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Flower Stall, Johannesburg

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Johannesburg Local time

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South Africa

Travel to Johannesburg

Flying to Johannesburg

Airlines offering flights to Johannesburg include British Airways, Delta Airlines, Emirates, Iberia Airlines and KLM. Cheap flights to Johannesburg are available outside the peak summer travel season between December and March. But bear in mind that Johannesburg is a year round destination. Travelling in winter offers the chance to secure cheap flights to Johannesburg.

Flight times: 

From London - 10 hours 45 minutes; New York - 17 hours 45 minutes; Los Angeles - 21 hours 15 minutes; Toronto - 18 hours;  Sydney- 17 hours.

Travel by road

Summary:

Johannesburg is accessible from almost anywhere in the country. Driving is on the left and drivers must be aged 18 years or over. All vehicles must carry two red triangular warning chevrons to be placed 20m (66ft) in front of and behind the vehicle in case of breakdown or accident. The speed limit is 60kph (37mph) in suburban and city areas, 100kph (62mph) in rural areas and 120kph (75mph) on national roads. The latter are toll roads; expect to pay around R0.30 per kilometre. There are 24-hour service stations with convenience stores, restaurants and ATMs at regular intervals on major routes.

Emergency breakdown service:

Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) (tel: 083 84322).

Routes:

The north-south road artery of South Africa, the N1, runs north to Johannesburg from Cape Town and Bloemfontein, and south from Pretoria and Zimbabwe. The N3 links to Durban and the KwaZulu-Natal coast. The N4 offers access to the west including Sun City, Botswana and Namibia, while the N4 Maputo Corridor goes east to Nelspruit and Mozambique. Access from Kruger National Park is via the R536, R40 and N4.

Driving times:

From Sun City - 2 hours 45 minutes; Kruger Park (Skukuza) - 5 hours 30 minutes; Durban - 6 hours 15 minutes; Cape Town - 17 hours.

Coaches:

Johannesburg is linked by deluxe and standard bus services from all major cities in South Africa and many other southern African cities including Bulawayo, Harare, Maputo and Windhoek. The Park City Transit Centre on Rissik Street is the terminus.

Coach operators include Intercape (tel: (021) 380 4400; www.intercape.co.za), Greyhound (tel: (011) 276 8500; www.greyhound.co.za) and Translux (tel: (011) 774 3333; www.translux.co.za). The national booking agency Computicket (tel: (011) 340 8000; www.computicket.com) provides centralised information and reservations for all routes.

The Baz Bus (tel: (021) 439 2323; www.bazbus.com) offers a hop-on hop-off backpackers’s bus service to Johannesburg from Cape Town, Pretoria and Durban.

Travel by rail

Services:

Trains to Johannesburg arrive at Park City Transit Centre on Rissik Street, Braamfontein. This is the city's main long distance rail and coach terminus, 1km (0.5 miles) from the centre of town. Facilities include ATMs, fast-food restaurants, travel information and left luggage.

Operators:

Shosholoza Meyl (tel: (011) 774 4555; www.shosholozameyl.co.za) is South Africa's passenger train operator.

There are eight daily trains that criss-cross the country and services from Johannesburg go to and from Musina on the Zimbabwe border, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. These are cheap and very slow. The journey from Johannesburg to Cape Town takes 26 hours. Simple accommodation is provided in compartments with four or six berths and there's a snack bar.

There are no direct trains direct to neighbouring countries but the Komati Express runs via Nelspruit to Komatipoort on the Mozambique border, from where minibuses run to Maputo.

The Premier Classe train (tel: (011) 774 4555; www.premierclasse.co.za) runs between Johannesburg and Cape Town twice a week, and offers a formal dining car and extras such as gowns and toiletries. The Blue Train (tel: (012) 334 8459; www.bluetrain.co.za) and the Rovos Rail Pride of Africa (tel: (012) 315 8242; www.rovas.co.za) offer luxurious cabins with baths, digital entertainment, gourmet food and fine wines in elaborate dining cars. They both run between Pretoria and Cape Town via Johannesburg. The luxury Shongololo Express (tel: (011) 483 0657, www.shongololo.com) runs from Cape Town to Johannesburg and other sightseeing spots in southern Africa.

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