The Gautrain leaves from a station built into OR Tambo's terminal and reaches Sandton in 14 minutes for R228, paid by tapping a bank card. It stops early, with the last train back at 8:50pm, and it doesn't serve the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill or Soweto, which you reach by Uber or Bolt.
What's the best way from Johannesburg airport into the city?
For most layovers, take the Gautrain from the station inside OR Tambo: 14 minutes to Sandton for R228 each way, paid by tapping a contactless bank card. Allow about 75 minutes from landing to the train, and leave Sandton 2 hours 20 minutes before your flight; the last train back is at 8:50pm. For the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill or Soweto, take an Uber or Bolt.
Getting through the border
Before any train, you clear South African immigration. O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) publishes no queue times, so plan on about 75 minutes from landing to sitting on the Gautrain.
- At the desk. Everyone entering South Africa queues at an immigration desk, where the officer takes your fingerprints and a photo before stamping your passport.
- Bags. On one ticket they go through to your next flight. On separate tickets you collect them after immigration and bring them with you, so pack so you can carry everything on the train and around town.
- A slow queue costs you time in town, not your flight: the time you must head back doesn’t change.
Who needs a visa to leave: visa and transit rules.
The options at a glance
| Gautrain to Sandton | Gautrain to Rosebank | Uber or Bolt | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To | Sandton, by Nelson Mandela Square | Rosebank, changing at Sandton | Anywhere, including the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill and Soweto |
| Time | 14 minutes on the train | About 30 minutes with the change | About 40 minutes to Sandton |
| Single fare | R228 | R240 | Shown in the app before you book |
| Pay with | A contactless bank card or a Gautrain Card | A contactless bank card or a Gautrain Card | The app, by card |
The car’s time is our estimate, and traffic can stretch it.
Gautrain: the best way to Sandton
- Finding it. The OR Tambo station is built into the central terminal building and opens onto the departures level, one floor up from international arrivals. Come out of arrivals, go up a level and follow the Gautrain signs.
- Which train. Only one line leaves the airport. It stops at Rhodesfield and Marlboro and ends at Sandton, so you can’t get on the wrong train. Trains run every 10 minutes at weekday rush hours and every 20 minutes in between; at weekends, every 20 minutes from 9am to 4pm and every 30 minutes outside those hours.
- The ride. 14 minutes to Sandton, where Nelson Mandela Square is under 5 minutes’ walk from the station. For Rosebank, change at Sandton to the north-south line: it’s 4 more minutes, and with the wait for the connection about 30 minutes in all.
- Paying. Tap a contactless bank card on the gate going in and tap the same card coming out. Foreign cards are accepted. Use the same card both ways: tapping in with one card and out with another charges a penalty to each card, more than the fare itself. Every traveller needs a card of their own, so a couple tapping one card through twice won’t work. No card? Buy a Gautrain Card at the station for R21 and load enough for your trips.
- Fares. R228 one way to Sandton and R240 to Rosebank, the same at any time of day. That’s R456 return to Sandton, and about R900 each way for a family of four, so in a group compare the price of an Uber or Bolt.
First and last trains
| Monday to Friday | Saturday | Sunday and public holidays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First train from the airport | 5:30am | 5:27am | 5:27am |
| Last train from the airport | 8:30pm | 8:30pm | 8:30pm |
| Last train back from Sandton | 8:50pm | 8:50pm | 8:50pm |
| Last train back from Rosebank, changing at Sandton | 8:34pm | 8:34pm | 8:34pm |
The last train from Sandton reaches the airport at 9:04pm, and the 8:34pm from Rosebank meets it at Sandton. These times come from Gautrain’s 2025 timetable, the latest it publishes, so check before you travel.
The early finish matters more here than in most cities. Coming back by train suits flights up to about 11pm. For a later flight, or to stay in town for the evening, plan to come back by Uber or Bolt, about 40 minutes from Sandton by our estimate.
Taxis, ride-hailing and pre-booked cars
- Uber picks up international arrivals in Parkade 2, in front of Pillar 2E. From baggage claim, take the escalators up to Level 1, turn right and walk past the shops to the parkade. The app shows the fare before you book.
- Bolt shows its pickup point in the app when you book.
- How long. We allow about 40 minutes to Sandton, the Apartheid Museum or Constitution Hill, and 50 to Soweto, with 5 minutes more on the way back. No official ride times are published, so these are our estimates, and weekday rush hours can add to them.
- Staying safe. Use an app car or a transfer you’ve booked, and check the car’s plate and the driver’s name against the app before you get in. Don’t accept lifts from people offering them in the arrivals hall. Keep your phone and bags out of sight in the car and on the street.
- Pre-booked transfers give you a fixed price and a driver waiting in arrivals, which is worth it after a late landing or for an evening flight after the last train.
We don’t list a metered-taxi fare: no official tariff for the airport is published, so an app car, whose price you see before you book, is the safer choice.
Timing your return
Be back at OR Tambo 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. With your boarding pass already issued and no bag to drop, that’s time to clear passport control on the way out and security, then walk to your gate. If you still need to check in or drop a bag, allow longer.
In practice, leave Sandton station 2 hours 20 minutes before your flight. By car, leave the Apartheid Museum or Constitution Hill 2 hours 15 minutes before it, and Soweto 2 hours 25 minutes before.
| Layover | Time in town |
|---|---|
| 5.5 hours | About 1.5 hours |
| 6 hours | About 2 hours |
| 8 hours | About 4 hours |
| 10 hours | About 6 hours |
| 12 hours | About 8 hours |
These times assume 75 minutes from landing to the train, 35 minutes into Sandton with the wait for a train, 50 minutes back to the departures level and 90 minutes at the airport, as in the itineraries. The car plans to the Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill give the same time in town; Soweto’s is 20 minutes less.