This museum, housed in the old Bree St fruit market, offers a wide range of exhibitions on historical themes, including the Treason Trials of 1956–61, the development of South African music and housing in the city. The satirical ‘Cartoons in Context’ are worth a look, as is the Sophiatown display, which contains a mock-up of a shebeen (unlicensed bar).
Museum Africa
Johannesburg
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Constitution Hill
1.1 MILES
Do not leave Jo'burg without visiting Constitution Hill. One of South Africa's most important historical sites, the deeply moving and inspirational…
Apartheid Museum
2.86 MILES
The Apartheid Museum illustrates the rise and fall of South Africa’s era of segregation and oppression, and is an absolute must-see. It uses a broad…
Liliesleaf Farm
10.96 MILES
A highlight of Jo'burg's northern suburbs is Liliesleaf Farm. This was the secret headquarters of the ANC (African National Congress) from 1961 until a…
Sterkfontein Caves
22.49 MILES
One of the most significant archaeological sites in the world, Sterkfontein Caves include a permanent hominid exhibit and a walkway down into the…
Ponte City
1.76 MILES
Nothing sums up the changing fortunes of inner-city Jo'burg better than Ponte City, which can be visited on tours with Dlala Nje. This 54-storey…
Gandhi Square
0.81 MILES
in 2002 Van der Bijl Sq was revamped and renamed Gandhi Sq in honour of Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi. Look out for the bronze statue representing him as a…
Rand Club
0.68 MILES
Founded in 1887, this version of the illustrious (and once whites- and men-only) club dates from 1904. It's now open to all, and so long as you're not…
Chancellor House
0.4 MILES
It was in this three-storey building that, in the 1950s, Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo set up South Africa's first black-owned law firm. After a 2012…
Nearby Johannesburg attractions
1. Mary Fitzgerald Square
0.06 MILES
Named after South Africa’s first female trade unionist, this square is partly decorated with an array of heads, carved from old railway sleepers by…
2. Newtown Pillars
0.09 MILES
The massive concrete pillars holding up the M1 Highway in Newtown have become an outdoor art gallery, featuring ever-changing graffiti murals by some of…
3. Workers’ Museum
0.1 MILES
This important museum is in the restored Electricity Department’s compound, which was built in 1910 for 300-plus municipal workers and has been declared a…
4. Turbine Hall
0.18 MILES
An icon of the city's rebirth, this massive power station was refurbished in 2007 and now houses the impressive new headquarters of AngloGold Ashanti as…
5. Sci-Bono Discovery Centre
0.22 MILES
Testament to the remarkable reawakening of downtown Jo'burg, this well-organised science museum, full of interactive exhibitions, occupies a former power…
6. Walter and Albertina Sisulu Statue
0.37 MILES
By Jo'burg artist Marina Walsh, this charming statue depicts larger-than-life versions of the Sisulus in their elder years, seated and facing each other…
7. Nelson Mandela Bridge
0.38 MILES
Opened two days after Mandela’s 85th birthday in 2003, this cable-stayed bridge is the longest of its kind in Southern Africa and an icon of the…
8. Chancellor House
0.4 MILES
It was in this three-storey building that, in the 1950s, Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo set up South Africa's first black-owned law firm. After a 2012…