Top Reasons to Go to Johannesburg

History in Your Lifetime: Do a self-guided tour of the Constitutional Court, built on the site of a prison whose inmates included Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. The Apartheid Museum takes a holistic look at South Africa's road to democracy.

Iconic Soweto: Visit the site of some dramatic anti-apartheid struggles, including the Hector Pieterson Museum, as well as former homes of Nobel Peace Prize laureates Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

African Arts and Crafts: The African Craft Market in Rosebank showcases ornaments, masks, and fabrics from across Africa, ranging from the cheap and cheerful to one-off collector's items.

Cradle of Humankind: Visit the Sterkfontein Caves and Maropeng Visitor Centre at this World Heritage Site, about 90 minutes from Johannesburg, to view humankind's evolutionary pathway, fossils, and paleontology, presented in a fun, kid-friendly manner.