Durban

Introduction

Durban

© All Rights Reserved Nat and Ev

Durban is a busy city with 3.3 million inhabitants, situated along the east coast of South Africa in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. It enjoys a warm, subtropical climate and has some of the country's most popular beaches for swimming, surfing and diving. In 2010, it will be one of the cities to host the World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

Sights and Activities

City Centre

Francis Farewell Square is a historic square in the heart of the city, overlooked by the grand City Hall building, the Art Deco Cenotaph and the Workshop Mall (the centre's main shopping hub).

The Kwa Muhle Museum

Also called the Apartheid Museum, it's worth a visit if you are interesed in the formation of modern South Africa. It was originally built in 1928 for the purpose of controlling the local population under the Orwellian name of the 'Native Administration Department'.

The Beachfront

The 6km section from Umgeni River to the Point has lost it's favour among middle-class South African's of late due to increasing crime. A big pulling point still worth visiting however is the uShaka Marine World, a lavish aquatic theme park, with uShaka Sea World providing underwater views of many of the oceans creatures, including sharks, turtles and dolphins.

Events and Festivals

World Cup 2010

The big upcoming international event on the South African horizon is the FIFA World Cup beginning on the 11th of June 2010. One of the most prestigious and popular world sporting events, the World Cup 2010 promises to bring throngs of passionate supporters from around the globe. Held once every four years, it's a football tournament (called soccer in South Africa) where 32 world nations vie for the famous golden trophy.

Durban will be hosting some of the World Cup matches at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 70,000.

Mr Price Pro

Formerly the Gunston 500, the Mr Price Pro is one of the worlds longest-running professional surfing competitions. Anyone keen on doing their own bit of surfing while in town could do worse than head to North Beach.

Comrades Marathon

Held in June, the Comrades Marathon runs for 80km between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, and is run downhill towards the coast on odd years and uphill to Pietermaritzburg on even years.

Weather

Durban is a favorite beach destinations and temperatures are accordingly. Mostly (sub)tropical conditions apply with summers averaging around 27 degrees Celsius, winters (June to September) still being a pleasant 22 degrees. Nights are around 20 and 13 degrees respectively. Although rain is possible in every month, the summers are much wetter with 100 to 150 mm of rain a month. Winters only have a few rainy days a month.

Getting There

By Plane

King Shaka International Airport (DUR) is 35 kilometres north of the city centre of Durban, South Africa, and replaced the former Durban International Airport on May 1, 2010, just before the World Soccer Championships. International flights arrive from Dubai, Maputo and Mauritius. There are domestic flights from eight South African airports, including Cape Town and Johannesburg.

To/from the airport

• Car: The airport is accessible from both the N2 freeway and the alternative R102 road. There are about 6,500 short-term- and long-term parking places available and metered taxis travel to and from the city centre.
• Public transport: regular buses connect the airport to Durban centre. A direct link will be in operation in the near future.

By Train

Shosholoza Meyl offers a number of trains:

• Cape Town - Durban via Kimberley, Bloemfontein, Kroonstad and Ladysmith, 36 hours, tourist and economy class both once weekly
• Johannesburg - Durban via Ladysmith and Pietermaritzburg, 13,5 hours, premier class twice a week, tourist once a week and economy daily except Tuesday.

By Car

Coming from Johannesburg take the N3 all the way to Durban, whereas if you're coming from Swaziland and the north, take the N2. The N2 continues south down the Wild Coast, but turns inland on its way down to East London and Port Elizabeth.
Distances from Durban are:

• Johannesburg - 557 kilometres
• Bloemfontein - 634 kilometres
• Kimberley - 811 kilometres
• Cape Town - 1753 kilometres
• East London - 674 kilometres
• Port Elizabeth - 984 kilometres
• Pretoria - 636 kilometres

By Bus

Greyhound South Africa, Intercape and Translux all serve Durban from places like Johannesburg (8 hours), Cape Town (22-27 hours), Port Elizabeth (15 hours). There are also international connections to for example Gaborone (15 hours) and Maputo (15 hours), both via Johannesburg.

The Baz Bus is a bus where you can hop on and of and is mostly used by backpackers travelling on a budget. They are dropped off at hostels. There are three routes. One is running between Cape Town and Durban and there are two routes between Durban and Pretoria via Johannesburg: one via the Drakensberg (Drakens Mountains) and one via Swaziland. Keep in ming that the Baz Bus used primarily for foreign visitors, and is much more expensive than the alternatives.

By Boat

The Port of Durban is the busiest ports in South Africa. From time to time, cruise ships call at Durban.

Getting Around

By Car

The best way to get around Durban and its surrounding areas is by hiring a car. Avis, Budget, Hertz, Europcar and First Car Rental provide car hire in Durban.

Sleep

Budget

Learn

• University of KwaZulu-Natal
• Durban University of Technology

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

The SAPO (South African Post Office) is the nation's postal service. Post offices are open from 8:30am to 4:30pm from Monday to Friday, and 8:00am to noon on Saturdays. Domestic and international deliveries are reliable but can sometimes take up to several weeks. If you want to send something oversees of any value, try using one of the private mail services, like Postnet.