Top spots in Gauteng to visit during the festive season

Staycating? You don’t have to slog around in your own car this festive season: take the train. Gautrain that is. Combined with the train service, Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Pretoria can become your playground in the coming weeks. The best news is, for once you can have that second ice cold draught at lunch because you don’t need to get behind the wheel.

Interested? Here are some of the top spots you should visit. Happy staycationing!

Johannesburg CBD

Train stop: Park Station

Take a trip to Braamfontein and the vibey area’s world-renowned markets, museums and art galleries. Not-to-be-missed spots include the Neighbourgoods Market, and The Great Dane. Musical theatre fans can also visit the Joburg Theatre complex (all less than 1km from the Park Gautrain Station. There’s also plenty of history to take in – from historic buildings to Art Deco treasures.

Johannesburg, South Africa, 24th February – 2019: Women posing for a selfie underneath sign in city centre. iStock

Sandton CBD

Train stop: Sandton Station

The business heartbeat of Africa tends to slow down during December. The Sandton Station is right next to Sandton City, a behemoth mall that caters to those used to the good life. Take a stroll down Diamond Walk – SA’s first luxury shopping destination and home to the biggest Prada store in the world. Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Burberry, Jimmy Choo and Louis Vuitton are also proprietors here. Go snap a selfie on Nelson Mandela Square or take a stroll down the city to one of Sandton’s best parks, Mushroom Farm Park. If you’re in the mood for Chinese food, take a bus to Rivonia. It has a vibrant Chinese community with shops aplenty.

Johannesburg, South Africa, 12 December – 2018: Water feature and outside paved area of mall. iStock

Pretoria CBD

Train Stop: Pretoria Station

The Pretoria city centre has a rich history – and some pretty great family entertainment options. From the bad taxidermy haunting the South African National Natural History Museum to the Pretoria Zoo – also known as the National Zoo – a quick bus trip gets you to some pretty impressive spots. If you plan a visit to the Zoo, be warned, it’s big, so plan to stay there for a long time. The more adventurous can even take a cable car ride!

Midrand and Surrounds

Train Stop: Midrand Station

One of Johannesburg’s new centre/s, Midrand, actually offers a lot of established leisure options. Take a bus to The Mall of Africa, and marvel at its modern architecture – and don’t forget to visit the mall’s park (yes, its own park). If you want something more cultural, the Nizamiye Mosque in Midrand is a replica of the Blue Mosque in Turkey.

The impressive building is home to a vibrant Muslim community and gives you a pretty good insight into this community in South Africa. There’s a lot to marvel at.

Shopping galore

Cyber Monday bargains can be yours by racing to your favourite stores using the Gautrain. The Gautrain and its feeder services start running from as early as 5am, ensuring that you’ll make it to your favourite malls in plenty of time to stock up on enough festive season goodies to make Santa’s sack look like a lump of coal. Get there in style, and go home with those phones, drones, gaming consoles and clothes that you’ve always wanted!

Take the hassle out of fighting traffic and finding parking. Rather use the Gautrain, plus the Gautrain buses and midibuses, to get to shopping centres like the Zone@Rosebank, the Mall of Rosebank, the Firs, the Mall of Africa, Menlyn Park and Sandton City.

To get to Greenstone Shopping Centre, take a R10 midibus shuttle trip from the Marlboro station to ensure you’re in pole position to join the trolley dash for Black Friday and Cyber Monday specials. This will help you start bargain hunting from the crack of dawn. The services run until Monday.

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