FIFA World Cup Packages
FIFA World Cup Stadiums
Host City Distances
South Africa Host Cities
Bloemfontein
Cape Town
Durban
Johannesburg
Nelspruit
Polokwane
Port Elizabeth
Pretoria
Rustenburg

Johannesburg - South Africa World Cup Host City

Johannesburg, South Africa FIFA World Cup

The 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa's financial Johannesburg is Africa's most cosmopolitan city - the only place where you will hear all 11 official languages. Out of this comes an embracing, vibrant melting pot of humanity that ensures you won't walk alone when exploring the city's many cultural and leisure attractions; they'll also be right there when you're cheering on the winning football team. Johannesburg is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world with just over three million people and has two World Cup Stadiums.

Adventure Sports

Surprisingly for such an urban environment, Johannesburg is a mecca for those who like to live on the edge, when not watching their favorite side battle in the World Cup. Cycling is so popular in Johannesburg that it hosts one of the world's biggest races, the 94.7 Cycle Challenge. Not far behind are mountain bikers who use trails along the Braamfontein Spruit, an area they enjoy together with hikers and cross-country runners. Horse riders are also catered for here, as well as on outlying farms. The city has a good flying school, the most organised gliding club, and the country's largest and most enthusiastic skydiving club. A short way from Johannesburg, at Hartbeespoort Dam, is a number of balloon operators who offer flights over the dam and surrounding mountains. Here, too, are a number of excellent hang-gliding and paragliding launch sites. And for the adrenalin junkies there is bungee jumping off the Kings Kloof Bridge near Mogale City/Krugersdorp. Johannesburg has a large number of indoor climbing walls, as well as bolted climbs at Northcliff and Strubens Valley. Further afield in the Magaliesburg are challenging sheer rock faces and overhangs for sports climbers and clear, warm waters for kloofers. And for those who do not suffer from vertigo, there is a 2.5 hour canopy tour through Ysterhout Kloof, which consists of 11 platforms joined by slides built high in the rockfaces. Notwithstanding the fact that Johannesburg is an inland city, scuba diving training is offered by a number of reputable establishments, and there is a 24-metre dive site in an abandoned quarry at Henley-on-Klip.

Attractions & Activities

Gauteng, the smallest yet most populous province, is the commercial hub of South Africa and at its heart is Johannesburg, Africa's wealthiest city. While open space is at a premium, there is a rich selection of attractions and activities for football fans. Wining and dining is superb, the championship golf courses are of the highest standard, and there seems to be an ongoing party all day, every day in Jozi. In addition, the city boasts beautiful natural surroundings, adventure sports and the world's foremost paleontological site at Sterkfontein. Joburg is also football-mad: its leading teams and their fans fill the city's fantastic stadiums week after week. Fans carry with them the guttural sounds of vuvuzelas to make the winning team's victory heard by all across our city streets.

Eating Out

The hungry football fan in Johannesburg has a staggering choice of eating options, from local and international fast-food outlets to swish restaurants. While here, do as Johannesburgers do and experience dining in the city centre, watch the world go by at a sidewalk café or try some of the finest ethnic cuisine in South Africa. The Rand Club in Loveday Street, in the heart of the city, promises an unforgettable dining occasion. Opened in 1887, one visitor enthused: "This great club was filled to overflowing and all the wealth and influence of the great city represented there. I was much struck by the magnificence of the building, the size of the rooms, the style of furniture, all rivalling the best London clubs." And if dining with the rich and famous is for you, then do not miss Gramadoelas at the Market Theatre, where great African fare is always on the menu. Most of the malls in the northern suburbs include a selection of restaurants to suit every pocket. The best of these can be found at Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton City, Rosebank Mall and Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre. Others prefer side walk dining and these tastes are well catered for in Parkhurst, Melville, Norwood and Greenside. But you will be penalised (maybe even sent off), or you will simply miss out if you do not sample South African ethnic cuisine. The Moyo restaurants at the Market Theatre, Melrose Arch and Zoo Lake are highly regarded. But there is nothing to beat the real thing in the right setting, so head off to Soweto and visit Wandie's Place, Sakhumzi Restaurant, Kwa-Thabeng or Nambitha, which means "something tasty".

Entertainment and Leisure

Joburgers love going out, which means there will always be something fun on the cards for the football fan, when the game is over. Theatre buffs are split for choice. The Pieter Toerien Theatre at Montecasino in Fourways stages more popular fare, whereas the Windybrow Theatre for the Arts in Hillbrow focuses on contemporary African plays. There's also the massive Civic Theatre complex in Braamfontein, which hosts everything from ballet to extravaganzas; and the renowned Market Theatre in Newtown, home to cutting-edge local performances. All musical tastes are catered for by the thriving Jozi music scene. One does not need to travel far in this city to find something to your liking - be it rock, pop, kwaito, hip-hop or house. For contemporary African sounds try the Bassline in Newtown, or head out to one of the funky jazz joints in Soweto. For those leaning towards something more formal, there is the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra that presents regular shows. If beer is your thing, as it is for many footballers, then you are in for a treat. There are good bars and pubs, some with live music, in most suburbs. Newtown even offers a celebration of the hop in the form of the South African Breweries Centenary Centre, which includes a history of beer, and the recreation of a 1965 Soweto shebeen or speakeasy.

