In South African culture, going for a picnic is a typical pastime activity. The reason we choose to picnic may vary in purpose from activities like dates, walks in parks, music festivals, and the traditional road trip’s need to stretch the legs. Whatever the reason, we love it. That’s why we made a list of prime picnic spots in Cape Town and surrounding areas.
Have we missed any of your favourite spots? Please let us know in the comments below or email editor@staging.whatsonincapetown.com
THE CELLARS HOHENORT HOTEL
The Cellars Hohenort is a beautiful five-star hotel situated in the Constantia Valley, in an area known for its rich history and as the ‘Cape Town’s Vineyard.’
The hotel belongs to the Liz McGrath Collection and features 51 elegant guest rooms and suites. Even with the number of rooms, each room boasts breathtaking views of Table Mountain and the property’s award-winning gardens.
Speaking of the award-winning gardens, guests can enjoy the beautiful settings with the Picnic options available on the menu. With two set menus, you can expect an array of foods ranging from items such as tapas, freshly baked goods, free-range roast chicken, artisanal house salads, cakes and many other tasty treats.
If you would rather like to sit indoors, the grounds are also home to two award-winning restaurants, the Greenhouse and the Conservatory.
See here for more.
Where: 93 Brommersvlei Rd, Constantia Heights, Cape Town
When: Daily: 11am – 6pm
Website: hohenorthotel.com | Email: reservations@collectionmcgrath.com | Tel: 021 794 2137
Facebook: @TheCellarsHohenort | Instagram: @mcgrathhotels
HAZENDAL WINE ESTATE
This lavish and green historic Cape farm boasts stunning Cape Dutch architecture that dates back to 1790 and lush gardens in true Cape Town fashion.
Naturally, Hazendal offers visitors a chance to appreciate and enjoy these backdrops through the picnic experience on offer. These Babushka Picnics entail generous baskets filled with delicious fresh fare to be enjoyed on the property’s shaded green lawns or near the landscaped wetlands.
Enjoy a relaxing family day out in one of the Cape’s oldest wine estates by admiring the gardens and sculptures or streams one can splash in. If you have finished your picnic but would like to stay longer, the venue also offers wine tastings, Kleine Hazen Putting Course, a classic car collection, and sensory kids’ play centre.
Bookings are weather dependent and must be made 24 hours in advance. The picnic time slots run from 10am or 1pm. See here for more.
Where: Bottelary Rd, Stellenbosch
When: Tue – Sun: 10am – 5pm | Sat: 8am – 9pm | Sun: 8am – 5pm
Website: hazendal.co.za | Email: reception@hazendal.co.za | Tel: 021 903 5034
Facebook: @HazendalWineEstate | Instagram: @hazendal_estate
LABORIE ESTATE
Laborie Estate invite guests to experience a lunch or sunset picnic in the beautiful Winelands. This picnic experience warrants the combination of beautiful gardens, views over the vineyards, seasonal food, and great wines.
Guests can enjoy some downtime as they lie down, calm down, and let their hair down. This is easily achieved, as guests sit back in picnic chairs or stretch out on blankets under the shade, whilst surrounded by the lush views of the Winelands.
Indulge in a beautifully stocked picnic box with delicious treats and seasonal delights. For the readers always on the lookout for seconds, guests can pop in at the Farm Grocer to refill their basket or add something extra.
Laborie’s sunset picnics allow guests to make the most of the long and balmy summer evenings. Simply make a booking in advance and collect your basket from the Manor House. Lunch picnics run from 12pm until 2:30pm, and sunset picnics are from 4pm – 5:30pm. Please note that sunset picnics are not available on Sundays.
Where: Laborie Estate, Taillefer, Southern Paarl, Paarl
When: Wed – Sat: 12pm – 5:30pm | Sun: 12pm – 2:30pm
Website: laborieestate.co.za | Email: picnics@laborieestate.co.za | Tel: 021 807 3095
Facebook: @LaborieEstate | Instagram: @laborieestate
ZORGVLIET WINES
Zorgvliet Wines is situated between the two most spectacular wine areas in South Africa. These are, of course, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. Because of Zorgvliet Wine Estate’s prime location, it possesses a glorious vineyard backdrop and breathtaking views of the majestic Simonsberg and Drakenstein mountains.
With this panoramic view of the mountains, it is the perfect location to set up a quaint and lovely picnic at the foot of Simonsberg. The allocated picnic area and restaurant grant an unforgettable day out in nature.
