Johannesburg Tour: Fashion District and Little Addis
Joburg Places is a staple and long-standing Johannesburg tour operator for the downtown area, commonly known as “CBD” (for “central business district). Among their many tour offerings, the Fashion District and Little Addis tour is a must to explore the daily life of people who live in the CBD, do some shopping for authentic African fabrics, and visit Little Addis in Joburg.
Do you want more info on planning your Joburg trip? Check out the top 10 things to do in Joburg and my ultimate Joburg itinerary to help you out!
The Basics
- Book online via WhatsApp or e-mail.
- Private Johannesburg tours are available every day. “Open tours” are available for public bookings
- R450-R650 for open tours. Payment via yoco link.
- 9am-1pm
- I suggest ubering to the meet-up location downtown, which you will receive when you confirm your payment.
- Bring cash for shopping, snacks, and lunch. I used R800.
Joburg Places
Joburg Places is run by Joburg experts Charlie and Gerald. They host private and public tours year-round in a whole range of areas from food and bars, to farms and bank vaults. Many ex-pats and visitors alike book tours with them. You can book by emailing gerald@joburgplaces.com or whatsapp + 27828945216. If you can’t get in touch via phone call, they recommend whatsapp or email.
Private vs Open tours
Private tours are available for a closed group, whereas open tours are set dates set aside for the public. I booked an open tour date because I was going by myself and didn’t want to pay the full cost of a private tour. I ended up being very lucky because all the other people on the tour canceled and so I had a private experience! Check out the open tour dates here or follow Joburg Places on Instagram to see when new dates are added. I found out about the open tour dates from Instagram.
A history of Joburg
The start of this Johannesburg tour begins with an introduction at Joburg Place’s previous restaurant location near Gandhi Square.
I spent about 30 minutes with Charlie as he explained the history of downtown and what it is like today. Every time I go on a tour, I learn something new from the tour guides (no matter how many tours I go on!). Each guide— or as Charlie prefers, storyteller—has their own emphasis on the important aspects of Joburg’s history.
I loved this colorful building (and being able to take its picture because I was on a tour).
I learned a lot, including that the average age in Joburg is 28 (OMG?!) and likewise, Joburg is relatively a young city, so it’s still trying to figure out who it is. Joburg CBD is a thriving environment for migrants from all across the continent (and previously from around the world due to the gold rush!).
There are still many long-standing buildings and businesses that have withstood the test of time (and turmoil).
This Markham building has been continuously operated by Markham since the building was completed in 1897! Read more about it here.
Stop 1: Beads and Fabric Shop
We started walking towards our first destination, which was a fabric shop, and stopped at a bead shop along the way. I was tempted to purchase one of the traditional necklaces. They cost R450 to R550 and, unfortunately, I wasn’t carrying enough cash to buy these and also fabric. Prices downtown are going to be much cheaper than other parts od Joburg so if you want a necklace, buy it here!
The fabric shop is large and I spent around 10-15 minutes just wandering around. It was so hard to decide what to buy! The shopkeepers were kind and also helped me pick out what fabric to purchase in the end. Prices range from R250 for 6 meters. I ended up with a bold purple print with red flowers for R350. This shop is cash only.
Stop 2: Fashion District
Breaking up the shopping experience, we visited Fashion District Square and I learned more about its history. I got to see a very cool mural about Joburg.
Charlie then introduced me to a leather maker. At the time of our visit, he didn’t have any stock in the shop, but hopefully when you visit there will be.
There are some shops in this area as well you can wander into. There was a fashion shoot going on while we wandered around!
Stop 3: Shweshwe
Next, we visited a shop known for its 3 Cats Shweshwe collection. Shweshwe designs are unique and are dainty compared to some of the fabrics you may find at other shops. I bought 2 meters of hot pink fabric (enough for a skirt for me). The fabric costs R74 per meter.
This is also a haberdashery shop, so I was able to pick up some miscellaneous items I needed for my sewing projects.
I loved the tape measure wallpaper.
Stop 4: Little Addis
The Netsanet Ethiopia and Africa Traditional Center is also known as Little Addis. The multistory mall hosts two restaurants and several shops that sell items straight from Ethiopia. The owner, Netsa, is the backbone of the Ethiopian community and she holds the only license to import Ethiopian goods into South Africa (from what I understood). The shops have traditional Ethiopian coffee cups, dresses, and coffee (roasted and unroasted), as well as popular Ethiopian spices such as berbere (which comes in huge quantities).
I love the ceiling of this shop on the third floor.
LIttle Addis is a great spot to visit on a Johannesburg tour becuase it is not easy to navigate CBD by yourself unless you’re familiar with the area. You also can’t get an uber back from here if this is your only destination for the day.
The Ethiopian cups are around R150
From this building, Charlie accessed a sort-of balcony to get a unique view of the streets below.
Lunch and Coffee
We stopped for lunch at Kunu around 12:15pm. Charlie ordered me a plate of a little bit of everything for R80 (self-pay). In anticipation of this lunch, I hadn’t had any breakfast at all and basically devoured the food. It was so good! However, don’t feel stressed to eat at all. You can easily get a takeaway box for any leftovers.
At the end of our tour, we visited the cafe on the second floor. We each had a hot and strong cup of Ethiopian coffee (for R7).
That’s it folks! At exactly 1pm, the tour was over! As I ubered downtown, it was easy to get an uber again from around the corner and Charlie helped me identify the car.
Other Joburg Places Tours
If you’ve only got time for one tour of Joburg, Charlie recommends the Marshalltown Tour for a complete history of Joburg and view into contemporary life. I’m also interested in the Bank Vault Tour, the urban farming tour, and the Newtown tour.
Learn more about all Joburg Places’ tours on their website.
Can I do this tour by myself?
I don’t suggest walking downtown by yourself (or even with 2-3 people who are unfamiliar with the area). If you go on the tour, the next time you could probably go alone along the same streets that Charlie took you on. I, for one, am horrible at directions and have no clue which turns we made. If you do this (against my advice) do not look lost and walk with purpose.
This is one of my favorite buildings in Joburg. It’s an apartment complex and I love the style of the brick! I don’t suggest walking here though. I took this picture from my uber.
If you want to go to Little Addis, an uber will be able to drop you off but you won’t be able to get an uber back. The taxis downtown across the street from Little Addis have a rivalry with uber cars and so ubers don’t pick up from there. Instead, you’ll have to walk to Fashion District area (here on Google maps) and then you’ll be able to order an uber.
For fabric shopping, going to this section of the street where there are several fabric shops right next to each other seemed easy to uber to. Another popular fabric shop downtown in Makotis (however, when we were robbed, the last location of our phones was around Makotis…Obvi, they had nothing to do with it but I don’t trust that area anymore.) There is a Makotis in Northcliff that I visit often and highly recommend instead.
I’ve only truly felt comfortable downtown with a guide even though Wilhelm and I have gone by ourselves to some of these areas. When we have gone alone, women always stop me to tell me we are gonna get robbed. (And eventually, we did. I only tell you this to go on a tour and not be overconfident thinking it won’t happen to you!!) I was able to take out my phone to take pictures, learn about the buildings, and get all my random questions answered. Johannesburg tour guides are amazing!
Check out my reviews of other cool tours in Joburg (as well as the Graffiti Safari I reviewed for Joburg in Your Pocket):
