Johannesburg Travel Guide: Travel and tourist information, things to do and see in Johannesburg

Johannesburg (also known as Jozi or Jo'burg), is the largest city in South Africa and is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa (having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa). It has an ever-growing suburban sprawl creeping outwards from the central city skyscrapers and ring-road motorways.

There is a relatively small selection of hotels from 3 to 5 stars, used mainly for overnights between flights or onward connections on tours etc. Virtually all hotels used by UK tour operators have followed the exodus of business premises and commercial offices out to the relatively safer, and definitely more pleasant, affluent N suburbs like Rosebank and Sandton.

Locality:

Johannesburg is towards the north east of the country, 280 mls inland from the Indian Ocean, 875 mls NE of Cape Town, 370 mls NW of Durban and 19 mls W of the international airport. It is at an altitude of 5,700 ft on the highveld (grassland plateau).

Johannesburg has not traditionally been known as a tourist destination, but the city is a transit point for connecting flights to Cape Town, Durban, and the Kruger National Park. Consequently, most international visitors to South Africa pass through Johannesburg at least once, which has led to the development of more attractions for tourists. Recent additions have centred around history museums, such as the Apartheid Museum and the Hector Pieterson Museum. Gold Reef City, a large amusement park to the south of the Central Business District, is also a large draw for tourists in the city. The Johannesburg Zoo is also one of the largest in South Africa.

The city also has several art museums, such as the Johannesburg Art Gallery, which featured South African and European landscape and figurative paintings. The Museum Africa covers the history of the city of Johannesburg, as well as housing a large collection of rock art. The Market Theatre complex attained notoriety in the 1970s and 1980s by staging anti-apartheid plays, and has now become a centre for modern South African playwriting.

There is also a large industry around visiting former townships, such as Soweto and Alexandra. Most visitors to Soweto go to see the Mandela Museum, which is located in the former home of Nelson Mandela.

The Cradle of Humankind UNESCO World Heritage Site is 25 kilometers (16 mi) to the northwest of the city. The Sterkfontein fossil site is famous for being the world's richest hominid site and produced the first adult Australopithecus africanus and the first near-complete skeleton of an early Australopithecine.

Shopping here is mainly in modern, glitzy and expensive malls insulated from the weather and patrolled by armed security personnel.

For food the shopping malls at Sandton and Rosebank have numerous restaurants and are relatively safe. Other than these, it is probably best to eat in and avoid the risk of travelling, especially after dark.

Suggest a change to the Johannesburg Things to do section (click to dropdown)

Population: 44.344.100
Languages: IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Se
Currency: rand
Currency code: ZAR
Local Times:
South Africa - Cape Town

South Africa - Johannesburg

South Africa - Pretoria

Country Dialling Code: +27
Voltage: 220/230V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
2 parallel circular prongs with an earth connector

2 parallel circular prongs with an earth connector

One of the world's most diverse countries, South Africa lies at the southernmost part of the African continent. It is bordered to the N by Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the NE by Mozambique and Swaziland and to the NW by Namibia.

The most popular tourist destination of the African nations, South Africa has everything a tourist could wish for from beaches to safaris, from majestic mountains to green winelands and a culture that has been shaped by political extremes, wealth and poverty. A holiday to South Africa can take you from one extreme to the other.

South Africa is a heady mix of third and first world cultures - along with the best and least crowded beaches in the world. Further inland this country offers a wealth of safari experiences, from verdant subtropical beach forests to the sublime isolation of the desert and the world famous Kruger National Park.

Notable cities and other destinations in South Africa include:

Pretoria – The administrative capital of the country.
Cape Town – The legislative capital and seat of Parliament. A world-class city named for its proximity to the Cape of Good Hope. Also within a stone's throw of South Africa's winelands. One of the most beautiful cities in the world, nestled between the sea and Table Mountain, it is a popular summer destination by both domestic tourists and those from abroad.
Bloemfontein – Location of the Supreme Court of Appeal, the highest court in non-constitutional matters. The Constitutional Court in Johannesburg became the highest court in constitutional matters in 1994.
Durban – Largest city in KwaZulu-Natal, third largest in South Africa and popular coastal holiday destination for South Africans.
Johannesburg – The economic heart of Africa and the most common entry point into Southern Africa.
Polokwane – Capital of Limpopo (formally known as Pietersburg) and a good jump off point for visits to the northern parts of the Kruger National Park and Zimbabwe.
Port Elizabeth – Coastal city in the Eastern Cape with Addo Elephant National Park located close by.
Kimberley -- Capital of the Northern Cape Province. Famous for its diamonds and "Big Hole".
Upington – Located in the arid Northern Cape province, this city is a good base when exploring the Kalahari desert and the many national parks located in the Northern Cape.
The Kruger National Park is exceptionally well managed and a favorite tourist destination.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the heart of the Kalahari desert with wide open spaces and hordes of games including the majestic 'Gemsbok'. This is the first park in Africa to cross political borders.
The Cradle of Humankind, near Johannesburg is a must see for anyone interested in where it all started. A large collection of caves rich in hominid and advanced ape fossils.
Robben Island just off the coast from Cape Town where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years.
The Cape Floral Region in the Western Cape
iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Mapungubwe Kingdom, in the North-West
Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park, for its landscape, biodiversity and rock art.
Vredefort Dome, remnants of the largest and oldest meteorite impact crater.

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