Stand on Vilakazi Street in Soweto and you are standing on the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize laureates lived. That single fact tells you much of what Johannesburg is: a city that carries its history openly, in its streets, its museums and its neighbourhoods, rather than keeping it behind glass.
Johannesburg suits travellers who want a city with weight to it. The inner city rewards a wander through its art spaces and markets, the northern suburbs offer an easier, greener pace, and the south holds the museums that explain modern South Africa. This guide covers the sights and experiences worth your time, drawn from what is known about the city, and ends with a plan for a single day.
Top things to do in Johannesburg
1. Apartheid Museum
In South Johannesburg, the Apartheid Museum offers a moving and informative trip through South Africa's turbulent past and present. It is the single best place to begin understanding the country you are visiting, and it sets up everything else you will see in Soweto and the inner city.
Give it real time rather than squeezing it between other stops. Pair it with the rest of your South Johannesburg day, and consider visiting before a Soweto tour so the context is fresh.
2. Soweto
Soweto is a popular destination for travellers from around the world, and it is one of the most historically significant areas for modern South Africa. It was home to key anti-apartheid leaders including Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, and it was the epicentre of the 1976 Soweto Uprising.
Take a tour or drive in yourself using GPS set to Vilakazi Street, where the road infrastructure and signs are excellent. Use only official operators, and do not go on your own. You can stop off at Maponya Mall and join the Sowetan middle classes as they entertain themselves with retail and movies.
3. Constitution Hill
Constitution Hill is the site of the notorious Old Fort prison complex. It is a fascinating place well worth a visit: part courtroom, part museum and part art gallery. It is also the seat of the country's highest court, the Constitutional Court.
It sits in the inner city, and Hillbrow is right across the street, so it combines naturally with a walk in that area. If you go on to Hillbrow, empty your pockets, stay on the main streets and carry nothing worth stealing.
4. Maboneng Precinct and Arts on Main
On the east side of the city you will find Main Street Life, Maboneng Precinct and Arts on Main, with its Sunday market and The Bioscope independent cinema. The Maboneng area has 24-hour security so you can freely walk around the streets, just be sure not to stray away too far.
Sunday is the day to aim for, when the market is on. Combine it with the rest of the east side, including Troyeville.
5. Newtown and the Market Theatre
Newtown and the Market Theatre area is the city's cultural precinct, now easily accessible from the highway and Mandela Bridge. It is very fun, and here you will find live music venues and bars too.
This is an evening stop as much as a daytime one, so plan it for after dark when the venues are working.
6. Braamfontein
Braamfontein, the university area, has a great Saturday market, lively night life, and is very artsy. By day there is nothing here, so time your visit accordingly.
Come for the Saturday market and stay into the evening, or come purely for the night life.
7. Fordsburg
Fordsburg is the formerly-Indian, now known as "little Somalia" and "Ethiopia Town" part of central Joburg, with Indian and Pakistani restaurants as well as African street food, shops and markets. Good food is to be found in this neighbourhood, which by Johannesburg's standards shows signs of street life in the evenings, and more so on Friday and Saturday.
Most places are halal, and so no alcohol is served. The Oriental Plaza shopping mall is here and has good bargains.
8. Top of Africa, Carlton Centre
The Top of Africa on the 50th floor of the Carlton Centre gives you a panoramic view of the city from the top of Africa's tallest building. It is the quickest way to get your bearings on the shape of the inner city.
Combine it with the Johannesburg Art Gallery and Constitution Hill, which are in the same part of town.
9. Johannesburg Art Gallery
The Johannesburg Art Gallery is the biggest gallery on the African continent, with a good collection of local and international work on display. It is worth the time for the collection alone.
Hillbrow is right across the street, so the same advice applies: stay on the main streets, keep your wits about you, and carry nothing worth stealing.
10. Origins Centre
The Origins Centre has an excellent multimedia display of the rock art and the origins of humankind. It gives depth to the story of the region before the gold rush.
Pair it with the WITS Anglo American Digital Dome, which is nearby and covers related ground about the universe and human creativity.
11. WITS Anglo American Digital Dome
Formerly the Johannesburg Planetarium, the WITS Anglo American Digital Dome uses high-resolution projectors and surround-sound technology to create an immersive environment for educational experiences about the wonders of the universe and the richness of human creativity.
It works well as a companion to the Origins Centre, and as an indoor option when you want a break from walking.
12. Workers Museum
The Workers Museum tells the story of migrant labourers who came to Johannesburg to find work. Having left their homes and families, black migrant workers faced slave-like conditions shown by the original dormitories, concrete bunks and punishment room at the old compound building.
It is a short, focused visit that pairs well with Constitution Hill, since both deal with confinement and labour in the city's history.
13. Gold Reef City
Gold Reef City in South Johannesburg is an amusement park with a casino. The visitor can also learn about gold mining and go into a mine here.
It is the obvious choice if you are travelling with children, and it sits in the same part of the city as the Apartheid Museum, so the two can share a day.
14. South African National Museum of Military History
In Saxonwold, the South African National Museum of Military History has a good collection of military hardware, including one of the very few ME 262 jet fighters from World War II still in existence. There is also a huge South African-built G6 self-propelled, 155mm howitzer on show.
This is a northern suburbs stop, so fold it into a day that also takes in Sandton and the surrounding green suburbs.
15. Montecasino Bird Gardens
The Montecasino Bird Gardens in Sandton is home to many birds and other small wildlife. Also look out for the 2500-year-old tree near the parrots.
It suits a slower afternoon in the north, and can be combined with the other Sandton-area sights.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start in South Johannesburg at the Apartheid Museum, which gives you the context for everything else. If you are travelling with children, or want to break up the history, Gold Reef City is in the same part of the city.
Afternoon: Move to Soweto. Set your GPS to Vilakazi Street and use an official operator rather than going on your own. Stop off at Maponya Mall if you want a break, and let the township tour take you around the area.
Evening: Return to the inner city for Newtown and the Market Theatre area, the city's cultural precinct, where you will find live music venues and bars. If it is a Friday or Saturday, Fordsburg is the alternative for street food and markets, though most places there are halal and no alcohol is served.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Johannesburg city centre safe to visit?
The poor reputation of the Central Business District is no longer deserved, and there are numerous galleries and art spaces popping up across it. In Maboneng there is 24-hour security so you can freely walk around the streets, though you should not stray too far. In Hillbrow, empty your pockets, stay on the main streets, keep your wits about you and carry nothing worth stealing.
How should I visit Soweto?
Take a tour or drive in yourself using GPS set to Vilakazi Street, where the road infrastructure and signs are excellent. Use only official operators, and do not go on your own.
When is the best time to visit Braamfontein and Maboneng?
Braamfontein has a great Saturday market and lively night life, but by day there is nothing there. In Maboneng, the Sunday market at Arts on Main is the draw, along with The Bioscope independent cinema.
What can I do in Johannesburg without a car?
City Sightseeing operates red buses in Johannesburg from the pedestrian mall at the Zone Shopping Centre in Oxford Road, Rosebank, next to Hamley's Toys, with the main bus stop nearby. It is described as a very safe and convenient way to see the inner city.
Decide which part of the city you want to start with, check the day of the week against the markets and venues above, and begin building your itinerary around it.