Is Paarl worth visiting?

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Paarl in South Africa is absolutely worth a visit, especially for wine lovers and nature enthusiasts.

This Western Cape town is located in the heart of the Cape Winelands, surrounded by hundreds of vineyards along the slopes of granite rock formations.

Top attractions include the award-winning wine estates like Babylonstoren, Fairview, and Glen Carlou offering tastings and vineyard tours.

There are over 200 cellars around Paarl producing some of

South Africa’s

finest Chenin Blancs, Cabernet Sauvignons, and Chardonnays.

The iconic Pearl Mountain or “Paarl Rock” overlooks the town and provides stunning panoramic views.

Hiking trails wind through the mountainscape and showcase the region’s unique fynbos vegetation.

For history buffs, the Paarl Museums offer a glimpse into the first settlements and pioneers, and the impact of the Anglo-Boer war.

An area rich in biodiversity, Paarl Nature Reserve has over 200 indigenous plant species and zebras, wildebeest, springbok, and more.

The charming Cape Dutch architecture in the historic town center features gables, thatched roofs, and decorative shutters.

With award-winning wines, incredible natural beauty, and historic charm – Paarl is a must on any South Africa itinerary.

 

Things To Do in Paarl

 

You will have to travel for around 45 minutes from the Cape Town.

So, as you land in the Cape Town International Airport, hire a cab or you can even go for bus or train which can take you to Paarl.

There are many transportation facilities easily available from the Cape Town.

It would be great if you can plan a stay of 3 to 4 days in Paarl as there is a lot to see here.

If you cannot spend too much of time in Paarl, then it is better to start in the early morning so that you would at least not miss the important attractions of Paarl.

By the end of the day you can plan your trip back to Cape Town.

Best time to visit Paarl ?

Things To Do in Paarl

 

The climate in Paarl is going to be perfect for traveling in the months of November to March.

These five months are the right time as you to visit this place and have loads of fun.

If you are planning a trip then make sure you are making the necessary arrangements for you and your family.

This is a small town and it may be little difficult to get good

accommodation

facility during these months as there would be too many tourists at this point of time.

But there are many restaurants and resorts in this

place for all tourists

.

It is just that you will have to make the reservation in advance.

Planning the trip during the period of November to March then plan it well.

10+ Best Things to do in Paarl

There are many beautiful places to see and my favorite things to do in Paarl, Western Cape Africa.

Let us have a look at those…

Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve

You can see three mountains shining like pearls and hence its name.

This is definitely a place which you should not miss on your trip to Paarl.

Its picturesque landscape of the mountain is very beautiful and you will enjoy it to the fullest.

You will have the “Fynbos” vegetation which is dominating the huge granite rock mountains.

The “Fynbos” which is spelt as Fine Bush is a wildflower garden.

This can be an excellent picnic spot for many tourists and also for people who live in and around Paarl.

You will enjoy the picnic at this place at the along with your family.

You will the entire day spent at the spot Fynbos.

 

Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve

 

Do not miss this place and it is definitely an ideal place for people of all age groups.

If you are having too much of energy levels, then you can take a walk from down the town till the top of the hill.

This does not mean that you can reach there only by foot.

You can even hire a taxi as there is enough space for a four wheeler to go up.

This place Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve will become the favorite place for many people when they visit this place.

The view from the top of the mountain is something that you will never forget in your life.

Afrikaans Language Monument

This attraction Afrikaans Language Monument is something that you should not miss on your trip to Paarl.

This place is located on top of a mountain and it is definitely worth visiting.

If you are interested in knowing more about the South African history and about their language then this is the place.

It was constructed in the year 1975 by Jan Van Wijk.

There are many languages involved in the formation of the Afrikaans language like Malay, Dutch, Malay-Portuguese, German, French, Arabic, English, Khoi and many other languages.

 

Afrikaans Language Monument

 

The design of this monument is having a very special meaning.

