Johannesburg, South Africa

Gauteng Tourist Attractions

Johannesburg, South Africa

Johannesburg is an African city of note. Johannesburg is characterised by contradiction and an apparent seamless combination of irreconcilable differences. The largest city in South Africa, Johannesburg is also the wealthiest and, without doubt, the economic powerhouse of Africa.

It’s a booming, happening city and the emphasis is on making money - whether in business or on the streets - and has been since its beginnings when the world’s richest gold fields were discovered in Johannesburg during the 1880s. To the first-time visitor Johannesburg, or Jozi as it’s more commonly known, can be a little daunting, more so because of the misrepresentation by the media of Johannesburg as something of a war zone. There is crime; you do need to keep your wits about you, but once bitten by the vibe of Jozi, you’re going to want to come back again.

The Johannesburg inner city, abandoned by an exodus of big business that transferred to Sandton and, until recently, avoided by all except die-hard tourists, is undergoing a complete regeneration. The area close to City Hall and Newtown Cultural Precinct, which has completely transformed the Market Theatre and surrounds, now forms the heart of urban revival, and the Johannesburg inner city remains the largest employment centre in South Africa.

Johannesburg, South Africa

But it’s the sprawl of the leafy northern suburbs - there are over six million trees in Johannesburg - that draws the visitor: buzzing, trendy suburbs like Parktown and Norwood, with their restaurant-lined avenues that cater for the dining and décor set; the high street of Greenside that so easily dons the mantle of hip chic; fashionable Melville (forget venturing a little further to Yeoville - Jozi’s Greenwich Village it might have been but not any longer), and the sprawling malls of Sandton, all combine to make the city a great place to be.

Though not touted as an outdoor city, there are, nevertheless, a number of parks and nature reserves, like Emmarentia Dam and the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, that are worth a visit. The Magaliesberg is just on your doorstep, and you’re extremely well placed for adventures a little further afield, like the Kruger National Park and the game parks of the Lowveld.

Johannesburg

Destinations / Suburbs of Johannesburg

Auckland Park

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Auckland Park

Just north-west of Johannesburg’s CBD, Auckland Park lies on a gentle slope, the homes here gentrified and the neighbourhood a vibrant hum. The suburb known as Auckland Park is one of few this close to the centre of ... Auckland Park information

Bedfordview

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Bedfordview

Other than Edenvale, the garden suburb of Bedfordview is one of the closest suburbs of Johannesburg to the OR Tambo Airport, so for business people dipping into the city only briefly, Bedfordview is an ideal location. ... Bedfordview information

Blackheath

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Blackheath

Set on the lower slopes of Northcliff hill, Blackheath is a relatively peaceful, leafy suburb close to Cresta Centre. It rubs shoulders with Linden, Darrenwood, Windsor and Emmarentia and has access to one of the ... Blackheath information

Braamfontein

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Braamfontein

Lying just outside the Johannesburg CBD, north of the city, Braamfontein suffered a literal exodus of businesses and institutions as the centre of Johannesburg moved out to Sandton and the northern suburbs, but it never ... Braamfontein information

Craighall Park

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Craighall Park

Craighall Park is one of Johannesburg’s upmarket northern suburbs that lie slightly to the west of Sandton, a collection of leafy neighbourhoods that form a belt on the western side of the city between Parkhurst and the ... Craighall Park information

Cresta

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Cresta

One of Randburg’s myriad suburbs, Cresta lies in the northern region of Johannesburg, closest neighbour to Darrenwood and Windsor East. But mention Cresta to the average resident and they will assume you are referring ... Cresta information

Darrenwood

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Darrenwood

The smallish suburb of Darrenwood lies just west of Linden behind Cresta Centre, a series of avenues and crescents that date back to the 1960s, a pretty leafy suburb that manages to remain pretty obscure and out of the ... Darrenwood information

Douglasdale

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Douglasdale

Douglasdale is a modern middle-upper class residential suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Douglasdale is located between the suburbs of Fourways and Bryanston, just north of the upmarket Sandton. The six lane N1 ... Douglasdale information

