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Johannesburg
Trip Planning & Itineraries
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Johannesburg is a city of astonishing contrasts. A huge metropolis, where opulent wealth and desperate poverty live side by side, if you want to see the real South Africa - and try to understand it - Jo'burg has to be on your itinerary.
"The city of gold" is by far the largest city in South Africa. It's brash and fast-growing, with wealth, energy and a beautiful climate. If you take reasonable precautions and listen to the locals, you can enjoy this fascinating, multitudinous city where all the ups and downs of 21st-century South Africa can be witnessed in three, multicolor dimensions.
Best of Johannesburg: Top 3 Must-Do Experiences
Best of Johannesburg: Suggested Itineraries
Get to know this vibrant South African city on a half-day sightseeing tour, taking in panoramic views, Museum Africa and the sights and sounds of the Rainbow Nation. The legacy and life of Nelson Mandela are at the forefront on a Soweto half-day tour. You'll see Freedom Square, the Mandela Museum, the home of Desmond Tutu, and traditional dwellings and taverns. For a more-in-depth visit, take the Rise to Freedom Tour of Soweto and the Apartheid Museum.
Day Two: Day Trips from Johannesburg
Get ready to spot the Big Five at Pilanesberg Nature Reserve - elephants, lions, rhinos, leopards and African buffalo! You'll also visit the world's most unique resort, Sun City. To experience South African village culture, take a trip to Lesedi, a multicultural village north of Jo'burg. It's an opportunity to see traditional Zulu, Ndebele, Sotho, Pedi and Xhosa villages, Lesedi tribal dancers and enjoy a pan-African feast. Or take a trip to "Jacaranda City," Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital, or the popular Gold Reef City theme park.
Day Three: Multi-day Trips from Johannesburg
Exciting multi-day excursions are easy from Johannesburg. The three-day Classic Kruger Breakaway Tour takes you on a dream safari to Kruger National Park, spending two days and nights watching open-vehicle wildlife drives. The Victoria Falls fly-in tour is another three-day escape taking you to the majestic falls on the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. Add Botswana to your itinerary with the five-day Victoria Falls & Chobe National Park tour, combining a guided walking tour of the falls and a visit to Africa's largest concentration of elephants at Chobe.
Best of Johannesburg: Top Hotels
The emphasis is on service at this stylish boutique hotel: staff are remarkably personable and efficient, and the vibe surprisingly laidback. There's contemporary South African art on show, and outdoor highlights include the Italianate (heated) pool, terrace and roof garden.
A favorite among visiting celebrities, this sprawling, stylish and very pink hotel has apartment block-style privacy and a majestic setting above the zoo. There's every luxury at your fingertips, and the hillside setting and sculpted gardens create the leisurely ambiance of a bygone era.
Modern African design and Jo'burg chic combine to tasteful effect here, in pleasant grounds with a genuine sense of idyll despite the hotel's location in a busy neighbourhood. You can rest assured that at number 10, every effort will be taken to ensure five-star service at this luxury boutique-style accommodation.
Best of Johannesburg: Top Restaurants
Jo'burg is stacked with places to eat, and meals are inexpensive by European standards. There are cuisines of every type available. Jo'burg is also the party capital of Africa, home to a thriving live music scene. On any given night you can see rock, pop, kwaito, jungle, jazz and hip-hop acts, and all manner of house and techno.
Nibble on tapas and feast on stylish Italian cuisine at Jo'burg's cosmopolitan Outer Limits. Not only is there fine dining, there's also a walk-in cigar humidor, a brandy and whiskey area, a comfortable lounge with its own fireplace, and indoor and outdoor cocktail bars.
Oozing chi-chi African charm, this busy chain offers a wide range of contemporary African eats. Each has a stylish cigar bar, and fresh, herb-packed cooking forms the backbone of the innovative menu. There's also a top-notch wine list for vinophiles.
Asian food is served in this slick eatery, whose clean lines and muted tones recall a Japanese Zen garden. Try the seared tuna on wasabi mash and salsa verde, or the line fish steamed in lemongrass, garlic and herbs.
- Plan Johannesburg vacations on Yahoo! Travel
- Johannesburg hotels, South Africa from PlanetWare
- Johannesburg hotel deals from HotelsCombined.com
- English-language news from the City Press
