top of page
Hillbrow Walking tour.
Interests
Hillbrow is a true representation of a world class African city despite its bad reputation for crime it is definitely a neigbourhood full of culture and History from the start of Johannesburg.
Price
R850 per person. All groups of +5 please enquire using the form
Pick-up time & duration
Every Day 09:00AM to 12:00PM
Inclusions
Tour guide
Water or Coffee
Why Hillbrow?
It was laid out as a residential suburb during 1894 and 1895, with Richard Currie auctioning the stands. In 1897 it became part of Johannesburg's Sanitary Board. After World War Two, developers started purchasing the stands at values beyond their worth and eventually turned it into blocks of flats.
That's where the story of this neighbourhood begins, the discovery of Gold in Johannesburg saw people from all over the world flying into the city and Hillbrow welcomed all of them. During the political unrest in South Africa at that time, Hillbrow was meant to a white area according to the Group Area's Act.
Hillbrow was always very cosmopolitan and very mixed racially since it's discovery and nothing has changed today; it's just more Afro-cosmopolitan
What really Happened to Hillbrow?
Depending on when you were born this question could be answered in many different ways...If we go back as far as 30 years the white europeans, mostly Jews, will tell you that the black people are responsible for the devastation of Hillbrow. If you look back further the Chinese would argue that it's the Jews who lay waste to the inner city residential area and if you talk to the locals now, they will strongly suggest that it is the foreign nationals.
The million dollar question is what really happened to Hillbrow because 3 decades ago it was the Sandton of South Africa and now it the place everyone tells you not to visit.
Key landmarks to See in Hillbrow
Hillbrow has two of Johannesburg's iconic towers.
Home to the first gay and lesbian bar in South Africa on Pretoria Street. The area is as African as it gets, you will hear languages like Congolese Swahili to Nigerian Igbo in less then a minute.
Home to many randlords in Johannesburg, Hillbrow has some of the oldest houses in Johannesburg.
The experience will also include a local drink in one of the local bars.
"This is really an amazing experience.Their nightlife experiences are worth it and the company lives up to their name. Thanks Tye and Romeo!"
Treasure M wrote a review Feb 2020
bottom of page