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Apartheid Museum

Apartheid Museum: Our most recommended tours and activities

Jo'berg in 1 Day: Soweto, Apartheid Museum & City Tour

1. Jo'berg in 1 Day: Soweto, Apartheid Museum & City Tour

After collecting you from your hotel or residence in Johannesburg, your guide will give you a quick pre departure tour briefing before departing to Soweto (South Western Township). On your way to Soweto you pass by the National Football Stadium City, which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the World Cup 2010. You enter the Diepkloof area, where you will take a walk past vendors selling just about anything. In Orlando West you visit Vilakazi Street - drive past the former home of Nelson Mandela and past the home of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. You will have an opportunity to read about the Soweto uprising on 16 June 1976. On that tragic day an innocent little boy called Hector Pieterson gave up his life and kick-started the liberation of South Africa. During this tour you will pass by the Mandela House. A visit into the museum is optional. You continue your tour driving into one of the shanty towns where you get to interact with some of the locals. By now you will have seen the good, the bad and the ugly facets of Soweto. You drive past the Soweto Campus of the Johannesburg University and end your tour with a stop at the largest hospital in the world: Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. After Lunch on your own account, you will arrive at the world famous Apartheid Museum. Here you will learn about the history and struggle of South Africa during apartheid. Once you are done with the Apartheid Museum, you head into Johannesburg City and start with the view of the impressive 269 metre Telkom Tower, as seen on many postcards of Johannesburg. You then enter the inspiring Constitution Hill – and Court (when not in session) Political activists like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi were once held here. During a tour inside you will learn about some of the legal history of Johannesburg. On your way to Newtown you pass by the longest southern African bridge, named Nelson Mandela bridge. At Mary Fitzgerald Square you can walk on the Jazz Walk of Fame. In short, this tour offers you a unique Johannesburg experience at an affordable rate.

Johannesburg: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus with Optional Soweto Tour

2. Johannesburg: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus with Optional Soweto Tour

Enjoy the most fantastic views, safely and with flexibility to experience the atmosphere of Johannesburg aboard an open-top double-decker sightseeing bus. Choose between a bus ticket or choose to include a small group tour to Soweto, to visit the former home of Nelson Mandela in Vilakazi street and lots more by choosing the Bus/Soweto Combo option. This open top bus tour stops at all the iconic Johannesburg attractions like Melrose Arch, the Mandela's Foundation, Mandela's Homes, Constitution Hill, downtown Johannesburg, the Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City Theme Park, The Zoo, and Military Museum. The Main bus stop and Branded Tour office with Departure point is in Rosebank. Look for the City Sightseeing Tour office in the main pedestrian part of the "The Zone Mall", Oxford Road, Rosebank. It’s easy to find, between the “Holiday Inn Rosebank” and “Hamleys”. The Tour office is easily and safely accessible by free branded City Sightseeing shuttle bus, rented car, Gautrain or Uber (Detailed instructions for each of these options are on your tour voucher). You can also check Google maps for the “City Sightseeing Johannesburg Visitor Center”. The Hop-On Hop-Off Tour visits and stops at Melrose Arch, the Mandela Foundation, passes Mandela's Homes in Houghton, we make a scenic Photo Stop at Munroe Drive, Constitution Hill, the Mining District in central Johannesburg and Gold Reef City Casino Hotel. We have a tour office here to ensure that you can join the optional Soweto extension tour. (See details of this extension tour below) From there, the hop on hop off tour also stops at the Apartheid Museum, Newtown to visit the Sci Bono or Museum Africa, Braamfontein to visit the Neighbourhoods Market (open on Saturdays only), before we stop at the Johannesburg Zoo and the Military Museum from where the tour returns to Rosebank. The 2 hour, small group tour of Soweto is accessed whilst on the hop on, hop off tour at the “Gold Reef City” Bus stop. There are staff on duty to make sure this is safe and easy for you. Described as the “New York of Africa", this small group tour is live guided by a Soweto resident guide. Reconnect with Nelson Mandela's past, and get an understanding of where he started his fight against apartheid at his family home in Soweto. Now a museum, Mandela House follows the story of the legendary leader in the single-story matchbox house is located at number 8115 Vilakazi street. A short distance up the road is Tutu House, the home of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. This tour includes visits and Stops at the Fnb Stadium, a photo stop at the famous "Welcome to Soweto" sign, Chris Hani Baragwanath, the Orlando Stadium and Hector Pieterson before we arrive at Mandela's Vilikazi street House. Return to Gold Reef City and re-join the open top bus tour back to Rosebank.

