Johannesburg Soweto Tour: Apartheid Museum Mandela House

★★★★★★★★★★ 5.00 (16 reviews)

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/13

Duration8h

GroupUp to 7

LanguagesEN · FR

PickupAt your hotel

From the city of gold to the township that shaped a nation

A full-day guided tour of Johannesburg and Soweto takes you through Constitution Hill—a former prison turned democracy monument—across the mining district, and into the township where Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived on the same street. The tour includes stops at Mandela House, the Hector Petersen Museum, Vilakazi Street, and the Soweto Towers, with a lunch break and visits to street markets; a live guide in English or French narrates the history and culture throughout, and hotel pickup is included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Johannesburg and Soweto full-day tour

Visit Constitution Hill museum
Drive through Braamfontein and Nelson Mandela Bridge
Tour Johannesburg mining district
Stop at FNB Stadium
Take photo at Soweto welcome sign
Drive through Soweto and Diepkloof
Pass Baragwanath hospital
Drive through Soweto informal settlements
Visit Soweto painted towers
Pass Vilakazi Street
Visit Mandela House museum
Enjoy African cuisine lunch
Visit Hector Peterson museum
Explore Soweto street markets and curio shops

The Experience

The day starts at Constitution Hill, a National Heritage Site where the old prison building was demolished to make way for the Constitution Court—a physical embodiment of South Africa's shift from Apartheid to democracy. From there, the route moves through Braamfontein and crosses the Nelson Mandela Bridge into Johannesburg's inner city, passing through the mining district where the gold rush of 1886 began. The FNB Stadium, built in the shape of an African calabash, marks the last Johannesburg stop before the drive into Soweto.

Soweto itself unfolds in layers. You'll stop at the iconic welcome sign for photos, then drive through Diepkloof—nicknamed the Beverly Hills of Soweto for its larger homes—and past Baragwanath Hospital, Africa's largest, originally built as a military facility and now a government-funded public hospital. A detour through the informal settlements shows the contrast in living conditions across the township, followed by the Soweto Towers, two painted structures that draw visitors and offer bungee jumping for those who want it. Vilakazi Street is the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners—Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu—lived, and Mandela House, his former home, is a major stop on the route.

Lunch happens at a local restaurant serving African cuisine. After eating, the tour includes the Hector Petersen Museum, which documents the June 16, 1976 school uprising and the children who died, then time to browse street markets and curio shops for souvenirs. The vehicle is air-conditioned throughout, bottled water is provided, and WiFi is available on board. The tour runs eight hours total and is wheelchair accessible, with all areas and surfaces accommodating mobility devices.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off.
air-conditioned vehicle throughout the eight-hour tour.
bottled water and WiFi on board.
a live guide in English or French.
entry to Constitution Hill, Mandela House, and the Hector Petersen Museum.
a lunch stop at a local restaurant.
and time to browse Soweto's street markets and curio shops.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Tourgy Tourz

Is this one for you?If you speak English or French fluently, this tour delivers the full narrative without translation gaps—the guide's commentary on Apartheid history, township culture and the sites themselves flows continuously. If you need a guide in another language, look for a different departure or confirm language availability before booking.