Sightseeing and Entertainment
City Sightseeing Johannesburg & Soweto
One of the best ways for foreigners visiting Joburg to explore all of its unique points of interest is by hopping on and off the red double-decker City Sightseeing bus! There are a variety of ticket options to choose from, ranging from one-day trips to combo deals, ensuring that you experience the exciting parts of the city with ease. With over 16 stops and over 20 of Johannesburg’s top attractions to visit, City Sightseeing Johannesburg & Soweto is a safe, fun, educational, and convenient way to venture into the city.
Visit City Sightseeing Johannesburg & Soweto.
Cycle In Soweto
Foreigners visiting Joburg can explore the famous Soweto township by bicycle with Cycle in Soweto. These private bike tours allow tourists and locals to experience the area in a whole different way. They give you the opportunity to have personal interactions with Soweto locals, enjoy some fresh air and sunshine, and even get a little bit of exercise while pedalling from one stop to the next. This is a unique township experience that tourists will love.
The Playground for foreigners visiting Joburg
Foreigners visiting Joburg will love the truly cosmopolitan vibe of The Playground. The legendary Neighbourgoods Market location in Braamfontein is returning! Play Braamfontein has renamed the area ‘The Playground.’ Every Saturday, The Playground has a regular artisan market with a variety of gourmet street foods, beverages, live music performances, and DJs. Sunday will soon be the site of live music performances and events.
This is more than simply a marketplace; it is as concerned with the tourist experience as it is with providing a platform for extraordinary young talent in Johannesburg. promises a jam-packed lineup of excellent cuisine, superb beverages, live music performances, and the coolest range of local fashion goods. Discover your inner artist during this painting lesson at The Playground Market. With a paintbrush in one hand and a beverage or coffee in the other, follow along as a professional artist takes you to step by step through painting the session’s featured artwork.
The Playground on 73 Juta in Braamfontein opens from 9 am to 6 pm.
Game Reserves for foreigners visiting Joburg
One of the most popular tourist attractions in South Africa involves travellers and locals alike, heading out into the bushveld and enjoying safari drives, spotting the Big 5 and reconnecting with nature. For all of your outdoor and safari needs, take a look at our extensive destination lists below:
- Game Viewing Within Driving Distance From Johannesburg
- Nature Reserves Around Johannesburg
- Game Farms Around Johannesburg
Pilanesberg National Park
Pilanesberg National Park is the most accessible of Southern Africa’s intriguing wildlife reserves. This large area, located in the biologically rich transition zone between the Kalahari and the Lowveld, delivers exhilarating big game watching while being malaria-free. The Mankwe Dam area contains some of the most magnificent landscapes in the entire park. The dam is the wildlife reserve’s largest body of water. This makes it ideal for spotting a wide range of wildlife.
There is a bird hide along the water’s edge for bird watchers. Keep an eye out for the fish eagles, kingfishers, and cormorants that circle the dam.
The Pilanesberg National Park is found in the Bojanala Region of the North West Province, close to Johannesburg. It is the fourth largest park in South Africa, covering 550km2.
Lion & Safari Park Day Trip
An experience of a lifetime, taking a day trip to the Lion & Safari Park is at the top of many visitors’ lists. Just an hour away from the city, you can get up close and personal with earth’s wonderful creatures, from the likes of lion cubs to zebras. You can go on a tour, take part in some night feeding, or even take it all in on a river tour.
Museums and Art Galleries for foreigners visiting Joburg
The Apartheid Museum
Portraying the apartheid story through the use of film footage, photos, and a whole host of other media, The Apartheid Museum is top of many people’s lists when they visit the city. A truly powerful and thought-provoking experience, the museum illustrates South Africa’s history perfectly and provides a truly unique take on it. This detailed look into South Africa’s not too distant past is well worth doing, taking around two hours to get through and costing a reasonable price.
Market Theatre
The Market Theatre, known as South Africa’s “Theatre of Struggle,” was formed in Johannesburg in 1976 and is housed in the Indian Fruit Market. This proudly South African theatre provides award-winning quality to its audience by offering a genuine South African cultural experience dedicated to the highest degree of creative excellence in all elements of the performing and visual arts. The Theatre is located in Newtown, where it has opposed apartheid rule in the past, armed with little more than the belief that culture can alter society. Its twenty-one international and over 300 South African theatrical prizes speak much about the company’s bravery and artistic brilliance.
Wits Origin Centre Museum
For a unique history lesson, the Wits Origin Centre Museum explores and celebrates the history and evolution of modern humankind. Visitors will be able to explore and view collections of ancient stone tools, artefacts of symbolic and spiritual significance, and visually striking rock art.
Visit Wits Origin Centre Museum.
Lindfield Victorian House Museum
The Lindfield House Victorian Museum in Auckland Park will take you back in time to the days of a bygone era, offering a unique and interesting tour you won’t experience anywhere else in the city. This is one of Joburg’s best-kept secrets and an absolute must-visit if you’re looking to do a little time travelling! And as if the tour of this ‘time capsule’ isn’t amazing enough, you’ll get to enjoy delicious sausage rolls, fluffy scones with jam and cream, and scrumptious cake at the afternoon tea. Click here to find out what more to expect.
Visit the Lindfield Victorian House Museum.
The Ditsong National Museum of Military History
The Ditsong National Museum of Military History is a treasure trove of military-related journals, weapons and photographs from a number of wars in South African history. There’s also an impressive collection of fighter planes, tanks and even a submarine for you to view. The museum is also regarded as a spiritual and symbolic home and memorial for all the brave South African soldiers and veterans.
Visit the Ditsong National Museum of Military History.
