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Sunday is the day to go when food vendors from nearby sell their eats in one place. Maboneng is the arts district of Joburg. Arts on Main hosts several galleries, shops and vendors to enjoy. Many of the galleries feature young and emerging artists of Joburg who are very talented. The picture shown features some of these artists’ works. Jozi’s art scene is rapidly growing and on the same level as New York and other big art cities in the world. We stayed at the 12 Decades Hotel for a few nights and explored Soweto (for history) and Parkhurst for drinks/eats. I also heard from a local that Rosebank has a great market for crafts.

This semi-outdoor market on Juta Street in Joburg’s Braamfontein neighbourhood is fun fun fun. Eat oysters from Namibia, drink craft beer from South Africa, and devour paella, gelato, cheeses, chocolate...a food lover’s paradise! Open on Saturdays.

Designed by Herbert Baker, a British architect who did work all over the world but probably best known for his work in South Afica, including the Union Buildings in Pretoria and St. John’s College in Joburg (most surprisingly, he worked with Lutyens in designing New Delhi). Northwards is one of many mansions built in Parktown for the early randlords (entrepeneurs in the mining industry). This one is beautiful and has a stunning view.

I was here in winter (July) when things were not so green (as you can see), but it was still a delightful place to relax and enjoy a sunny afternoon. Nirox runs a artists in residence program as well as displays sculptures from a featured artist along with some of their permanent collection. Based in the Cradle for Humankind, I would recommend you check out the featured artist prior and come out for a while. It is probably a 45 minute drive each way from Joburg.

A new addition to the Jo’burg night market scene is the House & Leisure Night Market at Katy’s Palace Bar, which is also home to an antique store located on the ground floor and The night market featured a good variety of local arts and crafts as well as some locally produced foods and drinks. On the night there was a competition to win a prize hamper consisting of awesome prizes from all the vendors at the market, and amazingly my friend and I ended up winning! Katy’s Palace Bar is normally a private venue for hire, however they are also open for selected public events and every first Sunday of the month for easy lunches and cocktails on their balcony which looks out over the city of Sandton

There are several shops in the trendy Parkhurst neighborhood that caught my eye. We were there with Jo’burg trend spotter Craig Jacobs who showed us the way. Essential Life was the first place we stopped. Here is a description from their website: “A unique retail experience awaits you at Essential Life lifestyle boutique on 4th Avenue in Parkhurst, Johannesburg. The store boasts hundreds of uniquely South African lifestyle products, interior accessories, artworks and multi-functional hard furnishings produced exclusively for Essential Life by the in-house design team. Ranges include Essential Earth home-ware and accessories themed on the essence of African botanicals, the reflections of nature Earth Furniture collection, Essential Wear’s fashion for the soul and contemporary inspirations like Symbols in the City. Lifestyle items are emblazoned with iconic images of the city that landscape the interior, bringing the outside in.”

A good stop on the Panoramic Route (Joburg to Kruger Park) is Bourke’s Luck Potholes, where striking rock formations tower over emerald green waters. A walkway with spanning bridges offers a birds eye view of the giant potholes below, that have been carved over centuries by pebbles swirling around in pools where the Treur River plunges into the Blyde. Opening times are 9am-5pm, I believe. The later in the day you visit, the more beautiful the light and colors will be. Nina Dietzel traveled to South Africa courtesy of South African Tourism, Collette and South African Airways. Her highlights are part of AFAR’s partnership with The United States Tour Operator Association (USTOA), whose members provide travelers with unparalleled access, insider knowledge, peace-of-mind, value and freedom to enjoy destinations across the entire globe. See more about Nina’s trip at the USTOA blog - http://ustoa.com/blog/category/afar/. For more information on Collette Travel, please visit: http://www.gocollette.com/ For more information on beautiful South Africa, please visit: http://www.southafrica.net/country/us/en/

If you’re lucky enough to live in a place as magical as South Africa, you get some amazing sunrises & sunsets most mornings & evenings. What’s great about living in Johannesburg is that you get to experience the magic while overlooking an amazing city! With rooftop venues opening up all over the inner city, catching such a magnificent view, while sipping on cocktails and listening to some soulful live music with your friends is getting so much easier!

