With its glorious weather and surrounding green plains, Johannesburg is South Africa's main tourist centre. A fascinating and multi-faceted city, it's the perfect place to start exploring the continent.
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Experience Johannesburg’s emergence as a cool, creative capital
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The Nelson Mandela Bridge is a symbol of Johannesburg’s recent regeneration and urban renewal
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One of Johannesburg’s most spectacular sights is the blooming of its purple jacaranda trees in spring
Photo: Thomas Linkel - laif/IC
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Stroll through Johannesburg’s 81-hectare Botanical Gardens, the green lungs of the city
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The grand City Hall is one of Johannesburg’s finest colonial buildings
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Take a day trip to the Lesedi Cultural Village near Johannesburg to learn about the traditions of the Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Basotho, Nguni and Ndebele people
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Experience Johannesburg’s emergence as a cool, creative capital
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The Nelson Mandela Bridge is a symbol of Johannesburg’s recent regeneration and urban renewal
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/6
One of Johannesburg’s most spectacular sights is the blooming of its purple jacaranda trees in spring
Photo: Thomas Linkel - laif/IC
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Stroll through Johannesburg’s 81-hectare Botanical Gardens, the green lungs of the city
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The grand City Hall is one of Johannesburg’s finest colonial buildings
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Take a day trip to the Lesedi Cultural Village near Johannesburg to learn about the traditions of the Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Basotho, Nguni and Ndebele people
Do
Soweto Bicycle Tours
From the swanky villas of Winnie Mandela to the gritty streets of the former mining hostels, Soweto is open to visitors, on foot or by bike. With a guide, pedal to Soweto’s key historic sites, breaking for a sip of sorghum beer.
Location
10823A Pooe Street, Orlando West, Soweto
Phone
Visit website
See
Top of Africa
From the partly pedestrianised – and surprisingly safe – streets of the central business district, take the elevator 50 floors to the viewing deck at the top of the Carlton Centre, the tallest building in Africa (223 metres) and survey a 360-degree view around the Jo'burg skyline.
Location
Carlton Centre, 150 Commissioner Street
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Drink
The Rock
The best place for a sundowner in increasingly sophisticated Soweto is the roof terrace of this club that overlooks the district. When you tire of South Africa's Castle Lager, try a bottle of Windhoek Lager from neighbouring Namibia – or stick to South Africa's superb Pinotage red wine.
Location
1987 Vundla Drive, Rockville
Phone
See
Melville Koppies Nature Reserve
Escape from the urban jungle with a ramble to iron-age and stone-age remains in this miniature range of hills, rising directly from the city streets. Savannah and woodland provide habitats for numerous birds and other wildlife, and the views are exceptional.
Do
Apartheid Museum
This stylish, engaging and sensitively designed museum documents the story of South Africa's recent past and movingly describes its emergence from a dark epoch into the contemporary "Rainbow Nation". It also highlights some of the challenges on the road ahead.
Location
Corner of Northern Parkway and Gold Reef Roads
Phone
Visit website
Eat
Sophiatown
This lively and popular restaurant offers pavement tables with a view of the square or a dining area surrounded by curated photos of the Sophiatown suburb, famed for its political activism and vibrant nightlife. The menu includes local specialities such as ostrich and kudu antelope.
Location
1 Central Place, at the corner of Jeppe and Henry Nxumalo, Newtown
Phone
Visit website
Shop
Kwa Zulu Muti Museum of Man and Science
Not a museum, but more fascinating than many, this is perhaps central Johannesburg’s most famous shop, specialising in traditional medicine – known as muti – and offering a host of tribal (mostly Zulu) artefacts, souvenirs, weapons and crafts.
Location
14 Diagonal Street
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