Durban is an eclectic sunny city with palm-shaded sea front promenades and high rise hotels, mosques and temples. Holidays in Durban offer warm seas, broad sandy beaches and a lively mix of African, Western and Indian cultures. The city centre has many historic buildings, museums and theatres all within easy walking distance of each other. Durban is on South Africa’s Eastern Cape coast in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The city looks out across the Indian Ocean and has a six kilometre/four mile stretch of sandy beach nicknamed the Golden Mile. On the outskirts of the city there are wildlife nature reserves and sanctuaries. A Waterworld theme park and uShaka Marine World mean that holidays in Durban have a strong family appeal.
Year-round sun
Top surfing events in winter
A very wide variety of shops
Interesting and varied walking tours
Easy family holidays with everything on tap
Durban is safe enough but if you want to stroll around the lively markets best leave valuables in the hotel room.
UK and EU passport holders do not need any special visa for stays of less than ninety days. It’s recommended that passports have a minimum of twelve months to run to the expiry date.
The city has a sub-tropical climate with approximately seven hours of sunshine a day in January (28°C/82°F). The coolest months are July to October (24°C/75°F) with around eight hours of sunshine a day.
Flights to Durban from London take approximately just over fourteen hours.
Car hire is cheaper when it is pre-booked. Traffic drives on the left. South Africa’s network of roads is good even in rural areas away from Durban.