Free things to do · Johannesburg · South Africa
6 free things to do in Johannesburg
Johannesburg without the ticket prices: sights, walks and views that cost nothing.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Moongateclimber assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
You can fill at least 2 days in Johannesburg without paying an entry fee: Maboneng street art and galleries, Nelson Mandela Square, Nelson Mandela Bridge and Johannesburg Botanical Garden and Emmarentia Dam are all free. Restaurant and wine prices are low by international standards, so mid-range dining stretches far.
Key facts
- Free sights in this guide
- 6
- Low-cost extras
- 8
- Cost level
- Affordable
- Lowest hotel prices
- May–June and December
Free sights and experiences
Neighbourhood · Maboneng
1.Maboneng street art and galleries
Visit on a Sunday daytime when the precinct is busiest, and join a guided walk to go beyond the precinct safely.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Food
- Shopping
- Photo spot
Landmark · Sandton
2.Nelson Mandela Square
Visit at dusk when the restaurants fill up, and combine it with shopping at Sandton City.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Kids
Architecture · Braamfontein
3.Nelson Mandela Bridge
Photograph it from the Braamfontein side in the early evening, and leave by car or ride-hailing rather than walking at night.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- After dark
- Architecture
Garden · Emmarentia
4.Johannesburg Botanical Garden and Emmarentia Dam
Bring a picnic on a weekend afternoon and walk the dam's edge for views back across the northern suburbs.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Nature
Gallery · Rosebank
5.Rosebank galleries and Keyes Art Mile
Combine a gallery walk with the Sunday market on the Mall of Rosebank rooftop.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Shopping
Historic site · Kliptown, Soweto
6.Walter Sisulu Square
Visit as part of a guided Soweto tour that includes Kliptown, and read the charter text inside the conical monument.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
Free sights by area
| Area | Free sights | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Maboneng | Maboneng street art and galleries | 2–3 hours |
| Sandton | Nelson Mandela Square | 45 minutes |
| Braamfontein | Nelson Mandela Bridge | 30 minutes |
| Emmarentia | Johannesburg Botanical Garden and Emmarentia Dam | 1–2 hours |
| Rosebank | Rosebank galleries and Keyes Art Mile | 1–2 hours |
| Kliptown, Soweto | Walter Sisulu Square | 45 minutes |
Worth a small ticket
Museum · Ormonde
Apartheid Museum
Go in the morning while you are fresh, and leave time for the temporary exhibitions on Mandela and the transition to democracy.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Rainy day
Historic site · Braamfontein
Constitution Hill
Take the guided tour; former-prisoner stories bring the cells to life, and look for the court's art collection and the bricks reused in its walls.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
Street · Soweto
Vilakazi Street and Mandela House
Visit with a local guide who can add stories of the 1976 uprising, then eat lunch at one of the Vilakazi Street restaurants.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Food
Museum · Soweto
Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum
Walk the route between the museum and Vilakazi Street; markers on the pavement follow the students' march.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
Zoo · Parkview
Johannesburg Zoo
Combine it with lunch at Zoo Lake across the road and a walk around the water.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Museum · Braamfontein
Origins Centre
Do it the day before visiting the Cradle of Humankind; the context makes the fossil sites far more meaningful.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Nature · Melville
Melville Koppies
Join one of the scheduled guided walks rather than going alone; the guides know the plants and the history.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Off the beaten path
- Views
Museum · Orchards
Satyagraha House
Read up on Gandhi's arrest and time at the Old Fort first; Constitution Hill and this house tell two halves of the same story.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
More ways to save
- Restaurant and wine prices are low by international standards, so mid-range dining stretches far.
- Use the Gautrain from the airport to Sandton or Rosebank instead of a taxi if you are travelling light.
- Hotels in Sandton often drop rates at weekends when business travellers leave.
- Self-drive safaris in Pilanesberg or Kruger cost far less than guided lodge stays.
- Keep small notes and coins for car guards, petrol attendants and tips.
- Visit in late December and early January for lower city-hotel rates while residents are away.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Johannesburg expensive to visit?
Johannesburg is affordable for most visitors, but 6 of its best-known sights are free, which makes a tight budget workable.
+What is the best free thing to do in Johannesburg?
Maboneng street art and galleries: Visit on a Sunday daytime when the precinct is busiest, and join a guided walk to go beyond the precinct safely.