You will find three columns which are linked to each other and they represent the contribution of the western world for the formation of Afrikaans Language.

You also find three circular shapes which are going to represent the contributions from Africa.

The Malaysian people also contributed to this language formation and a wall in this monument represents this.

You have a pillar and fountain as part of the monument.

The fountain is representing the new ideas and the huge pillar which is 57 meters in height representing the growth of the language in future.

There is another pillar representing the political growth of South Africa.

This monument is also called as the Taal Monument.

KWV Sensorium

If you are someone who loves wine, then this is the place for you which you should not miss on your trip to Paarl.

This is a collection of 50 years old artworks from South Africa and its greatest artists.

This great work from South Africa has been put for the first time for public viewing.

The collection of art work consists of drawings, paintings and wood works of great artists like Irma Stern, Piet van Heerden, Jacob Pierneef and Gregoire Boonzaier.

You have a huge collection of paintings and drawing in this place.

This SWV Sensorium was started recently.

 

KWV Sensorium

 

There are three main reasons why this KWV Sensorium is opened in Paarl.

The first reason is you can enjoy the artwork of the greatest artists of South Africa.

You will be able to see more than 100 paintings at this place.

This is going to be very interesting to those who love and admire the art.

The second reason is to taste the wonderful wine of South Africa.

If you are someone who love wine, then you should taste the wine at this place.

You get different kinds of red wines.

The tasting process here has to be adopted by many countries.

It is entirely different from what you have experienced in the past.

The third reason is a combination of these two, you will be able to get the knowledge about all the paintings and the great people involved in them while you are tasting the best wine of South Africa.

This is definitely something that you should not miss.

Groot Drakenstein Prison (Victor Verster Prison)

First of all, you should make one point clear in your mind that this is an active prison and is not a place where tourists can visit easily.

This prison was the place where Mr Nelson Mandela was last put into jail.

You can see the bronze statue of Nelson Mandela in this place and the statue is easily accessible for everyone.

You have very professional and friendly staff at the prison who are ready to explain about the prison and its history.

If you are going to the prison with no knowledge about it, then you may feel that this is a school for boys.

It looks more like a school than a prison.

The people at this place are treated very well with a lot of care.

 

Groot Drakenstein Prison

 

You can also get the story about Groot Drakenstein who has escaped from this prison.

It took almost one week for him to escape from this prison.

The prison is surrounded by mountains and grape vines.

The one week journey for him to escape was from the jail to the Cape Town crossing all the hills and the grape vine fields.

This is a very interesting story that you should not miss when you are visiting this place.

It has become history.

The stories about Nelson Mandela and Groot Drakenstein are two things that you should definitely know in this place.

De Poort heritage village Paarl

This is a lovely place to see on your trip to Paarl.

This project is a non profit organization in the town of Paarl.

You have many housing wagons which are in the area of Paarl and they exist since 200 plus years in this area.

You have an excellent museum in this place.

Along with the museum you can also enjoy the weekend markets on every Saturday.

You have some good restaurants as well at this place.

It would be fun if you plan it on a weekend or else it can be a little boring at this place.

You have the sale of craft works at this De Poort heritage village Paarl.

Olyvenbosch Farm, Paarl

A family owned Olive farm which is on the slopes of the Paarl Mountain.

This place is exactly located in the Western Cape town.

You get an excellent view of the entire are when you reach.

If you love visiting some kind of farms, then you will like this place.

This Olyvenbosch Farm, Paarl is an awarding winning farm for producing excellent quality virgin olive oil.

The people over there are very friendly, but you will not be allowed to taste too many Olive at a time.

You can taste one by one.

The shop is actually not so big, but you will enjoy the view from the top of the mountain.

You also have many other Olive farms in and around Paarl but this is the best place.

You should try other Olive farms also in Paarl if you are too much in love with the taste of olives.