Dunkeld West

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Dunkeld West

The upmarket suburb of Dunkeld West lies just north of Rosebank, sandwiched between Melrose and Hyde Park in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, a lovely part of the city. This is really the heart of older Jo’burg - ... Dunkeld West information

Emmarentia

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Emmarentia

The pretty, established suburb of Emmarentia lies between Linden and Greenside, right in the heart of the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. Emmarentia’s residents regard Emmarentia as the “green heart” of the city. And ... Emmarentia information

Fairland

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Fairland

The pretty northern suburb of Johannesburg, Fairland is neighbour to Northcliff and Darrenwood; close to Cresta, one of the city’s major landmarks and home to a plethora of shops and entertainment, and Brightwater ... Fairland information

Forest Town

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Forest Town

Lying snug in amongst some of the leafiest suburbs - Westcliff, Parktown and Saxonwold - of Johannesburg's northern parts, Forest Town was originally, as its name implies, set in what was a forest. It began as an ... Forest Town information

Johannesburg Central

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Johannesburg Central

Jo’burg’s inner city has had its share of stigma. The 1990s, after the Group Areas Act was scrapped, brought thousands of people who had been forbidden to live here, into the city centre, many of them immigrants from ... Johannesburg Central information

Kensington

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Kensington

The historic suburb of Kensington lies almost due east of Braamfontein and the city centre of Johannesburg, its most recent past as a trendy locale for the more creative residents of Johannesburg - a collection of ... Kensington information

Killarney

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Killarney

Lying in the heart of Johannesburg's affluent, leafy northern suburbs, this part of the city is without doubt the more sedate side of Johannesburg and large properties have been popular with consulates, particularly ... Killarney information

Lanseria

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Lanseria

Lying in outer Randburg, Lanseria is virtually synonymous with the airport that lies out on this side of Johannesburg. What used to be little more than a slick executive airport for corporate travellers with their own ... Lanseria information

Linden

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Linden

Nestled in the foothills of Northcliff Hill, Linden is one of the prettiest and oldest suburbs of Johannesburg, lying to the north west of the city centre between Emmarentia and Darrenwood. The leafy suburb lies ... Linden information

Marshalltown

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Marshalltown

Lying right in the heart of Jozi’s inner city as it does, Marshalltown is recapturing its position as the financial and business centre of the major city. Neighbour to Braamfontein, Jeppestown, Joubert Park and the ... Marshalltown information

Melville

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Melville

The trendy suburb of Melville is situated just west of Johannesburg and is well known for its trendy coffee shops and lively nightlife. Melville is the cultural hub of Johannesburg. Its trendy coffeehouses and upscale ... Melville information

Midrand

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Midrand

Midrand is a located in the Johannesburg metropolis in Gauteng, South Africa. The name Halfway House is suitable as it is half way between The Rand (Witwatersrand) and Pretoria. Midrand is in Region 2 of Johannesburg's ... Midrand information

Northcliff

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Northcliff

Northcliff is incredibly well situated - there is ease of access to a number of major shopping malls, the N1 is easily reachable and getting to either the city or Sandton is relatively simple, given Johannesburg’s ... Northcliff information

Norwood

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Norwood

A garden suburb of Johannesburg, Norwood is both diverse and appealing. Its pretty streets are lined with trees and Norwood is easily one of the more popular dining spots in the city, renowned for its celebrated ... Norwood information

Observatory

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Observatory

The pretty suburb of Observatory situated on a hill for obvious reasons, is home to the observatory site that stands on a 35-hectare site, declared the city’s first meteorological observatory site in 1903. The stone ... Observatory information

Orchards

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Orchards

The rather small, well established suburb of Orchards lies virtually around the corner from trendy Norwood, its tree-lined streets and large, timeless homes, many of which have either been renovated or subdivided into ... Orchards information

