Soweto Township Tour: Mandela House & Freedom Charter Sites

Walk the streets where Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived and changed history

A two-hour Soweto township tour from Johannesburg with a local guide covers the sites central to South Africa's anti-apartheid movement. You visit Mandela House, where Nelson Mandela lived from 1946 to 1962 before his imprisonment; the street that produced two Nobel Peace Prize winners; and the Soweto Uprising Memorial Museum, which documents the 1976 student march. The tour also passes the stadium where Mandela gave his first public speech after his 1990 release and the Freedom Charter landmark, adopted by 3,000 people in 1955 as the foundation of the modern South African Constitution.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Soweto historical landmarks

• Visit largest stadium in Africa
• Explore South African Hall of Fame
• Pass by biggest public hospital
• See iconic Soweto landmark
• Visit Soweto uprising museum
• Walk on street of two Nobel winners
• Tour Nelson Mandela's former home

The experience

Soweto became the epicentre of South Africa's liberation struggle in the 1950s, and this tour traces that history through the actual places where it unfolded. You'll see Mandela House, the modest home where Mandela lived before his 27-year imprisonment, and stand on the only street in the world to produce two Nobel Peace Prize winners: Nelson Mandela and Reverend Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The Soweto Uprising Memorial Museum documents the students who marched on 16 June 1976, a turning point in the fight against apartheid.

The tour also takes in the largest stadium in Africa, where Mandela delivered his first speech in Johannesburg after his release in 1990, and the iconic Freedom Charter landmark, adopted in 1955 by 3,000 people and now the basis of South Africa's Constitution. You'll pass the biggest public hospital in the Southern Hemisphere and hear how Mahatma Gandhi began his legal career in Soweto before his Passive Resistance movement took shape. An air-conditioned vehicle and local English-speaking guide carry you through the township, making the two-hour route manageable for all fitness levels.

What’s included

Air-conditioned vehicle and local English-speaking guide throughout the two-hour route.

Options for this experience

2 options

10H30 AM DepartureGuide in English · No fixed time

12H30 PM DepartureGuide in English · No fixed time

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Child (4 to 17 years) · Infant (under 4)

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by City Sightseeing South Africa

Is this one for you?Choose the 10:30 AM departure if you want the morning to explore Soweto and keep the afternoon free. The 12:30 PM departure suits a later start or a morning elsewhere in Johannesburg. Both routes cover the same sites, so pick the time that fits the rest of your day.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 17 years); Infant (under 4).

What is Mandela House like when you visit it on this tour?

Mandela House is the modest home in Soweto where Nelson Mandela lived from 1946 until 1962, before his imprisonment. The tour stops here so you can see the actual place where he lived during the early years of his anti-apartheid activism.

What happened at the Freedom Charter landmark in Soweto?

The Freedom Charter landmark commemorates the 1955 gathering where 3,000 people came together to adopt the Freedom Charter, a document that became the foundation of the modern South African Constitution.

Why is that one street in Soweto so significant?

Soweto's Vilakazi Street is the only street in the world to have produced two Nobel Peace Prize winners: Nelson Mandela and Reverend Archbishop Desmond Tutu both lived there, making it a rare symbol of the township's role in the liberation struggle.

What does the Soweto Uprising Memorial Museum show?

The Soweto Uprising Memorial Museum commemorates the students who were injured and participated in the 16 June 1976 student march against apartheid, one of the most pivotal moments in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement.

Can you visit the stadium where Mandela made his first speech?

Yes, the tour passes the largest stadium in Africa, where Nelson Mandela delivered his first public speech in Johannesburg after his release from prison in 1990. You can also visit the South African Hall of Fame inside the stadium, which features virtual tours, memorabilia and stories of South African heroes in sports, arts and culture.