Pretoria

Pretoria, or Tshwane, is a stately, jacaranda-lined city and the administrative capital of South Africa. The City's eastern suburbs are dominated by the historic Union Buildings, where Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as President of SA in 1994 before the then largest-ever gathering of world leaders. Tshwane is renowned for its educational facilities and its many monuments, museums and old buildings.

• Union Buildings Melrose House
• Voortrekker Monument Craft sellers

Top Sights

• The Union Buildings, a masterpiece of colonial architecture designed by Sir Herbert Baker and completed in 1913, now administrative headquarters of the South African President. The view from the well-
  landscaped gardens is excellent. (012 325 2000 for garden tours)
• The Zoological Gardens, Africa's largest and most well designed zoo, offering a cableway, electrically powered buggies for the inactive, a tractor-train and eleven trails and picnic areas. (012 328 3265)
• The Voortrekker Monument, a huge, squat memorial to the Great Trek, and a shrine of Afrikanerdom. (012 326-6770)
• The Museum Houses
  • Melrose House, where the Anglo-Boer War Peace Treaty was signed in 1902. (012 322 2805)
  • Kruger House, unpretentious home of the old Boer President (012 326 9172)
  • Smuts House, at Doornkloof outside Pretoria, home of the Boer leader and world statesman (012667 1176)
  • Sammy Marks Museum, an elegant colonial mansion outside Pretoria built in the diamond-rush days by the friend of Kruger. (012 803 6158)

Getting around

Click to view!

Pretoria has a reliable municipal bus service (012 308 0839) radiating from the vicinity of Church Square. Minibus taxis are also readily available, but metered taxis (from Sammy Marks Square) are safer.

Visitor information

Tourism Pretoria	(012 337 4337), offers brochures, maps and general information
National Parks Board	(021 343 1991) information and bookings for parks around the country
Museum Park Tourism Centre	(012 326 3279), a grouping of museums and historical sites

Tours

Tours of the City and the Ndebele Village, the Lesedi Cultural Village, the Premier
Diamond Mine, Cullinan, the De Wildt Cheetah Project:

Adventours	011 828 2791
Springbok Atlas Safaris	011 396 1053

Shopping

Sammy Marks Square	(012 323-9929)
Hatfield Plaza	(012 362 5842)
Menlyn Park Shopping Centre	(012 348 8766)
Centurion Shopping Centre	(012 663 1058)

Useful numbers

Pretoria Airport Shuttle	012 322 0904
City Taxis	012 321 5742
Avis Car Hire	012 331 0700
SAP	012 353 4233
Starcare Hospital	012 440 2362
Municipal 24-hr Emergencies	012 427 7111

Links to Useful Sites

www.tshwane.gov.za