Bloemfontein means "Spring of flowers" in Dutch, and is popularly known as "the City of Roses" - a rather pretty name, that is actually live up to.

Hotels in Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein was founded in 1846 as a British fort, and today has a population of around half a million people. The city is located in central South Africa at an elevation of 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) in an area that is generally flat with occasional hills and a general vegitation of Highveld grassland. Bloemfontein means "Spring of flowers" in Dutch, and is popularly known as "the City of Roses" - a rather pretty name, that is actually live up to. The city is planted with thousand of rose bushes and other flowers and the annual festival is dedicated to the flower. Until 1994, the city was the sole judicial capital of South Africa. It remains the seat for the Supreme Court Of Appeal, and is therefore generally regarded as the judicial capital.

Bloemfontein has a rich history of British, Afrikaner and Sotho culture and is full of historic buildings and interesting architecture. The futiristic Civic Center stands in stark contrast to the historical architecture of the Fourth Raadsaal, the Bavarian style Dutch Reformed Church and the National Museum. Many monuments celebrate battles of the Anglo-Boer war. Nature lovers can visit the Botanical Garden, the stunning Orchid House or King's Park and the Bloemfontien Zoo. Much of the city's leisure activities are concentrated on the Loch Logan Waterfront and the surrounding areas. Second Street, north of the Waterfront mall, has the majority of the city's bars and restaurants. The Windmill Casino & Entertainment Center is another great entertainment location.

Bloemfontein Airport is just outside the city and a number of flights to major South African cities take off from here. If you want to drive to Bloemfontein, the distance from Johannesburg is 400 kilometers (250 miles), and from Cape Town the distance is 1,000 kilometers (625 miles). Bloemfontein has a continental climate with hot summers and frequent afternoon thunderstorms. The winters are cooler and dryer, often with frost, but snow is rare. 

South Africa Cities 

South African Cities	Tourist Attractions	Game Parks	Activities	South Africa Travel	Safari Lodges
Johannesburg	Kruger National Park	Kruger National Park	Photo Safaris	International Flight
Cape Town	Table Mountain	Kalahari Desert	Golf	Domestic Flight
Durban	Cape Point	Hluhluwe-Umfolozi	Beach Holiday	Car Rental
Port Elizabeth	Wine Routes	Addo Elephant Park	Diving	Train
Pretoria	Garden Route	Marakele Park	Surfing	Bus
Bloemfontein	Cape Whale Route	Pilanesberg Park	Hunting Safaris	Cruises
Pietermaritzburg	Blyde River Canyon	iSimangaliso Wetland	Fishing	Links
Rustenburg	Drakensberg Range	Shamwari Game Reserve	Wine Tasting
East London	Durban Beachfront	Sabi Sands	Hiking
Pietersburg	Soweto	Other Game reserves	Sailing