Johannesburg has a lot of history behind it. The largest city in South Africa played a huge role in the anti-apartheid movement, and Nelson Mandela himself lived in the city for many years. Johannesburg, also
What to Do
Given its history with apartheid, you have to make sure that you first and foremost get educated on the movement. Constitution Hill is a former prison and is now the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Famous prisoners that were jailed there include Nelson Mandela as well as Mahatma Gandhi. The former prison now also functions as a museum and it is well worth taking a tour and finding out all you can.
The Apartheid Museum is another place you have to visit first thing when you arrive in Johannesburg that gives a detailed account of the monstrosities that occurred in 20th century South Africa.
The Apartheid Museum is located in an interesting part of Johannesburg called the Gold Reef City. The name comes from the fact that the area used to be a gold mine from the late 19th century and closed in the 1970s. Gold Reef City functions as an amusement park, but also as a living history display since all the workers dress as people would have at the beginning of the gold rush when the mine opened.
A fun way to see the city from up high is to go into the Carlton Center, which is actually the tallest building in all of Africa. While the skyscraper is actually just a shopping center, you can get some really amazing views of the city from it.
While you’re in Jo’burg, you can’t miss going to Nelson Mandela’s house. His residence is just slightly outside of city center by about 30 minutes, but is also accessible via public transit!
Nightlife and Dining
If you want to have some authentic Jo’burg, you have to visit Chaf Pozi, which is in the same area of Soweto where Nelson Mandela’s house. This restaurant has amazing music provided by local DJs that will keep you updated on the latest music coming out of Jo’burg while you meet some locals at the same time.
Melville is a newer bohemian-hipster neighborhood that was formally just a suburb of Johannesburg. There you will find tons of yummy restaurants that vary from bar-b-que to Asian, to Indian. One of the most famous places in the area is called Pablo-Eggs-Go-Bar which is a punny breakfast join that is seriously delicious. Melville also has some great nightlife like Hell’s Kitchen, which is normally a restaurant during the day but turns into a bar when the moon comes up.
Pata Pata is another must-visit restaurant that has tons of international and local food and a great environment. As the night goes on at Pata Pata, guests will be serenaded with jazz music other local sounds.
