Things to do in Durban
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Durban
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Summer: hot, humid and rainy, the sea at its warmest, and mid December to early January is packed festive peak with spiked prices.
Autumn: humidity breaks, warm sea and crowds gone after Easter; the easiest window for hiking, diving and city touring.
Winter: best overall, dry, sunny and mild with peak golf, safari and Berg weather and a sea still around 22 degrees.
Spring: warming and unsettled as rains return, whale season continues, and value is good before the festive surge.
What's on
- Hollywoodbets Durban July first Saturday of July
South Africa's premier horse race and a national fashion weekend at Greyville; book months ahead.
- Durban International Film Festival July, dates to confirm
Africa's longest running film festival, held in July.
- Sardine Run June to July
Sardine shoals move up the KZN coast, timing set by water temperature and never guaranteed.
- Comrades Marathon June, date to check
The marathon fills roads and hotels on its weekend.
- Diwali October or November, date varies
Celebrated at scale by Durban's large Indian community.
- Turtle nesting tours, iSimangaliso November to January
Seasonal turtle nesting tours run at iSimangaliso in summer.
- Whale season June to November, best July to October
Whales are a seasonal peak along the KZN coast through winter and spring.
- Zulu Reed Dance September
Organised attendance only; check arrangements before planning around it.
- Trail of Lights, Durban Botanic Gardens December, when it runs
The Christmas season lights event transforms the Botanic Gardens at night and is ticketed.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Durban
Golden Mile
Durban's six kilometre lifeguarded promenade for a sunrise swim, surf and a walk from North Beach to uShaka.
uShaka Marine World
A huge aquarium inside a recreated wreck plus a waterpark, best done at opening before holiday crowds build.
Moses Mabhida Stadium
The World Cup stadium whose arch SkyCar and Big Rush swing give Durban's best city and ocean viewpoint.
Victoria Street Market
About 200 stalls selling spices, saris and street snacks, trading since 1910 in Durban's Indian Quarter.
Juma Masjid
One of the southern hemisphere's largest mosques, welcoming respectful visitors outside prayer times.
Durban Botanic Gardens
Africa's oldest surviving botanic garden, a free subtropical reset with palms, cycads, an orchid house and a lake.
KwaMuhle Museum
The free museum in the former Native Administration building explaining how apartheid was administered in Durban.
Durban City Hall
The 1910 neo-baroque City Hall housing the free Natural Science Museum and Durban Art Gallery.
Where to stay in Durban
Umhlanga
first trip, best overall base
Walkable village and beach resort 20 minutes north, with restaurants you can walk to at night and private security.
Morningside / Berea
best in-city base, local life
Leafy residential Durban above the centre, with the Botanic Gardens and Florida Road dinners on your doorstep.
Durban Beachfront, North Beach / Suncoast end
waking up on the Golden Mile
Sunrise sea views and the promenade at the northern end, with fast access to the stadium and uShaka.
Durban North / Virginia / Glenashley
quiet, residential, good value
Green, family oriented suburbs near Durban Country Club and Beachwood, with little nightlife and driving everywhere.
Think twice about
- Durban CBD / inner city
Visible decay, severe street homelessness, drug use and opportunistic and sometimes violent street crime. Visit museums and markets by day with a plan and a pickup, and sleep elsewhere.
- South Beach / Point cheapest blocks and Addington surrounds at night
A more transient population, street drinking and a shadier night time feel than North Beach. Judge a specific Point building on recent reviews and secure parking.
- Isolated Point / harbour-edge and beachfront side streets after dark
The risk pattern is the quiet side street late at night, not the busy promenade in the evening. No hotel saving justifies basing there.
Best restaurants in Durban
Capsicum Restaurant
The bunny chow locals name first, at the Britannia Hotel; order a quarter mutton bunny at medium heat.
House of Curries
Florida Road's curry institution for bunnies, breyanis, roti wraps and chip chow, noisy and generous.
Victoria Street Market
Graze samoosas, bhajis, roti and Bombay crush around the market stalls, choosing queues and fresh cooking.
Patels Vegetarian Refreshment Room
A heritage vegetarian institution for bean bunnies, dhal and jalebi, open morning to early afternoon only.
The Chefs' Table
Durban's most praised modern fine dining room, with an open kitchen and seasonal menus in Umhlanga.
9th Avenue Waterside
Harbour side fine dining led by seafood at Wilson's Wharf; book a waterside table at sunset and order fish.
Bel Punto
Italian seafood on a terrace over the Umdloti shore, where South Africans drive for celebratory lunches.
Dukkah
Smart Durban inspired plates and cocktails on Florida Road, a strong pick on the evening grazing strip.
