South Africa

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Johannesburg

Africa's gold-rush metropolis

Visa & entry checker Plan a trip to Johannesburg Plan a trip around South Africa

Best time to visit: Mar, Apr, May, Aug, Sep, Oct
Currency: ZAR
Time zone: UTC+2
Country: South Africa

Photo: Mark Jelley, CC BY-SA 2.5

Johannesburg is South Africa's largest city and economic capital, built on the Witwatersrand gold reef in 1886. Visitors come for the apartheid and anti-apartheid history of Soweto and Constitution Hill, world-class museums, and a lively food, art and nightlife scene.

Largest cities

Johannesburg
Cape Town
Durban
Pretoria
Port Elizabeth

Quick facts

Figures are rounded recent official estimates.

Country: South Africa
Capital: Bloemfontein
City population: 4.8M
Population of South Africa: 62M
Country area: 1,221,037 km²
Official language: South Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Tsonga, and Tswana
Currency: South African Rand (ZAR) · 1 USD ≈ 16.54 ZAR
Time zone: UTC+2
Calling code: +27
Drives on the: Left
Elevation: 1,746 m
Plugs: C / M / N · 230V
Emergency numbers: 10111 (police) · 10177 (ambulance) · 112 (mobile emergency)
Best time to visit: Mar, Apr, May, Aug, Sep, Oct

Temperatures through the year

Average daily high and low for each month in °C. Months marked with a drop are often rainy.

Temperatures through the year

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High	25°	25°	24°	21°	20°	17°	17°	21°	25°	25°	25°	25°
Low	15°	15°	13°	10°	7°	4°	4°	7°	11°	12°	13°	15°

Best time to visitOther months

Approximate daily cost

Per adult per day: food, local transport and half a double room, without activities or flights.

ConservativeSimple stays, free and low-cost sights first.$41
HighComfortable hotels, a balanced mix of sights and trips.$100
LuxuryLuxury hotels, more paid experiences and day trips.$255

Plan a trip to Johannesburg

Top things to do

≈ $8
Apartheid Museum
A powerful chronological walk through the rise and fall of apartheid; allow two to three hours and go early to avoid the biggest groups.
- Half day
- Old Joburg (Melville, Parktown, Houghton)
- Good for kids
- Indoors
≈ $8
Constitution Hill
The Constitutional Court and former prison complex tell South Africa's rights story; guided tours run through the old cells and stairwells.
- Half day
- Inner City (Braamfontein, Maboneng, Newtown, Fordsburg)
- Good for kids
- Indoors
≈ $60
Soweto day tour
Vilakazi Street, the Mandela House museum and the Hector Pieterson Memorial cover the township's role in the anti-apartheid struggle; a guided tour is the practical way to see it.
- Full day
- Soweto
- Good for kids
≈ $5
Mandela House Museum
Nelson Mandela's former home on Vilakazi Street is now a small museum of family life and the struggle years; pair it with the nearby Hector Pieterson Memorial.
- Half day
- Soweto
- Good for kids
- Indoors
≈ $30
Cradle of Humankind and Sterkfontein Caves
A UNESCO site west of the city where early hominin fossils were found; the Maropeng visitor centre and cave tours need most of a day and a car.
- Full day
- Roodepoort and the Cradle of Humankind
- Good for kids
- Indoors
Free
Maboneng District
A regenerated inner-city block of street art, galleries, cafes and the Sunday market; go in daylight and use a taxi or e-hailing car to get there.
- Half day
- Inner City (Braamfontein, Maboneng, Newtown, Fordsburg)
- Good for kids
- Good in the evening
≈ $10
Soweto Towers
The painted Orlando cooling towers offer a viewing deck and optional bungee jump; the rooftop bar makes it a good late-afternoon stop.
- Half day
- Soweto
- Good for kids
Free
Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square
Africa's richest square mile has a large mall, restaurants and the Mandela statue; it is an easy, safe first-evening wander near most hotels.
- Half day
- Sandton
- Good for kids
- Indoors
- Good in the evening

Before you go

Entry and visas

Many visitors, including British citizens, can enter South Africa without a visa for up to 90 days for tourism or business, while other nationalities may need a visa or must apply in advance; rules depend on nationality, so check before booking. Your passport must be valid for at least 30 days beyond your departure date and have at least two blank pages, and travellers with children aged 17 and under face extra documentation requirements. From 1 July 2026 all travellers entering or leaving South Africa must submit an online traveller declaration before travelling, and yellow fever vaccination

Official website

From the airport

O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) is Africa's busiest airport, 24 km east of the city centre. The Gautrain runs from the airport to Sandton in about 15–20 minutes, while metered taxis and hotel shuttles take 30–45 minutes depending on traffic.

Getting around

The city is large and spread out, so most visitors use the Gautrain and Gautrain buses, e-hailing apps or hotel shuttles rather than walking between areas.

Local tips

Johannesburg sits at about 1,750 m, so take the first day easy if you feel short of breath.
Summers (November–February) bring hot afternoons and sudden thunderstorms; winters (June–July) are dry and cold at night, so pack layers.
Use e-hailing apps or hotel-arranged taxis after dark and keep valuables out of sight; avoid walking in the inner city at night.
Tipping is expected: around 10–15% in restaurants and small amounts for car guards and petrol attendants.