Dorp Street (Church Street in English, but universally called by its Afrikaans name) is the most beautiful street in Stellenbosch and one of the finest historic streetscapes in South Africa. The street is lined with restored Cape Dutch and Victorian houses, many of which date to the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, shaded by the oak trees that give Stellenbosch its other nickname — the "City of Oaks."
Walking the length of Dorp Street takes about twenty minutes at a gentle pace. The buildings now house wine bars, galleries, restaurants, and antique shops, but the architecture is the attraction. Look for the gabled facades, the sash windows, and the whitewashed walls that characterise the Cape Dutch style. The Oom Samie se Winkel general store at the lower end has been trading in much the same form since 1904 and is worth a look.