Overview

Bloemfontein, means Spring of Flowers and popularly known as the city of roses, is the sixth largest city of South Africa and it is centrally situated in the middle of South Africa. The city is planted with thousands of rose bushes, which makes magnificent colorful displays around the city. This city is full of history, culture, beautiful scenery and beautiful people, where tourist can spend ample of time to explore the essence of this city.

Bloemfontein is the judicial capital of Free State of South Africa and lies on the main road and it has rail and air links between north and south, east and west. Bloemfontein city has enormous recreational and entertainment facilities which include public parks, swimming pools, sports fields, a game reserve and a zoo, where tourist can make their trip more memorable.

Top Tourist Attraction in Bloemfontein

Apart from the roses, Bloemfontein has large number of tourist attractions around the city, which give glimpse the beauty of city to the tourist around the world. Some of most visited and popular tourist attraction in Bloemfontein includes:

Naval Hill:

Naval Hill is an extremely popular hill that provides an excellent observation point with splendid views of the city. Here you can also see the famous Franklin Game Reserve which is also part of the hill.

Franklin Nature Reserve:

Franklin nature reserve is the only wildlife shelter in the world which lies in the municipal boundaries of any city. The game reserve has a main loop road and a number of hiking trails from parking sites, as well as some spectacular views of the city.

Botanical Gardens:

Bloemfontein offer visitors an opportunity to relax in a natural environment surrounded by beautiful vegetation. Botanical Garden covers 70 hectares of the land, which include includes woodland and grassland, as well as a wide variety of animal life. This garden is a good place to spend a leisure time with family where the kids get ample space to play.

Things to do in Bloemfontein

There are plenty of things to do for those who enjoy nature, history and art and culture. Bloemfontein is also the birthplace of JRR Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Anglo Boer War Museum and Battlefields:

The museum introduces the visitor to interesting role players, such as Emily Hobhouse, the British activist who alerted her countrymen to the mistreatment of Afrikaner women and children and Mahatma Ghandi, the secretary of the Natal Indian Congress who motivated the use of Indian volunteers as stretcher bearers for the British.

Bloemfontein Zoo:

A visit to the Bloemfontein Zoo is the perfect opportunity for tourist to learn about some of the wildlife in South Africa. You can walk around the grounds which cover an area of approximately 15 hectares and see a variety of animals which include over 65 mammal species and a large variety of birds.

Loch Logan Waterfront:

The Loch Logan Waterfront is the largest shopping centre in central South Africa. This 80 000 m² shopping centre is the hub of shopping, entertainment, sport and culture in Bloemfontein, with more than 100 shops, 17 restaurants and coffee shops, 10 fast food outlets, movies, salons, banks, a gym and a medical centre.

Festivals and Events in Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein offers throughout the year a host of festivals, shows and events, attracting thousands of spectators, visitors, and exhibitors from all over South Africa, even internationally.

Some of most famous events are:

Bloemfontein Rose Festival:

The City of Roses holds the annual Rose Festival in the month of October. With over 15 000 roses are display around the city and it attracts thousands of visitors and rose lovers from across South Africa and the world to experience and participate in this exhibition of roses.

Mangaung African Cultural Festival:

The festival takes place annually in the month of September and October and performers from all over the world come to participate. The ten day festival showcases international as well as African talent in music, theatre, crafts and recreation as to develop artists in all disciplines and to give exposure to new and unknown artists.

Macufe Festival:

This festival is being held from 3 October 2010 to 12 October 2010 in Bloemfontein. This 10-day long festival includes features jazz, gospel, hip-hop, rock and classical music, as well as dance, drama, musical theatre, poetry, fine art and traditional arts and crafts.

Hotels and Accommodation in Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein accommodation options include hotels, lodges, guest houses, bed and breakfast and self catering accommodation including holiday homes, apartment rentals and suites. These all type of accommodation includes every facility which a traveler may need. Some details of popular accommodations in Bloemfontein are given below.

Southern Sun Bloemfontein Hotel:

This hotel has a total of 147 rooms. The breakfast room at the Southern Sun Bloemfontein provides continental and buffet breakfasts daily.

The Urban Hotel :

The Urban Hotel is one of the most affordable hotels in Bloemfontein with very high service standards. The contemporary interior of the hotel is especially designed to meet the needs of a business traveler. The Urban Hotel has 60 bedrooms, all en-suite.

At Home Guest house:

At Home Guest house is a 4 star Tourism Grading Council graded facility which offers modern, spacious accommodation with a warm atmosphere, where you'll feel at home. At Home Guest House is ideal for business persons as well as leisure travelers.

Getting in & around Bloemfontein

By Air:

A small airport operates regional flights to and from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town on South African Express and South African Airways.

By Road:

Bloemfontein is located where a number of major highways meet including the N1 between Johannesburg and Cape Town. It's about a 4 hour drive from Johannesburg, 10 hours from Cape Town, and 7 hours from Durban. You can either drive into Bloemfontein by renting a car or by catching a bus on the Translux, Greyhound, Intercape Mainliner or big sky buses to reach from various destinations.

Getting Around:

You can travel around the city by hiring a cab. You can even take car on rent and return when your trip is over. Buses are also a convenient option.

When to visit

The best time to visit Bloemfontein is during the spring and autumn season (September-October and April-May). The weather during these months remains sunny and pleasant. Visit Bloemfontein during September/October for Mangaung African Cultural Festival. This popular event celebrates the performances and musical shows from International artists accompanied by theatre and cultural events.

Best Time to Book Cheap Flights to Bloemfontein

The best time to book cheap flights to Bloemfontein, South Africa in off season, for that you have to reserve your cheap fares in advance booking by paying a small deposit of 100. You can also search your cheap flights by our search engine tool, where you can find all type of fare with your favorite airlines.

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