What “included” means on each tour
Taken from the inclusion and exclusion lists on the product pages, checked on 29 September 2026. “Not listed” means the product page neither includes nor excludes it — check the booking options there.
| Tour |
Tastings |
Lunch |
Also good to know |
| Franschhoek Wine Tram from Cape Town |
Not included — paid at each estate |
Not included |
Transfer from Cape Town and hop-on hop-off tram ticket included; cellar tours not included |
| Winelands Day Tour with Tram Ride |
Included — three estates, four to five wines each |
Not included |
A tram ride is part of the programme |
| Full-Day Wine Tour with Wine Tram |
Not listed — check the booking options |
Not included (optional) |
Tram tickets included |
| Full-Day Winelands Tour (African Story) |
Included, with cheese and chocolate pairings when available |
Included |
Guided full day, 9 hours |
| Stellenbosch Four Estate Tour |
Included at four estates, with cheese, charcuterie and chocolate |
Included |
Focused on Stellenbosch |
| 3 Regions, 3 Estates, 15 Wines |
Included — 15 wines, with cheese snacks |
Not included |
Coach tour through Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl |
| Private Wine Tour, Stellenbosch |
Included |
Lunch platter included |
Return transfer only within 10 km of Stellenbosch — not from Cape Town |
| Stellenbosch Half-Day (Bosch Travel) |
Two tastings, with cheese and with biltong or chocolates |
Not included |
Five hours |
| Stellenbosch Half-Day (Glorious Cape) |
Included |
Not included |
Five hours |
| Historical Bike Tour & Wine Tasting |
Two tastings included |
Not included |
Starts in Stellenbosch, not Cape Town |
The half-day and bike tours appear on our overview of the Winelands wine tours.
The Wine Tram: freedom, with homework
The appeal is obvious: you ride between estates, get off where you like, stay as long as you like and taste what you like. The Wine Tram transfer from Cape Town takes care of the road there and back and gives you the hop-on hop-off day ticket. Nothing else is in the booking — tastings, food and cellar tours are paid at each estate on the day.
That freedom comes with homework. You pick a tram line and the estates you want to visit along it, and you plan the day around the tram’s timings. Trying to fit in every stop makes the day rushed; a handful of estates, chosen in advance, is a more realistic plan. Franschhoek is also about 1 to 1.5 hours from Cape Town by road, so the transfer takes a real share of the day.
Two more things worth knowing. Despite the name, parts of the hop-on hop-off network run with open-air trolleys or buses rather than the tram itself. And from December to February the tram is at its busiest — book ahead, and expect company at the popular estates.
!
The price on the tram transfer is not the price of the day
The Wine Tram booking from Cape Town covers transport and the tram ticket. Every tasting, every meal and every cellar tour comes out of your pocket at the estates. Compare it with the guided tours on what the booking covers, not on the headline figure.
The guided tour: tastings in the booking
A guided tour turns the Winelands into a finished plan: the route is set, the estates are booked, and the tastings are part of what you pay for. What you give up is the freedom to linger — the group moves on when the schedule says so.
Within the guided tours, lunch is the dividing line. The full-day tour by African Story Wine Tours and the Stellenbosch Four Estate tour by Wine Flies include both tastings and lunch, with food pairings along the way. The 3 Regions tour covers Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl with 15 wines and cheese snacks included — but lunch is paid separately, and it runs as a coach tour, so expect a large group rather than a minibus.
Tours that combine a guide with the tram
If you want the tram experience without planning it yourself, look at the tours that build it into a guided day. The Winelands day tour by African Eagle Daytours includes tastings at three estates — four to five wines at each — plus a tram ride; lunch is not included. The full-day tour with the Wine Tram by Cape Archives Tours includes the tram tickets, but tastings do not appear in its inclusion list, even though the tour name mentions them. Check the booking options on the product page before you choose it.
Private: your pace, based in Stellenbosch
A private tour removes the group and the fixed schedule. The private tour listed here includes the tastings and a lunch platter — but its return transfer only covers a 10 km radius around Stellenbosch. It is not a pickup from Cape Town. If you are staying in Stellenbosch or nearby, it is a relaxed way to spend a Winelands day; if you are staying in Cape Town, you would need your own way there and back.
The same applies to the historical bike tour: it starts in Stellenbosch, with two tastings on the way. Both suit travellers who spend a night or two in the Winelands.
Which one fits you?
- You like to set your own pace and do not mind planning — the Wine Tram transfer. Plan your line and your estates, and set money aside for tastings and food.
- You want one booking that covers the day — a guided tour with tastings and lunch included.
- You want tastings in the booking and will sort out lunch yourself — the 3 Regions tour, or the day tour with the tram ride.
- You want the tram, but with a guide — the day tour with tastings and a tram ride; check the tasting details on the Cape Archives tour.
- You are staying in Stellenbosch — the private tour or the bike tour.
★
In short
The Wine Tram is the flexible route: transport and a tram ticket, with tastings, food and planning left to you. A guided tour is the finished plan, with the tastings in the booking and, on some tours, lunch as well. The private tour is the relaxed version for travellers based in Stellenbosch. Whichever you choose, leave the driving to someone else.
