5 best things to do in the university city of Stellenbosch, South Africa
The city that used to be called Eikenstad, nowadays Stellenbosch thus, it is surrounded by vineyards and oak trees and is the oldest European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town is certainly the oldest. Stellenbosch University is famous, and for that reason - apart from the vineyards around the city - there is plenty to do in the town itself. Of which: 5 x the best things in the city of Stellenbosch. Read more South Africa here
Traveling the Garden Route and looking for something new? We can say with certainty that it is not the ideal place to find a vintage store. And yet you will find a hell of an address in Stellenbosch! Dreamland Vintage Stellenbosch. The nice shop is attractive to the eye (pink walls and a cozy interior), but also sells beautiful vintage items. Trouser suits and denim from Levi's and Wrangler, for example. But you have also come to the right place for a nice Hawaiian blouse or tropical dress. Perhaps you can keep your new (responsible) outfit: cut off the tags and immediately parade through the city.
111 Dorp St, Stellenbosch Central
Schoon is definitely the nicest address in Stellenbosch (or so we think). Outside you can sit on the beautiful wooden stools under the canopy. Inside, the same, but you don't sit inside if you're in Africa, do you?!
The coffee is delicious, not to mention the sweet cake. There is even more available: delicious sandwiches, egg dishes, French toast and more in that category. But it's worth the stop for the coffee alone. It deserves an extra compliment: It is clean very beautiful. If you can't get enough of that: there is also a Schoon in Franschoek. Finally: the bread department of South African supermarket Checkers also sells Clean bread! With its own cupboard and all. If you don't visit the shop itself, you can buy the bread at Checkers. clean.co.za
Owwww… It's actually a bit difficult to choose which one is more fun: Clean or Legado? Legado is located around the corner from the university and is therefore always busy with students with their noses buried in books and coffee.
Here too, a beautiful interior. Apart from that, Legado Stellenbosch is located on a popular street in the center of the city. Not to be missed. Legado also has its own roastery a little further in the city. The story behind Legado is also nice: the business was opened by three friends who wanted to make good coffee and put their heart and soul into it. The trio has been giving workshops at their HQ since 2010. Nice if you want something different besides wine tasten in Stellenbosch! legadocoffee.com
In Stellenbosch there is more than enough food stalls in and around Church Street, but you can also walk all the way to the end (or the beginning, depending on where you are). That's where you will find The Green Goose Eatery. On the corner. Green Goose Eatery Stellenbosch is a small place with a great interior (hello green herringbone bar!) and a simple but delicious menu. No-bullshit haute cuisine they call it here. When the weather is nice, choose a table on the terrace. Then you can keep an eye on the square opposite the 'eatery' and enjoy the evening sun while sipping the delicious local wine.
If cool farm to table restaurants such as De Klepel or the Gebroeders Hartering in Amsterdam, Au Passage in Paris, The Pig at Combe in the English Cotswolds or the restaurants of April Bloomfield in New York are your thing, then you should like Spek & Bone in Stellenbosch don't miss it either. It is one of the businesses of chef Bertus Basson, a celebrated South African chef who gives classic dishes from his homeland a new twist. The menu here features a short and ever-changing selection of small dishes (which are secretly quite substantial) with, it should come as no surprise, a focus on meat. Although the restaurant was named after the pets of Bertus and his wife Mareli: a dog and a domestic pig. The restaurant is quite hidden: look for the Oom Samie Se Winkel sign and duck into the alley. Once inside, the environment may be a bit… simple. Cleared of all the fuss. But the clean classroom that is Bacon & Bone actually adds to the charm of the place. Fun fact: in the courtyard you sit at trendy marble tables on glossy black and white tiles in the shade of the city's oldest fruit-producing vine.
84 Dorp street, Stellenbosch, bertusbasson.com
