Johannesburg — Jozi, Joburg, eGoli, the City of Gold — is where much of South Africa's modern story was written. Most visitors pass straight through on the way to a safari. Stay a day or two and you'll find the country's best museums, a lively art scene and Soweto, the township at the heart of the struggle against apartheid. Here are the best things to do in Johannesburg, and the easiest way to do each one.
1. Walk Vilakazi Street in Soweto
Vilakazi Street is the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners have lived: Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Mandela House is now a museum, and a few blocks away the Hector Pieterson Memorial marks where the June 16 1976 student uprising began.
Easiest way: the Soweto Cultural Walking Tour with Lunch (4 hrs, from R711) with a guide who grew up here, or see it by open-air tuk-tuk (2.5 hrs) or bicycle (4 hrs, lunch included).
2. Visit the Apartheid Museum
Allow at least two to three hours. It's the most powerful museum in the country — you're assigned an entry card marked "white" or "non-white" at the door, and the story unfolds from there.
Easiest way: the Soweto & Apartheid Museum Full-Day Tour combines the museum with Vilakazi Street, with hotel pickup and entries included.
3. See the street art in Maboneng
Maboneng ("place of light" in Sesotho) is Johannesburg's creative quarter: murals, galleries, rooftop bars and weekend markets on the eastern edge of the city centre.
Easiest way: the two-hour Maboneng Street Art & Culture Tour (from R609) with a guide who knows the artists.
4. Discover downtown Johannesburg on foot
The inner city is changing fast: Gandhi Square, the old mining-house buildings, Chancellor House where Mandela and Oliver Tambo ran their law firm, and the Market Theatre in Newtown. It's best explored with a local.
Easiest way: the three-hour Johannesburg Historical Walking Tour.
5. Eat like a local
Try a kota (a hollowed-out quarter loaf stuffed with chips, polony, cheese and atchar), shisa nyama (braai) and a cold drink at a Soweto tavern. Several of our Soweto tours include lunch.
What to do in Johannesburg this weekend
Saturdays and Sundays are the best time for Maboneng and the city's markets, and Vilakazi Street is busiest (and liveliest) on weekend afternoons. Tours run every day, so book ahead if you only have a weekend.
Is Johannesburg safe for visitors?
Like any big city, parts of Johannesburg are best visited with someone who knows them. All our guides are local, registered and grew up in the areas they show you.
Want a private day?
Tell us your dates and we'll build a private Johannesburg itinerary with your own guide and vehicle. See all our Johannesburg and Soweto tours, or WhatsApp us — we reply personally.
