Cape Garden Centre, Your Landmark to an Exciting Weekend

3 November, 2026 Rudy Maritz

Cape Garden Centre in Joostenbergvlakte, is a well-known landmark on the northern edge of Cape Town. This guide uses it as a starting point for a relaxed weekend in the area, with wine estates and farm restaurants on the road towards Klapmuts and Paarl, and a guest house to stay at overnight.

Getting to Cape Garden Centre

Joostenbergvlakte is in the Kraaifontein area, a short drive from the N1. Cape Garden Centre is just a convenient reference point when giving directions, and everything below is described relative to it.

Using the Area as Your Starting Point

Wherever you begin in Joostenbergvlakte, plan your day around a few stops rather than one long drive. This stretch is quiet and mostly farmland, and distances are short, so you can combine a morning stop and a late lunch without rushing.

Cape Garden is a handy landmark, but the real reward is the countryside around it.

Nearby Stops Within Easy Reach

Joostenberg Wine Estate: a working farm with a manor house dating to 1756, organic wines, a bistro, a deli and The Kraal restaurant. Booking is essential for The Kraal. Hoopenberg Road, Muldersvlei. Tel 021 200 9903 (office hours), winery@joostenberg.co.za. The Kraal bookings: 079 641 1320, kraalrestaurant@joostenberg.co.za.
Hoopenburg: a wine estate where the vineyard is 100% bush vines. 101 Old Paarl Road, Muldersvlei. Tel 021 884 4221, info@hoopenburg.com.
Laibach: a family wine estate near Klapmuts with tastings. R44 Klapmuts Road. Tel 021 884 4511, info@laibachwines.com.
Lievland: a wine estate dating to 1715, with a cellar built in 1823 and a Cape Dutch house from 1828. R44, Klapmuts. Tel 021 879 7892, info@lievland.co.za.
De Meye: a wine estate offering a set-menu lunch at The Table. Book ahead. Muldersvlei Road, off the R101. Tel 063 025 6110, info@demeye.co.za.
Drakenstein Lion Park: on the Old Paarl Road, for a longer day out.

A Suggested Weekend

On Saturday, start in Joostenbergvlakte, visit one or two of the stops above, and finish with a late lunch at one of the farm restaurants before checking in for the night. On Sunday, take a slow morning, then visit a wine estate or the Drakenstein Lion Park on the Old Paarl Road before heading home along the N1.

Where to Stay

To turn this into a weekend, base yourself at Afi Plaas Guest House, the first stop for travellers coming into the Joostenberg Corridor from the west and the last for those arriving from the east. Contact the guest house directly for rooms, rates and availability for your group.

Planning Your Visit

Best time to go: weekday mornings are quieter, and spring is when the surrounding farmland looks its best. Always confirm opening hours before you set off, as farm venues keep their own hours.