Small Boutique hotels in JOHANNESBURG

This is the largest city in South Africa - although not its capital - and one of the richest areas in the country following the discovery of gold mines in the late 19th century. Hence its name in Zulu igoli, which means "place of gold".

To capture the dimensions and layout of Johannesburg, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, there is nothing better than going up to the viewpoint of the Carlton Center Office Tower. It is the tallest building in the city with a 360º panoramic view. In the Newtown Precinct neighborhood you can take in the city's vibrant cultural life with theaters and art galleries in an environment of colorful Victorian buildings.

Another area that illustrates the emerging creativity and original African design is Maboneng, close to the center. The layers of the city's complex history overlap on Constitution Hill: it houses the current Constitutional Court and the old Old Ford prison, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.

The Apartheid Museum, in the Soweto neighborhood, sheds light on that fateful chapter. The house-museums of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, both Nobel Peace Laureates, bear witness to their struggles for human equality. The immense Regina Mundi church, with colorful stained glass windows depicting scenes from the country's history, lives on as the epicenter of Soweto's social life.