19 Best Sights in Johannesburg, South Africa

It will take you six minutes to get to the top of the longest mono-cableway in Africa to savor panoramic views of the Magaliesberg Mountains and Hartbeespoort Dam from an altitude of 1985 meters (6512 feet), and 345 meters (1132 feet) above the base station. At the top, a short circular pathway (less than a mile in length) takes in indigenous flora, while signposts point out geological features of interest. There’s a restaurant at the bottom station, as well as three restaurants at the top which sell pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and burgers. Treat yourself to a late afternoon cocktail on the wooden deck at the mountaintop bar, while keeping an eye out for the resident Black Cape Vultures. After buying mementoes and branded items at the curio shop, you can also paraglide from the top with a qualified tandem flight instructor.

Maropeng is the official visitor center of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and offers much more than information about the region: it's a modern, interactive museum dedicated to the history of humanity that kids will love. It provides information about the various fossil sites in the area. About a 90-minute drive from either Johannesburg or Pretoria, it's one of the area's top attractions. It's best visited in parallel with the nearby fossil site of Sterkfontein Caves, but to visit both you'll need to set aside at least half a day.

The city's zoo, covering nearly 200 acres, is considered one of the world's best, with about 9,000 animals from almost every continent (including rare Komodo dragons, the world's largest lizards). The animal enclosures here are much larger than those of most zoos. Like any modern zoo worth its name, this is just the public facade for a much larger organization that specializes in the research and breeding of endangered species. It includes an aquarium (with Africa's largest collection of freshwater fish) and reptile park, where the king crocodiles and the impressive collection of snakes don't fail to intimidate. A cable car transports you high above the zoo to a hilltop lookout, and it's a fun, worthwhile ride. It's also a good idea to rent a golf cart, so you can move more quickly between enclosures for the staggered feeding times each morning and afternoon.

It was in the Sterkfontein Caves, in 1947, that Dr. Robert Broom discovered the now famous Mrs. Ples, as she is popularly known—a skull of an adult Australopithecus africanus that is more than 2 million years old. The find reinforced the discovery of a skull of an Australopithecus child, the Taung Skull, by Professor Raymond Dart in 1924, which was the first hominid ever found. At the time, Dart was ostracized for claiming the skull belonged to an early human ancestor. Scientists in Europe and the United States simply didn't believe that humanity could have originated in Africa. Today, few disagree with this theory. Another important find was the discovery in the 1990s of Little Foot, a near-complete skeleton of an Australopithecus, embedded in rock deep inside the caves. And even more recently, the 2013 discovery of hundreds of Homo Naledi fossils (dating from around 300,000 years ago) in the Cradle of Humankind area. These fossil specimens remain one of the largest hominin finds in Africa. Guided tours of the excavations and caves last an hour and are not advisable if you are claustrophobic. Wear comfortable shoes. Start with the excellent museum, which has exhibits depicting the origins of the Earth, life, and humanity. A small on-site restaurant that serves light meals is open daily.

Victoria Yards is an urban renewal project on the fringe of the inner city that has reimagined abandoned warehouses into a mixed-use lifestyle complex. It supports the surrounding community through its three on-site non-profits and urban farming project, while locals and tourists explore the 50-odd artists’ workshops, decor showrooms, galleries, and fashion outlets housed in its brick face buildings. The driving force behind Victoria Yards is sustainability with tenants making designer bags from vibrant shweshwe fabric (a printed cotton fabric) and plastic waste, homeware made from recycled industrial parts, upcycled pre-loved clothing, and a sorbet stand that buys overripe, unsold fruit from community street-side sellers to make frozen desserts.

If your appetite gets the better of you on a visit, there’s an old-school "tuck shop," coffee roastery, and bakery that stands shoulder-to-shoulder to a small-batch gin distillery, as well as a bar, and a traditional walk-in fish and chip shop with wooden benches arranged in the courtyard. While it’s open 7 days a week, the First Sunday Market (first Sunday of the month, 10 am–4 pm) hosts a collection of additional vendors who sell everything from collectibles, antiques, and handmade African curios to food and drink. There is free, undercover parking available, as well as overflow on-street parking with parking guards, making it safe to visit on your own.

