Attraction
Apartheid Museum
The Apartheid Museum beside Gold Reef City tells the story of the rise and fall of apartheid through film, photographs, documents and a striking race-classified entrance.
There are plenty of things to do in Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city and its economic powerhouse, built on the gold rush of 1886. Most visitors come for its history: the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill and the streets of Soweto, where Mandela House and the Hector Pieterson Memorial tell the story of the struggle for democracy. The city is also greener than many expect, with tree-lined northern suburbs, the Johannesburg Botanical Garden and ridge-top walks on Melville Koppies.
Visitors usually base themselves in Rosebank, Sandton, Melrose or Parkhurst, which are well connected by the Gautrain, while Braamfontein and Newtown offer a livelier inner-city scene of galleries, theatre and bars. The food scene runs from township shisa nyama and Soweto buffets to celebrated fine dining, live-fire grills and relaxed brunch cafés. Allow three or four days to see the main museums, take a Soweto tour and enjoy the restaurants, and add a day trip to the Cradle of Humankind or Pretoria if you have more time.
Attraction
The Apartheid Museum beside Gold Reef City tells the story of the rise and fall of apartheid through film, photographs, documents and a striking race-classified entrance.
Attraction
Constitution Hill is a former prison complex in Braamfontein, now a museum and home of South Africa's Constitutional Court, where Mandela, Gandhi and many activists were…
Attraction
Mandela House on Vilakazi Street is the small red-brick Soweto home where Nelson Mandela lived from 1946 to 1962, now a museum of his life and…
Attraction
The Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum in Orlando West tells the story of the 16 June 1976 Soweto Uprising and the students who were shot during…
Attraction
Johannesburg Zoo on Jan Smuts Avenue has been open since 1904 and houses more than 2,000 animals of over 300 species in leafy grounds beside Zoo…
Attraction
Johannesburg Botanical Garden in Emmarentia has terraced rose gardens, herb and succulent gardens and wide lawns that run down to Emmarentia Dam.
Café
Bean There, founded in 2005 as South Africa's first roaster of Fairtrade certified coffee, serves single-origin African coffees at its café in the 44 Stanley precinct.
Café
Salvation Café is a popular outdoor breakfast and lunch spot in the 44 Stanley precinct, known for its cheesecake and fresh, free-range ingredients.
Café
Café De La Crème on Melville's 7th Street is a family-run bakery, café and deli established in 1987, serving croissants, breads, pastries, breakfasts and lunches.
Café
The Whippet in the Old Linden Hotel is a much-loved Linden coffee shop serving brunch and honest comfort food, voted a Top 100 Coffee Shop in…
Café
Arbour Café in Birdhaven is a French-inspired café with a hidden courtyard, known for galettes, omelettes and sweet crêpes, with brunch, lunch and dinner.
Café
Popo Tea House in Rosebank is a calm patisserie and tea room known for its layered crêpe cakes in flavours such as pistachio, rose litchi and…
Hotel
The Saxon is an all-suite luxury hotel in leafy Sandhurst, with private villas, a spa, the Qunu restaurant and a suite named after Nelson Mandela, who…
Hotel
Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff spreads across a hillside above Jan Smuts Avenue, with views over the northern suburbs' trees, a day spa and the Flames…
Hotel
The Houghton Hotel is a five-star hotel beside Houghton Golf Club with suites and penthouses, a spa, padel courts and Candice Philip's fine dining restaurant Cyra.
Hotel
The Peech is a boutique hotel set in gardens in Melrose, with classic and luxury rooms, suites and a villa, free secure parking and The Pot…
Hotel
54 on Bath is a 75-room hotel in Rosebank with an outdoor pool and the Level Four restaurant, close to the Gautrain, Rosebank Mall and the…
Hotel
Southern Sun Rosebank is a large mid-range hotel with 318 rooms, an outdoor pool and a steakhouse, two blocks from Rosebank Mall and the Gautrain station.
Bar
Sin + Tax is a discreet speakeasy-style cocktail bar in Rosebank known for imaginative seasonal drinks and bottled cocktails made with local spirits and botanicals.
Bar
Hugh's is a 13th-floor jazz club in Braamfontein named after Hugh Masekela, with live jazz on show nights, city views and a smart dress code.
