What crew need on the ground
Johannesburg is a city where the two decisions that matter, which suburb you sleep in and how you move between it and the airport, both have to be made before you land.
A dedicated airport train runs from the terminal to Sandton, and the trap is the last one.
Book in the app, get in the car the app names, and expect to walk to the driver rather than the other way round.
New information about submitting an online traveller declaration before travelling and information about taking money into South Africa ('Entry requirements' page).
Read the full advice at UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office →Six hours is Sandton and back, in daylight, and nothing else.
Twelve hours buys Sandton or Rosebank properly, which is the realistic ceiling on one train line.
A full day is enough to sleep in the northern suburbs and move between two of them, provided both airport legs are planned rather than improvised.
The airport train's other end, and the only Gautrain station you can reach from the terminal without changing.
One stop south of Sandton on the North and South line, so it is on the rail network with a single change at Sandton.
Off the railway, between Sandton and Rosebank. Reaching it means a short e-hail from either station.
Off the railway, west of Rosebank. Worth an evening out from a Rosebank or Sandton base rather than a place to sleep on a short layover.
The airport side of the line, one stop out from the terminal. Note the trap: the airport carriages' doors do not open at Rhodesfield, so you have to travel in a commuter carriage to get off there.
Carry a passport copy, declare your money online before you fly, and do not eat on the train.
Always carry a copy of your passport photo page and the page carrying your visitors permit. South African officials may ask for ID and proof of residence at any time. The FCDO's instruction is to keep the passport itself in a hotel safe or another secure location and not to carry it unless it is needed for official identification.
From 1 July 2026 travellers entering or leaving South Africa must submit the traveller declaration online before they travel, unless they qualify for one of the limited paper-based exceptions. It covers goods, currency, bearer negotiable instruments and other relevant items, and confirmation comes back by email.
On entry, the FCDO states you must declare cash if you are bringing more than 25,000 South African rand per person, or other currencies worth more than 10,000 US dollars combined. SARS separately defines excess currency, under Reserve Bank exchange control regulations, as any amount over R100,000 or foreign currency convertible to more than R100,000, and that requires written permission from the Reserve Bank before you enter or leave.
If you hold South African citizenship and are 18 or over, you must use a South African passport to enter and exit South Africa. Using another country's passport to do it is illegal.
Eating and drinking on the Gautrain System is a transgression of the Gautrain rules of travel, and the rules cover trains, stations and buses alike. Gautrain travel penalties apply to any person who does not comply.
The Airport Service is its own line, indicated by the gold line on the route map, running Sandton, Marlboro, Rhodesfield, OR Tambo. Airport passengers sit in the carriages with the aircraft sign on the doors, which are configured for luggage, and Gautrain states those doors do not open at Rhodesfield.
Getting out of the airport in fullAirports Company South Africa accredits metered taxi services covering all major towns and suburbs within the airport vicinity. The taxi and shuttle terminus is behind the hotels, following the taxi and shuttle icons, and the airport's information desk in the terminal is the published route to booking one.
Ride-hailing in fullRICA is a South African legal requirement that all SIM cards, prepaid, contract, physical and eSIM, are registered with verified personal details before they can be used. A foreign national registers on a valid passport.
Staying connected in fullJohannesburg lies at 1,694 m, and the national government's own framing is that this altitude keeps average summer temperatures below 30C. South African temperatures run lower than other countries at similar latitudes because of elevation.
Weather in fullRestaurants: 10 to 20% of the total bill. The automatic 10% service charge applies only when the table exceeds six guests.
Tipping in fullA 10% service charge is automatically calculated into the bill only when the number of guests at a table exceeds six. Otherwise nothing is added, and 10 to 20% of the total is the published range for what you leave.
Eating near the crew hotels in fullVAT is charged at 15% and a qualifying purchaser, which includes a tourist and a non-resident, can reclaim it on goods, not services. The VAT-inclusive total of all movable goods bought during the visit and exported at the end of it has to exceed R250 per qualifying purchaser.
What to buy in fullSave the guide and its 8 sections now, and read them on the crew bus before you have a SIM.
Fares, timetables and rules change. Where a figure matters to your plan, the publisher above is the one to check.