Johannesburg: Half-Day Apartheid Museum Tour

3. Johannesburg: Half-Day Apartheid Museum Tour

Explore the rise and fall of the apartheid at the Apartheid Museum, the first of its kind, in Johannesburg. Embark on an emotional 3-hour journey with a guide, and hear the sad story of a state-sanctioned system based on racial discrimination and the struggle of the majority to overthrow this tyranny. After pickup from your hotel in Johannesburg, make your way with your guide to the Apartheid Museum. Once you've entered the museum, discover a series of 22 individual exhibition areas assembled and organized by a multi-disciplinary team of curators, filmmakers, historians, and designers.  Learn about the policy of apartheid, implemented in 1948 by the white elected National Party government, which turned 20 million people into second class citizens, damning them to a life of servitude, humiliation, and abuse. See provocative film footage, photographs, text panels, and artifacts illustrating the events and human stories of apartheid. Bring your dramatic journey to an end with the election of Nelson Mandela, the prisoner you became president, in 1994. The liberation of the nation and people of South Africa from apartheid is the climax of a tale of resistance, courage, and fortitude. It is not uncommon for 3 hours in the museum to feel too short. The local partner's guides will try to adjust the schedule to your liking if this is the case for you. After your museum visit, the tour concludes with drop-off back at your hotel in Johannesburg.

Soweto: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, City Tour and Apartheid Museum

4. Soweto: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, City Tour and Apartheid Museum

Join a 2-hour small group tour of the township of Soweto, described as the “New York of Africa", guided by a Soweto resident guide. Take in the sights of the city where Mandela once lived and Mahatma Gandhi started his legal career. Complete the day and see the sights of Johannesburg at your own pace with a trip on the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tour. Learn the history of Johannesburg from the audio commentary on board the double decker sightseeing bus. Ride through the city's historic neighbourhoods and see fascinating attractions, many related to the struggle against apartheid. Get on and off as much as you like. City Tour visits: - Main Departure Point: Rosebank: Tour office at the @The Zone Mall, next to “Hamleys” - Melrose Arch - Mandela Foundation - Pass Mandela's Homes in Houghton - Scenic Photo Stop at Munroe Drive - Constitution Hill - Mining District - Gold Reef City Casino Hotel (Switch to the Soweto small group tour here) - Apartheid Museum  - Newtown - Neighbourgoods Market (Saturdays only) - Johannesburg Zoo - Military Museum  Small group tour of Soweto includes: 1. Fnb Stadium 2. Welcome to Soweto sign 3. Chris Hani Baragwanath 4. Soweto Towers 5. Orlando Stadium 6. Hector Pieterson 7. Mandela House 8. Soweto Brewery Ubuntu Kraal. Easy to join this tour with the Free Hotel Shuttle bus from Sandton: The Southern Sun Sandton: 09:00 AM The Maslow: 09:08 AM The Hilton: 09:12 AM The Raddison Blue Gautrain: 09:19 AM Da Vinci Hotel: 9:25 AM Melrose Arch: Outside Fire & Ice: 09h12 (17h25: Return shuttle from Rosebank to Sandton) Reconnect with Nelson Mandela's past, and get an understanding of where he started his fight against apartheid at his family home in Soweto. Now a museum, Mandela House follows the story of the legendary leader in the single-story matchbox house is located at number 8115 Vilakazi street. A short distance up the road is Tutu House, the home of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. Encounter the eclectic atmosphere of the markets and memorabilia stands. Soweto is home to thousands of South Africans and the site of some of the most iconic events in the nation’s history. Get a fascinating look into kasi living, and hear the history of South Africa’s freedom struggle. Stop at Soccer City on the outskirts of Soweto before going to Diep Kloof. Discover the renowned Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, the largest hospital in the world in 1997. Pass the Orlando Towers to see the site of the world’s highest Suspended Catch Air Device (SCAD) Freefall. Enjoy a drink or some braised meat at the Chaf Pozi shisa nyama and shebeen. Drive past Orlando Stadium, the 1st ever sports facility built for black South Africans in a residential area.

