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Johannesburg Travel & Sightseeing Guide

A trip to Johannesburg
Set to be the host of the FIFA World Cup in 2010, Johannesburg has come along way since the dark days of Apartheid. Although not the capital of South Africa, it’s the most populated city in the country and the main business hub. The main airport sees visitors from across the country and the world with very good connections to the rest of Africa. The city is heavy on outdoor and wildlife attractions but also features a good number of museums, many related to the Apartheid era.

Flights to Johannesburg
Formerly known as Johannesburg International Airport, O.R. Tambo Airport is the main air hub for Johannesburg and the region with flights connecting to Africa and Europe in particular along with many other areas of the world. With nearly 20 million passengers a year it’s a busy terminal that receives all the world’s major airlines, the national carrier being South African Airways with flights to Washington DC, London and Lagos. If you are looking for a cheap flight to Johannesburg try lastminute.com. Visitors can get to the city by shuttle bus or metered taxis. Hire cars are also available from a number of international rental companies operating out of the arrivals hall.

Public transport in Johannesburg is not very comprehensive meaning many travellers decide to hire a vehicle for the duration of their stay. Buses run throughout the city however, as do taxis.

Johannesburg

Sightseeing in Johannesburg
Due to its prominence as a pocket of resistance during the Apartheid years, Soweto Township has become a major tourist hotspot here with numerous exhibitions and galleries depicting life for the poor, black masses. The Apartheid Museum is probably the best-known exhibition in Johannesburg and is considered a must-see attraction.

Lovers of the outdoors will thoroughly enjoy the city as there are plenty of activities on offer such as abseiling, ski-diving and gliding as well as safari parks with lions and other big game. Gold Reef City boasts a theme park with a casino and a mine to explore.

Fun by night – eating drinking and partying
If you’re looking for guaranteed good food head to Melrose Arch, a high-end area with numerous and varied eateries such as its African-themed restaurant Moyo. South Africans tend to go in for large slabs of meat so grill restaurants are very prominent serving up steaks, burgers and chicken. Melville is a good area to try for varied international cuisine including Italian and Chinese.

The Melville area is also good for bars given that it is popular with students. If you want a bar or a club that is a little more up-market however, try out Rivonia - an area that once saw Nelson Mandela and his associates plot to overthrow the Apartheid regime. Nowadays it’s just about bars and clubs serving draft South African beer.

Fun by day - shopping and activities
Johannesburg is a very popular shopping destination for visitors from across the region. Shopping malls are abundant here. Take a look at Sandton City or Fourways. The former features international chains and locally owned stores with lots of clothes on sale along with just about anything else you may need. Eastrand Mall is a good option if you are looking for a quick shopping spree before your flight as it’s close to the airport.

Daytrips
The surrounding areas of Johannesburg can be easily accessed by public transport or private taxi. One of the most important paleo-anthropological sites in the world is located a short journey from the city; Sterkfontein caves feature six underground stalactitic caves whose finds can be viewed in the nearby Robert Broom Museum.

The fabulous Krugersdorp Game Reserve is home to lions, baboons, buffaloes and wildebeests among other animals and offers a number of short hiking trails. Just outside the city is the much loved Lion Park, where visitors can view lions, ostriches, antelope and zebras, as well as enjoy the swimming pool, picnic areas and barbeque sites.

Halfway to Pretoria is the Transvaal Snake Park, home to over 150 species of snake, amphibians and reptiles as well as tortoises and crocodiles. To admire some of South Africa’s incredible birdlife, head to the African Fauna and Bird Park, which also features barbeque and picnic spots.

Must-see attractions
Johannesburg is crammed full of fascinating attractions. Take a walk along Rissik Street for a glimpse of some of the city’s oldest buildings. The neo-Renaissance City Hall and the colonial Post Office are worth a look.

Soak up the atmosphere of the city in the days of the gold rush with a visit to Gold Reef City, with its reproductions of public buildings, shops and houses of the time. Visitors can take guided tours of an old Crown Mines shaft and visit a Chinese laundry, a newspaper office and the Royal Theatre.

Lovers of the arts should catch a performance at the Market Theatre, where at four live venues are presented some of the country’s best productions. Also in the complex is the well-known jazz bar, Kippies, which fills up with music lovers every evening.

The miniature railroad running around the Bezuidenhout Park will be loved by children, while adults can admire the old farmhouse remaining from the days of the gold rush. For hiking opportunities, the Braamfontein Spruit Trail is well recommended.

Best time to go
Johannesburg tends to enjoy dry sunny weather throughout most of the year, with short, sharp bursts of thunderstorm the norm in the afternoons between October and April. Winter days are only slightly cooler than those in summer, although the nights can become frosty. Summer is a great time to visit the city, when the streets come alive with festivals, such as the popular Jazz Festival.

Rainy day suggestions
To shelter from afternoon showers, the city offers a whole host of indoor attractions. Choose from the Museum Africa, full of African artefacts, or the Kwazuli Muti Shop which sells a selection of medicines and herbs used by Zulu medicine men. The Africana and Geological Museum documents the colonisation of South Africa by Europeans and houses an extensive collection of minerals and prehistoric objects. Other attractions include the Johannesburg Art Gallery and National Bank Museum.

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