Ormonde

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Ormonde

Leave Marshalltown in Johannesburg’s CBD and head off along the M1 in a south westerly direction and Ormonde lies just five minutes from the centre, a little beyond Gold Reef City in the southern reaches of the bustling ... Ormonde information

Parkhurst

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Parkhurst

The lovely village of Parkhurst, once a rather dull lower-middle class neighbourhood with little more than its inviting trees and beautiful homes to attract visitors, has now reinvented itself and Fourth Avenue in ... Parkhurst information

Parktown

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Parktown

Parktown lies between Westcliff and Saxonwold, one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Johannesburg filled with rather imposing homes that vie with those in London in terms of grandiosity. Developed by some of the most ... Parktown information

Parkview

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Parkview

Parkview is part of the greater Rosebank area and just down the road from the commercial centre of Rosebank and its shopping mall. Zoo Lake borders on Parkview and is a favourite ambling site of Johannesburgers. It ... Parkview information

Parkwood

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Parkwood

Nestled between Rosebank and Saxonwold in the leafy northern suburbs of Johannesburg, Parkwood is one of the older more established suburbs of the bustling metropolitan, reminiscent of Houghton with its sizeable ... Parkwood information

Randburg

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Randburg

Randburg is a large town in Gauteng, South Africa. Once a separate municipality, its municipal government has since become a part of the City of Johannesburg. Randburg has over 32 suburbs, most of them residential. It ... Randburg information

Sandton

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Sandton

Sandton is a prosperous business, commercial and residential district, known as 'the richest square mile' in Africa, making is the financial hub of South Africa. Most major financial institutions have set up ... Sandton information

Saxonwold

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Saxonwold

This part of Johannesburg that lies around the zoo and includes Parkview, Westcliff and Houghton is of the most beautiful in the city. It’s also one of the oldest parts of Johannesburg, and Saxonwold in particular ... Saxonwold information

Soweto

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Soweto

South of Johannesburg is Soweto, a city developed as a township for black people under the apartheid system. Most of the struggle against apartheid was fought in and from Soweto. The name Soweto is an acronym, made up - ... Soweto information

Victory Park

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Victory Park

Victory Park is regarded as one of the few suburbs in the city where residents can still safely walk the dog. Described as one of the oldest and more trendy suburbs in Johannesburg, it certainly enjoys an exceptional bird life ... Victory Park information

Westcliff

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Westcliff

Westcliff lies almost cheek-by-jowl with Parkview and Houghton and benefits from lying close to major arterial roads. You might be in one of the country’s most notoriously busy cities, but in Westcliff things slow to a ... Westcliff information

Johannesburg

Featured and "Must See" Attractions in Johannesburg

Absa Money Museum

Home to the largest collection of money used in South Africa’s past in the world, Absa Money Museum lies in downtown Johannesburg on Fox Street. The ABSA Money Museum is the only banking and money museum in the country, and holds a fascinating history of how economic, political and social change ... more information

Adler Museum of Medicine

Over 40 000 objects that illustrate the history of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy through the ages today make up the collection housed in the Adler Museum of medicine, funded by the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University in Johannesburg, where it sits on campus as part of the medical school in Parktown. The ... more information

Apartheid Museum

The Apartheid Museum is the story of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Beginning in 1948, the white elected National Party government initiated a process which turned over 20 million people into 2nd class citizens, damning them to a life of servitude, humiliation and abuse. Their liberation in ... more information

Art Afrika

62 Tyrone Ave, Parkview, Johannesburg. Art Africa holds a collection of ethnic arts, crafts and artefacts from around Africa. The shop is split into a front section that carries contemporary and recycled items from self-help groups in Gauteng. The back section has a selection of wooden games, statues and sculptures ...

