Car rental Johannesburg
Are you planning to visit Johannesburg? Have you thought about any car rental services in this city to ensure that you enjoy all the great things this beautiful city offers? If not yet, what are you waiting for? It is essential to make some online arrangements for car hire to save yourself a lot of hassle. If you want to know the importance of leasing a car, then this article is of significant help to you.
Johannesburg Guide
The locals commonly refer to Johannesburg as Jo’burg, which prevalently translates to the city of gold. Johannesburg is the largest city situated in Witwatersrand, South Africa, and its population is more than 5.5 million. Aside from the city accounting to more than a fifth of the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product), it also plays a big part in being the country’s major commercial and economic centre. More than half of the inhabitants here live in the suburbs of Soweto, Diepkloof, and Orange Farm situated in the Southwest region. Johannesburg hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final.
Tourists never miss an opportunity to visit this fantastic city during their vacation in South Africa. Johannesburg features lots of tourist attractions such as parks, safari tours, ranches, museums, nightclubs, as well as other charms that make travellers search for cheap tickets to the country and land in Jo’burg. For the wildlife lovers, the city is home to Johannesburg Zoo, Herman Eckstein Park, and Lion Park. These parks are home to several endangered species. History fanatics can go to the Apartheid Museum. It shows the rise and fall of the Apartheid and the glorious past of the country.
- Johannesburg nightlife – the city is home to numerous vibrant nightspots. From energetic nightclubs and jazz venues to cigar bars and theatres. Night clubs here stay open till dawn.
- Authentic nightlife – plan a visit to Newtown Precinct, Melville’s 7th Avenue, Soweto and Casino Country to witness the nightlife.
When it comes to shopping in this city, Johannesburg provides a fantastic blend of various opportunities for tourists to explore. It is home to state-of-the-art shopping malls that incorporates lovely restaurants, retail shops, and attractive cinema halls. Some of the city’s leading shopping malls include the Sandton City and Sandton Square, the Zone in Rosebank, Eastgate, and Fourways Mall. All of these malls offer unbeatable deals at sensible prices. Fashion lovers should consider visiting stores such as Sun Goddess, Stoned Cherrie, Black Coffee, Craig Native, Lindie, and Marion because they offer high-labelled branded products.
Since the city is a holiday destination for many Europeans, Jo’burg boasts an array of hotels ranging from affordable guesthouses to lavish hotels. The most preferred and convenient hotels are those close to the airport because they offer incredible services like travel guides, car rentals, hotel reservations, and other modern amenities. The travellers who are looking forward to enjoying the lavish hotel lifestyle this city has to offer can book luxurious hotels such as Saxon Boutique Hotel and Spa, Westcliff Hotel, and the Grace. These hotels include swimming pools, spa, bars, in-house restaurants, and more.
Explore with your rental car
Johannesburg is home to some popular worldwide car hire services. The sought-after vehicles operate from popular airports like Rand Airport, Johannesburg International Airport, and Grand Central Airport. Thus, you can go online and select from the best and decide on the incredible deal that entices you and suits your budget. You can use the internet to choose the pick-up and drop off points quickly. This will significantly help you find a suitable pick-up point and drop off location situated in the famous tourist and business areas. This town has numerous pick-up and drop off points.
There are several landmarks to tour in Johannesburg if you want to traverse the town by car rental services. If you love sports, especially rugby, you can consider going to Ellis Park Stadium. This unique stadium was constructed in 1928 and hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup when the South Africans overpowered New Zealand in the final. You can also drive to the Apartheid Museum, or go shopping at the Nelson Mandela Square. Depending on the hotel you choose to stay, you will be able to visit these places within a couple of hours.
The city has several other museums which are devoted to history and art. During your stay here, you can opt to visit the Johannesburg Art Gallery and MuseuMAfricA, and Apartheid Museum. The good thing is that most museums do not charge an entrance fee. For instance, the Apartheid Museum explains in detail the reasons why the Apartheid came into being, the difficulties it posed to the inhabitants, and how it was overturned.
Johannesburg is a town of neighbourhoods with many districts and diverse boroughs each having its vibe and history. You have possibly heard or read about the divide between the suburbs and the inner city. The decline of the inner city due to historical injustices made the wealthy residents flee to the suburbs creating a miserable city centre. Nevertheless, some of the inner-city areas have been revitalised in the past few years and are truly worth a visit. The hoods that are definitely worth a visit are the Soweto (South Western Township), Braamfontein, and Maboneng Precinct.
Airports
The great city of Johannesburg is served by two major airports: Tambo Airport (JNB) and the Lanseria Airport (HLA). Tambo Airport is indeed the busiest and biggest airport in Africa, facilitating more than twenty-one million passengers yearly. More than half of the country’s air travelling passengers depart and land via this airport. The airport is located in Kempton Park, Gauteng, not very far from Jo’burg city, and it’s also close to Pretoria.
Tambo International Airport is the centre of South African air travel because it connects all major cities to Pretoria and beyond. The local routes in and out of Jo’burg are served by seven different airline agencies making sure that the local travel within the country is affordable and competitive. There are over 20 domestic scheduled flights to tourist attraction destinations like the Sun City, Kruger National Park, and Pilanesberg.
There are several car rental agencies in Tambo Airport, like Capital Car Hire, First Car Rental, Bidvest Car Rental, Tempest car Hire, and Hertz. Besides, some local hotels provide shuttle services to and from Tambo Airport. Thus, you can get in touch with your preferred hotel for details and availability. The airport is also connected to the city through a train link. The train operates from 5:15 AM to 10:00 PM.
Traffic
Johannesburg is a city of contrasts, with extreme wealth and poverty. Thus, the best way to tour the CBD is via a car, even if you are moving to a short destination. There are areas that you must avoid if you are walking. Nevertheless, this isn’t the case for the main street because it has been transformed entirely recently. It is thus essential to hire a car that has an auto-lock mechanism to prevent potential burglaries.
Johannesburg roads are often double-tracked, large, clearly marked, and well-equipped, especially those around Sandton business district. The driving is on the left and traffic signs are a combination of British and American systems. It would help if you watched out for speed limits because they’re strictly enforced, especially when one is approaching the city. In the northern section, the speed limit is 100 kph (62 mph), but it then drops to 80 kph (49 mph) when one is getting close to the CBD.
Johannesburg city is easily saturated, and travellers can expect massive traffic jams during rush hours. The morning rush hours begins at around 8 AM and runs to 10 AM. In the afternoon, the rush hours start at 4:30 PM to around 6 PM. While driving in the traffic, it is advisable to keep the car doors locked and take caution of anybody at the traffic lights. If you need to park your vehicle while touring the city, there are countless options available. Some of the best parking lots include the King’s Parking and Small Street Parkade.