Car Hire in Johannesburg - Getting to Johannesburg

Johannesburg International Airport (formerly Jan Smuts) is Africa’s busiest and is constantly being upgraded. More than 50 airlines touch down here, with numerous connections daily to other major centres such as Cape Town and Durban, as well as regional cities like Harare, Gaberone, Windhoek, Maputo and Mbabane. Many shuttle services depart to various hotels around the city and a bus leaves every 30 minutes for the centre.

Johannesburg’s Park station is the main rail terminus, though it is only the TransKaroo overnight sleeper express to Capetown that appeals to travellers, suburban services are slow and crowded and limited for tourists. The Algoa Express trains to Port Elizabeth depart daily. Adjacent to this is the long-distance bus terminal with regular service to Durban, Cape Town, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and local destinations. Translux and Greyhound are two national lines.

South Africa has a very good road network, with multi-laned highways between many cities. The N1 heads north to Pretoria and onwards to Bietbridge and into Zimbabwe. You can also follow it south to Capetown, though it’s a 12 hour drive (via Bloemfontein) and can be crowded and dangerous during December and April. An alternative, quieter route via Kimberley is preferred by tourists. The N4 heads northwest to Mafikeng and into Botswana and east to Swaziland and Mozambique, and the N2 southeast to Durban. Hire car is the most practical means of getting around.