Things to do in Johannesburg

9 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

Johannesburg grew up after the main gold reef was found on the farm Langlaagte in July 1886, and Britannica sums up its early history as the story of gold. Its sights are spread across a large area rather than gathered in one old town, so a guided tour or the hop-on hop-off bus saves a lot of driving. The bus leaves Rosebank at 09:00 and then every 40 minutes on a loop of about two and a half hours, with stops at Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City and the zoo. The city tours page compares it with guided drives, and getting around covers the Gautrain.

Constitution Hill and the Apartheid Museum

Constitution Hill is a former prison complex where both Gandhi and Mandela were held. Today the Constitutional Court stands partly on the site of the Number Four prison, and entry to the court is free. The visitor centre opens daily from 08:45 to 17:00, with no ticket sales after 16:00. One-hour Highlights tours leave every hour on the hour, and two-hour tours of the whole site at 10:00 and 13:00; payment is cashless. On Human Rights Day, Freedom Day, Youth Day, National Women’s Day, Heritage Day and the Day of Reconciliation, entry is free.

The Apartheid Museum in Ormonde opened in 2001 on a site of seven hectares. Its permanent exhibition runs from race classification through the 1976 uprising to Mandela’s release and the 1994 election. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:00, and on most public holidays; the museum suggests two hours for a brief visit and does not consider it suitable for children under 11. The Apartheid Museum page has the details and tours that combine it with Soweto.

Two smaller places complete the picture. The Nelson Mandela Foundation at 107 Central Street in Houghton shows Mandela’s post-presidential office and an exhibition on his life, from Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 16:00. The Origins Centre at Wits University covers human origins and is open Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:00 and Saturday 09:00 to 16:00. Liliesleaf in Rivonia, the secret headquarters of the ANC from 1961 to 1963, is open again according to a report from May 2026; check opening times with the museum before you go.

Soweto

Soweto, whose name comes from South-Western Townships, adjoins Johannesburg to the south-west. Vilakazi Street in Orlando West is the only street in the world where two Nobel Prize winners lived, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. Nearby on Khumalo Street, the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum remembers the schoolchildren shot by police on 16 June 1976, now Youth Day. Regina Mundi, the largest Catholic church in South Africa, still shows bullet holes from that time, and Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown marks the adoption of the Freedom Charter in 1955. At the former Orlando cooling towers, bungee jumps and other activities depend on the weather, especially the wind.

All four governments that publish travel advice for South Africa recommend visiting townships with a guide, and the walking and cycling tours start in Orlando West. The walking tour with a kota lunch takes about four hours. By bike you cover more ground: reviewers describe roughly 12 to 13 km with some moderate hills and greetings from residents along the way, and the lunch comes at the end. More on Soweto tours.

Maboneng, Hillbrow and the inner city

The German Federal Foreign Office advises against visiting the city centre at any time of day, so this page only suggests the inner city on guided walks. In Maboneng, Arts on Main at 264 Fox Street fills a converted warehouse with studios, galleries and shops; South African Tourism lists it as open Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 17:00, with free entry. The two-hour street art walk starts there and continues through the mural corridors of Maboneng and Jewel City.

In Hillbrow, the 173 m Ponte City tower, completed in 1975 around a hollow core, is home to Dlala Nje, whose tours start in an apartment on the 51st floor. Newtown has the Market Theatre, converted from an old fruit and vegetable market in 1976 and known for staging plays against apartheid, and Museum Africa on Mary Fitzgerald Square. In Braamfontein, the Wits Art Museum opens Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00, free of charge. Two landmarks are closed: the viewing deck of the Carlton Centre since March 2020, and the Johannesburg Art Gallery in Joubert Park for restoration. Guided options are on walking tours, and the inner city’s food on food and nightlife, where kota and shisa nyama, the township barbecue with its own butchery, come up again.

Markets, ridges and parks

On Sundays, the Rosebank Sunday Market takes over the rooftop parking deck of Rosebank Mall from 09:00 to 16:00, with fashion, vintage, crafts, books, vinyl and street food; entry is free. For views, the 210 stone Westcliff Steps lead up the Westcliff Ridge from Crescent Drive, and Northcliff Hill, the second-highest point in Johannesburg, looks over the city centre, Rosebank and Sandton. At Melville Koppies, a nature reserve with Stone Age and Iron Age finds, guided walks of about three hours run on Sundays. The Johannesburg Botanical Gardens and Emmarentia Dam open from sunrise to sunset.

Football and families

FNB Stadium in Nasrec, known as Soccer City and nicknamed the Calabash for its shape, holds 94,736 people, which the city calls the largest stadium in Africa. It hosted the 2010 World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain, and Nelson Mandela gave his first speech in Johannesburg after his release there. Tours of about 60 minutes take in the players’ areas, the tunnel and the pitchside. For Gold Reef City, the zoo and family outings, see Johannesburg with kids.

Day trips and safaris

The fossil caves of the Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, lie north-west of the city. Pretoria, about 50 km north, has the Union Buildings and the Voortrekker Monument, and Hartbeespoort Dam offers boat cruises below the Magaliesberg. Sunrise hot-air balloon flights launch nearby, and the day trips page adds the Cullinan diamond mine and the Lesedi Cultural Village.

For wildlife, Pilanesberg is about two hours away and malaria-free, and the game reserves near Johannesburg include the Lion & Safari Park and Dinokeng. A Kruger safari needs at least three days.

Planning your stay

Before you go, read is Johannesburg safe, which sums up the official travel advice, and book an airport transfer before you land. Getting there covers flights and entry rules, the best time to visit and weather and what to wear the seasons, and the itineraries page turns all of this into plans for one to five days.