FIFA World Cup 2010 is the nineteenth edition of the FIFA World Cup, which will be held in South Africa, June 11 until July 11, 2010. This edition is the first edition of the World Cup held on the African continent. Opening match and final match will be held at Soccer City Stadium, the largest city in South Africa, Johannesburg. So, we can visit South Africa to see FIFA World Cup 2010 and have a journey, find the attraction, beauty, interesting things in South Africa.
The first question is how to get South Africa? We can goo there by plane from major cities all over the world. O.R. Tambo International Airport,tel,+27 11 921-6911, is Johannesburg main airport. It is the busiest airport in Africa as it is the connecting hub for flights to South Africa. For this reason there are many flights to Johannesburg from major cities all over the world, especially London, as well as numerous local flights, on a daily basis. If you arrive in the early morning when most flights from Europe arrive, be prepared for very long waits at Immigration. The airport is located east of Johannesburg, 24 km (15 mi) from the city center. It’s a quick drive by hotel shuttle, hired car or taxi to your destination. Try to avoid the many banks and money changers in the airport concourse. They display the exchange rates but nowhere do they indicate the excessive “commissions” that can reduce what you actually get by 10% or more. Buy some Rand before you leave home.

What do we can see in Johannesburg?

• Top of Africa, Carlton Centre, 150 Commissioner St (Take the elevator from the second floor to the fiftieth), ? +27 (0)11 308-1331. 8AM to 7PM daily. Get a panoramic view of the city from the top of Africa’s tallest building Rand 7.50.
• Johannesburg Planetarium, Yale Road, Entrance 10, University of the Witwatersrand, Milner Park, ? +27 (0)11 717-1392 (planet@planetarium.co.za, fax: +27 (0)11 339-2926), [24]. See their website for upcoming shows. From Rand 16 to Rand 25, depending on show.
• Johannesburg Art Gallery, Corner of Klein and King George streets, Joubert Park, ? +27 (0)11 725 3130. The biggest gallery on the African continent with a good collection of local and international work on display. And its free.
• Mandela Family Museum, Orlando West, Soweto, ? +27 (0)11 936-7754 (info@mandelahouse.org), Mandela’s first house, now museum.
• The Apartheid Museum, ? +27 (0)11 309-4700, A very moving and informative trip through South Africa’s turbulent past and present. It takes at least a half day to go through and includes video, pictures and many artifacts that you can easily spend a day looking through. It is located alongside Gold Reef City and is simply a must see.
• Chérie De Villiers Gallery, Lower Level, Rosebank Mall, Rosebank, ? +27 (0)11 788-9949 (cheart@global.co.za), [27]. Art by South African artists.
• Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, Electric Workshop building, cnr Miriam Makeba and President street, Newtown, ? +27 (0)11 639-8400 (cynthia.sithole@sci-bono.co.za, fax: +27 (0)11 832-3360), [28]. 9AM to 5PM Mon to Fri and 9AM to 4:30PM weekends and public holidays. Adults: R20, children: R10.
• Standard Bank Gallery, Corner Simmonds and Frederick Streets, Johannesburg, ? +27 (0)11 631-1889, Open 8AM to 4:30PM Monday to Friday and 9AM to 1PM on Saturdays. Entrance is free.
• South African National Museum of Military History, Erlswold Way, Saxonwold (Next to the Johannesburg Zoo), ? +27 (0)11 646-5513 (milmus@icon.co.za), Open daily 9AM to 4:30PM. A good collection of military hardware, including one of very few ME 262 jet fighters from WW2 still in existence. There is also a South African built G6 self propelled, 155mm howitzer on show. A snack shop as well as a shop selling genuine and reproduced vintage military equipment is located within the museum. R20 entrance fee.
• James Hall museum of Transport, Pioneers’ Park, Rosettenville Road, La Rochelle, ? +27 (0)11 435-9718 (curator@jhmt.org.za, fax: +27 (0)11 435-9821), Open Tue to Sun 9AM to 5PM. Largest museum dedicated to transport in South Africa. Free entrance.
• Origins Centre – The South African Museum of Rock Art: A Museum in Africa for the people of the world. An excellent multimedia display of the rock art and the origins of humankind. Good curio shop, book shop and coffee shop. Yale Road, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Ph: +27 (0)11 717-6051, enquiries@rockart.wits.ac.za. 9AM to 4:30PM. Students R35. Adults R65.
• Cloud 9 Spa (Angela Hardy), 32 Richmond Road, Craighall Park (See directions on website), ? +27-11-788-9934, [33]. Tues to Sat 10:30 to 19:00. Cloud 9 is a small spa offering massage, floatation and other spa therapies. From R200.
• Township Tour to Soweto, a tour that will take you around the densely populate but vibrant town of Soweto. Use only offical operators and do not go on your own.
• Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, (The gardens can be tricky to find as it is not well signposted from the main roads. From the N1 get onto Hendrik Potgieter at exit 80 (Roodepoort/M8 14th Ave). Follow the signs indicating Tarlton (M47) to the north. Pass Clearwater mall, turn left into Handicap Road and right into Malcolm Road where you see the first signpost for the gardens. The gardens will be on your left a couple of hundred meters from here.), ? +27 (0)11 958-1750 (SisuluGarden@sanbi.org, fax: +27 (0)11 958-1752), One of the last green areas remaining within Johannesburg. Lots of birds, including the endangered Black Eagle. There is a restaurant situated within the grounds as well as picnic and braai areas. R18 per person, discounts for students and pensioners.
