Probably the most famous street in all of Soweto, Vilakazi Street lays claim to two Nobel prize-winning residents – Nelson Mandela (who lived here with his then wife Winnie in the late 1950s and early 1960s) and Rev. Desmond Tutu who still divides his time between his official Cape Town residence and his modest house on the corner of Bacela Street.

A tourism hub and popular hangout for Soweto’s wealthy middle classes, the street is lined with busy restaurants and bars serving everything from traditional township cuisine to contemporary African dishes and streetside stalls where you can buy local crafts and souvenirs.

At the top of Vilakazi Street don't miss The Box Shop (7166-7176 Vilakazi St), an eye-catching cube of a building built entirely from shipping containers that houses a boutique chockful of fabulous local fashion labels, skin care products, and accessories and on the second floor, with a terrace overlooking the street, Kofi, Soweto's first coffee roasters.