From Johannesburg: 5-Day Johannesburg and Cape Town Tour

5. From Johannesburg: 5-Day Johannesburg and Cape Town Tour

Day 1: JohannesburgYour South African sightseeing tour begins in Johannesburg at the Radisson Blu Four-Star Hotel. From here, travel to Pretoria to visit the Voortrekker Monument where you'll learn about the history of the Afrikaners and the Great Trek. Drive through the beautiful city of Pretoria and pass by Church Square before heading to the Union Buildings, the seat of the South African Government, for a photoshoot. See the iconic Nelson Mandela statue while here. Next stop, Soweto. Visit the Hector Pieterson Museum and Mandela House before wrapping up your first day with a visit to the Apartheid Museum. Day 2: JohannesburgDepart from the Radisson Blu Hotel and head to the Cradle of Humankind. Located about 50 kilometers from Johannesburg, the Cradle of Humankind is one of eight places in South Africa listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the Sterkfontein Caves where the 2.3-million-year-old fossil Australopithecus africanus was unearthed in 1947, and see the Maropeng Visitor Center, a world-class exhibition that was opened in 2005 and focuses on the development of hominins. Day 3: Cape TownGet picked up from the Radisson Blu Hotel in Johannesburg in the morning and travel to Cape Town. On arrival in Cape Town, embark on a full-day tour that takes you around the entire Cape Peninsula. Discover the wonders of Cape Town, from the pristine beaches to the spectacular sight of Cape Point, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Your day also includes a visit to the sensational Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Day 4: Cape TownStart your day with another convenient pickup from the Radisson Blu Four-Star Hotel in Cape Town and set out on a full-day wine tour. Start in Stellenbosch and make your way through the best Winelands in the Cape. Take part in an optional wine tasting. Day 5: Cape TownSpend the final day of your tour on a full-day safari in a beautiful private game reserve. See South African wildlife in its natural habitat. The reserve is home to over 1,200 species including lions, cheetahs, black rhino, eland, leopards, the Cape clawless otter, and many more. Enjoy the prolific birdlife in the park, which includes the African fish eagle, black-breasted snake eagle, giant kingfisher, Cape vulture, Cape eagle owl, flamingo, ostrich, secretary bird, sacred ibis, spotted eagle owl, black stork, barn owl, and jackal buzzard to name just a few. Your tour concludes with a return flight to OR Tambo International Airport. 

Johannesburg: Customizable Private Day Tour with Guide

6. Johannesburg: Customizable Private Day Tour with Guide

Due to the overwhelming interest, MoAfrika Tours is now providing visitors and residents of Johannesburg with the option to reserve a vehicle, with a driver and a guide, and create their own personalised itinerary for a tour of their own making. You may start the day with a visit to the Apartheid Museum in Soweto, a vital aspect of South Africa's history; then, in the afternoon, you could take a group bike tour around the city and marvel at its public art and amazing architecture. Brunch at one of Joburg's haute cuisine restaurants, or pick up some wonderful pastries and get a taste of France at Patisserie de Paris, and then visit Mr Vinyl, where you can discover records and mix-tapes of all genres and decades from across the globe. You might choose to spend the day in Gold Reef City or at the Pilansberg Game Reserve, either of which are potential options. The choice is yours; we will carry out your every whim. You are the author of your own adventure, and MoAfrika Tours is here to help you relax and enjoy the ride!

Johannesburg and Soweto Apartheid Full Day Tour

7. Johannesburg and Soweto Apartheid Full Day Tour

Take a comprehensive tour of Johannesburg, Soweto, and the Apartheid Museum (opened from Wednesday - Sunday). Pass important landmarks and learn about the country's difficult history of Apartheid. Be picked up from your hotel for a full-day tour of Johannesburg, the Apartheid Museum, and Soweto. Begin your explorations in the heart of bustling Johannesburg, the third-largest city in Africa. Pass landmark buildings and structures such as the Hillbrow Tower, one of the tallest towers in Africa, the sky-scraping Ponte City, Sentech and Carlton Centre Towers, and the multimillion-rand Nelson Mandela Bridge. Once a prison and military fort, visit the Constitutional Hill Museum and learn about South Africa's journey to democracy. Be humbled as you hear and see the struggles South Africa endured during its societal transitional phases such as the Apartheid. Leaving the hustle and bustle of central Johannesburg behind, the tour will proceed to historical Soweto, an iconic South African township that experienced many student uprisings and much police brutality during the apartheid era. Visit the Hector Pieterson Museum and Memorial, and see the house of Nelson Mandela. After an interesting and thought-provoking day head back to your hotel on a comfortable air-conditioned bus. 

