WORLD CUP VENUE JOHANNESBURG

Popularly known as Joburg, Johannesburg is the largest and most populous city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the provincial capitalof Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa. Money is Jo'burg's raison d'être - and has been since its foundation in 1886 when the world's richest gold fields were discovered . As such, Jo'burg's essence is defined by the pursuit of cold, hard cash - whether it's a hawker hustling a soft drink for a few rands or an IT whizz kid closing a multimillion-dollar deal.

To the first-time visitor Johannesburg can be overwhelming. With a relatively flat natural landscape and few natural landmarks, the city's suburbs and townships stretch as far as the eye can see. Most international visitors stick to the city's affluent northern suburbs, home to gleaming shopping malls, international hotel chains and the head offices of the country's leading economic players.

According to the 2007Community Survey, the population of the city is almost 4 million. The northern suburbs, en masse, can appear as an endless sprawl of little more than tree-lined streets, high walls and satellite dishes. In reality, the north is a series of little villages, each defined by its high street and a distinct personality. Norwood's Grant Avenue is a six-block strip lined with restaurants run and frequented by the city's Jewish and Italian-descended residents. Parkhurst's Fourth Avenue is a dining-and-decor street, favoured by the city's decorators and beau monde.

There is high variety and diversity in the city. The high streets of Greenside is Greenway for foodies, Melville is Seventh Avenue for students, Parkview is Tyrone Avenue for young families and pensioners and Cyrildene is Derrick Avenue, home to Jozi's burgeoning Chinese community.

Jo'burg is Africa's most dynamic city; things literally change by the minute. The city has been completely rebuilt four times in just over a century. The political and legal structure of apartheid started being abandoned in February 1990, and, since the 1994 elections, Johannesburg has been free of discriminatory laws. The black townships have been integrated into the municipal government system, and, to some extent, the suburbs have become multiracial. However, there has been a large-scale migration of businesses and commerce away from the Central Business District and the southern suburbs, in favour of the more affluent northern suburbs. This was fueled by a rise in the crime rate, serious traffic congestion, inadequate public transport, and a more favourable tax environment for landlords in the northern suburbs prior to the integration of the city. Currently the Johannesburg Metropolitan Council is implementing a large scale Inner City Revival project, leading to some business moving back to the inner city.

Private redevelopment companies are buying historic office buildings in the city's financial district and redeveloping them into exclusive apartment blocks. Yuppie response has been enthusiastic, and many of the apartment buildings were sold out within days. It's often said that five-year development spans in Jo'burg are equal to fifty years in other cities.

Hotels

Sandhurst

Tele: +27112926000

Sandhurst is where Charlize Theron usually stays when visiting home - along with countless other celebrities and power players. The Saxon was the former home of SA insurance king Douw Steyn; it's also where Nelson Mandela wrote his autobiography The Long Walk to Freedom.

Ten Bompas

10 Bompas Road, Dunkeld

Tele: +27113252442

An upper budget option. It is a small funky boutique hotel with a popular in-house restaurant, Sides.

Melrose Arch Hotel

Melrose Arch precinct

Tel: +27112146666

Another upper-budget option.

Rosebank Hotel

Tyrwhitt Avenue, Rosebank,

Tel: +27114472700

The mid-range hotel is within easy walking distance to shops, restaurants and the African Crafts Market. The Rosebank is retro-cool in a pseudo-swank kind of way, complete with two cheesy bars, the best of which is the Parktonian Bar, a 1970s time warp.

Backpackers Ritz

Dunkeld West,

Tel: +27113257125

For budget accommodation, there's the tucked away hotel on a quiet side street between buzzing Rosebank and the exclusive Hyde Park Corner.

Restaurants & bars

Indian, Greek, Italian and Chinese to Thai, Japanese, Portuguese and Argentinian, you ask for it and all these cuisines are at your will and pleasure. Joburg's large immigrant communities ensure you can find an authentic version of virtually any cuisine. In fact, it's probably easier to find good Italian or Portuguese food than traditional African food.

Greenside is the city's premier dining district, home to an endless array of high-concept eating options. For modern Greek, there's Icon (Greenfield Road, +27116464162). Yum (26 Gleneagles Rd, +27114861645), run by celebrity chef Dario de Angeli, was voted as one of SA's top 10 restaurants. Around the corner is Addictions (137 Greenway, +27116468981), celebrated for its imaginative flair.

Moyo (with branches in Melrose Arch, +27116841477, and at the historic Market Theatre in Newtown, +27118381715) offers Cape-to-Cairo fare with architectural flair - a sort of AfroDisney shrine to pan-African food.

Mandela Square in Sandton (next to Sandton City) is lined with restaurants. Wangthai (+27117848484), described by the Thai ambassador to South Africa as the best Thai food he's eaten outside of Thailand; and Bukhara (+27118835555); its north Indian fare has a huge following from Jo'burg's large well-heeled Indian community. For good Italian, try Al Dente (85 Grayston Drive, Sandton, +27117839989), housed in a Ferrari and Maserati showroom.

There's a decent steakhouse on almost every corner; one of the best is The Grill House (The Firs, Oxford Road, Rosebank, +27118803945).

Best bet? Check out the official Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za), run by the city council, as it's objective, well-designed, easy to use and updated daily. It's packed with the latest tourist and cultural information, development news, along with historical background and interactive reader commentary.