PretoriaCapital

Pretoria is the dignified administrative capital of South Africa, the stately city of the north of the country that spreads its avenues of the jacaranda blossoms, its grand government buildings and its suburban gardens across the warm valleys and the hills of the Gauteng highveld. The seat of the executive of the republic since the founding of the Transvaal Republic, it grew around the church square, the historic President Kruger and the great Voortrekker tradition before becoming one of the three capitals of the modern South African union, its government quarter of the Union Buildings crowning the hill above the city. The historic sites of the Boer and the freedom era, the enormous museum of the Voortrekker memorial, the botanical gardens and the zoos and the jacaranda-lined avenues anchor the essential visits, while the neighbouring metropolis of the Johannesburg spreads across the whole surrounding highveld. Elegant, green and quietly powerful, Pretoria is the serene political capital of the rainbow nation, the office-hearted twin of the greater metropolis.

About Pretoria

Pretoria is the capital of South Africa. The city's documented population is around 3,400,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the South African Rand (ZAR) and English is spoken; the dialling code is +27.

The Union Buildings and the Hill of the Government

Pretoria is a leafy, modern city where the essential circuit moves between the government quarter of the Union Buildings, the historic squares of the centre and the great museums of the south, with the gardens, the memorials and the jacaranda streets framing the days. The church square with its statue and its colonial buildings, the museum of the Voortekker memorial on its hill and the national botanical garden anchor the classic visits, and the freedom route of the story, the museums of the township and the natural history collections of the city spread the deep national history. The zoo and the parks of the town, the viewpoint of the university of the south and the full highveld metropolis of the region beyond complete the easy, quiet rhythm of the administrative capital.

The Museum of the Monument and the Squares of the Boers

The climate of the city is the pleasant high-altitude subtropical, with the warm, stormy summer afternoons of the rain season, the mild, sunny winters with the crisp nights and the golden springs when the jacarandas explode into blossom across the whole suburban web. The rand of the country is the currency, with the English, the Afrikaans, the Zulu and the other languages of the republic filling the streets. The government quarter, the centres and the museums make the core circuit, and the transport of the metropolis, the buses, the rideshare and the Gautrain, binds the capital to the surrounding region. Layered clothing for the changeable highveld and sensible attention to the safety guidance of the regional capital complete the practical essentials.

The Jacarandas and the Gardens of the City

The Union Buildings, the enormous sandstone palace of the government that stretches its colonnades and its terraces across the hill of the Meintjieskop above the city, is the most famous architectural emblem of the country and the seat of the presidency, its gardens and its statue of the founding father carrying the prayer, peace and power of the nation. The museum of the Voortrekker memorial, the colossal granite monument on its own hill to the south with its frieze of the great trek, its hall of the heroes and its annual midday sunbeam through the aperture, commemorates the epic migration of the Boer pioneers, while the church square of the centre, with its statue of the president of the Transvaal and its surrounding colonial landmarks, preserves the capital foundation. The botanical gardens with their enormous cycads and their savannah exhibits, and the jacaranda bloom of the spring that turns the whole city violet, complete the serene, green, elegantly colonial portrait of the administrative capital of the rainbow nation.

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Country: South Africa
Population: 3,400,000
Coordinates: -25.7459, 28.1879

Capital: Pretoria
Region: Africa
Currency: South African Rand (ZAR)
Languages: English
Calling code: +27
Country code: ZA

Entry requirements for South Africa

Visa status for travellers from common origins visiting South Africa for tourism.

Getting to Pretoria

The nearest airports we list:

Cities in South Africa

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Frequently asked questions

Is Pretoria the capital of South Africa?

Yes — Pretoria is the capital of South Africa.

What currency do I need in Pretoria?

The local currency is the South African Rand (ZAR). Languages spoken in South Africa include English.

What is the dialling code for South Africa?

The international dialling code for South Africa is +27.

Which airport is nearest to Pretoria?

The nearest airport we list is O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), about 44 km away.

How far is Pretoria from the nearest airport?

Pretoria is about 44 km from O.R. Tambo International Airport.

Do I need a visa to visit South Africa?

It depends on your passport. Among the origins we track, travellers from Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Italy currently enter South Africa visa-free for tourism. Use the entry requirements tool to check your own nationality and purpose of travel.

Flying out of Pretoria? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.