Local Guides

Things to Do in Strand & the Helderberg

Green Gables sits in Strand on False Bay, in the Helderberg and about 48 km from Cape Town. Somerset West and Gordon's Bay are on the doorstep, and within an hour's drive are the Helderberg's wine estates, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and the V&A Waterfront.

These guides cover beaches, wine estates, restaurants, hikes and day trips, with distances measured from our door.

Beaches

Strand Beach

Soft white sand, gentle waves, and a five-minute walk from our door. Come for a swim, stay for the sunset.

Dining

Veld Restaurant at Spier

Dinner built around whatever the Spier gardens and local farmers are growing that season, with the estate's own wines alongside.

Day Trip

Stellenbosch

Oak-lined streets, Cape Dutch buildings and galleries, with cellar doors close by. South Africa's second-oldest town is an easy day out from Strand.

Wine Estate

Lourensford Wine Estate

Vineyards, orchards and fynbos under the Helderberg, with daily tastings, a market on Fridays and Sundays, lunch at The Millhouse Kitchen, and plenty to do outdoors.

Wine Estate

Vergelegen Wine Estate

Founded in 1700, with eighteen gardens to wander, towering camphor trees, cellar tastings, and lunch or a picnic on the lawns.

Wildlife

Cheetah Outreach

Learn about cheetahs up close at a Somerset West conservation project and, if you're feeling brave, meet one in person.

Dining

Idiom Restaurant

Italian and South African cooking on a mountainside terrace, with the Helderberg basin and False Bay laid out below.

Market

Elgin Railway Market

An old 1940s apple warehouse near Grabouw, now a steampunk and art deco market with street food, craft drinks, live music and a vintage steam train.

Beach & Coast

Kogel Bay & Dappat se Gat

Wild, dramatic coastline on Clarence Drive, with a sea cave you can step into at low tide and surfers riding the waves below.

Craft Beer

Triggerfish Brewing

A craft brewery with a friendly taproom, a kitchen, live music and a Sunday market, ten minutes from Green Gables in Paardevlei.

Art

Helderberg Fine Art Studio

Art classes, atelier training and commissions from Tiana Goosen's studio, right here at Green Gables. Book a lesson while you stay.

Day Trip

Day Trip to Franschhoek

A valley village ringed by mountains, with Huguenot history, cellar doors and long lunches along one walkable main street.

Dining

Vergenoegd Löw & Geuwels Restaurant

Time your lunch at Geuwels with the daily parade of Indian Runner ducks, as they march out to work in the vineyards.

Hiking

Hiking the Helderberg

Trails from a ten-minute stroll to a full-day summit climb, on the mountain that looks down over Strand and False Bay.

Day Trip

Day Trip to the V&A Waterfront

Cape Town's working harbour with Table Mountain behind it: a museum of contemporary African art, an aquarium, a big wheel, and plenty of places to eat.

Farm & Garden

Babylonstoren

A historic Cape Dutch farm in the Franschhoek wine valley, with a garden of more than 300 kinds of fruit and vegetables, restaurants that cook from it, and cellar tours.