Enjoy the best of what Zorgvliet Wine Estate has to offer while being surrounded by picturesque landscapes and historic whitewashed Cape Dutch architecture. Simply bring a blanket and pick a spot under the shade of Oak trees. If you have a grass allergy or don’t like sitting on the ground, there is a selection of tables to choose from without sacrificing the view. If for some obscure reason, you forgot to bring your snacks and food, you can pick a basket from the picnic basket menu or sit down and choose a dish from their new gourmet small plates lunch menu and experience a culinary journey.
Where: Zorgvliet Wine Estate, Banghoek Valley, Helshoogte Rd, Stellenbosch
When: Wed – Sun: 11am – 5pm
Website: www.zorgvliet.com | Email: info@zorgvliet.com | Tel: 021 885 1399
Facebook: @Zorgvliet Wines | Instagram: @zorgvlietwines
THE GALILEO
At the Galileo, when the sun sets the stars come out. With an open-air cinema, you get double the stars for one price. Enjoy the glittering line-up of romantic comedies, cult classics, musicals, adventure sports and family favourites as you cuddle up on your picnic spot and soak in the awe-inspiring sky.
Lap up the luxury in an intimate setting of a movie, backrest, blanket, welcome drink, appetiser and popcorn. The Galileo Picnic provides the classic and cherished Galileo experience, with a local artisanal market, giant lawn games and a social pre-movie picnic at sunset.
With all the different artisanal food vendors offering their delicious snacks, meals and beverages, it’s easy to stack up a pile of food on your blanket. However, if you’re feeling fancy, some of the tickets include food in the pricing. These are primarily the VIP tickets. Please see here for more information regarding ticket types and prices.
Visit the Galileo website here, to view or book the upcoming shows, their locations and starting times.
Where: Various venues in Cape Town and at surrounding wine farms
When: Oct – Apr | Doors open based on movie times
Website: thegalileo.co.za | Email: hello@thegalileo.co.za | Tel: 071 471 8728
Facebook: @GalileoCinema | Instagram: @thegalileo
THE TWELVE APOSTLES HOTEL AND SPA
With a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean, the award-winning Twelve Apostles Hotel And Spa is situated on Cape Town’s most scenic route. This view includes the Twelve Apostles mountain range and Table Mountain National Park. Because of this prime location, this venue offers a variety of picture-perfect picnic spots with breathtaking views all year round.
The Twelve Apostles Hotel And Spa offers three highly enticing picnic packages. The first of the three is known as the Panoramic Picnic package. This is set in the hotel’s fynbos garden for fresh air and plenty of outdoor space to entertain the kids. Something for the family or romantic date nights.
Speaking of romance, the second picnic package to consider is the Proposal Picnic at Stanley’s Rock. The name pretty much says it all. It’s a spot a much-loved landmark set in the gardens of the hotel. Thanks to the grandeur of nature and the romantic views over the ocean, this gem has become the optimal location for a romantic picnic and proposal.
Last but not least, the Twelve Apostles Hotel And Spa offers a picnic package that includes walking trails and easy pathways on the mountainside. These paths then lead to amazing picnic spots with dramatic sea views and are equipped with tables and umbrellas for cool shade and a relaxing ambience.
Picnic spots are subject to availability and can only be upgraded 72 hours before the booked time. See here for more.
Where: Victoria Rd, Camps Bay,Cape Town
When: Daily: 10am – 5pm
Website: 12apostleshotel.com | Email: restaurants@12apostles.co.za | Tel: 021 437 9255
Facebook: @12ApostlesHotelAndSpa | Instagram: @12apostleshotel
JORDAN WINES
Jordan Wines is a family-owned wine farm situated in Stellenbosch. On the estate, guests can expect features such as a wine-tasting centre, luxury accommodation, conference facilities, vineyard tours and two world-class restaurants. The restaurants offer casual all-day menus seven days a week, where visitors can choose from a selection of dishes of the day and platters to share.
However, we’re here to talk about picnics and not fine or fancy dining. So, this is as good a time as any to mention that Jordan Wine Estate offers private picnic pods on the estate’s lawn. These pods can accommodate 2-8 adults and boast a beautiful view of the Stellenbosch valley and the Stellenbosch mountains.
Simply make a booking, and your picnic supplies can be collected at 12:30 and enjoyed until 4pm. The picnic baskets are packed and filled to the brim with in-house freshly baked goods, accompanied by all sorts of sweet and savoury treats. There are vegetarian and vegan options.
If you would like to read more about the picnics, click here.
