Pretoria is one of South Africa’s three major cities and is located in the province of Gauteng. Due to its location within the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality it can sometimes be referred to as Tshwane. The cities original name was Pretoria Philadelphia.
There is no airport serving the city of Pretoria so the best bet for visiting the city is to arrive in Tambo International Airport and use a car hire Johannesburg Airport service. If you arrive in Pretoria by other means you can still avail of a car hire Pretoria service by collecting at a pickup point in the city. It should take less than an hour to drive from Johannesburg to Pretoria.
There are some excellent outdoor spots for wiling away a few pleasant hours in Pretoria such as the Botanical Gardens and the National Zoological Gardens. At the zoo you will find a reptile park, aquarium and much more. Camping facilities are available here at weekends. The Wonderboom Nature Reserve which contains a one thousand year old fig tree is also worth a look.
The president’s official building can be viewed on Church St. It is beautifully designed with a picturesque garden area. There is certainly no shortage of museums in this city. Some of the best ones include the Melrose House Museum, the National Cultural History Museum, the Pioneer Museum, the Kruger House Museum and the Transvaal Museum.
A company called Friends of the Rail offer a steam train tour which is a wonderful experience which drives around Pretoria as well as paying a visit to Cullinan which is where the biggest diamond in the world was discovered.