Solo travel · Johannesburg · South Africa
Solo travel in Johannesburg
How to enjoy Johannesburg at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Solo travellers do well in Johannesburg with a little planning: stay in a walkable precinct, use the Gautrain and ride-hailing, and join guided tours for Soweto and the inner city, which are also an easy way to meet people. Many solo travellers base themselves in Melville.
Key facts
- Base
- Melville
- Getting around
- Train
- Emergency number
- 10111 (police), 10177 (ambulance), 112 from mobiles
- Language
- English, isiZulu, Afrikaans and Sesotho
Solo travel tips
- Base yourself in Rosebank, Melville or Maboneng for cafés and an easy social scene.
- Join a guided bicycle tour in Soweto or a walking tour of the inner city rather than exploring alone.
- Use ride-hailing for every trip after dark and wait inside until your car arrives.
- Keep your phone out of sight in cars and on the street, and carry only the cash you need.
- Backpacker lodges in Soweto and Melville organise group outings and safari trips.
Where to stay
$$ · Best for budget, nightlife and solo travellers
Melville
Melville, near the University of Johannesburg, is known for the bars, cafés and second-hand bookshops of 7th Street and its cheaper guesthouses. Melville Koppies nature reserve rises on its edge, and the area draws a student and creative crowd at weekends.
- Good
- Affordable guesthouses; Lively but small-scale nightlife; Close to green spaces
- Watch out
- Some streets feel deserted at night; Mixed upkeep
- Nearby
- 7th Street, Melville Koppies, Johannesburg Botanical Gardens
Great on your own
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
Experience · Soweto
Soweto by bicycle or with a local guide
Choose a Soweto-based operator and add lunch at a local shisa nyama to the tour.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Active
- Food
Theme park · Ormonde
Gold Reef City
Book the underground mine tour separately when you arrive; it is the part that explains how Johannesburg came to exist.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- History
- Active
Meeting people
- Shisa nyama in Soweto — At a shisa nyama you choose raw meat at a butchery counter and have it grilled on the spot, then eat it with pap and chakalaka to loud music. Weekend afternoons are the liveliest; go with a local guide or host.
- Weekend food markets — Saturday markets in Braamfontein and the Rosebank Sunday Market on the Mall of Rosebank rooftop combine street food, craft beer and local designers.
- Braamfontein — Rooftop bars, craft-beer spots and old-school pubs near Wits University, best in the early evening.
- Melville 7th Street — A strip of bars and restaurants with a student and creative crowd and live music on some nights.
Sensible precautions
Street crime and smash-and-grab theft from cars at traffic lights are well-documented problems. Most visits are trouble-free if you use ride-hailing or the Gautrain, avoid walking between areas or after dark, keep valuables out of sight and visit the inner city and townships with a local guide.
- Emergency number
- 10111 (police), 10177 (ambulance), 112 from mobiles
- Staying connected
- Vodacom and MTN sell SIM cards at OR Tambo; you must register (RICA) with your passport. Mobile data is fast in the city.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Johannesburg good for solo travellers?
Solo travellers do well in Johannesburg with a little planning: stay in a walkable precinct, use the Gautrain and ride-hailing, and join guided tours for Soweto and the inner city, which are also an easy way to meet people.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Johannesburg?
Melville: Bohemian bars and guesthouses on and around 7th Street.