Johannesburg

I regularly travel to Johannesburg on business, and like most other reviewers find it to be a grim, paranoid, dangerous place, with its downtrodden, ghettoised black population and its fearful, mostly racist, boorish white population. The more affluent suburbs to the north where I spend most of my time, for example Sandton and Randburg, are soulless places, a mixture of electric-fenced white homes and bland shopping malls. Nothing here to entertain the tourist or the bored business traveller. So on my last visit I ignored the ill-informed advice of white work colleagues and took a half-day tour to Soweto with a company called Imbizu Tours. Soweto, for ...  Read the complete review

Johannesburg is the industrial and financial heart of the new South Africa and also the crime capitol to. If you’re touring or holidaying in the Rainbow Nation there really is no need to go anywhere near this gray uncouth city. Unfortunately it’s the gateway to Southern Africa and most of the cheaper flights screech tarmac here. The airport is another place you want to be on your toes as like most African cities, scammers are everywhere. Don’t get in a taxi unless you are sure, especially if you are touted for a ride near the luggage terminus. Buses are little better into town so take advice from the tourist office. An official cab into ...  Read the complete review

All the other opinions about Johannesburg, South Africa that I have read on this website, are written by visitors to the city. I have actually lived there, all my life (ok, ok - nearly 30 years), apart from the last 2, where I have lived in the UK. Johannesburg (JHB) is known as Jo'burg by the locals or more recently, Egoli (meaning the City of Gold). The 'city of gold' analogy comes from the history of the city which is basically an old gold rush town. Nowadays the streets are definitely not lined with gold. They are dirty and deserted, and the buildings dilapidated. What used to be the commercial capital of the country has deteriorated ...  Read the complete review

The first thing that you will notice is that in South Africa, no one calls their capital by its full name, it is known locally as Jo'Berg. I only spent one day in Jo'Berg so I can't claim to know it very well but from my initial impression, there is not so much for the tourist to do there. It is the financial capital and does not have many tourist attractions for one to visit. Even if there were, many tourists would have been warned to stay off the streets as there is a very high crime rate in the city. One hotel a friend of mine was staying at even provided her with a bodyguard when she went shopping. Passing the city in the evening by bus, the city ...  Read the complete review

Unfortunately Johannesburg is the main hub airport (Watch for scams) and therefore the cheapest way into southern Africa exposing you to what is a very hostile city indeed. Some say the most hostile outside of a war zone. I managed to get jumped on day two there in the downtown area for basically being a white face in a sea of black during the weekend throng. The backpackers I stayed at (The International Hostel) gave me bad advice and allowed me to walk to the center of Joburg through some of the most dangerous streets in Southern Africa.DO NOT GO TO THE CITY CENTER AT WEEKENDS YOU WILL GET ROBBED. You know something is so wrong here by the amount of house holds ...  Read the complete review