Durban is recognised for its well preserved art deco and Victorian architecture, particularly along Victoria Embankment and on the Berea. Many events, cultures and nations have shaped Durban and you’ll find more than a dozen museums that tell its unique story.
You can even pack in some adrenalin activities at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping
Go for an early morning walk along which is close to Durban’s main entertainment drag. It has a powerful wavehouse and an indoor climbing wall, which at 23 metres is the highest in the world. Plus, there are fast go-karts and a Tony Hawke-designed skate park. Stroll along the Umhlanga Rocks paved beachfront walkway and you may see dolphins surfing the waves just offshore. Or take to the air as a microlite passenger for a flip along the coast.
We call it Durbs or Surf City or “Thekweni”, which means “sea” in Zulu, and that suggests what life’s like here – one long holiday.

How to get here ( Search the Cheapest Flights )
Fly into Durban’s brand new King Shaka International Airport (opening in 2009). ( Search the Cheapest Flights )

Where to stay
There’s everything from B&Bs to world-class hotels.

Around the area
To the north are some of the best Big 5 game reserves, subtropical marine reefs and the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park World Heritage Site. To the east is the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park, also a World Heritage site and the highest range in Africa (this side of Kilimanjaro). To the far south is the rugged Wild Coast with stretches of uninhabited indigenous dunes and forest, and some of the best fishing. The province has one of the highest ratios in the world of area under conservation.

Attractions
Athlone Park, Durban.
Just 7.5 kilometres from Durban, along the south coast road, Athlone Park is one of the more upmarket northern suburbs of Amanzimtoti, close to Durban’s International Airport, and just before the start of the Hibiscus Coast - a firm favourite with outdoor lovers.
It was with the opening of a railway in Amanzimtoti and the arrival of a station master as way back as 1902, that Amanzimtoti first became firmly entrenched in the minds of South Africans as a holiday resort, and many a holiday maker headed to the over 7 kilometres of beach that is now home to, not only South Africans, but visitors from all over the world.
That life slows down in Athlone Park is obvious. The effect of the sea and holiday atmosphere that seems to imbue Amanzimtoti with a continual feeling of bonhomie means that one has little choice but to ‘do as the Romans do’ and follow suit. This is a place of white, sandy beaches, swimming in warm safe waters, renowned fishing, water sports and diving opportunities that are very seldom surpassed.
There are also some of the most beautiful nature reserves, including the Bird Sanctuary and the Umbogovango Nature Reserve just north of Amanzimtoti. Ilanda Wilds offers self-guided trails and a preserved riverbank area as well as picnic spots - a great day’s outing.

Berea, Durban.
The Berea suburb of Durban lies perched on the crest of a ridge above the city, an exclusive residential suburb, littered with an eclectic mix of architectural styles that include large Victorian, Edwardian, art deco and modern homes that bring to mind the colonial days of yore, and support the city’s epithet as the last British outpost in South Africa.
The views from this garden suburb with its wide tree-lined streets and Indian mynah cacophony at sun down, offer some of the most superb sea and city views in the city. The city centre is an easy bus trip, the beaches are close by, the suburb is renowned for its pavement restaurants and diverse mix of African, Indian and European cultures, and there are a couple of shopping centres here that offer easy and accessible shopping. Durban’s Botanic Gardens on the eastern slopes of the ridge that began as a site for growing experimental tropical crops, today offer a herbarium, an orchid house, a cycad collection, a garden for the blind and a charity tea garden.
Fashionable Florida Road that leads off the Ridge, south of Mitchell Park towards Windermere, is a hive of art galleries, restaurants and fashionable boutiques in a wash of colour and quasi-colonial, semi-bohemian lifestyle where, what began as a largely residential area, today is a humming commercial part of the city that deserves a visit for the restaurants, coffee shops and listed buildings.
And whilst you’re up on the ridge, take a trip to Mitchell Park, the tree-filled family favourite with a resident colony of tortoises, ducks and a wonderful aviary, although the coffee shop leaves a lot to be desired, rather head off to Florida Road or the harbour if it’s fabulous fare you’re after.

