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Getting There By Air:

Durban International Airport (DUR)
Tel: (031) 451 6758.
Website: www.airports.co.za

Durban Airport is located 18km (11 miles) south of the city, and is linked to Durban by the M4 southern freeway. It is to be replaced with a new airport at La Mercy, 30km (18 miles) north of the city in 2010.

Airport facilities include tourist information, conference and meetings facilities, business center, shopping, restaurants, bars, bank and bureau de change, ATMs, post office, Internet facilities. A number of car hire outlets are situated in the terminal, among them Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty.

Public transport to the city is in the form of shuttle buses, these are operated by Super Shuttle (tel: (031) 465 1606) and Coastal Motor Transport (tel: (031) 465 5573), and depart from outside the terminal.

A number of taxi operators also offer quick and cheap transport to the city, among them A Hassan Taxis (tel: (031) 564 0734), Aussies Radio Taxis (tel: (031) 309 7888) and Boshoff Taxis (tel: (031) 306 6330).

Getting There By Road:

The main arterial road N3 runs to Durban from Johannesburg via Pietermaritzburg, the N1 reaches the city from Cape Town via Bloemfontein, and the N2 links Durban with Port Elizabeth via the Transkei.

Emergency breakdown services 
Automobile Association of South Africa (tel: 0800 010 101).

Johannesburg is around 570km (354 miles) from Durban, while Cape Town lies 1,600km (997 miles) to the west. Major roads are of high quality in South Africa.

Express long distance coach services run regularly from Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and other large centers, operators include Greyhound (tel: (033) 345 3175; website: www.greyhound.co.za) and Translux (tel: (011) 774 3333; website: www.translux.co.za). Services operate from the motor coach terminal, New Durban Station, NMR Avenue.

Getting There By Rail:

Durban is served six times weekly by trains to and from Johannesburg, and by the weekly Trans-Oranje service which links the city with Cape Town. Additionally, a first class only service runs between Durban and Johannesburg on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Rail services are operated by Shosholoza Meyl, the South African long-distance rail network (tel: (011) 774 4555; website: www.spoornet.co.za/ShosholozaMeyl). The main railway station is immediately to the north of the central city district.

Getting Around:

Public Transport
The eThekwini Municipal Bus Company was privatized a few years ago, and is now operated by Remant Alton (tel: (031) 451 4600), which operates a number of services in and around the city. However, there have been doubts cast over the reliability and safety of these buses, and it is recommended that visitors travel around by taxi, which is safe, and relatively cheap. As in other South African cities, traveling by bus does have its risks, such as pick-pocketing. Visitors are advised not to use public transport after dark. Currently, no special visitor tickets or passes are available.

 A network of local trains links the city center with the outlying suburbs and a number of other towns in the region. These are operated by Metrorail (tel: (031) 361 7609; website: www.metrorail.co.za). Again, it is wise to avoid travel after dark.

Within the city, an alternative form of transport is offered by Bangkok-style tuk-tuks, while along the Golden Mile a popular distraction for visitors are the colorful Zulu rickshaws.

Taxis
There are two types of taxi in Durban: metered cabs, which must be booked by telephone from a specific location, and the ubiquitous minibus taxis, which can be hailed on the street. These are often badly maintained, over-full, and sometimes dangerous, so tourists should opt for the former, of which there are a number of reputable operators, including Zippy Cabs (tel: (031) 202 7067; website: www.zippycabs.co.za) and Mozzie Cabs (tel: (031) 303 5787 or 0860 669943/ MOZZIE; website: www.mozzie.co.za).

Car Hire
Car hire operators in Durban include Avis (tel: (031) 304 1741; website: www.avis.co.za), Budget (tel: (031) 304 9023; website: www.budget.co.za), Hertz (tel: (031) 335 2570; website: www.hertz.co.za), National (tel: (031) 461 5223; website: www.nationalcar.co.za) and Thrifty (tel: (031) 462 5268; website: www.thrifty.co.za).

Bicycle Hire
Bicycle hire in Durban is generally arranged through the accommodation provider. A number of backpacker hostels in the city offer this service. Scooters, quad bikes and similar vehicles can be hired from Scooter Inn in the Berea district (tel: (031) 306 1616; website: www.scooterinn.co.za). 

As in all South African cities, care should be taken when walking around, and taxis or other arranged transport should always be used in the evenings.

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