Joburg Walking Tour: History and Highlights

Discover the astonishing history of Johannesburg on the JoburgPlaces Astonishing Marshalltown Walking Tour. Marvel at the architecture, hear captivating stories, and explore the city’s transformation from its gold rush days to its vibrant present.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Marshalltown - The ‘older’ part of the Johannesburg CBD and the origins of the city’s mining and financial companies can be traced to this architecturally-rich part of the inner-city, known as Marshalltown.
    Our Understanding Joburg walking tour is also known as the Astonishing Marshalltown tour and is the best introduction to the Johannesburg…
What's Included
  • In-person guide
Additional Information

This is our most famous walking tour and the one we recommend as a first introduction to the city, since it provides the best insight to the history of the city and what makes the contemporary city.
Starting off with a storytelling on the opening history of the city, we walk and explore the
Wiser West, the oldest district of Joburg inner-city. Marvel…

Location
2 Pritchard St
Pritchard Street
Meet us in the foyer of the JSE Newtown building. Walk into the building past the little park from the corner of Pritchard & Diagonal Streets.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(13 Ratings)
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Nikkifsa
Sep 5, 2024
Excellent Tour in JHB! - We were recommended to contact LocalPlaces by a friend in JHB, and we are so pleased she did! I was tour producer for a group of 40 people from the USA (22 teenage students / members of a youth orchestra and 18 adults), most visiting SA for the first time. At the beginning of the group's trip, our tour in Joburg was an excellent introduction to the history of the city, and South Africa in general, contextualising the story of both in a fascinating and easy to understand way for the group. Charlie Moyo had lots of interesting anecdotes and is an animated tour guide who the group loved! We had lunch at Just Badela in Soweto on his recommendation - delicious food and such a welcoming atmosphere. In Cape Town, as we came to the end of the trip, we had a beautiful day out appreciating the stunning Cape scenery and Gerald Garner too was an incredible source of information and stories, with a fabulous sense of humour. He also organised our lunch at Cape Point Vineyards with great selections from the menu. I can highly recommend doing a tour with these lovely gentlemen!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ed_h
Aug 5, 2024
Outstanding Tour of the Former Central Business District - We thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the original CBD. Charlie is a lively raconteur. Going inside the abandoned stock exchange, with its stained glass windows, was like going back in time. If you like history, architecture and urban culture, you will enjoy this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Joshiajay
Aug 5, 2024
Amazing tour - Wonderful tour of the city. Charlie was an amazing tour guide and resource. Took us around and also helped with lunch and dinner reservations where we were treated like family by the restaurants.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Allissone
Jul 25, 2024
Informative and interesting walking tour - We had a great walk through JNB with Charlie. We learnt so much about the city with a very comprehensive explanation of the town and its history. We really enjoyed the tour and would highly recommend a tour with Charlie. He was friendly, knowledgeable and responsive to my emails
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Doris
Jun 5, 2024
Outstanding walking tours in Johannesburg and Cape Town! Don’t miss this… - I recently spent a few weeks in Johannesburg and had the great privilege and pleasure of participating in two walking tours that were hosted by Charlie. I absolutely loved the experience and truly enjoyed being part of a very small group walking through different neighborhoods in Johannesburg that I would otherwise not have visited by myself. I especially enjoyed all the knowledge and historical background that Charlie shared with us and the opportunity to ask questions along the way about not only the city, but also overall South African culture, history and customs. I will most certainly book more tours with LocalPlaces on my next visit and I can’t wait to start exploring Cape Town with Gerald. I felt safe and in good company at all times. Don’t miss out on this very special customized experience at a great price when in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dorotheed226
Jun 5, 2024
Wonderful experience - Charlie welcomed me in downtown Joburg (very easy location to get with a UBER) on time and we've got a very pleasant 3 hours walk. Charlie knows Joburg by heart and was very king all tour round answering questions and give a very good understanding of the city. I also booked "East Town is Alive" tour and "Bristling Braamfontein" tour on the day after and I would definitely recommend them as well. Thanks Charlie and Gerald!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jtunney1
Dec 24, 2023
Astonishing Marshall Town Walking Tour/Bus Tour of Soweto (5 stars/A +) - I had read about JoburgPlaces (Charlie Moyo) in a NYT article (36 hours in Johannesburg). After doing some additional research, I booked 2 walking tours while in Johannesburg, Atonishing Marshalltown Tour and Soweto by bus. It was a great call. I learned so much from Charlie as we walked around Joburg. My favorite was walking inside the prior Johannesburg Stock Market and then seeing where Mandela/Tambo law offices were located (across street from the shadow boxing statue of Mandela). We then met our driver for the tour to Soweto. Originally, I was going to just do the walking tour, but Charlie convinced me a visit to Joburg without visiting Soweto would miss out on the story of Apartheid South Africa; Charlie was 100% correct. The bottom line, if you are looking for a full day of meaningful, informative and entertaining insights about South Africa and Johannesburg in particular, you owe it to yourself to reach out to Charlie and confirm a booking. I am so glad I did, a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you Charlie.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
231claudiah
Dec 1, 2023
The perfect tour for locals & tourists! - Charlie took us on a fantastic tour of Johannesburg. As we had booked a private tour, he had the opportunity to tailor the tour to our interests (as urbanists and housing profressionals) and it was a mindblowing day full of stories and deep history. Highly recommend! This is the perfect tour for a local, South African or tourist!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fellowtraveler276353
Aug 1, 2023
Just book it - This tour was a fascinating look into the history of Joburg and South Africa. Our family of 10 did this tour in the morning and the Soweto bus tour in the afternoon. Charlie is a wealth of information and everyone could not get enough of his valuable knowledge and insight. Gerald arranged a delicious lunch of local foods in between tours. If possible I highly recommend reading Nelson Mandela's autobiography "The Long Walk to Freedom" before traveling to South Africa.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lareese
Jun 5, 2023
Must do in JoBurg! - This tour was a highlight of my entire trip to South Africa. I learned SO MUCH from Charlie about the history of Johannesburg and how it shaped the city of today. Charlie is an excellent storyteller and kept my mom and I engaged throughout the half-day tour. We felt comfortable asking questions and referenced things we learned from Charlie throughout the rest of our trip to South Africa. I'll recommend this tour to anyone I planning a trip to Johannesburg.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
October 2024
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