Outdoor things to do in Durban
Durban Country Club
A classic 1922 layout through beachfront dunes, consistently ranked among South Africa's top five courses.
Zimbali Country Club
Tom Weiskopf resort golf through coastal forest, effectively stay to play as a guest at Zimbali.
Mount Edgecombe Country Club
Two visitor friendly courses on a former sugar estate, the sensible serious round while based in Umhlanga.
Ocean Ventures
Surf lessons, SUP and kayak hire based at uShaka, an easy way into Durban's warm water beach breaks.
Xpression on the Beach
Lessons and hire at South Beach for beginners on gentle breaks and intermediates chasing the right tide.
Aliwal Shoal
World class shark diving on a fossilised reef off Umkomaas, for certified and confident divers only.
Sardine Run
A specialist multi day ocean expedition following sardine bait balls, dolphins, sharks and whales in June and July.
Tala Collection Game Reserve
A malaria free half day safari with rhino, giraffe and hippo, an excellent taster 45 minutes from Durban.
Best hotels in Durban
The Oyster Box
Durban's grand luxury hotel above the lighthouse beach, the splurge and special occasion pick in Umhlanga.
Beverly Hills Hotel
The original Umhlanga beachfront luxury hotel from 1964, recently refurbished, best in a sea facing room.
Radisson Blu Hotel, Durban Umhlanga
A modern business smart hotel near Gateway with a rooftop pool and bar and a shuttle to the beach.
Premier Hotel Umhlanga
A solid four star Ridge hotel at half Oyster Box money, with ocean views from its upper floors.
Protea Hotel Umhlanga
A solid four star village option in Umhlanga at well below the beachfront grande dame prices.
The Saint James on Venice
A small luxury guesthouse in a converted home on Venice Road, the boutique top tier in Morningside.
Southern Sun Elangeni
A full service sea facing high rise on North Beach, the default family and conference beachfront stay.
Southern Sun Maharani
The Maharani tower of the Elangeni pair on North Beach, with sea facing rooms and pools.
Is Durban expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ZAR 900 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ZAR 1,600 a person |
| Splurge | ZAR 4,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- uShaka Marine World: a few days ahead
- Moses Mabhida Stadium: a few days ahead
- Phoenix Settlement: a few days ahead
- Ohlange Institute: a few days ahead
- Durban Country Club: weeks ahead
- Zimbali Country Club: weeks ahead
- Mount Edgecombe Country Club: a few days ahead
- Ocean Ventures: a few days ahead
- Book weeks ahead: Chefs' Table dinners, Oyster Box high season stays, Durban July week, Sardine Run boats months ahead, and Sani Pass and Hluhluwe tours in peak season.
- Book days ahead: 9th Avenue and Bel Punto weekend tables, Aliwal dive boats, Big Rush swing slots, and Tala and Phezulu tours in school holidays.
- Check on the day: Moses Mabhida SkyCar status, sea conditions for cruises, diving and surfing, Sani Pass road conditions, and protest or closure news before a centre visit.
- Buy uShaka tickets online in South African school holidays and arrive at opening.
Is Durban safe?
- Base in Umhlanga, Morningside or Berea or the northern beachfront, and Uber after dark even for short hops.
- Do not display phones, cameras or jewellery on centre streets, and never walk deserted beach stretches or the centre alone at night.
- Keep car doors locked and windows up, use guarded parking, and do not drive township or rural routes at night without a local host.
- Swim only at lifeguarded, netted beaches, heed flags, and check beach status notices after heavy rain. Emergency and hotel advice that morning comes first if unrest is reported.
Durban travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Basing in the CBD for the price, which costs every evening in Ubers and anxiety.
- Spending mall time at Suncoast or Gateway as if it were Durban time; half a day combined, maximum.
- Taking the stadium tour when the SkyCar is down, which leaves an empty bowl.
- A township tour with no named community partner, community guide or locally owned lunch stop.
- Ordering a bunny chow hot out of bravado; Durban hot is hot, so order medium and add chilli at the table.
Getting around Durban: public transport and more
- King Shaka International is about 35km north: pre-book a transfer, use the official taxi rank, or Uber or Bolt. No visitor train or usable bus.
- In the city use Uber or Bolt rather than walking between districts, and use it after dark even for short hops.
- By day the People Mover bus loops the beachfront and centre, the promenade is walkable and cyclable in daylight, and the Ricksha Bus orients first timers.
- Driving is left hand with good highways, but watch for smash and grab at congested intersections, avoid night driving inland, and never leave bags visible in a parked car.
Who Durban suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Durban your trip
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