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26
1 hour
Goodman Gallery
Goodman Gallery Johannesburg is an influential contemporary-art gallery with a major role in South African and African art discourse.
- High
- Art and culture venue
- Johannesburg
Country guide
Up to 1 hour in South Africa — page 2
Nine provinces and 2,798 kilometres of coast, running from the South Atlantic round to the Indian Ocean, wrap 1,221,037 square kilometres and more than 63 milli...
Photograph · Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0
7,026
Places
2Cities
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Nine provinces and 2,798 kilometres of coast, running from the South Atlantic round to the Indian Ocean, wrap 1,221,037 square kilometres and more than 63 million people. It has three capitals rather than one, which is fair warning about how spread out everything else is. Cape Town sits under a mountain in the southwestern corner and is the reason most first visits happen; Johannesburg inland is the economic centre and the airport nearly everyone arrives through; Durban on the Indian Ocean coast is the warm-water city. The game reserves are a separate journey again, hours from any of the three.
Checked 2026-08-25
Cities
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
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Cape Town
Photograph · Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cape Town 4,639 places -
Johannesburg
Photograph · Mark Hillary · CC BY 2.0
Johannesburg 2,387 places
Practical information
- Language spoken
- 12 official languages; English is widely used in visitor services
- National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
- Dialling code
- +27
- International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
- Currency
- South African rand (ZAR)
- Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
- Emergency number
- 112 from mobile · 10111 police · 10177 ambulance
- Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
- Plug type
- Type M and N · 230 V
- Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
- Tap water
- Not recorded
- Water conditions and restrictions vary by municipality
Top things to see
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
Filter the list
64 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
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27 1 hourBlaauwberg Conservation Area
Blaauwberg Nature Reserve
Blaauwberg Nature Reserve is a protected coastal landscape in the northern Cape Town metropolitan area. It brings together Atlantic shoreline dunes and lowland Cape fynbos, creating a distinctly open setting close to the city.
- High
- Nature site
- Cape Town
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28 1 hourJohannesburg Botanical Garden
Johannesburg Botanical Gardens
Johannesburg Botanical Garden is a large metropolitan green space beside Emmarentia Dam. The garden combines landscaped planting areas, broad lawns, and water-side scenery, creating a slower outdoor contrast to Johannesburg’s built-up districts.
- High
- Nature site
- Johannesburg
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29 1 hourKlipriviersberg Nature Reserve
Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve is a large protected Highveld landscape in southern Johannesburg. Rolling grassland, indigenous vegetation and archaeological evidence give the reserve a character that feels far removed from the surrounding metropolitan development.
- High
- Nature site
- Johannesburg
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30 45 minCarlton Centre
Carlton Centre is a landmark skyscraper complex in central Johannesburg, associated with the city’s mining-era commercial growth. The Top of Africa viewing deck provides the visitor focus, taking travelers above the inner city for a broad perspective across Johannesburg.
- High
- Market
- Johannesburg
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31 30 minNizamiye Masjid
Nizamiye Mosque
Nizamiye Mosque is a large contemporary mosque complex in Midrand, within the Johannesburg metropolitan area. Its architecture is modelled on Ottoman traditions, giving the building a distinctive profile among South Africa's religious landmarks.
- High
- Place of worship
- Johannesburg
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32 1 hourDelta Park
Delta Park is a large northern-suburbs park and wetland reserve in Johannesburg. It protects an area of open landscape within the metropolitan environment, combining public recreation with conservation.
- High
- Nature site
- Johannesburg
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33 30 minRegina Mundi
Regina Mundi Roman Catholic Church
Regina Mundi Catholic Church is an active Catholic church in Rockville, Soweto, and one of Johannesburg's most important places connected with the anti-apartheid struggle. The church sheltered activists from security forces and provided space for community meetings and political organisation.
- Notable
- Place of worship
- Johannesburg
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Rietfontein Nature Reserve 34 1 hourRietfontein Nature Reserve
Rietfontein Nature Reserve is a northern Johannesburg green space shaped by Highveld grassland, walking trails and birdlife. It gives visitors a chance to leave the city's built-up rhythm without travelling far beyond the metropolitan area.
- Notable
- Nature site
- Johannesburg
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35 45 minGreenmarket Square
Greenmarket Square is a historic central square in Cape Town, South Africa. It has served as a public gathering space since the seventeenth century and remains one of the city's most recognisable urban landmarks.
- Notable
- Market
- Cape Town
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36 45 minNelson Mandela Square
Nelson Mandela Square is a pedestrian public square in Sandton, Johannesburg, centred on a prominent bronze statue of Nelson Mandela. The square is surrounded by restaurants, cafés and retail spaces, giving the open plaza a distinctly urban character.