• Constitution Hill, the site of the notorious Old Fort prison complex.
• South African Lipizzaners, 1 Dahlia Road, Kyalami (Follow the N1 towards Pretoria, take exit 108 Midrand, R561 Allandale Road towards Kyalami. Kyalami Road and Main Road intersects at the entrance to the Kyalami racetrack, turn right here. At the second traffic light, turn left and follow Main Road, look out for Maple Road to your right. Turn right into Maple Road and right again into Crocus Road), ? +27 (0)11 702-2103 (lipizzaner@hixnet.co.za, fax: +27 (0)11 468-2718). Other than Vienna, this is the only place you will ever got to see performing Lipizzaners recognized by the Spanish Riding School. Booking can also be done via computicket.
• Lesedi Cultural Village, (Just past the Lanseria Airport on the R512), ? +27 (0)12 205-1394, [37]. Traditional dances and food in authentic Zulu, Sotho, Pedi, Xhosa and Ndebele villages.
• Lion Park, R114 near the corner with Hans Strijdom (R512), Honeydew (From the N1, take exit 90, Randburg/R512 Hans Strydom Dr. and follow this north past Kya Sands. At the 4 way stop with the R114, take a right turn. The Lion Park is two hundred meters down the road on the right.), ? +27 (0)11 691-9905 (lionpark@cknet.co.za, fax: +27 (0)11 691-9904), The entrance ticket gives you a visit with the lion cubs (yes, you get to touch them) and a self drive game viewing through the lion camps and game area (antelope, zebra, giraffe and others live here). The Lion Park can be very busy over weekends and public holidays. If you want some quality time with the lion cubs, it is better to go during the week when it is not so busy. If you are going to drive through the lion enclosures, make sure there are no loose objects on the outside of your vehicle and keep your windows closed. The lions are especially fond of 4×4 spare wheel covers, so remove these before you enter. R80 per person.
• Montecasino Bird Gardens, (From the ”’N1”’, take exit 95 (”Marked: 95 Sandton/R511 William Nicol Dr.”) and head north, cross over Leslie Ave and turn right into Mentecasino Blvd.), ? +27 (0)11 511-1864. Open weekdays from 8:30AM to 5PM and weekends from 8:30AM to 6PM (Shows at 11AM and 3PM daily with additional 1PM shows over weekends). Many birds and other small wildlife. Also look out for the 2500 year old tree located near the parrots.
• Visit a gold mine , such as the Old Kromdraai Gold Mine. The Kromdraai Gold Mine was one of the first gold mines on the Witwatersrand (the Johannesburg area today) and is situated in an unspoilt rural setting about 40 minutes drive from Johannesburg International airport and 20 minutes from Johannesburg city.R 1165-00 single ticket.
• Gold Reef City, Northern Parkway, Ormonde (From the M1 South, take exit 5, Johannesburg/M17 Xavier Street and follow Crownwood Rd until intersection with Northern parkway. Turn right into Northern Parkway and follow that road for about 1 km), ? +27 (0)11 248-6800 (nfo@goldreefcity.co.za, fax: +27 (0)11 248-6863), An amusement park with a casino. The visitor can also learn about gold mining and go into a mine here (about 200 deep, too clean). Unfortunately Gold Reef isn’t a theme-park of international standards so if you are expecting “Disney Land Africa” give it a miss.
• Ferreira’s Mine, Standard Bank Centre, 5 Simmonds Street, ? +27 (0)11 636-9111 (info@standardbank.co.za, fax: +27 (0)11 636-4207). Open during normal banking hours 8AM to 4PM. This bank literally sits on gold. An old abandoned gold mine from the late 19th century was rediscovered during construction of the Standard Bank head office in the 1980s. After taking the access tunnels of the mine into account, construction continued over it. Portions of the original mine as well as the new museum associated with it, have been opened to the public. Entrance is free.
• Workers Museum, Newtown Park, Jeppe st, Newtown (Travel Nelson Mandela Bridge, left into Carr st then right into Miriam Makeba st, cross over Jeppe st and parking is on your right. Entrance is from Newtown Park.), ? +27 (0)11 833 5624, Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5pm. The Workers Museum is a site specific museum and is be housed in the Newtown Compound on Mary Fitzgerald Square, Johannesburg. The Newtown Compound is one of the last surviving examples of municipal compounds for black male workers. The City Council built the compound in 1913 to house migrant workers who worked first for the Sanitary Department and then later at the nearby power station. The Museum tells the story of Migrant Labourers who came to Johannesburg to find work. Having left their homes and families, black migrant workers faced slave-like conditions shown by the original dormitories, concrete bunks and punishment room at the old compound building. The museum reveals the hardships of workers under the migrant labour system, a cornerstone of apartheid, from the early 1900s through to the 1970s, when the system of job reservation began to breakdown. More positively it shows the vibrancy and creative resilience of migrant worker’s culture. Oral history interviews and individual stories are combined with archival photographs and documents as well as a newly commissioned documentary on Migrant Labour. Free.