I often say that Joburg is a great city to live in but a difficult city to visit. It’s not like Paris or New York, where you can just pop out from the subway, basically anywhere, and entertain yourself for days (assuming you have a big load of cash). Joburg takes a bit more time and effort to get to know and it helps tremendously if you have a local to guide you.
For exactly this reason, I was thrilled when TripAdvisor asked me to write a three-day travel guide for Johannesburg. The world needed a guide like this and writing it was pretty much the best job ever. I loved imagining that I was a first-time traveler to Joburg and trying to figure out the most exciting, enjoyable way to spend three days here.
TripAdvisor has created a fantastic format for these guides, complete with a map, transportation advice, and other tips, so I highly recommend that you go to TripAdvisor to view the guide. But here’s a quick run-down of the places I recommended. I’ve linked to relevant blog posts that I have where possible, although I’m ashamed that I’ve never blogged about some of these places.
Day 1
Old Fort Ramparts, Constitution Hill
Day 2
Vilakazi Street, Soweto
Day 3
World of Samoosas, Oriental Plaza
One of my main goals when creating this itinerary was selecting locations that are relatively easy to reach for someone who doesn’t have a car. Most of the places in the first two days, up until Melville in Day 2, are easily reachable using the Joburg Red Bus and its extensions to Maboneng and Soweto. The rest are relatively reachable using Uber or another taxi service for someone staying close to downtown Joburg.
I wrote a couple of other TripAdvisor guides for this project – best food in Joburg and Joburg “off the beaten path” – which I’ll share in future posts. You can browse all of TripAdvisor’s Joburg travel guides (published so far) here.
I enjoyed this so much that I might start creating some new guides of my own. Suggestions are welcome.
How have I never blogged about 44 Stanley Avenue, the coolest shopping and dining complex in Joburg, which is only five minutes from my house?
I guess it’s wrong to say I’ve never blogged about 44 Stanley; I’ve mentioned it countless times over the years (see here and here) when writing about specific restaurants or shops that are there. But I’ve never written a dedicated post about 44 Stanley as a destination and it’s about time I did – especially now, with the holidays upon us.
I’ve been dreadfully uninspired lately, struggling to think of anything I want to blog about despite having a long list of great ideas (many of which you, my readers, provided in September). I’m finding it hard to feel positive about life at the moment. But on Saturday Thorsten and I got the chance to visit Indwe Park, an indigenous garden and sculpture park in Braamfontein, and I knew I had my topic for today.
Given this week’s political nuclear bomb blast, it feels like a weird time to publish a light-hearted post about my recent (pre-election) jaunt through the United States. But I’m hoping you’ve have had enough of the U.S. election horror show – I know I have – and are ready (at least temporarily) for some wholesome American travel adventures. If so, please read on about my four-day visit to Maine, the northeastern-most state in the lower 48, with my sister, Susanna.
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It makes me smile, when I see it.