Pietermaritzburg

Introduction

The capital of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg is also the second largest city in the province behind Durban. The city has many Victorian building (particularly the Parliament Buildings and the City Hall), tree-lined streets and decent museums. There's also a statue of Ghandi on Church Street who was expelled from a train here for not being white. This event has been claimed to have been the catalyst to his passive resistance movement.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Comrades Marathon

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

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

By Train

Shosholoza Meyl has the following train:

• 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

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

The best way to get around Pietermaritzburg and the surrounding areas is by car. Car rental is strongly advised. Major car rental companies in Pietermaritzburg include Avis, Budget and First Car Rental.

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

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.