Free State · South Africa
Bloemfontein travel guide
Bloemfontein is a city in Free State, South Africa, home to about 256,000 people.
- Best months
- March to November
- Nearest airport
- BFN8 km · Bram Fischer International Airport
- Currency
- ZARrand
- Time zone
- Africa/Johannesburg
- Language
- Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho
About
About Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein, also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", as it hosts the Supreme Court of Appeal, alongside the legislative capital Cape Town and executive capital Pretoria.
Bloemfontein is the judicial capital of South Africa and the capital of the Free State Province. Bloemfontein was founded in 1846 and now has a population of around half a million people. J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, was born in Bloemfontein in 1892. Despite Tolkien's fame, there is surprisingly little commemorating him in his city of birth. In 1923, the African National Congress (ANC) political party was founded in Bloemfontein. Today, Bloemfontein is a compact city surrounded by sprawling suburbs.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Bloemfontein
See
- Boyden Observatory
- National Botanical Garden
- Naval Hill and Franklin Game Reserve
- National Women's Monument
- Anglo-Boer War Museum
- Choet Visser Rugby Museum
- Fire Station Museum
- National Museum
- Oliewenhuis Art Museum
- Presidency Museum
- SA Armour Museum
- Queens Fort Military Museum
Do
- Manguang Oval
- Soetdoring Nature Reserve
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Bloemfontein
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Bloemfontein are March to November. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; February is the wettest, with about 86 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Bloemfontein: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN), about 8.4 km from the city centre in a straight line; Moshoeshoe I International Airport (MSU, 136 km) and Kimberley Airport (KIM, 145 km) are also within reach.
BFN · Bram Fischer International Airport
MSU · Moshoeshoe I International Airport
KIM · Kimberley Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Bloemfontein
Eat
People eat early in Bloemfontein - even by South African standards, if you arrive at a restaurant after 7:30PM, especially on a weeknight, you may get some funny looks from the staff, and rushed service as they try to get you out the door so they can lock up and go home.
Stay safe
Bloemfontein is much safer than most other cities. You can walk around downtown during the day time (although it will be eerily quiet after the shops close). The Waterfront and other shopping malls are safe and patrolled with 24-hour security, and 2nd Street (the main restaurant strip) is fine day and night. The dodgy areas to avoid if possible are near the train station and anywhere east of the railway lines (where the traditional townships are located).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Bloemfontein: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Bloemfontein?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Bloemfontein are March to November. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; February is the wettest, with about 86 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Bloemfontein?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN), about 8.4 km from the city centre in a straight line; Moshoeshoe I International Airport (MSU, 136 km) and Kimberley Airport (KIM, 145 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Bloemfontein?
rand (ZAR).
Nearby
Destinations near Bloemfontein
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.