South Africa's New York
Johannesburg is not only the economic center of South Africa, it is bursting at the seams with a wealth of art, history and culture. Johannesburg is born of the best creative minds in Africa, with ancient monuments giving character to the downtown area, beautifully designed facades with an upscale feel and modern buildings overlooking everything. Expressions of art can be found everywhere, inside and out. Traces of the colonial past and apartheid are visible, younger generations of artists prefer to talk about democracy and new achievements. The city is constantly reinventing itself and looking for forms of expression that fit its new identity. The result is a vibrant streetscape full of street art and graffiti, reinvented university districts, as well as art galleries, chic shopping meccas like Sandton, Rosebank and Melrose, and hip restaurants. This side of Johannesburg is funky, a little unconventional and immensely engaging. A walking tour of the Old Town is a great way to discover surprising sides of Johannesburg, but there are many other excursions available in and around the city.
Soweto
The township of Soweto is a popular part of a visit to Johannesburg. Major protests took place here in 1976, which were eventually put down violently. The events mark a turning point in South Africa's colonial apartheid past, followed by turbulent decades and finally that hard-won democracy. The home of Nelson Mandela who lived here for a long time, the Hector Pieterson Museum and the Regina Mundi Cathedral form the core of Soweto's history.
Jacaranda City Pretoria
About 55km from Johannesburg lies this historic city of Pretoria. It is a city of millions that flourished during the century when it was the sole capital of South Africa. The city is rich in colonial architecture as well as several modern, neo-modern and art deco buildings. It is a historical picture book full of museums and theaters, telling the story of South Africa. If you are here in or around the month of October, be amazed by the magically beautiful purple blanket that lies over the city: more than 70,000 jacaranda trees are in bloom then, a fairy-tale color spectacle that can only be described in superlatives.
