Johannesburg
Johannesburg, colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "the City of Gold", is the capital city of the province of Gauteng and the largest city in South Africa.
Johannesburg, colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "the City of Gold", is the capital city of the province of Gauteng and the largest city in South Africa. In 2022, the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality had a population of 4,803,262, and the wider metropolitan area a population of 15,099,422, making it one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. It is also the seat of the country's highest court, the Constitutional Court. Situated on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand, the city has long been at the epicentre of the international mineral and gold trade. The richest city in Africa by GDP and private wealth, Johannesburg functions as the economic capital of South Africa and is home to the continent's largest stock exchange, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Johannesburg
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01FNB Stadium
The First National Bank Stadium, also known as Soccer City or the Calabash, is a football and rugby union stadium located in Nasrec, bordering the Soweto area of Johannesburg, South Africa. The site is managed by Stadium Management South Africa and is home of Kaizer Chiefs F.C. in the South African Premiership as well as the venue for key fixtures for the South Africa national football team.
7.1 km · stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa · Wikipedia - 02Ellis Park Stadium
Ellis Park Stadium is a rugby union and association football stadium in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. It hosted the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was won by the country's national team, the Springboks.
1.7 km · stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa · Wikipedia - 03University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a leading multi-campus public research university situated in the economic hub of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is known for its academic and research excellence, commitment to social justice, and the advancement of the public good.
2.1 km · public research university in Johannesburg, South Africa · Wikipedia - 04University of Johannesburg
The University of Johannesburg, colloquially known as UJ, is a public university located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The University of Johannesburg was established on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Rand Afrikaans University, the Technikon Witwatersrand and the Soweto and East Rand campuses of Vista University.
5.2 km · public university in Johannesburg, South Africa · Wikipedia - 05Carlton Centre
The Carlton Centre is a 50-storey skyscraper and shopping centre located on Commissioner Street in central Johannesburg, South Africa. At 223 metres, it was the tallest building in Africa for 46 years from its completion in 1973 until 2019.
200 m · skyscraper in Johannesburg, South Africa · Wikipedia - 06Union Observatory
Union Observatory, also known as Transvaal Observatory, Republic Observatory and Johannesburg Observatory, is a defunct astronomical observatory in Johannesburg, South Africa that operated from 1903 to 1971. It is located on Observatory Ridge, the city's highest point at 1,808 metres altitude in the suburb Observatory.
3.6 km · decommissioned astronomical observatory · Wikipedia - 07Ponte City Apartments
Ponte City is a skyscraper in the Berea district of Johannesburg, South Africa, just next to Hillbrow. It was built in 1975 to a height of 173 m.
1.9 km · skyscraper in South Africa · Wikipedia - 08Satyagraha House
Satyagraha House, commonly known as Gandhi House, is a museum and guest house located in Johannesburg. The house belonged to Mahatma Gandhi: he lived and worked there between 1908 and 1909.
6.6 km · historical house in Johannesburg - previous residence of Mahatma Gandhi · Wikipedia - 09Apartheid Museum
The Apartheid Museum is a museum illustrating apartheid and the 20th-century history of South Africa. The museum, part of the Gold Reef City complex located in the south of Johannesburg, was opened in November 2001.
5.2 km · Museum on the history of Apartheid in South Africa · Wikipedia - 10Nelson Mandela Bridge
Nelson Mandela Bridge is a bridge in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the fourth of five bridges which cross the railway lines and sidings located just west of Johannesburg Park Station, the first being the Johan Rissik Bridge adjacent to the station.
1.4 km · bridge in Johannesburg, South Africa · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
The poor reputation of the Central Business District (CBD) is no longer deserved. There are numerous galleries and art spaces popping up across the CBD. The city centre is the most-visited part of Johannesburg for African tourists, particularly the traders who come to shop at Johannesburg's wholesale outlets.
From Wikivoyage: Johannesburg, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
City Sightseeing, in the pedestrian mall at the "Zone Shopping center" in Oxford road, Rosebank (next to Hamley's Toys with the main bus stop nearby). Its red buses operate in Johannesburg. A very safe and convenient way to see the inner city. Hop-on hop-off city tour R299, plus Soweto tour R679. Soweto is a popular destination for travellers from around the world.
From Wikivoyage: Johannesburg, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Johannesburg has a wide variety of places to eat and you'll be sure to find something to suit your taste buds, be it local delicacies or international cuisines. In addition to standard South African shopping mall restaurants Johannesburg is one of the few cities with various 'restaurant streets' scattered around the suburbs offering a more European dining experience.
From Wikivoyage: Johannesburg, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Johannesburg
- Airports
- O.R. Tambo (JNB), 21 km · Lanseria (HLA), 32 km · Sir Seretse Khama (GBE), 282 km
- Stations
- Johannesburg Park Station, 900 m
- Polokwane → Johannesburg293 km · quickest by road, 4h 24m · R285–380
- Mbombela → Johannesburg304 km · quickest by road, 4h 51m · R305–405
- Bloemfontein → Johannesburg371 km · quickest by road, 5h 25m · R355–470
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Johannesburg
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Johannesburg. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get in}} The airport is mainly for smaller charter, cargo and classic airline flights; it is in fact busier than Johannesburg International and sees more air traffic.
- Get aroundGenerally, it is a bad idea to make use of minibus taxis unless accompanied by locals.
- Get aroundTraffic can be aggressive, and minibus taxis in particular often defy the rules of the road.
- Get aroundPublic transport in Johannesburg is provided by city buses and informal minibus services.
- Get aroundForeigners are advised to use only normal sedan taxis (metered or fixed-price taxes that transport only you and your travel partners), as minibus taxis have a reputation for being rather unsafe.
From Wikivoyage: Johannesburg, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 011,283 km
- 021,509 km
- 031,529 km
- 041,810 km
- 052,521 km
If you know how people move in Johannesburg – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Johannesburg
Johannesburg is 13 km from Randburg, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
- Sophiatownsuburb of Johannesburg, South Africa7.1 km
- City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipalitymetropolitan municipality in Gauteng, South Africa500 m
- Hillbrowneighbourhood of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa1.8 km
- Parktownsuburb of Johannesburg, South Africa5.1 km
- Houghton Estatesuburb of Johannesburg6.1 km
- Rosettenvillesuburb of Johannesburg, South Africa5.3 km