Johannesburg > Johannesburg Experience

Advantages: Vibrant, plenty to do, fantastic people
Disadvantages: crime

...had the opportunity of visiting Johannesburg in a very different light in January of this year, as a tourist. For you see I was born and raised there, but my boyfriend is very much English and had never been to Africa. When you are born somewhere you tend to disregard alot of the tourist stuff (much what my boyfriend does in London) which I can now see I missed out. Johannesburg is a thriving bustling city with its great history, and vibrant people ...
...note that when travelling to Johannesburg it is very different to other countries in the sense you don't actually stay in the city itself but in the surrounding suburbs), with its vast amount of hotels there is plenty to choose from, and something for everyones budgets. From your basic city Lodge or Southern Suns to the Hyatt. Sandton gives you easy access to the rest of Johannesburg, it is roughly about 40 minutes from the airport (if there is no ... Read review

Advantages: beautiful weather, friendly people
Disadvantages: crime

I went to Johannesburg with my husband an 4 month old daughter in November 1999. It was summer there which means moderate heat (25 C) during the daytime and stormy showers in the evening. We stayed at the Hilton Hotel in a "posh" (read white) area of the city but visited poorer areas (read black). Although being black, I didn't experience any problems with the "white South Africans" - everyone was very friendly. However reading the newspapers, watching ...
...it is clear that this is a divided city. Safety is the main issue for the traveller in South Africa especially since the police can be reluctant to intervene when it comes to petty crime. MY ADVICE WOULD BE: 1) Stay in as expensive hotel as you can afford 2) Hire a car with a driver if you can or take taxis 3) Don't look rich!! ... Read review