Health and Wellness

For health-conscious football fans and their wives/partners, Johannesburg is home to some of the best day spas around. Most of the city's big hotels have in-house spas that deliver a wealth of treatments. The Camelot Spa at the Park Hyatt, in the suburb of Rosebank, is extremely popular and boasts a number of holistic therapy options, as does its sister spa, the Camelot Spa at the Hilton Hotel Sandton offering hot stone therapy as well as a range of facial and skincare treatments. If you're looking for run-of-the-mill beauty treatments (waxing, facials, pedicures, manicures), almost every shopping strip will boast a beauty salon to fulfil your needs. Heading out of town, there are some great spas out in the countryside. HakunaMatata Estate and Health Spa, near the Cradle of Mankind, offers fantastic treatments in tranquil surroundings. Just 30 minutes or so outside of Johannesburg, is the Spa in the Country, which forms part of the Misty Hills Country Hotel, the gardens (along with the treatments) are sublime. A very popular spot is the Mangwanani Private African Day Spa, where visitors get to spend an entire day of pampering on the banks of a lush river. If you're looking for exercise options, the Planet Fitness and Virgin Active gyms are your best bet. These gyms have a wide range of fitness classes and equipment, and rumor has it that special short-term memberships will be up for grabs during 2010. If a more tranquil way of exercising is for you, then Johannesburg's countless Pilates and yoga studios should iron out your pre- or post-match tension with ease.

History & Culture

Johannesburg, founded in 1886 with the discovery of gold, has had a somewhat turbulent past. Much of its history is intertwined with apartheid, which ended with South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994. Of most interest to the history buff/football fan are Newtown, Constitution Hill and Soweto. The heart of the rejuvenation of the inner city of Johannesburg is to be found in Newtown. Until 1904 this was a slum known as Brickfields, which was razed after an outbreak of bubonic plague. Its black residents were forcibly removed to what is now Soweto. Based around Mary Fitzgerald Square, which was named after the firebrand unionist, the area includes Museum Africa, the Bensusan Museum of Photography and the Market Theatre in the restored Fresh Produce Market building, as well as the Workers Museum in the revamped Electricity Department Compound and art galleries, craft shops and restaurants. Constitution Hill is a reminder of how far South Africa has come from pariah to proud hosts of the FIFA 2010 World Cup. Here the new Constitutional Court has been built among the preserved remains of the notorious Old Fort prison, where Mandela and many of the children involved in the 1976 Soweto Uprising were held. Between here and that township is the Apartheid Museum, while in Soweto itself there is the Kliptown development where the Freedom Charter was signed in 1955, as well as the Mandela Museum, housed in the home in which this struggle icon lived with his first wife. The fine Hector Pieterson Museum and Memorial honors the youth-led revolution that began on 16 June 1976, and that led directly to the ending of racial discrimination. Take a step back into time at Gold Reef City, depicting life on the Reef during the Gold Rush in the 1880's. Africa's greatest Entertainment Theme Park is created around an authentic 19th Century Gold Mine, and has an abundance of adventures rides, restaurants, history, site seeing and tours for you to enjoy.

Natural Attractions

The area where Johannesburg stands was once grassland, but is now one of the biggest manmade forests in the world. Many of these trees are to be found in the more than 600 parks and open spaces around the city. First among these are the two botanical gardens. The Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden at Kloofendal, conserves a piece of the original grassland as well as succulents and ferns. It is home to over 120 bird species, including the only pair of nesting black eagles in Johannesburg. The Johannesburg Botanical Gardens off Thomas Bowler Avenue in Emmarentia, is famed for its Rose Garden and numerous waterfowl found in the reed beds of Emmarentia Dam (a great spot for an impromptu picnic). There are many more options for the birders among the football fans. Of special interest is the Melrose Bird Sanctuary, the Kloofendal Nature Reserve in the hills, and kloofs to the west of the city; the protected heron breeding ground on the western shores of Florida Lake, the waterfowl found on the banks and islands of Zoo Lake within the Herman Ecksteen Park in the northern suburbs, and the Florence Bloom Bird Sanctuary in Delta Park. These spots are a haven for over 200 bird species and most have picnic areas, benches and hides. Cutting through the northern suburbs from the Westdene Dam is the 25km Braamfontein Spruit, a sun-dappled creek that twists between groves and scurries over rocks in the longest parkland stretch in South Africa. There are numerous walking trails along the river and adjoining areas, such as Melville Koppies, where an Iron Age village and smelting works are to be found.

Surrounding Areas

There are many easy drives in and around Johannesburg. Recommended are trips to the quaint town of Parys on the Vaal River south of the city, west to Magaliesburg, or north to the diamond mining town of Cullinan in the Dinokeng conservancy. A slow Sunday meander along the Crocodile River Ramble will take you to an interesting assortment of crafters, artists, galleries, health spas and restaurants. And if your FIFA 2010 World Cup itinerary does not include a visit to a game park, then the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve and the Krugersdorp Game Reserve (both to the west of Johannesburg) are good alternatives. An absolute must is the Sterkfontein Valley, site of the Cradle of Humankind, where some of the world's most important palaeontological finds have been unearthed. Included among these is the apeman skull, nicknamed Mrs Ples, which was found by Dr Robert Broom in 1947; and the 3,5 million-year-old Australopithecus, dubbed Little Big Foot, found by Dr Ron Clarke, Nkwane Molefe and Stephen Motsumi in the Silberberg Grotto of the Sterkfontein Caves in 1990s. These discoveries led to this fossil hominid site being declared a World Heritage Site in 1999. There are now a range of educational facilities at this 47 000-hectare site. It is best to begin at Maropeng, Tswana for "return to your origins". Here you'll find an information centre that shares the scientific knowledge of our evolution. Follow this up with a tour of the caves and the permanent hominid exhibit.