The Complete Guide to LGBTQ Johannesburg
Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa, and the city most people fly into when visiting the country. It’s a great hub to get to other places in the country so most people don’t spend a lot of time here. We spent about 3 days in Joberg, which we did think was a bit too long, but it definitely gave us enough time to see all the aspects this city has to offer.
How to Get to Johannesburg
If you’re flying into Johannesburg internationally, you will most likely fly into O.R. Tambo International Airport. Tambo is also a great hub for flying domestically into other areas in the country. Like we said above, you probably only need 1-2 days in Joberg to see it all, and then you’ll want to head off to another part of this wonderful country.
Where to Stay
Johannesburg can be a bit unsafe at night, so you’ll want to do some reach on your accommodation to make sure you will feel comfortable. We stayed at Home Suite Hotels in Rosebank and absolutely loved it there. We felt completely safe, the rooms were spacious and clean, the breakfast was homemade & delicious, and they even had a hotel dog named Hazel! This hotel was also about half a mile walking distance to the Rosebank mall & another area with a bunch of restaurants and shops so the location was great. We definitely recommend staying at Home Suite Hotels when visiting Joberg!
Best Things to Do
Learn some important history at Constitution Hill
Explore the amazing street art in Newtown
Find some local eats & gifts at Neighbourgoods Market
Shop around the Rosebank Mall
Visit the Apartheid Museum
Where to Eat & Drink
Lexi’s Eatery
Marble
Neighbourgoods Market
Tasha’s
Liquid Blue
The LGBTQ Scene
South Africa was actually the 5th country in the world and the 1st country in Africa to legalize same sex marriage in 2006. We got the opportunity to learn a lot about the LGBTQ history of South Africa while we were in Johannesburg. We didn’t get to visit any gay bars on our trip but we heard from locals the the LGBTQ night scene is very lively! All in all we felt very safe in Joberg as a same sex couple and we didn’t feel any discrimination or prejudice while we we there.
Like we said earlier, you really don’t need a lot of days in Joberg to see it all, but we think it is nice to get a glimpse of the local culture. Johannesburg has a lot of heart and passion and the city made our first look at the country of Africa amazing. To see what we got up in Joberg, make sure you check out our Johannesburg video below!
We Almost Missed our Flight to Africa?!
Thanks so much to Ntsako Travel Africa for inviting us on this trip!