Bluff, Durban.
The headland known simply as “the Bluff” – a thick green belt that has a strong attraction for those who steer clear of the built-up beachside areas of Durban, Amanzimtoti and even Umhlanga Rocks - is a collection of suburbs that cover the stretch from the military base in the north of the Bluff to Treasure Beach in the south. The Bluff also forms the gateway to the South Coast with its many seaside resorts and other attractions.
The Bluff offers stretches of unspoilt beaches with dunes, rock pools plus favourite fishing, diving and surfing spots that provide sport and recreation for the adventurous. Ansteys Beach with its paddling pools and surf spots is popular with the local residents especially the surfers, body boarders and kite surfers.
Not only is it convenient to Durban International Airport (8kms) and a mere 20 minutes drive to Durban, it also has an 18 hole golf course, mashie course (miniature golf), yacht club, a bird sanctuary and a nature reserve. On the way to the Millennium Tower one can enjoy magnificent harbour and city views or a tour of the old whaling station, one of the last remaining symbols that remind us that whaling took place off the coast of Durban many years ago.
There is a selection of main chain stores to choose from in one of the shopping centres and a variety of restaurants and take-aways ranging from seafood restaurants to steak houses, pizza parlours etc.

Bothas Hill, Durban.
Not only are the views from up on Botha’s Hill some of the most spectacular in the country - it overlooks the Valley of a Thousand Hills - but Botha’s Hill is one of ‘those’ hills that invariably gets a mention when it’s time for the Comrades Marathon.
From the top of Botha’s Hill to the base of Cowies Hill, there is a drop of more than 500 metres in less than 22 kilometres - small wonder that the down run is such a challenge. Botha’s Hill was named such after Cornelius Botha who opened a wayside inn known as Botha’s Halfway House for many a weary wagon driver who made his way into the hinterland from Durban. Today in much the same position is the former Rob Roy Hotel, now an old age home.
A trip up here would be incomplete without a stop to look out over the Valley of a Thousand Hills, one of KwaZulu Natal’s best kept secrets, as it lies sprawled out beneath you in a carpet of undulating hills that invite at least a moment of silent contemplation. This part of the world is always cooler than Durban. The air and the tranquil beauty of the surrounds a consistent attraction to artists and crafters, hence the new 1000 Hills Experience Route, which follows the same route as the Comrades Marathon, taking one through valleys, gorges, forests, rivers and over a succession of rolling hills.
There are no fewer than six driving routes through the area - T1 to T6 are all well sign- posted - that take you through leafy towns and quaint little villages, whilst off-shoots of the route wind through Krantzkloof Gorge and Inanda Dam. The entire route is dotted with pubs and tea gardens, as well as gracious hotels and guest houses.

Brighton Beach, Durban.
Better known as “the friendly suburb,” Brighton Beach on The Bluff is situated between Durban city centre and Durban International Airport, south of Durban and is renowned for its world famous surf spot “Cave Rock”, unspoilt beaches and tidal pool. There are many rock pools to explore as well as excellent surfing, diving and fishing spots.
Dolphins frolic year-round close to shore and whales are often spotted in the winter months. The thick coastal vegetation is home to many monkeys and mongoose. The Bluff Nature Reserve has two bird hides that provide excellent viewing opportunities in addition to nature trails.
With protected open spaces and no high rise buildings to spoil the coast line, Brighton Beach still maintains an environmental awareness that has prevented this area from becoming another concrete holiday town. Situated on the outskirts of Durban it is a mere 20 minutes drive to Durban city centre, sports and soccer stadiums, Wilson’s Wharf, Botanical Gardens and uShaka Marine World. Also convenient for the business executive as it is close to the city’s southern industrial hub of Prospecton, Jacobs and Mobeni as well as the harbour.
Some of the other attractions are the Millenium Tower, a tour of the old whaling station, a game of golf on the 18-hole golf course or shopping at one of the many chain stores. There are also a variety of restaurants and take-aways in the area ranging from seafood restaurants to steak houses, pizza parlours etc.

