Tours in Pretoria

Come in October or November and the streets turn purple. Jacaranda trees line the avenues in Pretoria, and the blossom drops onto pavements and parked cars until the whole city looks dusted. Even outside the flowering weeks, the trees give the suburbs a calm, shaded feel that Johannesburg, a short drive away, does not try for.

Pretoria is where the government sits, and you notice it. The Union Buildings stand on a hill above the city, with wide terraced gardens falling away below them. Walk up, turn around, and the whole of Pretoria is spread out in front of you. It is the best place to understand how the city is laid out, and the grounds are worth taking slowly.

Across town the Voortrekker Monument sits on its own hill, a heavy granite presence you can see from a long way off. Inside, the story it tells is a contested one, and a good guide will help you think about it rather than simply recite it. Closer to the centre, Paul Kruger's old house is now a museum, and the rooms give you a feel for domestic life in another era. Church Square is the old heart of town, ringed by grand civic buildings that are best taken in on a slow loop.

There is more to Pretoria than one route covers. The Freedom Park memorial, the Pretoria Zoo, Melrose House and the cafés and restaurants of Hatfield and Brooklyn all reward a visit. If something on your list is not in the tours below, ask. A local guide can build a day around it.