Johannesburg, that's just where you land and leave. Johannesburg, that's a good place to get mugged. Johannesburg, there's nothing there for children. Johannesburg is life-threatening.

But also: make sure you're not out on the street after dark, don't drive through townships, don't walk, don't show off expensive things, but otherwise it's a safe city.

Are you like me and don't know what to make of it?

In any case, I went off to investigate and decided I definitely wanted to spend 2 days in Johannesburg. Johannesburg has a great deal for children and is simply a beautifully colourful city too.

Safety in Johannesburg

Talking to locals and googling taught me that you can't tar all of Johannesburg with the same brush. But also that you will indeed have to behave differently from what you're used to in Europe.

I'm far from an expert but I'll share what I saw. Johannesburg is a city of great class differences. You have beautiful neighbourhoods with tall trees and stylish villas, but also entire 'neighbourhoods' full of cardboard shacks and everything in between. Among the extremely expensive cars, people walk around with carts selling drinks.

It's almost inevitable that discontent arises from this.

Tips to guarantee your own safety

It often helps just to understand where crime comes from. With this in mind, the following tips make sense.

  1. Don't bring valuable devices such as cameras and smartphones or (even fake) jewellery. The simpler you look, the safer you are. The rule is STASH IT DON'T FLASH IT
  2. Wear simple clothing.
  3. Make sure you don't have too much money on you. Take photos of your passport and leave the original in your hotel safe.
  4. Don't go to townships without a local guide or without checking in advance whether it's a safe place.
  5. Keep your windows and doors closed while driving.
  6. Only park in secure car parks.
  7. Don't leave valuable items visible when parking OR driving.
  8. Don't go out on the street after dark, take an Uber.
  9. Only walk in safe places, otherwise drive.
  10. In crowds it's best to watch out for pickpockets.
  11. Keep an eye out for strange behaviour. Also while driving (especially at junctions and traffic lights), if someone is heading your way it's best to drive off.

Johannesburg may not sound all that inviting, but believe me, it REALLY is worth a visit.

Safe neighbourhoods

The northern suburbs are very safe but, for me, lack a bit of that warm South Africa. Neighbourhoods that are safe but still close to the centre are Sandton, Melrose, Melville, Rosebank Mall and Norwood.

For us it also felt best to look for a hotel here for our stay.

Unsafe neighbourhoods

Most places in Johannesburg simply require alertness, but the following places are no-go zones even for locals.

Hillbrow, Yeoville, Berea, Alexandra, but also the CBD or Central Business District.

It's best to check on Tripadvisor, Quora or with a local guide before you leave which places to avoid. The thing is that these things tend to change over the years.

Do your preparation, but don't worry too much either. We ourselves never felt unsafe for a moment in Johannesburg.