The complete guide to Johannesburg airport layover tours

Last updated August 23rd, 2023.

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Layovers are a great way of taking advantage of the need for a connecting flight from a hub airport (increasingly common these days) to tag on a second destination. And generally speaking, ‘multi-city’ bookings aren’t much more than a standard return on sites such as CheapOAir. However nice Johannesburg airport is (my luggage liked it so much it stayed another 24 hours) there’s really no comparation with Johannesburg airport layover tours.

After all, why stay in the airport when you could be smooching round the shops of Rosebank Mall? And discovering the city’s history at Constitution Hill. Or even gazing upon the Big Five among some of the most famous grasslands Africa has to offer.

Is a layover in Johannesburg worth it?

South Africa has three capital cities, and to almost universal surprise, Johannesburg isn’t any of them. Cape Town is the location of the legislative capital (meaning the parliament), Pretoria the executive (or the president and government), and Bloemfontein the judiciary (the courts).

However, Johannesburg is the nation’s largest city. It’s airport, OR (Oliver Reginald) Tambo International (IATA airport code JNB) is the country’s primary international and domestic airport.

In fact, it’s Africa’s busiest. Plan any trip to southern Africa, and there’s therefore a good chance you might find yourself spending some time here.

Located around 13 miles (20 km) east of downtown Joburg, there are plenty of ways of getting to and from Johannesburg Airport.

Of course, you must check you can leave the airport and return later. To book a layover usually requires you to book a multi-city itinerary, rather than a return.

It also means you’ll have to go through check-in and security procedures for a second time. But in my book that’s definitely a price worth paying.

How to get from the airport to Johannesburg

All the major international car hire agencies have a presence at OR Tambo International Airport. Driving in South Africa is fairly straight forward. Travellers with a home licence in English can jump behind the wheel without needing to arrange an International Driving Licence.

However, it’s a good idea to have a map to hand, and any child seats should you require them. This is because both will add significant costs to your final rental bill.

If you don’t fancy driving an unknown city, and one with ‘a bit of a reputation’ too, there are various other options to consider. Metered taxis and Uber drivers hang around the airport terminals. But there are a variety of shared and private transfer services too. You can book good many in advance for a seamless journey.

By road, it will take roughly 25 minutes to get between OR Tambo Airport and central Johannesburg. This means that even with four hours on your hands, you’ve got a chance (perhaps admittedly thin) of getting out and exploring.

Another alternative is the Gautrain light rail network. It connects the airport with Johannesburg’s main railway terminus, Park Station. You’ll need to transfer from the gold-coloured Airport Service to Red Line at Sandton.

While the Gautrain itself is safe, it’s not advised to walk to or from Gautrain stations after dark. Most users have Uber drivers pick them up.

What to do with 4 to 8 hours in Johannesburg

While a 4 hour stopover in Johannesburg is doable, more realistically, you’re going to want at least eight hours in Johannesburg. This will give you much more time to explore all the things to do in Johannesburg.

The downtown central business district (CBD) of Johannesburg has seen its fortunes wain. The historic soul of the city experienced a departure of the middle and upper classes in the mid-1990s and hasn’t really recovered.

It means it’s not safe to walk around downtown Joburg. I’ve done it, and wouldn’t do it again. The exception to this rule is if you’re on an organised walking tour.

Hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses also take in all the main sights of interest, and continue to the Constitution Hill Human Rights Precinct and must-see Apartheid Museum. To make the most of your visits, consider a half-day private tour of both locations.

The first is the former prison where both Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela were held. Together they will easily fill a layover of 4 to 8 hours in Johannesburg. The second (currently only open Wednesday to Sunday and public holidays) is the definitive explanation of the horrors of the apartheid era, which only ended in 1994.

What to do with 24 hours in Johannesburg

A long Johannesburg airport layover of a full day provides a much more relaxed layover experience. In addition to stops downtown, on Constitution Hill and at the Apartheid Museum, Soweto is high on the list of attractions in many Johannesburg travel guides for good reason.

Tours vary between those that take in the main Soweto sights, such as the iconic Orlando Towers and Nelson Mandela’s home, and those that delve more deeply into the communities that live in South Africa’s largest township.

Whichever you choose, it’s important to find a reputable company, that works with these communities. You should also be aware that homes can be basic, which can be a sharp shock for those coming from the west.

When it comes to places to spend the night, there’s the option of hotels back at the airport, or in Johannesburg itself. Most respectable places to stay lie in the suburbs. Take a look at the hotels in Westcliff such as the Four Seasons, and Melville, like HomeBase Melville, to the north of the CBD.

What to do with 48 hours in Johannesburg

While 24 hours in Johannesburg is a good amount of time, if you were to ask me how long to spend in Johannesburg my immediate answer would be 2 days.

With 48 hours in Johannesburg you can pair a tour of the city’s attractions with a trip to South Africa’s savannahs.

The drive to Kruger National Park lasts between 4 or 5 hours. However, another option is Pilanesberg National Par, which is even closer.

Approximately 2 hours from Joburg, Pilanesberg National Park sits within the transition zone between the arid landscapes of the Kalahari Desert and the grasses of the low veld.

The fourth largest game reserve in South Africa, it covers more than 200 square miles (550 km²). Named after an extinct volcanic peak, animals tend to linger around the Mankwe Dam region.

A Big Five park, take a safari here and it’s possible to see lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and cape buffalo, as well as giraffe, hyena and cheetah.

Johannesburg layover versus Cape Town layover

Your layover destination will fundamentally depend on your ultimate destination. Not all airlines make use of all potential routes. South African Airlines hasn’t flown between London and Cape Town since 2012, for instance.

If you have the option of choosing a layover in either Johannesburg or Cape Town you’ve got a difficult choice on your hands. My guide to what to do in Cape Town might help you make your decision.