Want to really experience the golden city we live in? Then the best option is with City Sightseeing Bus tour with Tsogo Sun City Sightseeing Bus which offers you the best way to see Joburg.
Operating on the hugely popular Hop on – Hop off basis allows sightseers the opportunity to get off the bus at any of the stops along the route, explore parts of the city up close, and then get back on the bus.
Members of the media were invited to experience the Joburg Red Bus with Tsogo Sun, along with Gerald Garner of Joburg Places, who is well-known for his walking tours of the inner city.
The event started at the Tsogo Sun’s Gold Reef City Theme Park Hotel, where we enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast at Barney’s. Straight after breakfast we headed to the bus stop outside the Apartheid Museum. Each guest was given a City Sightseeing Bus media pack and a packed lunch from Barney’s.
It is an exhilarating experience to sit on the top of the double decker bus and see all the Joburg views. The first stop was The Mining District, which is where we began our walking tour. Gerald spoke on the history of Johannesburg and mentioned how important the mining district was and still is today.
Then we visited the famous Shadow Boxing sculpture of Nelson Mandela which is on Fox Street, many people don’t even know about this wonderful sculpture, which is across the road from Chancellor House the law offices, of Nelson Mandela and OR Tambo. The offices have recently been restored. While one can’t enter the office there is a wonderful window gallery on the outside of the building which shows the history of the building and its famous occupants.
A walk though Joburg CBD reveals many historical items which are often missed while driving in the car. We went to the Cullinan Offices in Hollard Street where the original signage from the Cullinan Building has been erected at the entrance.
We saw the Gold Rhino of Mapungubwe, which was found in a royal grave at Mapungubwe in the early 1930s, the rhinoceros is made of thin gold leaf pinned with gold tacks to a carved wooden base. The size of the golden rhino is 15.2 X 4.2 X 5.5cm. A gold-plated bowl and gold sceptre were found in the grave alongside the rhino. All of these objects represented symbols of leadership to the Mapungubwe people but the rhino was the most powerful symbol, since rhinos in nature are known to be aggressive, solitary and fierce. The horn of the rhino symbolises the role of the leader as the protector of the people.
This gold rhino is one of South Africa’s most recently discovered and important symbols of heritage. The government declared the figure a Cultural Treasure in 1997.
Then is was off to Library Gardens bus stop were we boarded the Rea Vaya, the bus service that forms part of Johannesburg’s public transportation, which has bus stops all over the city.
Our next stop was the wonderful Fashion Square which is located on the corner of Jeppe and Troye Streets. This area is home to Little Addis and the fashion district.
Little Addis or Little Ethiopia is the home of Bersufekad Restaurant, an authentic Ethiopian spot where we enjoyed some strong aromatic coffee traditionally served with popcorn as it enhances the flavour. This area of the city is extremely busy and exciting. Located on the top floor of Joburg Mall on Jeppe Street, Bersufekad, an Ethiopian restaurant spills out onto a balcony overlooking one of downtowns most bustling intersections.
For just R25 per person the platters are the best bet, offering a variety of exotic meat, vegetable and cheese delicacies.
We then went to the Fashion Kapitol, home to bridal shops, garment designers, fashion schools and manufacturers, one of the ‘must try’ restaurants is The Fashion Shack located on Pritchard Street, one of their famous meals is the Jo Burger!
We then walked back to Fashion Square and caught the Rea Vaya bus back to Library Gardens and headed back on the Red Bus to Gold Reef City. So many incredible stops and historical sights all packed into one day, it so easy to hop on and off the busses and spend time becoming better acquainted with the Joburg CBD.
Below is a gallery of all the sites we got to experience.
Experience this for yourself; check the Rea Vaya website for details on their bus routes. www.joburgplaces.com www.reavaya.org.za www.tsogosunhotels.com www.goldreefcity.co.za
Buy your City Sightseeing tickets here: • Online at www.citysightseeing.co.za: • On the bus • At out Ticket Office, at the Gautrain Station at Park (Stop 1) or Gold Reef City (Stop 6) Visit our website at http://www.citysightseeing.co.za Explore our blog at http://www.citysightseeing-blog.co.za Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CitySightseei… Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JoburgRedBus or http://www.twitter.com/CapeTownRedBus Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/RedBusSA/ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/CitySightsee… and tag us in your pictures using @citysightseeingsa and #JoziRedBus or #CapeRedBus
