Johannesburg: Places to Explore

Downtown

Although the city center is experiencing a revival, it's not a place everyone will choose to visit. You'll find plenty to do downtown, including a visit to the impressive Standard Bank Gallery and Johannesburg Art Gallery. Diagonal Street runs—you guessed it—diagonally through the city center. The Hillbrow Tower is 883 feet, the tallest structure in Jo'burg, and is used for telecommunications, as is the 768-foot Brixton Tower in Auckland Park. The tall, round Ponte City apartment block near Hillbrow is another focal point that can be seen from almost all parts of the city.

Located in the western section of the city, Newtown, which is connected to Braamfontein via the Nelson Mandela Bridge, was once one of the city's most run-down neighborhoods. Today it is known as the city's cultural precinct, as it's the home of MuseuMAfricA, the SAB World of Beer, and the Market Theatre.

Braamfontein is home to Constitution Hill and the University of the Witwatersrand, one of South Africa's oldest and most respected universities.