Our Welcome Joburg Walking Tour (Series Zero) is perfectly positioned as a short and easy walk, providing a thorough introduction to Johannesburg.
If you are pressed for time or simply do not want to walk too far, then our Welcome Joburg Walking Tour is perfect for you. Only two hours and slightly more than 1km, it will give you all the background insight to make the most of your visit to this astonishing city (and to South Africa as a country).
The tour focuses on the historical background from ancient and pre-colonial times, up till the formation of South Africa as a country in 1910. It explains how Johannesburg came into being without delving into recent history. It answers the fundamental questions of where you are and leaves you inspired about how complex and diverse South Africa is as a country.
ZeroA: Welcome Joburg Walking Tour (Main Street, Marshalltown)
Main Street between Gandhi Square and the Magistrate’s Court, in Marshalltown, is a beautiful, semi-pedestrianized space that is also an outdoor city museum. A mixture of contemporary urban spaces, landmark architecture and historic displays, makes for the most vivid discovery of the Johannesburg story.
This short and easy, two-hour walking tour focuses on Main Street, unpacking the story from ancient and pre-colonial times, through to the discovery of gold in 1886, the resultant gold rush and the birth of the City of Migrants. It positions Johannesburg within the context of the Scramble for Africa and the eventual formation of the country, South Africa.
It is a comprehensive storytelling experience, starting out with the 1886 gold rush, before taking the guests back hundreds of years to precolonial times, from the Mapungubwe Kingdom to the formation of the Zulu Nation, the migrations of Mzilikaze and the Boers (immigrants of mostly Dutch descent), to the establishment of the so-called Boer republics.
Returning to gold, we explore British Expansionism and the conflict for control of the gold that resulted in the devastating Anglo-Boer War (South African War). We learn how the original Victorian shanty town grew into the splenderous (but exploitative) British Empire City. And how these events resulted in the formation of the Union of South Africa as a country in 1910.
We start our exploration at Gandhi Square and walk along Main Street, ending at the Leaping Impala sculpture in front of the erstwhile Anglo-American offices, adjacent to the Magistrates Court. Along the way we stop at a replica of the Mapungubwe Rhino, view the Rand Club from outside and explore historic Hollard Street – once home to one of Joburg’s stock exchanges, the Cullinan Building and the modernist Hanging Tower. We also delve into mining history at the Mining Headgear and marvel at the Art Deco Wonder that is 44 Main Street.
Open tours:
Available daily (4-6pm), subject to availability, at R325 per person. Bookings must be made more than 24 hours in advance.
Private tours:
A minimum of R1300 for 1 to 4 guests or R325 per person if 5 or more.
Any food, drinks, or shopping along the way for guests’ own account.
To secure your spot on tour, send a whatsapp to 082 894 5216 or email to gerald@localplaces.co.za
We will respond with confirmation and payment details.
- Should we have another private tour already booked, a tour slot will not be available on that day. It is therefore essential to make your booking in advance!