Chatsworth, Durban.
One of Durban's biggest inner-city suburbs just south of the city centre, Chatsworth is a growing, vibrant and cosmopolitan home to over 450 000 people that extends over some 64 different suburbs in a mish mash of old and new architecture and a buzzing economy so diverse it ranges from spaza shops through big brand stores.
Chazzies, as Chatsworth is known, is a former township - an overhang from the apartheid era and the Group Areas Act that created Chatsworth in the late 1960s specifically for the Indian population - 'Europeans' were agitating at the time about Indian 'penetration'. About 7 000 Indians were removed from the Magazine Barracks in central Durban, joined by thousands of uprooted Indians from other areas such as Sea Cow Lake, Riverside, Umhlanga, Berea, Bellair and Cato Manor - all of which went on to become 'white' suburbs.
Chatsworth, as a result of its history, is still predominantly Indian today, although there is a healthy mix of African, Indian, white and coloured residents. It boasts a rich flavour of mixed Indian cultures that has given rise to the Temple of Understanding, undoubtedly South Africa's most spectacular Hare Krishna temple, also called Sri Sri Radhanath Temple.
Chatsworth's business community crosses the divide from tiny corner spazas to large corporate companies, alongside a large manufacturing industry and one of the busiest shopping malls in the country - over 1.2 million people a month shop here in the heart of Chatsworth.

Cowies Hill, Durban.
The quiet, leafy suburb of Cowies Hill, just outside of Durban, is, despite being an upmarket and rather elite suburb, notorious as the last of the five murderous hills in the down-run of the Comrades Marathon. This part of the run is where the battle is most often lost or won, and many a runner has succumbed to the lure of the downhill failing to remember that home remains some 17 kilometres from here!
Originally a farm, Cowies Hill was known as Steilhoogte (steep heights) and named after William Cowie who came to KwaZulu Natal in 1837 with a group of Voortrekkers to meet with the British to negotiate their settlement in the area. Now one of the most sought after suburbs in the greater Pinetown area, Cowies Hill has tree-lined streets and generous properties, as well as the advantage of sitting on the crest just above Durban - cooler temperatures follow the ascent.
Cowies Hill has abundant bird life because of the tranquillity and prevalence of trees and foliage, and is a quiet way of life whilst remaining relatively close to Durban and her attractions. You’re less than 10 minutes’ drive from the Pavilion shopping centre, Pinetown and the centre of Durban and its wonderful swimming beaches. Hillcrest, which offers interesting farm stalls, nurseries, country pubs including the Heritage centre and theatre and The Colony, is moments away.
The Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, just up Fields Hill near the neighbouring suburb of Kloof, offers a wonderful escape amidst waterfalls and the mist belt of Kloof in an indigenous forest.

Durban Beachfront, Durban.
Durbs by the sea’ as South Africans have referred to Durban for years is essentially all about her beaches. Practically every office and hotel block in the vicinity of the Durban Beachfront boasts a sea view and people head down here, particularly during the colder winter months when Gauteng and the Western Cape are each suffering their seasonal maladies, to warm currents and sensational waves.
Durban’s Golden Mile, also known as ‘the mile’, runs the length of the Durban beachfront in the city. It includes the promenade and starts roughly at South Beach and uShaka Marine World ending at the Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World to the north. It includes Battery beach, Snake Park, Bay of Plenty, North Beach, Dairy, Wedge, South and Addington and the added safety assurance of shark nets and life guard patrols.
It is the promise of gorgeous stretches of golden sands, separated by artificial piers, sub-tropical sunshine and the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, together with the reputation as a surfer’s haven that draws thousands of people year upon year. Add to this the array and fusion of international-class, ultra-modern and colonial-style accommodation that lines Durban’s beachfront and you can understand the attraction.
Amusement arcades, fleamarkets, numerous quality restaurants and fast-food outlets mean you are never far from your next meal, and other attractions like uShaka Marine World - with the world’s fifth largest aquarium, a water slides amusement park and the re-creation of a cargo ship wreck - the Snake Park and Mini Town combine to make a visit pretty much a whirlwind of activity and fun.