To be honest, I’m not super jazzed about visiting Johannesburg. The crime rate is high and there’s not a lot of major sites here for tourists — at least, not compared to Cape Town, where you need a few days to check out the highlights (Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront, Robben Island, day trip to nearby wine regions — all of which are must-visits). I schedule only two nights in Johannesburg with one full day to see the city and I feel a little sheepish for not giving it more of a chance. I figure the best way to get an overview is on a City Sightseeing red bus — this company operates hop-on, hop-off tours in major cities all over the world, and I’ve previously done their tour of Dubai. Yes, it’s touristy. Yes, it lacks depth and keeps visitors an arms’ length away by seeing the city from 20 feet up rather than experiencing it on the pavement. But given my self-imposed limited time in Johannesburg, I decide on an overview tour rather than checking out two or three places on my own. Plus it stops at the one major site I really want to see (the Apartheid Museum, which I wrote about on Friday) and also includes a side tour to the township of Soweto (more on that tomorrow).

Here’s the map of what we’ll cover:

The tour begins at Gautrain Park Station, right near the City Sightseeing office where you can purchase a ticket. The bus makes the following stops:

• Carlton Centre (tallest building in Africa)
• James Hall Museum of Transport
• Gold Reef City (theme park, casino, mining experience, departure for Soweto tour)
• Apartheid Museum
• Mining District Walk
• Newtown Precinct (World of Beer and Sci-Bono Discovery Centre)
• Newtown Junction Mall (near Market Theatre and Museum Africa)
• Origins Centre at Wits (learn about the history of humankind)
• The Grove at Braamfontein (Joburg’s hip city center)
• Constitution Hill (celebration of democracy, plus tour of prison life)

Since I’ve already decided to spend a few hours at the Apartheid Museum and I’ve added on the Soweto tour, that really limits the amount of time I have to visit other places. So I pass by the first few stops while listening to audio commentary but I don’t get off the bus.

There are so many statues in Johannesburg — this one is of Mahatma Gandhi:

The statue below depicts Carl von Brandis standing outside the high court. He was the Mining Commissioner who monitored early mining activities in the city.

The statue below depicts anti-apartheid activists Walter and Albertina Sisulu — they have an enduring political love story and are referred to as the parents of South Africa. Walter was imprisoned on Robben Island alongside Nelson Mandela for 25 years. Albertina raised the couple’s five children herself and also served time in prison for her work to end apartheid.

See anything out of place in the building below?

If memory serves, this is one of several buildings that were neglected during the mass exodus of white capital which happened in Johannesburg in the 1980s and 1990s. Over two decades later, this building and others like it have yet to be repaired.

The clothed mannequins below remind me of the similarly creepy figures adorning the North Hollywood Toyota dealership near where I lived for so long.

This is the Carlton Centre, the tallest building in all of Africa — it’s 50 stories tall, standing at 223 meters (731 feet). From the top floor you can see all over the city; if I had more time I’d go up there to take photos. There is a ground-level shopping center inside.

Next we head out towards the former mining region.

This is the exterior of Gold Reef City, an amusement park and casino located on the grounds of an old gold mine that closed in 1971 — almost a century after South Africa’s Gold Rush kicked off in 1886. Gold Reef City is named after the mining belt which surrounds Johannesburg. There is a museum on gold mining located here, but it gets less attention than the water rides and roller coasters inside the amusement park.

Gold Reef City is where the extension tour of Soweto township departs. That tour happens every hour between 10am and 2pm, and it lasts approximately two hours. I’ll be back tomorrow with a full report of that trip.

Once I return from Soweto, I hop back on the bus to ride one more stop to the Apartheid Museum. I wrote all about this visit in a separate post — I spend 2.5 hours walking around here and it’s not enough time; this is one of the most comprehensive museums I’ve ever been to. If you have the time, it’s best visited on a full morning or afternoon separate from this city bus tour. I sacrifice a bunch of other bus stops to see the Apartheid Museum today.

There are several enclosed glass bridges connecting buildings in downtown Joburg — a nice architectural touch.

The building below is 11 Diagonal Street, a skyscraper built to resemble a diamond, one of South Africa’s top industries. It reflects views of the CBC (Central Business District) in each angle of the building.

Next I hop off at The Grove at Braamfontein, a trendy neighborhood in Joburg. There are shops, restaurants, and coffee shops; I have one hour to explore before catching the next bus to the final stop.

Because I am addicted to caffeine, I spend about half of that time in a coffee shop called Double Shot.

I order the Malawi iced latte and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.

I take this opportunity to write postcards. This is how I spend my final afternoon in any particular country — it’s a way to reflect on all the activities I’ve done and sights I’ve seen.

The final stop of the tour is Constitution Hill and I have exactly one hour to check it out. This area is the home of South Africa’s highest court, housed in the former prison. What was once a site of oppression now stands for democracy and freedom. Tours of the former prison are supposedly a highlight of the area, but they are now closed this late in the day so I settle for walking around instead. It’s a large complex designed with many artistic elements.

Stairs lead up to this short walk and overlook:

I love the design on these elaborately carved doors at Constitution Hill:

With that, I hop on the final bus of the afternoon back to the starting point at Gautrain Station. It’s been a long day but I’m glad to have even a basic overview of Johannesburg.

More tomorrow on Soweto!