Johannesburg: Soweto Apartheid & Township Tour with Lunch

8. Johannesburg: Soweto Apartheid & Township Tour with Lunch

After collecting you from your hotel or residence in Johannesburg, your guide will give you a quick tour briefing before you depart for Soweto (South Western Township). Explore the good, the bad, and the ugly facets of this area. On the way to Soweto you will pass the National Football Stadium, which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 World Cup.  Enter the Diepkloof area, where you will walk past vendors selling just about anything. In Orlando West you will visit Vilakazi Street to drive past the former home of Nelson Mandela and the home of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. You will have the opportunity to read about the Soweto uprising on June 16th 1976, which kick-started the liberation of South Africa. During the tour, you will pass Mandela House. A visit to the museum is optional. The tour continues with a drive to one of the shanty towns, where you will have the chance to interact with some of the locals. Then drive past the Soweto Campus of Johannesburg University and see the view of the largest hospital in the world, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. After lunch in Soweto you will visit the world famous Apartheid Museum. Here you will learn about the history of apartheid and the South African liberation struggle.

From Johannesburg: Pretoria, Soweto & Apartheid Museum Tour

9. From Johannesburg: Pretoria, Soweto & Apartheid Museum Tour

Start your historical day tour ready to know what transpired back in those days and how it has shaped the current dynamic Rainbow nation. Head to Pretoria just over 30 kilometers from Johannesburg making your way to the first stop, the Voortrekker Museum, where you'll get to know the history of the Afrikaaners people of South Africa. Learn more about the monument and why it was built the way it is. From there, you'll drive through the beautiful town of Pretoria, also known as Tswane. Visit the Union Building, which currently houses the president of South Africa and get a splendid view of Pretoria and find a perfect place to take photos. Continue onto Soweto, where you will get to see the 1976 Youth Uprising by visiting the famous Hector Peterson Museum and also visit the house of the South African apartheid hero Nelson Mandela on Vilakazi Street. The Nelson Mandela House has been set up to reflect its original setting from the the time he left prison. Afterwards, head to the Apartheid Museum, where you will get the fine print of what actually transpired during those apartheid days and conclude your tour by passing through Johannesburg as you head back to your hotel.

Johannesburg, Soweto and Apartheid Museum Day Tour

10. Johannesburg, Soweto and Apartheid Museum Day Tour

Johannesburg, Soweto and the Apartheid Museum are the perfect destinations for learning about the City of Gold. Start the day by visiting key landmarks in Johannesburg city, starting with Constitutional Hill where you will learn about apartheid prisoners. Then, head deep into the city, driving through the tall buildings, most of them built during the gold rush period. The next stop will be Top of Africa where you can see the city from above and take photos. The Apartheid Museum tour is the next stop as you dig deeper into the dark apartheid history of South Africa. This will be a 3-hour tour of the museum before heading into Soweto township. On arrival, you visit Mandela House Museum and get a 30-minute guided tour into his former house before he was sent to prison. The Hector Pieterson Museum will give you some inspiration on the language resistance uprising of 1976. Next, will be a quick drive to the Regina Mundi Church to discover the importance during the apartheid era. Finally, drive by Orlando Towers and the World Cup Stadium to finish the tour.

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What people are saying about Apartheid Museum

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 678 reviews

Pascal was a very knowledgeable and friendly guide, while being extremely professional . He really helped us navigate the Apartheid museum, taking us through the most important topics and explaining much of the symbolism. We also got a sense of the different areas of Johannesburg and how they’ve evolved over time. We also enjoyed the time in Soweto and learning about its history. Lunch at the African buffet was great and bustling with locals. It also allowed us to spend time with Pascal and learn about his fascinating personal story, which was a great insight into the local culture and society.

Our guide: Exactly on time the whole trip. Friendly, professional, very knowledgable on multiple levels. Honest and helpful. Calm and positive. Knows his history, his country, his cities and loves his work. We learned and enjoyed.

Great tour although we didn't get to go to the apartheid museum as it was closed and the tour of the city of joburg that was to replace it didn't happen (altho that was fine - we were tired). I thought it was a bit expensive.

It was a very excellent experience. Buses very clean and travel as scheduled.

Really amazing Very punctual and welcoming Highly recommend