Skip to content
MASA
Johannesburg's northern suburbs from above, green between the low buildings
africa

JohannesburgTravel Guide

South Africa5 stories

South Africa's biggest city is a gold-rush metropolis turned creative powerhouse — raw, warm, and historically essential, from Soweto's streets to rooftop galleries downtown.

Is Johannesburg right for you?

When to come

Spring, September to November

Around 26°C by day in January, 16°C in June — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Mid-range. Comfortable without planning around money, expensive if you stop counting.

What we've planned, and who for

We have a weekend here planned hour by hour.

Our editors pick it for a trip with children.

Johannesburg is inWarm in JanuaryCool in JulyGood with childrenEnough for a long weekend
When to go
January: around 26 degrees by day, 16 at night, 114 millimetres of rain, wet.
February: around 25 degrees by day, 16 at night, 109 millimetres of rain, wet.
March: around 24 degrees by day, 15 at night, 95 millimetres of rain, wet.
April: around 22 degrees by day, 12 at night, 69 millimetres of rain, some rain.
May: around 19 degrees by day, 8 at night, 39 millimetres of rain, some rain.
June: around 16 degrees by day, 4 at night, 13 millimetres of rain, dry.
July: around 16 degrees by day, 4 at night, 11 millimetres of rain, dry.
August: around 19 degrees by day, 7 at night, 13 millimetres of rain, dry.
September: around 22 degrees by day, 10 at night, 24 millimetres of rain, dry. We recommend this month.
October: around 24 degrees by day, 13 at night, 65 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
November: around 25 degrees by day, 15 at night, 99 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
December: around 25 degrees by day, 16 at night, 122 millimetres of rain, wet.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

Spring, September to November

Average daily highs, recorded at Johannesburg.

Where this comes from

South African Weather Service

Budget level

Mid-range

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with

Nothing else we cover is within a comfortable hop — this one is a trip of its own.

Plan itWhere to stay in Johannesburgad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Johannesburg

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Johannesburg

The Johannesburg skyline under a cloudy sky, with the Hillbrow Tower rising above apartment blocks and a curving road below
01
Itineraries

48 Hours in Johannesburg, Hour by Hour

Two days in Jozi: the Apartheid Museum, Soweto's Vilakazi Street, Maboneng's galleries, and where the city eats, drinks, and dances after dark.

South Africa · 2 min
A market hall in Johannesburg, its stalls signed for a rooftop bar and a deli
02
Food

You Will Drive to Dinner in Johannesburg

Johannesburg keeps its kitchens in suburbs that do not touch each other, so eating well here means choosing a neighbourhood first and a table second.

South Africa · 10 min
The white cable stays of the Nelson Mandela Bridge spanning the railway yards beside Johannesburg's Park Station at sunset, with a large painted portrait on the side of a building to the right.
03
The List

The Johannesburg Bucket List, Ranked

From the museum that makes the country legible to a cave system holding some of humanity’s oldest relatives, the essential Johannesburg, in order.

South Africa · 2 min
The twin Orlando Towers in Soweto, Johannesburg, their disused concrete cooling towers painted with bold murals and lettering, rising above open grassland under a clear sky.
04
Itineraries

Johannesburg with Kids: A Day Out That Works for Everyone

A zoo, a lakeside picnic, a leafy cafe street and an easy city-square finish. How to build a family day in a city that expects you to drive.

South Africa · 2 min
A grand sandstone and cream gabled manor house with a deep red-tiled roof in Parktown, Johannesburg, seen across a formal rose garden with a white pergola and clipped hedges under a deep blue sky.
05
Stays

Grand Estate or Garden Boutique: Choosing Where to Stay in Johannesburg

In a city where the neighbourhood decides your whole trip, the choice between a Sandton tower, a Rosebank base and a hillside estate matters more than the room.

South Africa · 2 min
In pictures

Johannesburg, framed

The inner city of Johannesburg at golden hour, its downtown towers standing dark against a burning orange sky above blocks of low warehouses, shopfronts and painted rooftops
Photo: Simon Hurry / Unsplash
The Johannesburg skyline at sunset, seen across the rooftops of the inner city
Photo: Steffen Lemmerzahl / Unsplash
The Johannesburg skyline with the Hillbrow Tower rising above jacaranda trees
Photo: Simon Hurry / Unsplash
Houses set among trees on a Johannesburg ridge at dusk
Photo: Jolame Chirwa / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Johannesburg

See and do

Eat and drink

  • Four Blocks of Jeppe Street

    Ethiopian Johannesburg occupies about four blocks of Jeppe Street in the central business district, running roughly from Mooi Street west towards Klein Street, and the shops between the restaurants sell coffee, spices, cotton and silver.

    Read: You Will Drive to Dinner in Johannesburg

Where to stay

Before you go

Practical essentials for South Africa

Money

South African rand (ZAR)

Language

Twelve official languages, South African Sign Language added in 2023; English dominates government, business and signage.

Power

Type M (large three-pin), with Type C and N also found, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

Visitors mostly use hire cars and e-hailing apps; the Gautrain links Johannesburg, Pretoria and OR Tambo airport, and Cape Town's centre is served by the MyCiTi bus.

Tipping

Expected — 10–15% in restaurants and bars, plus small change for petrol attendants and the car guards who watch parked cars.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink in Cape Town, Johannesburg and other major cities; treat it with caution in rural areas.

Driving

Left-hand side; a photocard licence in English is accepted for up to 12 months, otherwise you need an International Driving Permit.

Emergency

10111 police, 10177 ambulance (112 from a mobile)

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

Keep exploring

More of Africa

A green and white fishing trawler tied up in Kalk Bay harbour on a clear day, the painted roofs of the village and a steep brown mountain rising behind the quay
Cape Town
South Africa
A rack of grilled ribs on a wooden board with sliced tomatoes, pickles, and a bowl of barbecue sauce
Victoria Falls
Zambia
A traditional Zanzibari dhow under full sail silhouetted against a pink and grey sunset off Nungwi, the sun sitting on the horizon and its light running across flat water towards the camera.
Zanzibar
Tanzania
A cobbled Kigali street at golden hour with parked cars, motorbike riders and pedestrians, hills on the horizon
Kigali
Rwanda
A giraffe walking past an acacia tree at sunset on the Kenyan savanna, the sky glowing orange
Nairobi
Kenya
Chamarel Waterfall in Mauritius plunging from a basalt cliff into a forested gorge, with green mountains behind
Mauritius
Mauritius
Golden banana fritters dusted with brown sugar, fanned across a white square plate on a dark wooden table.
Mahé
Seychelles
A street vendor in Accra, Ghana selling a pyramid of boiled eggs stacked on a tray on a plastic stool
Accra
Ghana
Seated colossi of Ramses II and the great pylon of Luxor Temple under a dramatic sky
Luxor
Egypt
Families sitting on the lawn of Al-Azhar Park in Cairo at golden hour, a palm trunk framing the domes and slender minaret of the historic city as the hazy skyline fades behind them.
Cairo
Egypt
The bronze figures of the African Renaissance Monument towering over a long ceremonial staircase on the Mamelles hills of Dakar
Dakar
Senegal
The vaulted Roman ruins of Carthage on the coast outside Tunis, a single tall column standing among them and the Mediterranean stretching away under a deep blue sky
Tunis
Tunisia