When looking into how to get around Johannesburg – with the city’s safety issue, wandering “aimlessly” about was apparently not an option – my guesthouse hostess suggested to use the Hop-On Hop-Off bus. Not being too fond of these buses, I was honestly very reluctant. But having considered the pros and cons, I decided I would get to see more of the city than going from place to place with an Uber. As I also had a day only to explore Jozi, efficiency was key. So, for CitySightseeing Joburg there is in reality four routes to remember: 1) There is a free hotel shuttle that goes around Sandton and Melrose Arch to pick up people, and drop them off at Stop 1, which is Rosebank. 2) The Green Tour which departs Rosebank for Constitution Hill, and returns. 3) At Constitution Hill you can change to the Red Tour, which takes you all the way down to Gold Reef City Casino Hotel, before it starts heading back again. Here you can change to 4) the Soweto Extension Tour, which drops you off at the same point as it picks you up. Remember to show your bus ticket if there is an entrance fee to pay at the attractions at any of the stops, as this can entitle you to a discount. With all this in mind, time to get onboard 🙂
On my tour through Johannesburg, I made three hop-offs in total, at Constitution Hill, at the Apartheid Museum, and in Newtown (SAB World of Beer is the name of the stop here). Some things more interesting than others. As for the rest of the tour, and Joburg, it was a nice drive through. There are for sure areas one could get off at, and explore. All in all it looks like a great city, just too bad safety makes it not possible to enjoy it like one would like to. I guess for some cities the Hop-on Hop-off bus can be a good option 🙂
Website: joburgtourism.com
I actually quite like these hop on hop off kind of buses because I like to be able to see a city as a whole. And it sounds like it’s especially good for cities such as Johannesburg. #citytripping
I’ll do it when it is my “only” option. Think I’ve done three of them, Southern Mexico City, Oxford and Johannesburg.
I lived in Johannesburg for a while and I agree that it was difficult to get around without a car. This hop-on hop-off network didn’t exist when I was there and sounds like a great idea #citytripping
Definitely for a tourist. I felt a bit lost. Hop on, hop off was handy this time around.
I don’t mind a hop on hop off bus and certainly for a city like J’burg it has a lot of advantages! #citytripping
I kind of like exploring by myself by foot or public transportation, but for Johannesburg that was not the best way to go about it 🙂
One of my big travel regrets was not visiting Soweto when I visited Jo’burg. The hop on hop off is a great idea – can’t remember if it operated in 2003. Wilbur. #citytripping
I wasn’t too keen on Soweto, so I decided not to. Don’t know if I had had enough time to go there either, as I spent a good amount of time at the other stops I did do. For Jozi the tour bus turned out to be a satisfying option.