Where: Stellenbosch Kloof Rd, Stellenbosch
When: Daily: 12:30 – 4pm
Website: jordanwines.com | Email: reservations@jordanwines.com | Tel: 021 881 3441
Facebook: @jordanwines | Instagram: @jordan_wines
EAGLES’ NEST WINES
This beautiful secluded garden was once part of the Groot Constantia wine farm. Historically it operated as a commercial farm that produced vegetables for the local market and fruit for exportation. In 1984, the Myrlea family bought the farm. However, it was only after the devastating mountain fire destroyed most of the crops in the year 2000, that the wine farm was cultivated into the wine farm we love and know today.
What makes this estate so unique is that the terroir is best suited for red wines even though it is situated in the same valley as the Constantia Valley which is best known for its white wines.
Eagles’ Nest Wines has a beautiful outside section where guests can listen to the choir of various birds while indulging in the food on offer in the gentle shade of the surrounding trees. More specifically, there is an open spot of soft grass where visitors can set up a blanket and treat themselves to a picnic while having a wine tasting.
Where: Old Constantia Main Rd, Constantia, Cape Town
When: Mon – Sun: 10am – 4:30pm
Website: eaglesnestwines.com | Email: reservations@eaglesnestwines.com | Tel: 021 794 4095
Facebook: @EaglesNestWines | Instagram: @eaglesnestwines
SPIER
Internationally known for its fantastic wine and fabulous picnicking, it would be foolish not to add the legendary Spier.
Situated near the lush area of Stellenbosch, this wine farm is one of our country’s oldest and most well-known wine farms. Their history goes all the way back to 1692, and their success has allowed them to remain relevant, or rather dominant, to this day.
Their delicious, farm-inspired picnics change every season to ensure that guests get to taste the flavours and fruit our beautiful country has to offer during that time of the year. These baskets contain as many ingredients as possible that they could obtain from their very own farm and trusted local producers.
Blankets, cutlery, and glassware are all included in these picnic baskets, and it is worth noting that food and beverages from outside the premises won’t be allowed inside. The baskets can be collected between 12pm and 2pm, and picnics are held until 4:30pm.
See here for more.
Where: Old Constantia Main Rd, Constantia, Cape Town
When: Mon – Sun: 12pm – 4:30pm
Website: spier.co.za | Email: reservations@spier.co.za | Tel: 021 809 1100
Facebook: @spierwinefarm | Instagram: @SpierWineFarm
THE SKOTNES AT NORVAL FOUNDATION
Norval Foundation is known as a place of beauty. Whether it’s for the art, the food, or the landscape that surrounds it, guests are always in awe no matter which way they cast their gaze.
On the premises awaits the ever popular, The Skotnes Restaurant. Named after legendary South African artist and teacher Cecil Skotnes, it is only natural that it also houses a world of art. The restaurant overlooks the foundation’s serene wetland and Sculpture Garden and aptly integrates nature and architecture in one beautiful setting.
Regarding the picnics, guests are welcome to purchase a package that allows them to relax in the garden and enjoy a selection of goods provided by The Skotnes Restaurant. These picnic tickets also include parking and entrance to the Sculpture Garden.
Bookings must be made 24 hours in advance and can be made by following this link.
Where: 4 Steenberg Rd, Steenberg Estate, Cape Town
When: Wed – Sun: 12pm – 4pm
Website: norvalfoundation.org | Email: bookings@theskotnes.com | Tel: 087 654 5902
Facebook: @TheSkotnesRestaurant | Instagram: @theskotnes_at_norvalfoundation
KIRSTENBOSCH NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDEN
Acclaimed as one of the best botanical gardens in the world, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden creeps up against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain.
Truth be told, it is hard to believe that these majestic gardens we stroll through today used to be one large neglected and overgrown farm that housed a ruined homestead, hordes of pigs, thickets of weeds and extensive plantations of alien plants in 1913.
Currently, The Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is open to the public and widely regarded as one of the prime picnic spots in Cape Town where friends, families and lovers can enjoy each other’s company over snacks and walks.
We recommend travelling light, as you would want to spend a lot of time relaxing at your picnic spot but also not have to carry too many things as you make your way through all the different garden sections.
With an abundance of flowers and trees, one can be assured that the Fauna and Flora will easily keep visitors entertained for hours as they marvel at the overwhelming amounts of plants and greenery.
Where: Rhodes Drive, Newlands, Cape Town
When: All week: 8am – 7pm
Website: sanbi.org | Email: kirstenboschinfo@sanbi.org.za | Tel: 021 799 8783
Facebook: @KirstenboschNBG | Instagram: @kirstenbosch_nbg