Innercity Walking Tour: Discover the City's Best Kept Secrets and Heritage Sites

Uncover the hidden gems and historical landmarks of the city on an engaging inner city walking tour. Explore the best kept secrets and heritage sites while immersing yourself in the city’s rich cultural mix.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Maboneng Precinct - Maboneng, meaning “Place of Light,” aptly describes a district that has quickly become a hub of creative energy for Johannesburg’s urban artists, designers, and entrepreneurs. Just a few years ago, this inner-city neighborhood was largely considered a no-go zone due to urban decay. Today, thanks to a plan to place art at the center of Johannesburg’s revitalization efforts, the now popular Maboneng cultural precinct is living up to its name as the “Place Of Light,” attracting tourists from around the world eager to witness and be part of this transformation.
  • Kwa Mai Mai Traditional Market - One of the oldest markets in Johannesburg. Once an old horse stable, it now houses over 176 market stalls, offering traditional medicines, African attire, beaded items, artifacts, walking sticks, and crafts. A truly hidden treasure and an authentically genuine place to buy souvenirs to take back home.
  • Collectors Treasury - We visit the largest second-hand bookstore in the Southern Hemisphere. There are books stacked everywhere in this 8-story building, plus LPs, maps, porcelain, and postcards.
  • Carlton Centre - Built between 1969 and 1976 by the American architectural firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, the Carlton Centre is a skyscraper offering panoramic views of the City of Gold. At 223 meters above Johannesburg, we will narrate the history of the city, from the gold rush in 1886 to the urban decline in the late ‘80s and ‘90s, and now the rebirth of the city center.
  • Gandhi Square Precinct - Remember the lawyer? Gandhi Square is named after Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian leader and human rights activist who spent 21 years in South Africa and had his law firm in downtown Johannesburg.
  • Chancellor House and Newtown tours - A walk through the Main Street mining district towards Chancellor’s House.

In the 1950s, the humble 3-story Chancellor House was home to Mandela and Tambo Attorneys, where they established South Africa’s first black-owned law firm. Opposite the old law firm now stands “The Shadow Boxing Sculpture,” designed by artist Marcos Cianfanelli based on a famous Bob Gosani image of young Mandela boxing.

What's Included
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • All fees and taxes included
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
Additional Information

The Metropolitan Urban Hiking Tour merges strolling with the utilization of secure public transportation to yield a designed exploration of the City’s most concealed gems. The expedition covers some of the City’s most outstanding historical landmarks, presenting a comprehensive cultural diversity and thus, uncovering areas of the city that numerous individuals are hesitant to explore.

Location
302 Fox St
Fox Street
Curiocity Backpackers
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(35 Ratings)
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Magnusf779
Sep 12, 2024
Wonderful - The guide was amazing, and made it an unforgettable experience. It is Nice to have a local with you when you are in the city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E8687dkamelial
Jun 5, 2024
Excellent! - Lovely tour guide with a great sense of humour. The tour was exciting and I saw the hidden gems of the city. Would definitely recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Excursion19202141070
Jun 2, 2024
Super fun !! - Kaizer was a very knowledgeable guide who made the experience very fun ! Highly recommend to request him as your tour guide
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gabriellew782
May 24, 2024
Curiocity Johannesburg Review - Everyone at Curiocity is amazing! Every single bartender, Verna and Tanya, are amazing. They aren’t just your hosts but they become your friends. The rooms were clean and the bathrooms were nice. The bar is cheap and they have lots of drinks! I 100% recommend!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Keithsc5075zf
May 24, 2024
A Great Day of Walking - The guide was very knowledgeable, passionate, and made sure to look after us. I feel like I was able to gain a better understanding of Johannesburg as a whole having been on this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
910stefl
May 24, 2024
Amazing!!!!! - The employees at Curiocity made me feel safe and at home. They made my experience at Johannesburg what it was; I would recommend them to any and every backpacker!
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316briact
May 18, 2024
Kaizer the real prince - It was amazing, Highly recommand it!! We saw every things that need to be viewed and more, everything with a lot of storys!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H6644wiliams
May 6, 2024
Curiocity Walking Tours with Ikoh - We absolutely loved our experience walking through Maboneng and the inner city of Joburg with our awesome guide Ikoh. Ikoh was not only super informative about this vibrant city, but he provided such an in-depth knowledge about the nation's politics and people which created some amazing discussions. The street art and artist initiative in Maboneng is impressive - highly recommend! Thank you again Ikoh for showing us such a wonderful time, from your Australian friends Jen and Liam.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kristyl963
Apr 28, 2024
An eye-opening experience of our hometown - Absolutely brilliant experience. We live in Jo'burg and took the tour to explore a part of the city that we don't have the opportunity to visit in our day-to-day. Iko helped us to discover a whole different experience of Jozi. The street art was stunning, and so powerful, and we felt like we were walking back in time and seeing the history of Jo'burg come to life. And we met some really great people! A fabulous experience, and we will definitely be booking again with Iko to explore other parts of our hometown.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annahs2003
Apr 4, 2024
Inner city walking tour - A very Nice walking tour, our guide was amazing🤗 we Saw a lot of different things, like the Nelson Mandela House. And in general we learned a lot about Johannesburg and Soweto
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 10 guests
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September 2024
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