South Africa · SOWETO TOURS

Soweto Tours: The 15 Best Ways to See It

52 tours  ·  from $17

A township of well over a million people, with Vilakazi Street, the Hector Pieterson Museum and Orlando Towers in it. These 15 differ on guide, on whether the visit is on foot or by bicycle, and on where lunch happens.

Johannesburg: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus with Optional Soweto Tour - What you see from the upper deck
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Johannesburg: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus with Optional Soweto Tour

1.Johannesburg: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus with Optional Soweto Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 985 reviews · 1 day · from $23Our pick

Use a one-day open-top bus ticket to see Rosebank, Melrose Arch, Constitution Hill, downtown Johannesburg, the Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City, Newtown, the Zoo, and more. Add the two-hour Soweto trip for live guiding, Vilakazi Street, Mandela House, Hector Pieterson Memorial, Orlando Stadium, and local history.

“The optional Soweto tour is a must. The guides for that portion were fantastic.”

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Soweto /Johannesburg and Apartheid Museum Guided Full Day Tour - Hector Pieterson Memorial and the Soweto uprising
Apartheid History Tours, Apartheid History Tours in Soweto, Full-Day, Guided, Museums, Museums in Soweto, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Soweto /Johannesburg and Apartheid Museum Guided Full Day Tour

2.Soweto /Johannesburg and Apartheid Museum Guided Full Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 932 reviews · from $103Top rated

Spend 8 to 9 hours seeing Johannesburg and Soweto with a local guide, hotel pickup, and air-conditioned minivan transport. Visit Hector Pieterson Museum, Mandela House, Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Vilakazi Street, Orlando Towers, FNB Stadium, and central Johannesburg. Guides have included Nathi, Bobo, BoBo, and Matti.

“We were a small group which made the day more enjoyable. The tour was full of interesting facts and locations. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. He answered all questions and was happy to be with us. A very good insight into Johannesburg and Soweto.”

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Johannesburg Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour with Soweto Option - Munro Drive gives you a quick city view
City Tours, Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Johannesburg Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour with Soweto Option

3.Johannesburg Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour with Soweto Option

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 768 reviews · from $16Best value

Use Johannesburg’s open-top bus to connect Rosebank, Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City, Newtown, Braamfontein, and more. Audio commentary comes in eight languages, with Wi-Fi and a hotel shuttle from selected Sandton hotels. Add the two-hour Soweto extension for a closer look at Orlando West and East with a local guide such as Muhumutsi.

“Excellent tour. Time well spent. The driver was very nice. Dropped me back to the hotel. The commentary was nice.”

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Half-Day Tour of Soweto Tour - Baragwanath and the heart of Soweto
Half-Day, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Half-Day Tour of Soweto Tour

4.Half-Day Tour of Soweto Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 712 reviews · from $63

Spend about five hours exploring Soweto with a local guide such as Tshepo, Prince, or Erick. Visit Motsoaledi informal settlement, Hector Pieterson Museum, Vilakazi Street, Mandela’s former home, and Soweto Towers. Hotel pickup, transport, WiFi, and drop-off are included, while museum admission, food, and Mandela House entry cost extra.

“Our guide, Erick, was so knowledgeable of Johannesburg / Soweto history and stories. The Hector Pieterson museum in Soweto was enthralling and very well presented. Erick also took us into the shanty town area of Soweto where we were invited into one of the shanties to view how they live. A very very small room for a mother and 8 children, no electricity, no running water. Africa opens your eyes to how privileged many of us are. If you are into humanitarianism, I’d recommend this tour.”

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Soweto: Walking Tour with a Local Guide and Lunch - Meeting at Vilakazi Espresso and starting at Hector Pieterson
Guided, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Soweto: Walking Tour with a Local Guide and Lunch

5.Walking Tour with a Local Guide and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 648 reviews · 4 hours · from $43

Spend four hours walking Soweto with a local guide such as Maweza, Teboho, Mulalo, or Thabo. Visit the Hector Pieterson Memorial, Mandela’s House, Vilakazi Street, Winnie Mandela’s home, Soweto Towers, and Nomzamo Park. You’ll eat a local lunch, ride a minibus taxi, and hear personal stories about Soweto’s past and present.

“It was a very nice tour, amazing guide with many historical and cultural information. Highly recommend.”

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Jo'berg in 1 Day: Soweto, Apartheid Museum & City Tour - Entering Soweto through Diepkloof and Orlando West
1-Day Tours, Apartheid History Tours, Apartheid History Tours in Soweto, City Tours, Museums, Museums in Soweto, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Jo’berg in 1 Day: Soweto, Apartheid Museum & City Tour

6.Jo’berg in 1 Day: Soweto, Apartheid Museum & City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 524 reviews · 8 hours · from $142

Spend eight hours seeing Johannesburg through Soweto’s streets, Vilakazi Street, the Hector Pieterson Museum, the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill, and central city sights. Guides such as Khutso, Thapelo, Tinyiko, and Sello bring history and local context to the drive. Transport, hotel pickup, entry fees, and onboard WiFi are included. Lunch is extra.

