{"id":43137,"date":"2022-05-18T17:56:39","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T15:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=43137"},"modified":"2026-10-14T13:03:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T11:03:22","slug":"things-to-do-as-a-first-timer-in-gauteng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/things-to-do-as-a-first-timer-in-gauteng\/","title":{"rendered":"First Time in Gauteng? 6 Things to Do on Your First Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gauteng can feel like a lot on a first visit: two big cities, a sprawl of suburbs and more to see than one trip allows. These six experiences give you a feel for the province, from Johannesburg&#8217;s history to the fossil caves where the human story began.<\/p><div id=\"gaute-3769481718\" class=\"gaute-after-paragraph-1 gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. See Joburg from the red bus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The open-top City Sightseeing bus is an easy, safe way to get your bearings in Johannesburg. The Red City Tour starts in Rosebank and loops through Melrose Arch, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Munro Drive viewpoint, Constitution Hill, the old Mining District in the city centre, the Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City, Newtown and Braamfontein. You can hop off at any stop and catch a later bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two tips: the Apartheid Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so plan your day around it, and if you ride on a Saturday, hop off in Braamfontein for The Playground market. Check routes, times and prices on the <a href=\"https:\/\/citysightseeing.co.za\/en\/joburg\/johannesburg-city-tour\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">City Sightseeing website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Join a Saturday parkrun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Africa&#8217;s first parkrun took place at Delta Park in Johannesburg in November 2011, and the free, timed 5 km walk or run now happens every Saturday at 08:00 at venues across the province. It is one of the friendliest ways to meet locals and see a park or nature reserve you might never have found. Register free at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parkrun.co.za\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">parkrun.co.za<\/a> and bring your barcode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Ride the Gautrain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Gautrain is the quickest way to move between OR Tambo International Airport, Sandton, Johannesburg and Pretoria, and a smooth alternative to sitting in traffic. It uses a cashless card system, and buses link many of the stations to the surrounding suburbs. Fares depend on your route, so check the Gautrain website before you travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Go back in time at the Cradle of Humankind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About an hour from Johannesburg, the Cradle of Humankind is one of South Africa&#8217;s 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Start at Maropeng, the official visitor centre, for the story of human evolution. Then visit the Sterkfontein Caves, where the famous Mrs Ples skull was found and where the near-complete Little Foot skeleton, dated to about 3.67 million years, was excavated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sterkfontein reopened in April 2025 under Wits University after flood damage, with guided tours from Tuesday to Sunday between 09:00 and 16:00. Book ahead, especially on weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-1190091635\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Head to Cullinan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">East of Pretoria, the old mining village of Cullinan is home to the Cullinan Diamond Mine, the source of the largest gem diamond ever found, which was cut into nine major stones and 96 smaller ones. Mine tours show you the surface and underground workings, and the historic village around the mine makes a relaxed day out. See our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/cullinan-diamond-mine-tours-explore-worlds-the-most-famous-diamonds\/\">Cullinan Diamond Mine tours<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Spend a day on the Vaal River<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roughly an hour&#8217;s drive south of Johannesburg, the Vaal River and Vaal Dam in Sedibeng are where Gauteng goes to be near the water. Expect river cruises, water sports, nature walks, spas and riverside restaurants. The Emerald Resort and Casino in Vanderbijlpark adds family activities if you want everything in one place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On a budget?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plenty of Gauteng&#8217;s best experiences cost nothing at all. See our list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/free-things-to-do-in-gauteng\/\">the best free things to do in Gauteng<\/a>, and our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/staying-safe-in-gauteng-tips-for-visitors\/\">safety tips for visitors<\/a> before you head out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gauteng can feel like a lot on a first visit: two big cities, a sprawl of suburbs and more to see than one trip allows. These six experiences give you a feel for the province, from Johannesburg&#8217;s history to the fossil caves where the human story began. 1. See Joburg from the red bus The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43158,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"First Time in Gauteng? 6 Things to Do on Your First Visit","rank_math_description":"New to Gauteng? Ride the red bus around Joburg, join a free Saturday parkrun, take the Gautrain, explore the Cradle of Humankind, Cullinan and the Vaal.","footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[11570],"class_list":["post-43137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-visit-gauteng"],"authors":[{"term_id":11570,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"gauteng-staff-writer","display_name":"Gauteng Staff Writer","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8087b6cbb961de62a23e4755a5539c52ec6a12ea806223b6c00811341f31997?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g","job_title":"","description":"We are passionate about celebrating Gauteng\u2019s vibrancy, helping residents and visitors navigate the province, and keeping our community up to date with everything happening around them."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43137"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43157,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43137\/revisions\/43157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43137"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=43137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}