Car hire in Stellenbosch without a credit card

Why hire a car in Stellenbosch?

Stellenbosch, founded in 1679 on the Eerste River, is the second oldest town in South Africa in the Cape Winelands. The Stellenbosch Wine Routes, the first wine route in the country, started in 1971 and now has more than 150 members spread over five sub-routes. The farms are scattered over the hills around the town, so a car is the easiest way to visit several in a day, as long as one person stays sober behind the wheel.

Collect your car at the branch in town. Cape Town International Airport is about 35 kilometres away and has its own pick-up point. For more destinations, see car hire in South Africa.

Exploring the Winelands by car

Jonkershoek and the Helshoogte Pass

Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, about ten kilometres from the centre, has four hikes of 6 to 18 kilometres, from easy to strenuous. Permits are required for all trails and are sold at the entrance gate; cycling, dogs and drones are not allowed. To the east, the R310 climbs over the Helshoogte Pass through Pniel to the R45 in the Franschhoek valley.

Franschhoek and Paarl

Franschhoek is about 30 kilometres away over the Helshoogte Pass. The Franschhoek Wine Tram takes you to seven to nine wine estates, depending on the line, by tram and tram-bus; it starts from the terminal in Franschhoek, where parking is free, and some lines also leave from Groot Drakenstein, at the junction of the R310 and the R45, about 17 kilometres from Stellenbosch. Paarl, about 30 kilometres north, has the Afrikaans Language Monument on Paarl Mountain.

Mountain passes in the Winelands, such as the Franschhoek Pass and the Bainskloof Pass, can be closed after flood damage; check the Western Cape government's road notices before you drive one.

Driving around Stellenbosch

South Africa drives on the left. Your own licence is valid if it is in English and has your photo and signature; if not, bring an International Driving Permit. The legal alcohol limit for drivers is 0.05 grams per 100 millilitres of blood; plan your tastings with a designated driver. If you head north on the N1 to Worcester, you pass the Huguenot Tunnel toll plaza.

Best time to hire a car in Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch has no official weather station of its own. At Cape Town International Airport, 35 kilometres away, the summers are dry, with average highs of about 27°C in January and February, and most rain falls from May to August. Southern right whales can be seen at Hermanus, about 95 kilometres away, from June to November.

The longest South African school holiday runs from mid-December to mid-January, with shorter breaks around Easter, from late June to mid-July and in late September. Book early for December and January.