Johannesburg walking tour & city guide

History

The Apartheid Museum tells the story of racial segregation and the struggle for freedom. In Soweto, Vilakazi Street is home to the Mandela House, and Constitution Hill was once a prison.

Modern Joburg

Sandton is the business district, with Nelson Mandela Square. Maboneng and Braamfontein are creative areas of galleries, street art and markets. Safety awareness is important, so use registered transport and guided tours.

A day in Johannesburg

Start at the Apartheid Museum, one of the most powerful museums in the world, where visitors are randomly classified as 'white' or 'non-white' at the entrance. Then visit Soweto, where Vilakazi Street is the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, lived.

In the afternoon, explore Maboneng and Braamfontein, creative districts full of street art, galleries and markets, and Constitution Hill, a former prison that now houses the Constitutional Court.

Good to know

Johannesburg, or Jozi, is South Africa's economic center. Use guided tours or ride-hailing apps rather than walking around unfamiliar areas, especially at night.

The Neighbourgoods Market on Saturdays is a great place for food. The Cradle of Humankind, where some of the oldest human fossils were found, is an hour away.