Durban is well-connected to most of domestic destinations by flight and few international destinations as well. Transport in the city is fairly convenient as well, with local trains, buses, taxis, tuk-tuks and Zulu rickshaws plying on the road. There are inter-city coach services as well, connecting Durban to cities like Johannesburg.

Reaching Durban by air

The Louis Botha Airport, as the Durban International Airport is officially known as, is about 15 kilometers to the south of the city.

The few international destinations that it is connected directly to are Mauritius (Air Mauritius) and Swaziland (Swazi Express Airways and South African Express.  A recent addition to this has been the Emirates Airways, connecting Dubai and Durban. Other international flights enter Durban through Cape Town or Johannesburg.

A new international airport, however, is under-construction at La Mercy, 40 kilometers north of the city to be readied before the FIFA World Cup 2010 to be held in South Africa.

For tourists, the airport has tourist information center, exchange bureaus, bars and other facilities.

To get to the city from the airport, you could choose between the shuttle buses or the taxis right outside the terminal.

On tracks by train in Durban

The main central station of Durban is in the city center itself. Six weekly trains connect Johannesburg to Durban and there is a weekly service by Trans-Oranje between Durban and Cape Town. There is also the first class only service from/to Johannesburg on the weekends and Fridays.

There are weekly services to other destinations like Bloemfontein and Kimberley. By switching train at Bloemfontein, you can get in the trains for Port Elizabeth or East London.

To the suburban areas of Durban and for other nearby towns such as Pinetown, there are frequent commuter trains.

On the roads in Durban

A sort of entry point to the Kwazulu-Natal province and to the north Eastern Cape Province, Durban has regular services from all national carriers and other buses. There are new People-Movers buses introduced on the roads with wheelchair friendly ramps.

A number of reliable bus services connect Durban to its suburbs like the Berea. They depart at quick intervals.

Means of Public Transport

The modes of transport for getting around in Durban include buses, cars and metered taxis, along with the unique Zulu rickshaws.

There are public buses connecting all major points of the city. Car is another option if you want to explore the city at your own leisure. A number of car rental companies are there in Durban to help you with the same, wether you are travelling alone or in groups. You could also hail one of those registered or metered taxis. However, you need to contact them and call them at your pick up point as they do not rove on the streets.

The minibus taxis, or the “combi taxis” too operate here. They are interestingly decorated. They are cheap but not suited for tourists as they mainly serve the regular people to their work and hence have set route that they ply on.

Another interesting way of exploring the city and an experience in itself would be hopping on to one of those Bangkok-style tuk-tuks or the Zulu Rickshaws. In fact, riding on the rickshaws along the beachfront is major entertainment for tourists.

Alternatively, you could hire a bicycle or a scooter. A number of hotels and tourist hostels have these arrangements.

The tourist board offers as a selection of city walking tours. To help the tourist with all related information, there is the tourist junction in the city center itself. It offers tourists accommodation booking services for the whole of Kwazulu-Natal and other such services.

Touring the city of Durban is fairly easy. Not only it has plenty of modes of transport, the bus services here are better than in most of the South African countries. The tourist junction and other information centers for tourists make this city a tourist-friendly destination and hence, easy to roam around in.

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