main Street will take you past most of the finest buildings in Paarl. Here you’ll find one of the oldest buildings, the Paarl Museum, at 303 Main Street. This houses a reasonably diverting collection of Cape Dutch furniture. There is also a small section outlining Paarl during apartheid, although the fact that Nelson Mandela spent his final years in prison in Paarl is barely mentioned. Only a few hundred metres away, in Gideon Malherbe House, on Pastorie Street, the Afrikaans Language Museum gives a detailed chronicle of the development of the Afrikaans language and the people involved.

Near Lady Grey Street is Zeederberg Square, a 19th-century square with a fine mix of restored buildings and lively restaurants. Further south on Main Street is the Strooidakkerk, a thatched roof church, consecrated in 1805 and still in use. It stands in a spacious churchyard full of flowers and cypress trees. It was designed by George Küchler – note the gables, a sounding-board to amplify sermons and the fine pulpit. You may have to ask for a key from the church office.

Open during daylight hours. From the Publicity Office go down Market St, cross the river and it is on the right.

On the east bank of the Berg river is the 31-ha arboretum. There are over 700 different species in a total of 4,000 trees. The grounds have been divided into six sections, each containing species from different continents. There are 153 species from Africa, 48 from South America, 93 from North America, 113 from Australasia, 185 from Asia and 81 species from Europe.

The best views of the surrounding countryside are from Bretagne Rock; on a clear day you can see False Bay, Table Mountain and all the vineyards.

Small fee.

Set high on the slopes of Paarl Mountain amongst granite boulders and indigenous trees stands the Taal Monument – three concrete columns linked by a low curved wall. This is the Afrikaans language monument, inaugurated in October 1975 and designed by Jan van Wijk. Each column represents different influences in the language. The relative heights of each column and the negative connotations associated with them have been the subject of criticism in recent years. From here you have an excellent view across the Berg River valley.

Klapmuts, T 021-8755628. 0900-1700; Jun-Aug, 1000-1600. R15.

Those with kids in tow may wish to visit Butterfly World, the largest such park in South Africa, with butterflies flying freely in colourful landscaped gardens. Craft shop and tea garden.

Travel Guides | Cape Town | Sub Regions | Cape Town - Paarl
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