Durban

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Quick Facts

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Population

3,468,086

Time ZOne

UTC +2

Area Code

031

Coordinates

• Latitude: -29.853
• Longitude: 31.0164

On Travellerspoint

• 1 Durban Apartments
• 1 Durban Guesthouses
• 12 Durban Hostels
• 1 Durban Hotels

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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.

Neighbourhoods

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

Durban International Airport (IATA: DUR, ICAO: FADN) is 30km to the north of the city and handles around 2.5 million passengers a year. International flights arrive from Dubai, Maputo and Mauritius. There are domestic flights from eight South African airports, including Cape Town and Johannesburg.

By Train

Daily services arrive from Johannesburg. There is a weekly serivce from Cape Town, which calls at Kimberley and Bloemfontein.

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.

By Bus

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

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

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