Johannesburg - Tourist Attractions & Things to Do

From the capital Pretoria we drove on to Johannesburg. With a population of just under 1 million and a population of 4.5 million (metropolitan area), the city is the largest city in South Africa and is located at an average altitude of over 1700 meters above sea level. Johannesburg is also one of the largest cities in the world, located neither by the sea, a major river nor any other important body of water.

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What to see in Johannesburg

The origin of the name Johannesburg cannot be clarified with final certainty. The only undisputed fact is that the city is named after a man named John, a common and very common Dutch name. Most experts, however, assumed in the course of the urban development that the city got its name from the two state officials Johann Rissik and Christiaan Johannes Joubert. These men were sent to the Witwatersrand shortly after the gold find in 1886 to look for a suitable place for a settlement, and then decided to name the city by their common first name Johannesburg. [Source: Wikipedia]

The streets of the city centre and the surrounding inner city districts are dominated by high-rise buildings, where many of the largest companies have offices. However, many of these companies are gradually moving to the northern suburbs such as Sandton, as the centre of Johannesburg is perceived as too dangerous and unattractive. That’s exactly the impression we had of this city. Unlike Cape Town, where we really felt very comfortable, Johannesburg was a city where we felt rather uncomfortable.

Johannesburg

The observation deck “Top of Africa”

Nevertheless, we wanted to take the opportunity to look at the city at least from above. We have gone to the 223 metre Carlton Centre on Commissioner Street. The Carlton Centre is the tallest skyscraper in Africa and on its top floor, the 50th, is the observation deck “The Top of Africa”, which offers a panoramic view over Johannesburg.

Top of Africa

View of Johannesburg

Top of Africa

Our flight from Jahannesburg to Victoria Falls

Johannesburg itself is not a classic tourist destination. The city serves as a hub for connecting flights to Cape Town, Kruger National Park and the neighbouring states of South Africa. We then walked a few minutes through the city centre, past City Hall, and then made our way to O. R. Tambo Airport. From here our plane took off for Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.