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Tips & Traps
Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
- TipA place or a move worth it
- TrapWhat to avoid, and how
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Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
Join RALF to share your own tips and traps
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Johannesburg has had repeated water outages, with at least 22 major ones between New Year and mid-January 2026, and suburbs across the north, centre and south affected. Before booking, ask whether the property has a storage tank or borehole, and check Johannesburg Water notices for planned shutdowns on your dates…
Satyagraha House in Orchards is a guesthouse and museum in the house where Gandhi lived with the architect Hermann Kallenbach in 1908 and 1909. Seven garden rooms are spread across the original house, a cottage and a newer wing. Meals are vegetarian, and the museum shows photographs, letters and journal entries. Book…
The Newtown Jazz and Heritage Festival takes place in January in the Newtown Cultural Precinct, with the Living Legends Stage hosted at Niki's Oasis. The 2025 edition ran from 23 to 25 January and celebrated South African jazz legacies. Check the festival's channels for next year's dates, and book day passes ahead…
Victoria Yards in Lorentzville hosts a market on the first Sunday of every month. Expect handmade goods from local makers, food vendors, a cocktail bar and fresh coffee. Entry is free and there is safe parking on site. Wear sensible shoes and a hat, and note that leashed pets are welcome. It is a good alternative when…
The Radium Beerhall in Orange Grove opened in 1929 as a tea room and became a beerhall in 1942, and it is known for its jazz heritage and live music. It sits on Louis Botha Avenue and is one of the city's oldest bars. Check its social media for the current line-up before you go, as nights vary. Go early on a gig night…
Rosebank Sunday Market runs on the rooftop of Rosebank Mall at 50 Bath Avenue, reached from Level 4 of the rooftop parking. Expect craft stalls with African goods and a dedicated food section. Go earlier in the day for the best choice, and ask traders where each piece is made so you buy with context. Allow time for…
The Untitled Basement is an intimate, low-lit room under The Artivist in Braamfontein, known for progressive jazz, neo-soul and experimental sets. There are no fixed nights, so check the line-up and buy tickets online in advance, though some are sold at the door. Seats are close to the stage, so arrive early and…
The Bryanston market runs on Thursdays and Saturdays at Culross Road, on the Michael Mount Waldorf School campus. Entry is free, and stalls sell organic produce, pottery, beadwork, baskets and handmade goods, with live music at the central court. Most stalls are covered, so weather rarely cancels it. Bring reusable…
Northcliff Hill is a free viewpoint at 1,807 metres, reached by driving up Lucky Avenue to the car park and walking a short way to the top. Arrive 60 to 80 minutes before sunset, because the main lot fills fast and the summit gets crowded. The site is fenced and described as typically safe until early evening. Lock…
Jacarandas bloom from late October through November, and the city shared photos of full bloom in mid-October. Go early or late for soft light at Parks Road and Oxford Road, or climb the Westcliff Steps, about 210 steps with views over the purple tree canopy. Access is via Crescent Drive or Wicklow Avenue. Visit Munro…
At the Apartheid Museum your ticket sorts you at random as white or non-white, and you enter through the matching door. The exhibits that follow start from that split, so go in without a rush. The museum suggests a minimum of two hours, but half a day is better, and it advises against bringing children under 11…
The Hector Pieterson Museum in Orlando West, Soweto, stands two blocks from where the 12-year-old was shot on 16 June 1976. Oral testimonies, photographs and film footage cover the uprising, and a series of ramps with windows looks out on key scenes. It sits next to the memorial in a National Heritage Site. Confirm…
Rea Vaya, the city bus rapid transit system, uses a card you tap when you enter and tap again at your destination. Forgetting the second tap can earn a fine, and cards sold before 2025 were replaced by an account-based card. Ask a station cashier which card is current and how to activate it with a PIN. The buses stop…
Travel advice for South Africa warns that scammers target e-hailing users in big cities, and unregulated drivers pose as app drivers, especially at airports. Order through the app, wait in a safe spot, then check the plate and driver details before you get in. Use the designated pick-up area the app shows, and avoid…
Emmarentia Dam has sailing and canoe clubs on the eastern shore, anglers at the head of the dam and picnic lawns with a tea room on the western shore. Next door is the Johannesburg Botanical Garden, with woodlands and a rose garden. Locals come for weekend picnics and dog walks, so arrive in the morning to claim a…
Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden in Roodepoort has a waterfall and cliffs where a breeding pair of Verreaux's eagles nests. Walk to the waterfall, then add the Sasol Dam bird hide for some of the garden's 200-plus bird species. Bring water, a hat and good shoes, and carry out everything you bring in, including…
Wandie's Place in Dube, Soweto, began as a four-room shebeen and grew into a well-known buffet restaurant. The spread is home-style: umngqusho (samp and beans), morogo greens and chakalaka. Reserve by phone or email and confirm opening times first, because the listings give no hours. Go hungry, take small first plates…
Derrick Avenue in Cyrildene is the newer Chinatown, marked by two big archways. Go on a weekend morning when the street is busiest and combine dim sum or hotpot with a stroll past the fish stalls, vegetable markets and bubble tea shops. Menus are often not translated, so point at a neighbouring table or ask staff what…
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