Activity Description

East City Cycle Tour: Cycle Through An Open Air Museum of Art & History

*Make Joburg your very own open-air museum.
We’ll peddle through areas like Jeppestown, Maboneng, Doornfontein, Victoria Yards, and Troyeville, for a day of public arts, urban living, fascinating history, amazing architecture, and plenty of fresh air. This is not your average city tour — it’s a deep dive into the heart of Johannesburg’s East Side, from its layered past to its contemporary pulse. Led by passionate local storytellers.

*Starting Point: CURIOCITY Johannesburg (Maboneng)
We begin our journey at CURIOCITY Joburg, a repurposed 1930s building that once housed the Pacific Press during the apartheid era. Now a creative hub and design hostel, it’s the perfect launchpad into the layered, expressive energy of Johannesburg. Grab your helmet, adjust your saddle, and get ready to ride.

*Kwa Mai Mai Traditional Healers Market
Our first stop is at one of Joburg’s oldest and most authentic African markets. Kwa Mai Mai, also known as “Ezinyangeni” (the place of the healers), is a living, breathing institution — home to traditional medicine sellers, herbalists, and spiritual guides. You’ll walk through smoky alleyways scented with imphepho, hear stories of ancestral practices, and get a glimpse into indigenous healing traditions that predate the city itself. It’s Joburg’s original wellness market, still thriving.

*Jeppestown
As we cycle deeper into the inner city, Jeppestown reveals itself through a contrast of crumbling heritage buildings and vivid street art. This is one of Joburg’s earliest suburbs — originally built to house miners in the gold rush — now reclaimed by artists, visionaries, and dreamers. You’ll see raw, unfiltered Johannesburg here: graffiti walls telling stories of identity, resistance, and hope. Every mural has a message; every corner has a past.

*Troyeville
Next up, we roll into the quiet charm of Troyeville, a neighbourhood that feels like a time capsule. Home to political thinkers, artists, and activists, Troyeville offers a glimpse into the Johannesburg of yesteryear. Look out for the iconic Troyeville Hotel — a cultural landmark and meeting place for musicians and revolutionaries. The air here feels a little slower, the stories a little deeper.

*Victoria Yards
Tucked behind the railway lines, Victoria Yards is an oasis of creativity. Formerly a run-down industrial complex, it’s now home to artists’ studios, urban farmers, design collectives, and artisan makers. On weekends, it bursts to life with food markets, exhibitions, and open studios. You’ll witness firsthand how creativity and community can transform not just spaces, but lives.

*Ellis Park Precinct
We pass through the Ellis Park Precinct, Johannesburg’s sports epicentre, home to Ellis Park Stadium — a historic site etched into South Africa’s memory from the 1995 Rugby World Cup. But there’s more than sport here: it’s also a hotbed of urban development, infrastructure innovation, and street-level energy. As we ride through, the vibe switches to fast-paced and forward-thinking.

*Finale: Rooftop Sundowner in Maboneng
As the golden light dips below the skyline, we end where we began — Maboneng, meaning “Place of Light” in Sesotho. But this time, we’re seeing it from above. One of the neighbourhood’s rooftop bars welcomes us with a well-earned drink and a panoramic view of the city we just explored. From up here, the noise fades, the skyline glows, and the energy of the ride settles into satisfaction. You’ve earned this view.

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