Pearl Valley Golf & Country Estate

If you feel that enough of sightseeing and now it is time to relax, then you can choose Pearl Valley Golf.

You can enjoy an excellent view of the place from here.

This is a 250 acre area which is full of greenery and water.

For all the golf lovers, here is the right place.

Let your family relax after a very tiring day at the resorts in this place, while you can enjoy the game and the beautiful nature.

It is located at the bank of the Berg River.

The layout of the golf court is very interesting and is in American Style.

You have an estate to stay along with your friends or family.

You also have a great restaurant on this Pearl Valley Golf & Country Estate which provides you some mouth watering food.

You must try the tasty food of South Africa here especially Paarl.

DV Artisan Chocolate

This is a very interesting place for people of all age groups.

Your kids will just love this place.

It is De Villiers family in Paarl, Cape Town.

They are the micro batch chocolate makers.

This is a very small but very interesting place where you can spend almost one complete day.

You will get a chance to taste different kinds of chocolates.

For all chocolate lovers, this is going to be the most memorable part of the trip.

You will just have to pay R25 for visiting this place.

You will get a chance to learn a lot about chocolate, making chocolate, and you can also get a chance to taste so many varieties.

The amount that you spend for this trip is quite less compared to what you have to spend on the chocolates at this place.

You will know the story behind the chocolate at this place.

If this is a family trip then you should be very careful as your kids will not leave this place.

I & F Elegant Country Tours – Private Day Tours

The best tour services in Paarl.

If you are not aware about where to go on your trip to Paarl or if you have not done any research about the places to visit in Paarl then you should definitely hire these tour packages.

There are different packages that this transport company can offer you.

They cover almost all parts of the town Paarl in their tour packages.

But the time you get to spend at each place varies depending on the package you select.

You will have very friendly staff at this private day tour.

They will help you know about the place.

You don’t have to hire any guide on your trip as your driver will help you with the required.

Boschenmeer Golf Estate

Another interesting place for golf lovers.

This is an interesting golf layout for people who like to golf at any time and any place.

This is a 27 hole layout, the first front holes are a bit easier to play and the last few holes are a little tough.

The Boschenmeer Golf Estate is an interesting and challenging layout for all kinds of players.

 

Boschenmeer Golf Estate

 

The greens at the golf estate is in an excellent condition and is well maintained.

Your kids also can enjoy this place.

You have a very welcoming staff at this Boschenmeer Golf Estate.

You can gather all kinds of information about the place and packages.

The 27

th

hole of this golf court layout is very interesting to play and very challenging as well.

Do not miss the last holes of this layout.

Plaisir De Merle – Wine Tasting

Another interesting place to taste the wines of Paarl, South Africa.

You have very beautiful place here to taste wine.

You have mountains in the surrounding areas, giving you an excellent view.

The taste of the wine here is also excellent and you also get a chance to learn a lot about wine and its tasting process.

You will have a wonderful time at this place.

The staff at this place are very friendly and provide a lot of information about the wine making process.

Apart from this wine tasting place, you also have many vineyards in Paarl.

You should definitely try at least a few of these places and you should also take a few along with you when you are returning back home.

You get the high quality wine in this place that you will definitely return back to this place very soon and just for the wine.

 

Plaisir De Merle - Wine Tasting

 

You have many more attractive places in this place Paarl.

You should not miss these places on your trip to Paarl.

Plan your trip in advance and you should make sure that you are hiring a guide for your entire trip if you are not hiring the services of any tours or travels.

This guide will help you in knowing how much time to spend at each place in this place based on your plan to stay in Paarl.

If you are not aware about certain things then you might waste a lot of time at those where you don’t need to do.

Have a well planned trip to Paarl and enjoy your trip.

ABOUT ME

Born & raised amidst the gators and orange groves of Florida, I’ve waded through the Everglades and braved the dizzying heights of Orlando’s roller coasters.

About Us Jeff from TravelMagma

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