Opened in 2013, the 129-acre Freedom Park is a cultural heritage site dedicated to the struggle for freedom and human rights, while chronicling Africa’s 3.6-billion-year-old history, from the dawn of humanity to South Africa’s post-apartheid present. At Salvokop, a prominent hill that welcomes you to Pretoria on the highway from Johannesburg, and within view of the Voortrekker Monument, the site comprises a memorial, interactive museum containing national archives, and a garden of remembrance. The park was launched in 2002 by then President Thabo Mbeki, who said, "We dedicate this day to all the heroes and heroines in this country and the rest of the world who sacrificed in many ways and surrendered their lives so that we could be free." It is also a spiritual resting place that honors those who fought for and shaped the country’s liberation struggle. If you have limited time, do the 360-degree virtual tour via the website.

This theme park lets you step back in time to 1880s Johannesburg to see why it became known as the City of Gold. One of the city's most popular attractions, especially for families, it has good rides that kids will enjoy and is based on the history of Jo'burg. In addition to riding the Anaconda, a scary roller coaster on which you hang under the track, feet in the air, you can (for an additional fee) descend into an old gold mine and see molten gold being poured. The reconstructed streets of the bygone era are lined with operating Victorian-style shops and restaurants. And for those with money to burn, the large, glitzy Gold Reef Village Casino beckons across the road.

Opposite Holy Cross Church, a stone's throw from the former homes of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Vilakazi Street, the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum is a crucial landmark. Pieterson, a 12-year-old student, was one of the first victims of police fire on June 16, 1976, when schoolchildren rose up to protest their second-rate Bantu (Black) education system. The memorial is a paved area with benches for reflection beneath trees that have been planted by visiting dignitaries, an inscribed stone, and water feature. Inside the museum, multimedia displays of grainy photographs and archival footage bring that fateful day to life and put it into the context of the broader apartheid struggle. The museum courtyard has 562 small granite blocks as a tribute to the children who died in the Soweto uprisings. Suggested visiting time is at least 30 minutes. You can also hire an on-site tour guide to take you around (recommended donation is minimum R100).

Overlooking Emmarentia Dam, the large and beautiful botanical gardens are five minutes from Parkhurst. This gigantic parkland, dotted with trees, fountains, and ponds, is a wonderful haven. You can relax on benches beneath weeping willows surrounding the lake, where canoeists and windsurfers brave the water, or wander across to the 24-acre rose and herb gardens. The gardens' flora includes an alpine collection and a cycad collection. On weekends bridal parties use the gardens as a backdrop for photographs.

Smaller than its Pretoria counterpart but no less impressive, the city's zoo makes for a pleasant day trip, and with plenty of lawns and shade, it's a good place to picnic. The large variety of species (more than 320) includes rare white lion and endangered white rhino. The Animals of the Amazon is an attraction that houses snakes, spiders, lizards, and frogs in a Mayan setting. Perhaps the best way to see the zoo is to take the ferry to various parts. Afterward, stroll past Zoo Lake in the large, peaceful park across the road.

This cultural museum village is not just a place to stay and eat; it's a place to learn about the cultures and history of South Africa's Basotho, Ndebele, Pedi, Xhosa, and Zulu nations. Daily shows of singing, dancing, and tours of traditional homesteads take place from 11 am--1 pm and 4--6 pm, alongside the crafts market. The large Nyama Choma restaurant serves a buffet (costing R220) with food from all over the continent, so you can taste North African fare, East African cuisine, or opt for a South African barbecue (called a braai). Dishes include roast meats, a stiff corn porridge, and vegetables, often cooked over the fire in traditional African three-legged iron pots called potjie pots. Packages can include accommodation in a 3-star hut—you have a choice of one of five traditional homesteads—breakfast, dinner, and a tour (R980/per person sharing), but most people just come for a day visit and a meal. 