Bar
Kitchener's on Juta Street is one of Johannesburg's oldest bars, with pressed ceilings and wood panelling, known today for DJs, live bands and a relaxed student…
Bar
The Artivist on Reserve Street is a bar, eatery and gallery with monthly exhibitions, above Untitled Basement, an intimate underground venue for live jazz.
Bar
Obscura in Rosebank's Oxford Parks is a cocktail bar and eatery co-owned by mixologist George Hunter, pairing seasonal cocktails with South African-inspired sharing plates.
Bar
Six Cocktail Bar is a long-running bar on Melville's 7th Street with dozens of cocktails, a daily two-for-one happy hour and a relaxed, studenty crowd.
Restaurant
Marble on the Keyes Art Mile in Rosebank is chef David Higgs's live-fire restaurant, cooking steak, seafood, vegetables and bread over a large wood-fired grill.
Restaurant
Qunu is the main restaurant of The Saxon hotel in Sandhurst, serving lunch and dinner daily with a menu that mixes local and international flavours.
Restaurant
Cyra at The Houghton Hotel is chef Candice Philip's fine dining restaurant, serving a multi-course menu with a sommelier-selected wine pairing.
Restaurant
Embarc on Parkhurst's 4th Avenue is a contemporary restaurant created by chef Darren O'Donovan, serving seasonal, European-influenced dishes in a relaxed corner setting.
Restaurant
Sakhumzi on Vilakazi Street in Soweto is a popular restaurant serving a buffet of South African home-style dishes in a former shebeen near Mandela House.
Restaurant
Chaf Pozi is a shisa nyama at the foot of the Soweto Towers where you pick your meat, the braai masters grill it, and the bar…
Thing to do
44 Stanley is a precinct of independent design shops, cafés, restaurants and an art-house cinema set in converted 1930s industrial buildings on the edge of downtown…
Thing to do
Rosebank Sunday Market fills the rooftop of Rosebank Mall every Sunday with stalls selling crafts, local design, vintage finds, books, vinyl and street food.
Thing to do
The Market Theatre in Newtown opened in June 1976 and became famous for protest theatre during apartheid; today it stages drama, comedy, jazz, poetry and festivals.
Thing to do
Melville Koppies is a ridge-top nature reserve in Emmarentia with indigenous highveld plants, Iron Age remains and city views, open with guided and self-guided walks on…
Thing to do
Soweto Towers are the painted former cooling towers of Orlando Power Station, now an adventure centre offering bungee jumps, a SCAD freefall, a zipline and paintball.
Tour operator
Dlala Nje is a social enterprise based in Ponte City that runs walking tours of Ponte, Hillbrow and Yeoville, with tour income funding youth and childhood…
Tour operator
Lebo's runs guided bicycle, tuk-tuk and walking tours of Soweto from its backpackers lodge in Orlando West, taking in Vilakazi Street and the back streets of…
Tour operator
City Sightseeing's red hop-on hop-off bus links 13 stops including Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City and the zoo, with an optional guided Soweto…
Tour operator
LocalPlaces, formerly JoburgPlaces, runs storytelling walking and food tours of Johannesburg's inner city, Marshalltown, the Fashion District, Little Addis and Soweto.
Tour operator
Curiocity runs local-guided tours of Soweto, Maboneng and the inner city from its design-led backpacker hostel in Maboneng, from two-hour walks to full-day Soweto trips.
Three or four days lets you see the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill and Soweto, explore Rosebank, Braamfontein and Melville and enjoy the restaurants, with an extra day for the Cradle of Humankind or Pretoria.
Rosebank is the most convenient base for most visitors, with a Gautrain station, hotels, restaurants and malls within walking distance; Sandton, Melrose and Houghton suit those wanting luxury hotels, and Braamfontein suits budget travellers.
The Gautrain runs from O.R. Tambo International Airport to Sandton, where you can change for Rosebank and Park Station, and ride-hailing apps and metered taxis are available at the terminals.
For visitors paying in pounds, euros or dollars, Johannesburg is usually good value, with restaurants and hotels costing less than in many European cities.
Crime is a real concern, so stay in well-known areas, use ride-hailing apps rather than walking at night, keep valuables out of sight and visit the inner city and Soweto with a guide or tour.