On the western edge of downtown Johannesburg, a neighborhood named Newtown has emerged as the city’s cultural heart. Once a gritty industrial center, Newtown is now a gathering place for South African writers, artists, and musicians. Begin your exploration at the neighborhood’s hub, Mary Fitzgerald Square, where the community comes together for national holiday celebrations and outdoor performances such as Venda tribal dancing. At Xarra Books, an indie bookstore on the square that’s dedicated to African literature, you can pick up local author Lebo Mashile’s latest collection of poems and drop in on talks by such South African luminaries as anti-apartheid activist Albie Sachs. Next, walk to the nearby Bus Factory, a cavernous brick building that was once a bus depot and now houses a collection of traditional crafts and contemporary sculpture by local artists. Check out the murals of Jo’burg’s skyline and a “forest” installation built from African walking sticks. When evening comes, join the crowd at Bassline, a half-block south of the square. This live music venue features a mix of jazz, world, Afro-pop, hip-hop, and kwaito—a township-born music genre that combines hip-hop and house with lyrics sung in a blend of most of South Africa’s 11 official languages. For all the activity, Newtown is still a small scene where you can mingle with local heroes. One evening I ran into Pops Mohamed, a reserved South African world-fusion musician, at a music conference held on the square. “There’s always something going on here,” he said. In front of us, a gospel choir was just warming up.

A collection of art galleries, artists’ studios, restaurants, and shops, Arts on Main functions as a hub for Johannesburg’s creative community, bringing people together to share ideas, beverages, and one another’s company. Every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the space also hosts a market where you can buy everything from ice-cold beer to books and prints by William Kentridge, who has a studio in the building. Make sure to stop by the David Krut Workshop to pick up an experimental etching, then grab a bite to eat at Canteen, a casual café serving everything from French toast to lamb burgers.

In recent years, Johannesburg has become a haven for contemporary artists working in South Africa. Rosebank, the neighborhood next to the affluent suburb of Sandton, even features a Miami-esque Design District with galleries, restaurants, and high-end shops. It’s here that you’ll find Circa Gallery, an architectural masterpiece designed by Pierre Swanepol of studioMAS. Elliptical in shape, the building features an indoor ramp that leads visitors around the perimeter of the gallery—much like at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Outside, 400 vertical aluminum bars cover the exterior of the building, allowing daylight to stream into the gallery. After taking in the contemporary art and photography on display at Circa, use the walkway to enter the attached Everard Read Gallery, located across Keyes Avenue. The sister to Circa, it’s the oldest commercial art gallery in South Africa.

This Jameson-themed bar can be found in the Sands entertainment venue, where glamorous models and stylish gents gather to party. Once you’ve ordered your poison, you can bump and grind to the sounds of top local and international DJs on the adjacent dance floor! Located in Sandton, this awesome venue is best in summer with it’s Absolut Vodka bottle– shaped swimming pool and outdoor bar section and pool deck.

Breakfasts are little godsends after a big night out, and Post at 70 Juta Street in Braamfontein is just the place to revitalise after a big night out and before working on your weekend party habits again. The Big Bomber is a drink combination of condensed milk and Espresso topped with cream and will definitely jumpstart your hungover ass back to reality, while the devine French toast with bacon topped with Fig preserve will fuel your tank for another round of weekend madness. The cozy corner spot has a well rounded menu which prides itself on using all locally produced, organic ingredients. Order something delicious and watch the world go by from the window counter seat or enjoy the cool breeze in the courtyard outside You’d be doing yourself a disfavour by not trying out something from this little spot! post is open all week from 8:30am, except Sunday when they are closed.

Opened in 2001, the Apartheid Museum powerfully—and extensively—documents the rise and fall of racial segregation in South Africa. Constructed on a 16-acre plot of land, the museum features a unique design—as you head through the gates, for example, you’ll notice separate entrances for whites and blacks. It’s quite an interesting way to start your voyage through the history of apartheid. The back gardens were designed by Patrick Watson and feature an impressive sculpture by William Kentridge. For anyone wanting to better understand apartheid, a visit to this moving museum is a must when in Johannesburg.

The tony suburb of Houghton, whose best-known resident was Nelson Mandela, is home to leafy lanes lined with stately estates. Not too far from the Mandela family manse is the Residence, a stylish boutique property that lives up to its name, evoking a private lair of a chic distant relative that guests are fortunate enough to visit for a spell.

The rooms are plush, with velvet headboards, sumptuous rugs, and glittering chandeliers, but the bathrooms are a sight to behold: the gleaming marble tiles and outdoor showers and tubs merit a special mention. Nods to the nautical can be found in the Boat Lounge, where mini sailboats and life preservers inspire the decor. There’s often a pianist tickling the ivories in the Piano Lounge, where guests can retire with a post-prandial cocktail.