- Notable
- Market
- Johannesburg
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37 1 hourModderfontein Reserve
Modderfontein Reserve is a large green area in the eastern metropolitan part of Johannesburg. The reserve combines Highveld grassland, open natural space and a historic estate landscape linked to earlier industrial and agricultural use.
- Notable
- Nature site
- Johannesburg
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38 1 hourVishoekstrand
Fish Hoek Beach
Fish Hoek Beach is a broad, sheltered coastal beach on the False Bay shoreline of Cape Town's southern peninsula.
- Notable
- Nature site
- Cape Town
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Soweto Theatre 39 1 hourSoweto Theatre
Soweto Theatre is a contemporary performing-arts venue and architectural landmark in Jabulani, Soweto, Johannesburg. It brings theatre, music and dance into a purpose-built cultural setting within one of the city’s historically important communities.
- Notable
- Art and culture venue
- Johannesburg
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40 45 minMelville
Melville is a walkable neighbourhood in Johannesburg known for its concentrated local character along 7th Street. The area functions as a social and commercial hub defined by independent businesses rather than formal tourist infrastructure.
- Notable
- Market
- Johannesburg
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41 45 minKwa Mai-Mai market
Kwa Mai Mai Traditional Market
Kwa Mai Mai Traditional Market is an inner-city trading hub in Johannesburg specialising in traditional medicine, food, and township commerce. It represents a living cultural space where traditional healers, herbalists, and vendors conduct daily business rooted in indigenous practices.
- Notable
- Market
- Johannesburg
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42 45 minSandton City
Sandton City is a major shopping and dining centre in Sandton, Johannesburg's northern commercial hub. It gives travellers a concentrated indoor setting for retail, food and the everyday energy of a prominent business district.
- Notable
- Market
- Johannesburg
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27 Boxes 43 45 min27 Boxes
27 Boxes is a retail and dining precinct in Melville, Johannesburg, constructed from repurposed shipping containers. The development represents an adaptive-reuse architectural approach, converting industrial materials into commercial space.
- Notable
- Market
- Johannesburg
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44 1 hourBloubergstrand
Bloubergstrand is a coastal suburb and beach area on the northern outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. It faces Table Bay and offers direct views across the water toward Table Mountain and the city centre.
- Notable
- Nature site
- Cape Town
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45 1 hourBoulders Penguin Colony
Boulders Penguin Colony is a protected African penguin colony within Table Mountain National Park at Simon's Town. SANParks records that penguins arrived from surrounding island colonies and established the mainland colony in 1983.
- Notable
- Nature site
- Cape Town
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46 45 minCape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rugged headland within Table Mountain National Park on the Cape Peninsula.
- Notable
- Historic site
- Cape Town
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47 20 minCape Wheel
The Cape Wheel
The Cape Wheel is the observation wheel on Breakwater Boulevard in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront. The operator describes this as its new position, so use that address rather than an older pin elsewhere in the precinct.
- Notable
- Viewpoint
- Cape Town
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48 45 minCasa Labia
Casa Labia is an Italianate villa in Muizenberg on Cape Town’s False Bay coast. The historic building now serves as a cultural venue, bringing heritage architecture and arts programming together in one of the southern peninsula’s distinctive settings.
- Notable
- Historic site
- Cape Town
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Everard Read Gallery 49 1 hourEverard Read Gallery
Everard Read Gallery is a commercial contemporary-art gallery in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The gallery is known as South Africa’s oldest commercial art gallery and presents work by established and emerging artists.
- Notable
- Art and culture venue
- Johannesburg
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50 1 hourFourth Beach
Clifton Beaches are four small Atlantic coves below Victoria Road in Cape Town, numbered First through Fourth from north to south.
- Notable
- Nature site
- Cape Town
Common questions
How long should a first trip to South Africa be?
Ten to sixteen days is suitable for one South African region or a two-hub trip. Cape Town, Johannesburg, safari areas and the Garden Route are far enough apart that flights or long road days must be part of the plan.
What entry documents are needed for South Africa?
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs publishes visa-exempt country information. Confirm the passport-specific rule, allowed stay and any transit requirement there before travel.
What is the best way to travel around South Africa?
Johannesburg and Cape Town are the largest air hubs, with domestic flights connecting major regions. Parks and rural routes often require driving or arranged transfers, and urban public transport differs substantially by city.
When is a practical time to visit South Africa?
March to May and September to November are broad shoulder periods, but Cape weather and inland safari seasons do not follow one calendar. Wildlife goals, road conditions and the chosen coast should determine dates.
What money and payment basics apply in South Africa?
South African rand (ZAR) is the recorded currency. National figures for visitor card acceptance and transaction fees are Not recorded; confirm payment and deposit terms with lodges, rental firms and remote operators.
What practical safety details should I save for South Africa?
From a mobile phone, 112 is the general emergency route; police use 10111 and ambulance services 10177. South Africa uses Type M and N plugs at 230 V, and tap-water guidance is Not recorded nationally here.