History · Johannesburg · South Africa
8 historic sites to see in Johannesburg
The places that tell the story of how the city came to be.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill and Vilakazi Street and Mandela House. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 15–19 hours across 4 areas; all charge for entry.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 15–19 hours
- Areas
- Ormonde, Braamfontein and Soweto
Historic sites in Johannesburg
Museum · Ormonde
1.Apartheid Museum
Your ticket randomly classifies you as 'white' or 'non-white', and you enter through separate gates. Allow at least two to three hours; the material is harrowing and some galleries are unsuitable for young children.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Rainy day
Historic site · Braamfontein
2.Constitution Hill
Guided tours cover the Old Fort, the notorious Number Four section and the Women's Jail. Beside them stands the Constitutional Court, built in 2004 partly with bricks from the demolished awaiting-trial block.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
Street · Soweto
3.Vilakazi Street and Mandela House
Desmond Tutu's home is a few doors down, and the street is lined with restaurants serving township food and cold drinks.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Food
Museum · Soweto
4.Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum
Sam Nzima's photograph of him being carried away became a defining image of apartheid. The memorial and museum, a few blocks from Vilakazi Street, trace the uprising hour by hour.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
Experience · Soweto
5.Soweto by bicycle or with a local guide
Riding at street level and talking with residents gives a much fuller sense of Soweto than a coach tour.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Active
- Food
Theme park · Ormonde
6.Gold Reef City
It sits next to the Apartheid Museum and a casino complex.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- History
- Active
Museum · Braamfontein
7.Origins Centre
It is a good primer before a trip to the Cradle of Humankind and a short walk from Constitution Hill.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · Orchards
8.Satyagraha House
It is now a small museum and guesthouse with displays on his South African years.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Ormonde | Apartheid Museum and Gold Reef City | 2–3 hours + Half a day |
| Braamfontein | Constitution Hill and Origins Centre | 2 hours + 1.5 hours |
| Soweto | Vilakazi Street and Mandela House, Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum and Soweto by bicycle or with a local guide | 1–2 hours + 1 hour + Half a day |
| Orchards | Satyagraha House | 1 hour |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 6 low cost, 2 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Soweto by bicycle or with a local guide; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 5 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Ormonde): Apartheid Museum, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Ormonde): Gold Reef City, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Braamfontein): Constitution Hill → Origins Centre, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Soweto): Vilakazi Street and Mandela House → Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Soweto and Orchards): Soweto by bicycle or with a local guide → Satyagraha House, at least 4 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- June: highs of 16°C (61°F), about 1 rainy days, quiet crowds. Midwinter: bright blue skies but cold mornings and nights, sometimes near freezing; many guesthouses have limited heating.
- May: highs of 19°C (66°F), about 2 rainy days, quiet crowds. Dry and sunny, with cold nights starting; a good month for Pilanesberg and Kruger as vegetation thins.
- December: highs of 26°C (79°F), about 12 rainy days, quiet crowds. Many residents leave for the coast, so roads are quieter and city hotels offer lower rates; storms are frequent.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Braamfontein — Student district with rooftop bars, galleries and a Saturday food market
More of Johannesburg
All things to do in Johannesburg · Where to stay · When to go.
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Johannesburg?
Apartheid Museum. Opened in 2001 next to Gold Reef City, the museum tells the story of racial segregation from the gold-rush era to the 1994 elections through film, photographs, documents and personal testimony.