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Bloemfontein
About Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the provincial capital of the Free State province. This ‘city of roses’ located in central South Africa on the southern edge of the Highveld at 1400m, is surrounded by arid grasslands. It is a beautiful city with a peaceful atmosphere and an impressive architectural and historical heritage. Although Bloemfontein is not exactly a tourist hot spot, it is worth while your visit.
Local highlights
Explore the city
- See Botancial Gardens
- Visit the Orchid House with its astonishing colors
- The historical President Brand Street with various museums
- Naval Hill with Franklin Game Reserve in the centre of the city
- Loch Logan-for a braai or get-together
- Boyden Observatory
- Aventura Maselspoort
- Go shopping
Explore its museums and historical sights, such as
- Bloemfontein National Museum
- War Museum
- Women's Memorial
- City Hall
- The Old Presidency
- The Anglican Cathedral
- The Dutch Reformed twin tower church
Highlights in the vicinity
- The semi-desert of the Karoo with the Karoo National Park
- Visit beautiful Graaff-Reinet-one of the oldest towns in South Africa, with the nearby Valley of Desolation
- Mountain Zebra National Park-yes: home to the endangered Mountain Zebra!
Good to know
- No. of inhabitants: 645 Thousand (larger Mangaung metropolitan area)
- Timezone: UTC +2
- Weather: continental climate. Hot summers with January temperatures up to 30ºC. Cold, dry winters with July frost.
- This is the city where J. R. R. Tolkien the famous writer of The Lord of the Rings, was born.
Local transport
- Rental car
Inbound transport
- Nearest airport: Bloemfontein airport
- Intercity Buses offer connections to major South African cities
- Car: Bloemfontein is on the N1 highway from Cape Town (1004 km) to Johannesburg (398 km)
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