Constitution Hill

Nowhere can the story of South Africa’s turbulent past and its extraordinary transition to democracy be told as it is at Constitution Hill. This national heritage site has witnessed a century of South Africa’s history. From rebellious British soldiers who fought with the Boers at the turn of the century, to the ... more information

Emmarentia Dam

Reputed to be the best dog walk in Johannesburg, Emmarentia Dam lies next to the Botanic Garden in Emmarentia, north Johannesburg. Tranquil lawns in which families can meet and play, walkways peppered with wooden benches placed strategically to afford moments of stillness and reflection ... more information

Gold Reef City

At Gold Reef City you will find experiences that you would not find anywhere else - it's a combination of fun, fantasy, historical fact all in a safe environment with great parking facilities. The casino at Gold Reef City' is open 24 hours a day and offers an energetic atmosphere, highly trained staff and an abundance of ... more information

Hector Pieterson Memorial

The Hector Pieterson Memorial and museum opened in Soweto in 2002, not far from the spot where 12 year-old Hector was shot on the 16 June 1976 during the Soweto uprising that today is a symbol of resistance to the brutality of the apartheid government. Soweto, a city developed as a township for black ... more information

James Hall Museum of Transport

Based in Rosettenville Johannesburg, opposite the Rand Stadium, the James Hall Museum of Transport is an incredible collection of over 400 years’ worth of various modes of land transport that range from steam driven vehicles, trains, trams and trolley buses, to animal drawn carriages, early bicycles and cars of ... more information

Hyde Park Corner Shopping Mall

Hyde Park Shopping: Recently voted the ‘most loved’ of Johannesburg’s best known malls, Hyde Park Shopping prides itself on a unique tenant offering boasting 130 leading speciality retailers. Five hundred of the world’s foremost international brands can be found within this landmark shopping centre.

Johannesburg Art Gallery

Works by Rodin, Dante, Gabriel Rossetti, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas and Henry Moore grace the walls of the Johannesburg Art Gallery on the corner of Klein and King George Streets on Joubert Park, right in the midst of the central business district of Johannesburg. Whilst Joubert Park ... more information

Johannesburg Botanic Garden

Set on the western shores of the picturesque Emmarentia Dam, Johannesburg Botanic Garden is one of the city’s parks - a green space in the middle of Jo'burgs northern suburbs about 6 kilometres from the city centre - with over 30 000 trees, a large rose garden, the site of over 4 500 varieties, and a ... more information

Johannesburg Planetarium

Situated in the grounds of the University of the Witwatersrand (entrance in Yale Road, alongside the M1). Seating for over 400 persons. Educational and entertaining programmes on different aspects of astronomy are held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Phone: + 27 (0)11 717-1392.

Johannesburg Zoo

Situated on Jan Smuts Avenue in Parkview, the Johannesburg Zoo is one of the city’s most popular haunts. The huge 54 hectare green lung is the place where the two tributaries of the Braamfontein Spruit meet, set in almost park-like surrounds in the heart of the northern suburbs. Johannesburg’s zoo is home to 2070 ... more information

Nelson Mandela Bridge

The largest cable-stayed bridge in South Africa, the 284 metre long Nelson Mandela Bridge, starts virtually at the end of Jan Smuts Avenue and links the Constitutional Hill precinct in Braamfontein to the Cultural precinct in Newtown, in the heart of the city’s inner city renewal project. The Nelson Mandela ... more information

Mandela Family Museum

Nelson Mandela's humble house in Orlando West, Soweto, now called the Mandela Family Museum, is an interesting stopover for those keen to imbibe a slice of authentic history on the world's most famous former prisoner. The museum, a house comprising four inter-leading rooms, contains a rather ... more information

Melville Koppies Nature Reserve

Melville Koppies Nature Reserve, known locally as Melville Koppies, isn't just a pretty green space really close to one of the trendiest suburbs, and the city centre, of Johannesburg, it is also a World Heritage Site and of major historical significance, given that people have lived here since the Stone Age, and the ... more information

Montecasino

Smack bang in the heart of Fourways - almost where the former set of stop streets originally stood before development ushered in a major set of roads and lights that admittedly make navigating Fourways far easier, but do away with the former charm of what used to be ‘Fourways-out-in-the-sticks’ - is ... more information

