Bloemfontein

With its name aptly meaning 'flower spring', Bloemfontein or 'Bloem' as the locals call it, is often referred to as the 'City of Roses' due to its magnificent rose-filled public gardens. A rose festival is held each year in the city in celebration of these magnificent blooms.

Bloemfontein is home to over a million people and is the capital of the Free State province as well as being the judicial capital of South Africa. The beauty of Bloemfontein's flowers stand out in contrast to the fairly harsh semi-arid surroundings found throughout most of the Free State. The Free State lies almost in the middle of South Africa, between Cape Town and Johannesburg, and it is therefore not surprising that many travellers find themselves spending a day or two in Bloemfontein en-route to their final destinations.

Despite originally being founded as a British fort in 1846, Bloemfontein is now predominantly an Afrikaans community where its residents place great importance on family values, quality of life and friendliness. The strong history of this town is apparent in the historical buildings dotted throughout the town with monuments perfectly preserved in the middle of residential suburbs or busy main streets.