Things to do in Johannesburg
Blending first and third worlds, Johannesburg, Jo'burg or Jozi is a city of contrasts. Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton offers art performances, Soweto a taste of township life and Top of Africa in the CBD (Central Business District), great city views. Travel back in time to the gold-rush era at Gold Reef City or jump to the beginning of evolution at the Origins Centre. Lions roar in nearby game reserves and at Johannesburg Zoo.
Museum Africa
Walk-through history lesson
Founded in Newtown in 1994, Museum Africa is Johannesburg's major historical
museum. Evocative multimedia displays and walk-through reconstructions of
various historic periods take visitors on a journey from the city's golden
era to the present day.
E-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 9am-5pm
Address
121, Bree Street (Old Market Building), Newtown, Johannesburg 2113
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 833 5624
Transport
Taxi
Johannesburg Art Gallery
European and African art
Johannesburg Art Gallery in Joubert Park is one of the finest of its kind in
South Africa. It houses an exquisite selection of modern artwork, ranging
from Picasso and Henry Moore to South Africans Sekoto, Batisse and Pierneef.
E-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-5pm
Address
Klein Street, Joubert Park, Johannesburg 2001
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 725 3130
Transport
Taxi
Apartheid Museum
From segregation to freedom
Located in Ormonde, Johannesburg's Apartheid Museum illustrates the rise and
fall of South Africa's controversial racial policy through a collection of
photographs, videos and artefacts. The emotional journey begins with an
entry pass labelling visitors as either 'white' or 'nonwhite'.
E-mail this item
Cost
R40; concessions R25
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-5pm
Address
Northern Parkway & Gold Reef Road, Ormonde, Johannesburg 2091
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 309 4700
Constitution Hill
Transition to democracy
Overlooking Johannesburg from Braamfontein, Constitution Hill is the former
prison for political dissidents, notably Gandhi and Mandela. Today the site,
which houses both a museum and South Africa's Constitutional Court, offers
exhibitions and tours documenting the country's journey to democracy.
E-mail this item
Cost
R22; concessions R15; under-12s R10
Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 10am-2pm
Address
1, Kotze Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2017
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 381 3100
Hector Pieterson Museum
Children of the revolution
The Hector Pieterson Museum in Soweto is named after the first casualty of
the 1976 uprising against the sole use of the Afrikaans language in schools.
Video footage and many moving photographs document the protest, which saw
566 schoolchildren killed.
E-mail this item
Cost
R15; concessions R5
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-5pm (until 4.30pm Sun)
Address
82-87, Khumalo Street, Orlando West, Soweto, Johannesburg 1804
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 536 0611
Transport
Taxi
Origins Centre
The world's ancestors
Origins Centre in Braamfontein houses a fascinating collection of San rock
art, including paintings, engravings and artefacts. A visit sheds light on
the birth of humankind, scientific facts and insights into the bushmen's
spiritual beliefs plus lectures and workshops.
E-mail this item
Cost
R60; under-12s R35
Opening Hours
Daily 9am-5pm
Address
1, Yale Road, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2050
Telephone
+27 (11) 717 4700
Newtown Precinct
All-round entertainment
Newtown Precinct, burnt down in 1904 to combat plague there, is reborn as a
buzzing cultural ground offering music and theatre, art galleries, craft
markets and nightlife. Attractions include Museum Africa, Nelson Mandela
Bridge, Sci-Bono Discovery Centre and Market Theatre.
E-mail this item
Cost
Free (individual attraction charges may apply)
Opening Hours
Daily (individual attraction opening times vary)
Address
Scibono Discovery Centre, Miriam Makeba Street, corner of President Street, Johannesburg
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 833 6323
Johannesburg Zoo
Animal kingdom
Johannesburg Zoo in Parkview accommodates around 360 species in 54 hectares.
This cosmopolitan community ranges from rare and fascinating creatures from
around the world to the local "big five" - lions, elephants, leopards,
rhinos and buffalo.