“The guide has been very informed and polite, the tour gave us an idea of which is the life in Johannesburg. Everything was very interestring in particular visiting Soweto.”

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Johannesburg: Full-Day Tour with Soweto and Apartheid Museum - Starting with Constitution Hill and the Old Fort
Apartheid History Tours, Apartheid History Tours in Soweto, Full-Day, Museums, Museums in Soweto, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Johannesburg: Full-Day Tour with Soweto and Apartheid Museum

7.Johannesburg: Full-Day Tour with Soweto and Apartheid Museum

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 478 reviews · 10 hours · from $104

Spend 10 hours with a live English or French-speaking guide exploring Johannesburg and Soweto. Visit Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Mandela House, and the Hector Pieterson Memorial, with hotel pickup, transport, and entry fees included. Guides such as Advice, Bob, John, and Masese bring the history into focus.

“An eye opening tour to say the least. Our guide was named Advice and he is an excellent guide, really knows his stuff. We also spent some time with another guide named John, together he and Advice make an excellent team. A very sobering look at a difficult history. One hundred percent recommend this tour. Book this tour ask for Advice by name and you won't be disappointed.”

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Johannesburg and Soweto: Half-Day Tour - From hotel pickup to Johannesburg’s southern suburbs
Half-Day, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Johannesburg and Soweto: Half-Day Tour

8.Johannesburg and Soweto: Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 439 reviews · 5 hours · from $71

Spend five hours tracing Johannesburg’s modern center and Soweto’s freedom struggle. Hotel pickup, transport, Mandela House entry, and a driver-guide are included. Guides such as James, Samuel, Pascal, and Vincent are often praised for clear history, local insight, and care with safety. Expect city sights, township contrasts, Vilakazi Street, the cooling towers, and Soccer City.

“Laureen was a very kind and direct tour guide, took us around all important areas and gave very exhaustive explanation and stories. We could understand in 5 hours that Johannesburg is a huge, culturally diverse city and wealth ranges from very low to very high with crime and unemployment being very high. However the first thing I remember is not how dangerous it is to enter certain areas (like Soweto) but that she helped understand their heroic fight against apartheid and how they could survive by having an enviable approach to life. I am feeling moved and happy at the same time that we could experience this. I recommend to…”

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Full-Day Soweto, Apartheid Museum and Lunch Tour - Motsoaledi, an informal settlement, and meeting local residents
Apartheid History Tours, Apartheid History Tours in Soweto, Full-Day, Museums, Museums in Soweto, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Full-Day Soweto, Apartheid Museum and Lunch Tour

9.Full-Day Soweto, Apartheid Museum and Lunch Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 410 reviews · from $108

Spend a full day seeing Soweto beyond the usual landmarks. Guides such as Khutso, Cipo, Marc, Sello, and Tsolo bring local insight to the informal settlement, Hector Pieterson Museum, Vilakazi Street, and Regina Mundi. Lunch, WiFi, hotel pickup, and the Apartheid Museum are included, while Mandela House entry costs extra.

“Our fantastic guide was knowledgeable, sensitive to our needs and was vey personable. The experience was as sobering as it was instructive. A must do tour.”

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Half Guided Day Tour of Soweto And Apartheid Museum - Starting with two hours at the Apartheid Museum
Apartheid History Tours, Apartheid History Tours in Soweto, Guided, Museums, Museums in Soweto, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Half Guided Day Tour of Soweto And Apartheid Museum

10.Half Guided Day Tour of Soweto And Apartheid Museum

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 356 reviews · from $69

Join guides such as Nathi, Bobo, or Solly for a 4 to 5-hour small-group tour from Johannesburg. Visit the Apartheid Museum, walk Vilakazi Street, see Mandela House and the Hector Pieterson Memorial, and learn how Soweto shaped South Africa’s modern story.

“We had a great tour with Bobo. We felt very safe and looked after throughout the tour. It was really interesting to learn about the aparteid and South Africa's constitution at Constitution Hill. Soweto was great too. It was really informative. The night before the tour, Solly was in touch to check in and provide the pick up time. Overall, it was a well organised tour and I would recommend this to other”

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Ultimate Johannesburg Soweto Experience with Apartheid Museum - Two hours inside the Apartheid Museum
Apartheid History Tours, Apartheid History Tours in Soweto, Museums, Museums in Soweto, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews

Ultimate Johannesburg Soweto Experience with Apartheid Museum

11.Ultimate Johannesburg Soweto Experience with Apartheid Museum

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 313 reviews · from $108

Spend about nine hours touring Johannesburg and Soweto in an air-conditioned minivan with hotel pickup, onboard WiFi, and a local guide. Visit Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, Hector Pieterson Museum, Vilakazi Street, and an informal settlement. Mandela House is optional, and lunch is at your own cost.

