This is the Around Cape Town chapter from Lonely Planet’s Cape Town & the Garden Route guidebook.

There’s an abundance of day and overnight trips you can make from Cape Town. Northeast the magnificent mountain ranges around Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl provide ideal mi-croclimates for growing vines: this is South Africa’s premier wine region.

• explore elegant Stellenbosch, and its colonial architecture, good museums and scores of wineries
• maps
• decide which of the many excellent restaurants to eat at in the gourmet paradise of Franschhoek
• transport
• admire old Cape Dutch architecture and vineyards in Paarl, the Winelands’ largest town
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Winelands, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, Tulbagh, Robertson, The Overberg, The Elgin Valley, Hermanus, Gansbaai, Stanford, West Coast, Darling, Langebaan, Paternoster.

This is the Cape Town chapter from Lonely Planet’s Cape Town & the Garden Route guidebook.

Known as the ‘Mother City’ for its historical role in modern South Africa, Cape Town is domi-nated by Table Mountain. This magnificent rock is often draped with cascading clouds, while at its base are sun-kissed beaches.

• ride the cableway to the top of magnificent Table Mountain and look down on the city
• maps
• sail out to infamous Robben Island and ponder the country’s past and present
• transport
• saunter through historic Company’s Garden in the city centre and admire the surrounding architecture
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Sights, Activities, Tours, Festivals & Events, Sleeping, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping.

This is the Garden Route chapter from Lonely Planet’s Cape Town & the Garden Route guidebook.

You can’t help but be seduced by the glorious natural beauty of the Garden Route. The dis-tance from Mossel Bay in the west to Storms River in the east is just over 200km, yet the range of landscape, wildlife and outdoor activities is remarkable.

• wax your board at Mossel Bay’s surfing spots and take part in a host of other activities in-cluding shark-cage diving and coastal hikes
• maps
• explore George, the largest town along the Garden Route, with attractive old buildings, world-class golf courses and superb mountain drives
• transport
• stroll along the windswept beach and kayak the lagoons around Wilderness
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Mossel Bay, George, Wilderness, Buffalo Bay, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Nature’s Valley.

This chapter contains the Welcome to Cape Town & the Garden Route, Cape Town & the Garden Route’s Top 15, Need to Know, What’s New, If You Like..., Month by Month, Itineraries, Eat Like a Local, Wine & Wineries, Activities, and Regions at a Glance chapters from Lonely Planet’s Cape Town & the Garden Route guidebook.

Your journey to Cape Town & the Garden Route starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adventure: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info on outdoor activi-ties.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about Table Mountain National Park
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Welcome to Cape Town & the Garden Route, Cape Town & the Garden Route’s Top 15, Need to Know, What’s New, If You Like: Beaches, View-points, Free Stuff, Parks & Gardens, Art Collections, The Luxe Life, Activities & Sports, Enter-tainment, Live Music, Shopping & Markets, Month by Month, Itineraries, Eat Like a Local, Wine & Wineries, Activities, and Regions at a Glance.

This chapter contains the Cape Town Today, History, People & Culture, Architecture, The Arts, The Natural Environment, Directory A–Z, Transport, and Language chapters from Lonely Planet’s Cape Town & the Garden Route guidebook.

All the info you need on everything from history, wine, culture and the arts to flights, public transport, climate, money, the internet... you name it. Get tips for women travellers, gay and les-bian travellers, travellers with disabilities, and travellers with kids. And get the most out of your conversations with a handy language guide and glossary.

• a rundown on the area’s world-famous wine industry
• information on the natural environment of Cape Town
• full coverage of architecture from Cape Dutch Colonial to township shanties
• details on history, people and cultural events

Coverage includes: Cape Town Today, History, People & Culture, Archi-tecture, The Arts, The Natural Environment, Directory A–Z, Transport, and Language.