E-mail this item
Cost
R41; seniors & children R23Parking R10 per car; R20 per bus
Opening Hours
Daily 8.30am-5.30pm
Address
Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkview, Johannesburg 2122
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 646 2000
Lion Park
Lions night and day
Home to more than 80 lions, including the rare white lion, Lion Park in
Lanseria, near Johannesburg, introduces visitors to the king of beasts.
Cheetahs, black leopards, hyenas and other carnivorous animals can also be
observed at close quarters.
E-mail this item
Cost
R100; 4-12s R80; under-4s freeGuided game drives R150; 4-12s R10010 people minimum - must be booked in advance
Opening Hours
Daily 8.30am-5pm (until 6pm Sat & Sun)
Address
R114 on the corner with Malibongwe Drive, Johannesburg 1739
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 691 9905
Maropeng
Journey through the ages
Maropeng is the new visitor centre at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage
Site in Magaliesberg, around 45 minutes from Johannesburg. A complex of
limestone caves, including the Sterkfontein Caves, and interactive sensory
displays present the history of humanity.
E-mail this item
Cost
R95; seniors R65; 4-14s R55; including Sterkfontein Caves: R150; 4-14s R90
Opening Hours
Daily 9am-5pm (last admission 4pm)
Address
Cradle of Humankind, R400, Magaliesberg, Johannesburg 1426
Telephone
+27 (0) 14 577 9100
Lesedi Cultural Village
Tribal life
South African tribes give a warm welcome at Lesedi Cultural Village. Set in
the bushveld and rocky hills of Lanseria, near Johannesburg, the village
features reconstructed homesteads, offering a glimpse into Zulu, Ndebele,
Basotho, Pedi and Xhosa life.
E-mail this item
Cost
R220; R360 including lunch or dinner
Opening Hours
Tours commence daily at 11.30am and 4.30pm
Address
Portion 198, 493 Kalkheuwel, R512, Lanseria, Johannesburg
Telephone
+27 (0)12 205 1394
Gold Reef City
Gold-rush era revisited
A hybrid between theme park and living museum, Gold Reef City brings museums,
education, rides and entertainment to a former gold shaft in Ormonde. It
aims to replicate Johannesburg's mining conditions during the gold-rush era.
E-mail this item
Cost
R90-R120; seniors R80Heritage tour R180; seniors R140
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 9.30am-5pm
Address
Northern Parkway, Ormonde, Johannesburg 2159
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 248 6800
Johannesburg Planetarium
Space vision
The second to open in the southern hemisphere, 400-seat Johannesburg
Planetarium in Braamfontein introduces stars and galaxies through high-tech
satellite images and telescopic views. Its shows change regularly, and it
also holds astronomy courses. The website lists the current programme.
E-mail this item
Cost
R26.50; concessions R17
Opening Hours
Fri 8pm; Sat 3pm; kids' show Sat 10.30am
Address
Yale Road Entrance 10, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2050
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 717 1390
Top of Africa
Africa's top view
Located on the 50th floor of the Carlton Centre, Africa's tallest building
towering over Johannesburg's Central Business District, Top of Africa is an
observation deck which provides uninterrupted views across this
ever-expanding city.
E-mail this item
Cost
R8; under-12s R4
Opening Hours
Daily 7.30am-7pm
Address
150, Commissioner Street, Johannesburg 2001
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 308 1331
Transport
Taxi
Nelson Mandela Square
Piazza entertainment
Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton is a cultural public space that stages art
performances and shows around a symbolic bronze statue of Mandela, which
commemorates the birth of the Rainbow Nation. Trendy cafés, restaurants and
shops frame the piazza.
E-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily 9am-6pm (theatres and restaurants trade until later)
Address
Corner of Maude and Fifth Streets, Sandton, Johannesburg 2010
Telephone
+27 (0) 11 217 6000
