The best rugby trips don’t start and end when the whistle blows, and some destinations’ rugby identity is so deep that it shapes the whole visit. This gives fans a genuine reason to explore long after they have left the stadium behind and the crowds have drifted back into the city.

Cape Town

DHL Stadium sits directly beneath Table Mountain, giving Springbok test matches one of the most striking backdrops anywhere in world sport, and the domestic season is just as spectacular, with Currie Cup fixtures and results drawing loyal, local crowds throughout the year across the country. 

What sets Cape Town apart is everything sitting within reach of the ground, such as Table Mountain’s cable car, the coastal walks around Camps Bay, and the Cape Winelands less than an hour away, all turn a single test match into the centrepiece of a much bigger trip.

Edinburgh

Murrayfield gives Six Nations weekends their edge and their noise, with bagpipes leading fans toward the ground and 67,000 voices singing Flower of Scotland before kick off. 

After the final whistle, many fans filter into the city’s many historic pubs for local ale, traditional Scottish fare, and live folk music.

The climb up Arthur’s Seat offers views across the whole city, while the Old Town’s closes and cobbled streets hold centuries of history within a short walk of Princes Street.

Toulouse

Locally nicknamed the Ville Rose for its blush coloured brick buildings, Toulouse channels that same warmth into its rugby culture, and the two are difficult to separate once you have spent a weekend wandering the city’s streets and squares. 

Stade Ernest Wallon sits minutes from the historic centre, known to supporters as a temple to the oval ball. 

Away from matchday, the Garonne riverbanks, the Basilica of Saint Sernin, and a food scene give visitors plenty to fill a stay that never needs a fixture to justify it.

A Trip Built Around More Than the Match

What Edinburgh, Toulouse, and Cape Town share is a love of rugby that’s felt throughout the cities rather than confined to eighty minutes on the pitch. The stadiums matter, but so do the hills, the rivers, and the streets that surround them. Visit for the rugby, stay on for everything else the cities have to offer.