This 187,500-acre game reserve in the North West Province (about 4 hours from Johannesburg and Pretoria) close to the Botswana border is open only to overnight visitors, who can choose from over 20 luxury lodges to stay. The reserve is famous for its wild dog population, but is also known for cheetahs, the Big Five, and its general game, such as zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, and impalas. It was established in 1991 and is fast becoming one of the most popular private reserves in the country, because of its size, abundance of game, proximity to Johannesburg, and the fact that it is malaria-free (so is very safe for children).

The anti-apartheid activist and former president lived in this small house for 15 years until his arrest in 1961 (and for 11 days after his release), with his first wife, Evelyn Ntoko Mase, and then second wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The redbrick house, which was burnt to the ground in 1988 and was rebuilt with the help of the community, holds heritage status today and has been converted into a museum that contains Mandela's memorabilia and weaves a story that helps visitors better understand his daily struggles as a life-long freedom fighter. The museum was renovated in 2008 to mark his 90th birthday. If you're unable to visit the museum, you can do a free virtual tour via the website, which includes a number of informative videos.

You can watch the intricate art of glass blowing at Ngwenya Glass Village and pick out a handmade souvenir whether it’s one of the Big Five, a glass-crowned cork stopper, napkin rings, paperweights, or a bespoke wine cooler. This retail village also includes a number of other stalls, in little huts arranged in a semi-circle, that sell one-of-a-kind items and food. Gilroy’s Brewery is where you can stop for lunch and a pint of small-batch ales and lagers, after you’ve done the beer tasting experience (Saturdays, 11 am, R145).

A giant world map that is handmade of aluminum wire depicts the migration of hominins at the entrance of Origins Centre. This modern museum (situated at the University of the Witwatersrand) explores the development and culture of modern humans over the past 100,000 years, and in particular rock art and stone tools—of which southern Africa has the oldest in the world. Origins is spacious and elegantly designed across three stories that house permanent and temporary exhibitions, which cater to school kids and visiting professors alike. It was renovated in 2021 and boasts interactive multimedia displays and photographs that are enhanced by a free Augmented Reality app (OriginsCentreAR), which can be used with the museum’s free Wi-Fi. The museum’s gift shop sells high-quality crafts made by the Khomani San in the Northern Cape as well as hard-to-source books on rock art in southern Africa. The center's coffee shop, Food Art @ Origins, serves tasty, light meals. If you don’t make it to the museum, you can experience most of its exhibitions via its websites, thanks to Google Arts & Culture.

Natural grassland and lawns fringed by indigenous flowers provide a welcome contrast to city life in Pretoria. Within the main garden a succulent garden, cycad garden, and dassie trail provide added interest, and more than 200 bird species have been recorded. Look out for hawks, falcons, kestrels, and Verreaux's eagle. An Enabling Garden near the entrance is dedicated to the physically challenged.

Rhinos, lions, wild dogs, cheetahs, hippos, and crocodiles are among the animals you can see at the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve. You can spot about 650 head of game; visit the lion, wild dog, and cheetah enclosures (be careful of lions approaching vehicles) or vulture hide, or be thrilled by live snake shows every day but Monday and Friday. You can also visit the endangered-species breeding center and the magnificent white lions or cuddle a baby animal at the nursery for an additional charge of R40. In addition to the self-driving tour, you can book an escorted game drive or guided walk. There's a small swimming pool, four restaurants, and a curio shop, as well as rustic chalets and fully equipped cabins for overnights.

This planetarium, dating from 1960, has entertaining and informative programs on the African skies and presentations that range from space travel to the planets. Have a look at the website to find out what's on and to book tickets.

Wonder Cave is a huge single-chamber cave with a number of intact stalagmites and stalactites and formations up to 50 feet high. Steep stairs and a elevator take regular guided tours all the way down, but if you're feeling adventurous you can rappel down (by prior arrangement only). Groups of 20 or more may book evening tours.