The Adler Museum of Medicine
Do your visitors have an interest in medicine and its history? Then be sure to take foreigners visiting Joburg to The Adler Museum of Medicine, housed at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Medical School Campus in Parktown. This museum preserves the history of the health sciences in South Africa and showcases fascinating and invaluable collections of medical items from the fields of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.
Visit the Adler Museum of Medicine.
Cradle of Humankind
The Cradle of Humankind offers visitors plenty of activities and exhibits to explore. Start off your visit at the world-class Maropeng Visitor Centre, which will take you on a journey through mankind’s development over millions of years. This offers visitors the chance to view world-famous fossils and interesting stone tools discovered in the Sterkfontein Caves. Famous fossils include the discovery of Mrs Ples and Little Foot. You can also explore these caves for yourself!
Visit the Cradle of Humankind.
Gold Reef City
A family-friendly option for foreigners visiting Joburg, Gold Reef City offers numerous theme park rides as well as an array of historical exhibits. Alongside more modern attractions, Gold Reef City offers its visitors an insight into the gold rush days too, with the option of touring a disused shaft of the Crown Mines an appealing option for many. For kids, there’s a trampoline park, the aforementioned theme park rides, as well as a bowling alley, a petting zoo, and a golf course. If you’re after some family fun, then look no further than Gold Reef City.
Orlando Towers
Foreigners visiting Joburg will love the iconic Orlando Towers in Soweto. Not only are they a beautiful spectacle of street art, but this spot also offers thrilling activities that’ll get your heart racing. Pluck up the courage, get strapped up and secured, and do a 100m bungee between the cooling towers. You can also brave a SCAD freefall or base jumping. Looking for something a little less terrifying? Spend your afternoon enjoying a few rounds of paintball, wall climbing, or taking in the stunning 360-degree views of the city from the top of one of the towers.
Foreigners visiting Joburg will love Constitution Hill
A former prison overlooking the entire city, Constitution Hill is another historical venue well worth visiting. There are plenty of options to take in, be it the Number Four museum, the Women’s Gaol museum, or the Old Fort museum. Formerly known as The Fort after housing a wide variety of criminals, including Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. Constitution Hill serves as a reminder to many of just how far South Africa has come.
Mandela’s House
8115 Orlando West, corner of Vilakazi and Ngakane Streets, Soweto. An address that has been woven into South Africa’s history. This is where former President Nelson Mandela lived from 1946 to 1962, and where you’ll find the Nelson Mandela National Museum today. It’s a must-visit for foreigners visiting Joburg. This world-class attraction preserves the historical heritage and legacy of the Mandela family and presents it with a collection of memorabilia, photographs, paintings and research within the four inter-leading rooms of the home.
Johannesburg Art Gallery
Being the largest gallery on the continent, the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG) located in the centre of Joubert Park boasts over 9 000 artworks, displayed across 15 exhibition halls and sculpture gardens. Here, you can expect to see everything from artefacts, sculptures, drawings, paintings, prints and lacework to 17th-century Dutch paintings, 18- and 19th-century British and European work, as well as contemporary South African art. Keen on exploring this space? Tours through the gallery are available, but ensure that you make your bookings in advance.
Visit the Johannesburg Art Gallery.
Nelson Mandela Bridge for foreigners visiting Joburg
When travelling into Johannesburg Central, be sure to take foreigners visiting Joburg for a drive along the Nelson Mandela Bridge. Linking bustling Braamfontein to vibey Newtown, this is the largest cable-stayed bridge in the country, crossing over the 42 railway lines and carrying two lanes of traffic, two sidewalks, and a bicycle lane. It’s a lovely sight by day, but come night, this bridge lights up the Johannesburg cityscape!
Adventure Parks and Picnic Gardens for foreigners visiting Joburg
Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens
Another delightful experience to consider, the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens give visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in nature and explore one of the nine botanical gardens the country has to offer. Its Witpoortjie Waterfall is a particular highlight, as well as experiencing the natural wildlife on offer the further you immerse yourself into what is a truly stunning slice of wilderness.
Johannesburg Botanical Gardens
Get a little fresh air and stretch those legs at the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens at the Emmarentia Dam. It’s a lovely space to explore, view, and admire all the greenery, fauna, and flora. It boasts one of the finest plant collections in the world, complete with over 30 000 trees, a large rose garden, indigenous variants and succulents, and herb garden. It’s also a lovely spot where visitors can get their daily dose of exercise, enjoy a lovely picnic with the family, or even watch the Summer Sunset Concerts, featuring a lineup of local and international acts that’s sure to delight.
Zoo Lake
The Johannesburg Zoo is directly across the road from Zoo Lake, a public park. Zoo Lake is the place to go whether you enjoy canoeing, picnicking in the park, or simply relaxing beneath a tree. Jungle gyms are available for the younger children, as well as basketball and tennis facilities for the older ones. It’s worth mentioning that fishing and swimming are not permitted at the lake. However, you are allowed to bring seeds or bread to feed the ducks, swans, and pigeons who frequent the lake. The region is also ideal for a picturesque jog. At Zoo Lake, security is plenty, and safety comes first, but it never hurts to be cautious.
Shopping for foreigners visiting Joburg
Sandton City
One of the most visited and prestigious shopping destinations on the continent, boasting world-class shopping, amazing restaurants and only the best in local and international brands, the ever-popular Sandton City Shopping Centre is an absolute must on your to-do list when visiting Johannesburg. This retail hub attracts visitors from across the country and the world, all within close proximity to busy business centres, top-notch accommodation and other nearby entertainment
Know more spots you’d want to show off to visiting friends? Let us know!
