South Africa
20 Best Things to Do in South Africa
From Table Mountain down: what real review volume says is worth your time in South Africa.
Order reflects review volume from real travelers across 237 tracked South Africa places, capped at 3 per city. Refreshed monthly.
Table Mountain
Sight · Cape TownTable Mountain is the defining landmark of Cape Town, its flat summit creating a distinctive silhouette against the sky.
Read our full guide →V&A Waterfront
Landmark · Cape TownThe V&A Waterfront is a bustling hub where Cape Town's maritime history meets modern entertainment.
Read our full guide →Apartheid Museum
Museum · JohannesburgThe Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg is one of the most powerful museums anywhere, an unflinching, brilliantly designed account of South Africa's system of racial segregation and the long struggle to overthrow it.
Read our full guide →Two Oceans Aquarium
Museum · Cape TownThe Two Oceans Aquarium showcases the rich biodiversity of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, which meet off the Cape coast.
Read our full guide →UShaka Marine World
Entertainment · DurbanUShaka Marine World is a sprawling marine theme park located on Durban's Golden Mile.
Read our full guide →Gold Reef City
Park & nature · JohannesburgGold Reef City is a large theme park and casino complex in Johannesburg, built on the site of a real, historic gold mine, giving it a unique double identity as both a thrill-ride amusement park and a…
Read our full guide →Constitution Hill, Johannesburg
Museum · JohannesburgConstitution Hill in Johannesburg is a historic site that once held political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, in its grim cells.
Read our full guide →Moses Mabhida Stadium
Landmark · DurbanMoses Mabhida Stadium is a striking sports venue in Durban, built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Read our full guide →Durban Botanic Gardens
Park & nature · DurbanDurban Botanic Gardens, established in 1849, is Africa's oldest surviving botanical garden. Spread over 15 hectares, it features a remarkable collection of cycads, orchids, and tropical trees.
Read our full guide →Mandela House
Landmark · SowetoMandela House, located on the historic Vilakazi Street in Soweto, is the modest brick home where Nelson Mandela lived from 1946 to 1962.
Read our full guide →Hector Pieterson Museum and Memorial
Museum · SowetoThe Hector Pieterson Museum and Memorial in Soweto, Johannesburg, is a powerful tribute to the students who bravely protested against apartheid's education policies on June 16, 1976.
Read our full guide →Irene Farm
Landmark · CenturionFree entryIrene Farm is a working dairy farm established in 1902, located in the suburb of Irene in Centurion, South Africa.
Read our full guide →Vilakazi Street
Landmark · SowetoFree entryVilakazi Street in Soweto is the only street in the world to have housed two Nobel Peace Prize winners: Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Read our full guide →Rupert Museum
Museum · StellenboschThe Rupert Museum in Stellenbosch is a premier destination for art lovers, featuring an exceptional collection of modern and contemporary South African art.
Read our full guide →Muratie
Sight · StellenboschMuratie is one of Stellenbosch's oldest wine estates, dating back to the 17th century.
Read our full guide →Oom Samie Se Winkel
Market · StellenboschFree entryOom Samie Se Winkel is a beloved market and shop located at 84 Dorp Street in the heart of Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Read our full guide →George Golf Club
Sight · GeorgeGeorge Golf Club, located on C J Langenhoven Street in the heart of George, is a premier golfing destination on South Africa's Garden Route.
Read our full guide →Zebra Camper Hire
Sight · BenoniZebra Camper Hire is a campervan rental company based in Benoni, a city in the East Rand region of Gauteng, South Africa.
Read our full guide →Irma Stern Museum
Museum · RosebankThe Irma Stern Museum is housed in the former home and studio of Irma Stern, one of South Africa's most celebrated artists.
Read our full guide →The Old Slave Tree
Landmark · GeorgeFree entryThe Old Slave Tree in George, South Africa, is a somber historical landmark located on York Street.
Read our full guide →
Good to know
What is the best-known of the places to visit in South Africa?
Table Mountain in Cape Town is the most reviewed, with 17,618 traveler reviews and a 4.6 rating. That makes it the safe choice if you are only fitting in one.
Which of South Africa's places to visit is worth going out of your way for?
V&A Waterfront in Cape Town rates highest at 4.5 out of 5 across 14,609 reviews. Smaller crowds than the headline entry usually explain the gap.
Which city in South Africa has the most places to visit?
Cape Town, with 3 on this list, ahead of Johannesburg on 3. The list spans 9 cities in total, capped at three per city so one big city cannot crowd out the rest of the country.
Are any of these places to visit free to visit?
Yes, 4: Irene Farm, Vilakazi Street, Oom Samie Se Winkel and others. That is based on each place's own visiting information, not an assumption about the category.
How is this list of places to visit ranked?
By how many travelers reviewed each place, filtered to those rated well enough to be worth your time, drawn from 237 tracked places in South Africa. No one pays to appear on it, and the order is refreshed monthly as new reviews land.
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