“The toud gives a quite good overview of the city and of the history of the country. However, you have to be emotionally prepared for the tour - the prison/apartheid museum and Hector Petersen memorials parts of the tour are not "funny place". The guide is great. P.S. Bring some sweets for kids in Soweto.”

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Soweto: Guided Bicycle Tour with Lunch - Mzimhlophe and the story of township life
Guided, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Soweto: Guided Bicycle Tour with Lunch

12.Guided Bicycle Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 292 reviews · 4 hours · from $52

Spend four hours cycling through Orlando West and nearby Soweto neighborhoods with an English-speaking local guide such as Thabo, Teboho, or Themba. Visit Hector Pieterson Museum, Mandela House, Tutu House, and historic community sites. Expect about 11 kilometers of riding, some hills, local stories, and a kota lunch on Vilakazi Street.

“We had a wonderful experience with our tour guide Thabo. The explainations were clear and we were able to ask as many questions as we wanted. The visit vas authentic and has shown us an exhaustive view of all sides of Soweto. Thumbs up to Thabo. we highly recommend him.”

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Soweto Walking Tour with Lunch - Walking through Moema Street
Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Soweto Walking Tour with Lunch

13.Soweto Walking Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 288 reviews · from $40

Spend four hours walking through Soweto with a local guide such as Maweza or Mulalo Mphuma. Visit the Hector Pieterson Memorial, Vilakazi Street, Mandela House, Tutu House, Baragwanath Road, and Orlando Towers. Hear personal stories, learn about apartheid, and finish with a filling kota sandwich. Entry to Mandela House and transport are extra.

“Incredibly authentic. Never experienced a tour quite like this one. Maweza was so welcoming and knowledgeable. He started with a very succinct history of the township, which provided the necessary background information for the rest of the tour. Then he continued to provide more context and details as we walked the streets where important historical events occurred. As a local, he was able to enhance the tour with his own personal experience. It was obvious he was well known and respected as we explored the neighborhood with him. It felt like we were being shown around by a very smart and informed friend rather than a tour guide. Highly recommend…”

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Soweto: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, City Tour and Apartheid Museum - Starting at Rosebank or using the Sandton shuttle
Apartheid History Tours, Apartheid History Tours in Soweto, City Tours, Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours, Museums, Museums in Soweto, Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Soweto: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, City Tour and Apartheid Museum

14.Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, City Tour and Apartheid Museum

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 250 reviews · 1 day · from $50

Spend a full day combining Johannesburg’s open-top hop-on hop-off bus with a two-hour guided Soweto tour. A local guide takes you past FNB Stadium, Orlando Towers, Mandela House, and Hector Pieterson Memorial. The bus also reaches Constitution Hill and the Apartheid Museum, with audio commentary in eight languages.

“The bus tour was excellent in terms of what it showed us. I’ve lived in joburg my whole life and thought it would be cool to try it out and I was pleasantly surprised. Even I learnt a few things and got to see parts of the city that I hadn’t glimpsed in a while.”

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Johannesburg and Soweto tour - Chancellor House connects law with resistance
Soweto Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Johannesburg and Soweto tour

15.Johannesburg and Soweto tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 231 reviews · from $77

This private five-hour outing links Johannesburg and Soweto with a driver-guide, air-conditioned vehicle, Wi-Fi, water, and Mandela House admission included. Expect Constitution Hill, Chancellor House, Maboneng, Mandela and Tutu homes, Hector Pieterson Memorial, informal settlements, Baragwanath Hospital, and Orlando Towers. Guides have included KG, Lindela, Pastor, and Sello.

“The tour was good and informative. The guide was really awesome as he explained everything so well about the history of the city.”

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New in Soweto Tours

★ 5.0Soweto Tuk-Tuk Food & Beer TourFrom $499 reviews
★ 4.4Soweto Township TourFrom $434 reviews
★ 5.0Soweto Tour; Mandela House; Vilakazi Street; Market CultureFrom $936 reviews
★ 4.8Sip & Paint Walking Tour & Take Home a CanvasFrom $317 reviews
★ 4.6Private Soweto,Mandela House,Apartheid Museum,ConstitutionFrom $9915 reviews
★ 4.7Soweto & Johannesburg and Apartheid MuseumFrom $9241 reviews
★ 4.0Hector Pieterson Memorial, to Orlando Towers TourFrom $3431 reviews
★ 4.8Johannesburg: Soweto History Tour with Hotel PickupFrom $9514 reviews
★ 4.9Soweto Food & Beer Bike TourFrom $4940 reviews
★ 4.2Soweto and Apartheid Museum day TourFrom $1213 reviews
★ 5.0Soweto and apartheid museum tour(Half-day)From $1024 reviews
★ 3.8Pretoria Soweto And JohannesburgFrom $17313 reviews
★ 4.3Johannesburg: Pretoria, Apartheid & Soweto Small-Group TourFrom $1869 reviews
★ 5.0Soweto Food and Beer Tasting Walking Tour with a LocalFrom $408 reviews
★ 4.8Johannesburg: Soweto Tour with LunchFrom $9443 reviews

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