Booking choice: The wine tram day from Cape Town, 8.5 hours. Book this Tour details
Four short notices sit on the Franschhoek Wine Tram homepage right now. Rates go up from 1 November 2026. Roadworks around Franschhoek, Simondium and Klapmuts slow some days down. Mont Rochelle has moved its tasting room and restaurant. And the quiet winter weekday timetable is behind us.
None of it changes how the tram works. You still buy a seat, not a tasting: the ticket covers the trams and tram-buses on one colour line, and every glass and every lunch is paid at the estate. What changes is when you should book, how much slack to leave on the road, and where to find one Red line stop.
The quick answer
Tram rates rise from 1 November 2026; the operator says bookings from that date are charged at the new-season rates. Roadworks near Franschhoek, Simondium and Klapmuts can cause delays, and lines may be adjusted. Mont Rochelle pours at Miko, its hotel restaurant, while construction lasts. The reduced weekday timetable of mid-May to mid-September is over.
What changes on the wine tram from 1 November 2026?
The operator's own ticket rates go up. Its notice says bookings from 1 November 2026 onwards are charged at the new-season rates.
The wording on the operator's homepage is short: rates increase from 1 November 2026, and bookings from that date onwards are charged at the new-season rates. We don't print ticket amounts on this site. The current ones are on the official booking pages, and they are the only figures worth trusting.
One thing the notice leaves open: does "bookings from this date" mean the day you book, or the day you ride? The most literal reading is the day you book. If you already know your summer date, ask the ticket office before 1 November instead of assuming. Our tip: settle the date, then book once. A date change is possible up to 24 hours ahead if there is space, according to the official FAQ, but nothing there says a change keeps the old rate.
Nothing else in the notice changes. The tastings at each estate are not part of the tram fare, and each estate sets its own tasting charges.
Does the rate change affect tram tickets on GetYourGuide?
Not directly. The notice covers the operator's own bookings; a GetYourGuide listing shows its own price for your date when you book.
The wine tram day from Cape Town on GetYourGuide is sold by City Sightseeing South Africa and bundles a return coach from set pickup points with a one-day hop-on hop-off ticket. Its price is set on the listing, not by the operator's notice. Check the figure for your exact date, and read the cancellation terms on the listing, because they are separate from the operator's own 24-hour rule.
The same goes for the guided days that use the tram for part of the day, such as the full day with the wine tram. What does not change is the honest part: on the coach-and-tram listing, the know-before-you-go section says tasting fees, food and cellar tours are paid at the estates, even though one line of its Includes list suggests otherwise.
A coach from the V&A Waterfront and a one-day ticket on one line. You pick the estates and pay for tastings as you go.
Book this Tour detailsWhere are the roadworks, and how do they affect a tram day?
Around Franschhoek, Simondium and Klapmuts. The operator says they cause delays on certain days and that it may adjust the affected lines.
Simondium sits on the R45 between Paarl and the Groot Drakenstein end of the valley, close to the Orange and Green line estates. Klapmuts lies beside the N1, the road most people take out of Cape Town. The notice on the operator's site does not say which days or which lines, only that lines may be adjusted to cut waiting times.
Two things follow. The first is the drive in. Check-in is 10 to 15 minutes before departure, and departures do not wait for latecomers, so leave Cape Town earlier than the map app suggests. If you are starting at the Groot Drakenstein Terminal instead of Franschhoek, the FAQ already asks you to add 30 minutes to the departure time.
The second is the gap between vehicles. Stops run at about one-hour intervals and the line is one way, so a late tram-bus eats into the time you have at each estate. Plan three estates and treat a fourth as a bonus. Our guide on getting to Franschhoek from Cape Town compares driving, Uber and tours with transfers.
Where do you taste at Mont Rochelle now?
At Miko. The operator says Mont Rochelle has moved its tasting venue and restaurant there for the time being because of construction.
Mont Rochelle is the first estate named on the Red line, high on the slopes above the village. The notice on the wine tram homepage says the tasting venue and restaurant have moved to Miko while construction goes on. Miko is the restaurant of the Mont Rochelle hotel on the same estate. The notice gives no end date.
If Mont Rochelle is the reason you picked the Red line, ask the host at the stop where to go when you get off. If you want a lunch table, book it at least 24 hours ahead, as the official FAQ advises for all estate lunches. The storytelling walk to three wine farms also visits Mont Rochelle, on foot from the main road, with the tastings and lunch in its Includes list.
Prefer to walk? Ten wines at Mont Rochelle, Mullineux & Leeu and La Cotte, with lunch, on a four-kilometre trail.
Book thisWhich lines run on weekdays now that winter is over?
The reduced weekday timetable applies from mid-May to mid-September, so a November weekday falls outside it. Check the lines for your date anyway.
The official FAQ says that between mid-May and mid-September only certain lines run on weekdays. That window has closed for 2026. Five lines are listed on the operator's homepage: Red, Blue and Pink from the Franschhoek Terminal, and Orange and Green from the Groot Drakenstein Terminal. The GetYourGuide coach-and-tram listing adds that the lines on offer vary by day of operation, so look at the booking calendar before you fall for one estate list.
| Time of year | Weekday lines | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-May to mid-September | Only certain lines run on weekdays | Pick your line from what runs that day |
| Mid-September to mid-May | No weekday limit stated in the FAQ | Choose estates first, then the line |
| 24, 25, 31 December and 1 January | No service on these days | Book a day either side |
Book the coach and the tram in one go, then spend the day choosing between three or four estates.
Book thisHow should you book a November or December tram day?
Early, and with payment: the operator has a limited number of tickets per day and does not hold seats without payment.
The FAQ is clear on three points. Tickets per day are limited. There is no reservation without payment. Cancelling 24 hours or more before your departure gets a full refund on a direct booking; under 24 hours gets nothing.
Our order of play: pick the three or four estates you want, find the line that stops at them, then book the tram, then book the lunch. Our guide to the best wine tram line sets out which estates sit on which line. If the holidays are in your plans, read our Christmas and New Year post for the four closed days.
A guide, Stellenbosch, Lanzerac and Tokara, then the tram to three estates near the village. Pickup from your accommodation.
Book this Tour detailsFrequently asked questions
When do the new wine tram rates start?
From 1 November 2026. The operator says bookings from that date onwards are charged at the new-season rates. Ask the ticket office if you are unsure whether your booking date or your travel date counts.
Are wine tastings included in the new-season tram ticket?
No. The ticket covers the trams and tram-buses on one line. Tastings, food and cellar tours are paid at each estate.
Will roadworks make me miss my tram?
They can slow the drive on certain days around Franschhoek, Simondium and Klapmuts. Check-in is 10 to 15 minutes before departure and trams do not wait, so leave early.
Is Mont Rochelle still on the Red line?
Yes, it is listed on the Red line. While construction lasts, its tasting venue and restaurant have moved to Miko, the Mont Rochelle hotel restaurant.
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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option, and live availability on the booking page.
Franschhoek Wine Tram Hop-on Hop-off from Cape Town
- Return coach from set pickup points in Cape Town
- One-day hop-on hop-off ticket on a tram line
- Trams and open-air tram-buses between the estates
Full-Day Wine Tasting Tour with the Wine Tram
- Pickup from your accommodation in central Cape Town
- Guide and air-conditioned vehicle
- Wine tram tickets
Storytelling Walk to Three Wine Farms
Four kilometres of vineyard trails, ten wines and lunch