Museum Africa

Not only is Museum Africa one of the most beautiful buildings where it lies right next door to the Market Theatre complex in Bree Street, Newtown, but it is also a museum with a difference - people who have visited museums throughout the world remark at the interesting and unique approach to the main ... more information

National Museum of Military History

If you are even vaguely into weapons, military aircraft, medals, uniforms and other war memorabilia, then the South African Museum of Military History set on Erlswold Way in Saxonwald, Johannesburg - literally next door to the Johannesburg Zoo - is obligatory. During the First World War many of the ... more information

Newtown, Johannesburg

Situated in Johannesburg’s inner-city, Newtown forms the heart of the city’s regeneration and reinvention of itself. It’s a fairly large area that lies sandwiched between the railway lines to the north, the M2 highway in the south and bounded in the east and west by West Street and Quinn Street respectively. What ... more information

OR Tambo International Airport

Formerly officially known as Johannesburg International Airport, the OR Tambo International Airport is a large airport near the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. It serves as the primary airport for domestic and international travel to or from South Africa. It is Africa's busiest airport, handling over ... more information

Roof-Top Market @ Rosebank Mall

50 Bath Ave, Rosebank. Sundays and public holidays from 9.30am - 5pm. The Rooftop Market is regarded by many as South Africa's best flea market, and is well patronised by locals and tourists. More than 500 stalls offer quality clothing, ceramics, art and craft objects, antiques and collectibles.

SAB World of Beer

What beer enthusiast do you know who would turn down the chance of two ice cold frosties after a tour that encompasses the art of beer-making and brewing? Since openings its doors over ten years ago, the World of Beer has become an enormously popular attraction for both visitors and South Africans, and it ... more information

Sandton City

One of the main attractions in Sandton is Sandton City. This shopping centre is ranked among the largest shopping centres in Africa. Together with Nelson Mandela Square, the centre boasts over 144,000m² of shopping space making it the largest in the Southern Hemisphere! It is definitely any shoppers Mecca.

Turffontein Race Course

In Johannesburg when you speak about ‘going to the races’ you’re usually referring to spending a day watching horses race at the Turffontein race track, one of the oldest horse racing venues in South Africa, built in 1887. Set in the southern suburbs, Turffontein is easy to get to from the M2 highway, has plenty ... more information

Zoo Lake

Set on the corner of Jan Smuts Avenue and West World Street, virtually across from the Johannesburg Zoo, Zoo Lake is usually a hive of activity - dog walkers, joggers, skateboarders and kids. Zoo Lake is a large park situated around a manmade lake that makes for perfect weekend ambles ... more information

Johannesburg Attractions

Things To Do in Johannesburg

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Johannesburg

Holiday Accommodation in Johannesburg

For accommodation in Johannesburg see:
• Auckland Park Accommodation • Bedfordview Accommodation • Braamfontein Accommodation
• Craighall Park Accommodation • Cresta Accommodation • Darrenwood Accommodation
• Douglasdale Accommodation • Dunkeld West Accommodation • Emmarentia Accommodation
• Forest Town Accommodation • Joburg Central Accommodation • Kensington Accommodation
• Lanseria Accommodation • Linden Accommodation • Marshalltown Accommodation
• Melville Accommodation • Midrand Accommodation • Northcliff Accommodation
• Norwood Accommodation • Observatory Accommodation • Orchards Accommodation
• Ormonde Accommodation • Parkhurst Accommodation • Parktown Accommodation
• Parkview Accommodation • Parkwood Accommodation • Randburg Accommodation
• Sandton Accommodation • Saxonwold Accommodation • Soweto Accommodation
• Victory Park Accommodation • Westcliff Accommodation

Or to see all accommodation in this region, visit Johannesburg Accommodation.

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Also see Things To Do in Gauteng or check out Things To Do in South Africa to view activities by category, including watersports, sightseeing activities, arts & crafts and many, many more.

destinations / attractions in gauteng