Durban has the warmest sea in South Africa and the most relaxed relationship with it. The Indian Ocean here sits around 22 to 25 degrees for most of the year, which means swimming is a normal year-round activity rather than a summer dare. Add the largest Indian-descended population outside India and you get a city that eats extremely well.
The city is subtropical, humid in summer and mild in winter, and it is built along a long curve of beach with a working harbour at one end. Most of what a visitor wants is within a few kilometres of that beachfront.
The Golden Mile
The promenade running from uShaka Marine World north past Addington, South Beach, North Beach and on to Blue Lagoon was rebuilt ahead of the 2010 World Cup and is now one of the best urban seafronts in the country: continuous paved walkway, piers, skate parks, swimming beaches with shark nets and lifeguards, and a constant flow of runners, cyclists and families. uShaka at the southern end combines an aquarium and a water park and absorbs an easy half-day with children.
Recommended Stay · Golden Mile · South Africa
Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
Two linked towers directly on the promenade at North Beach, which puts the sand and the paved beachfront walkway immediately outside the door. Sea-facing rooms are worth the difference, and the location makes the whole Golden Mile walkable.
Where to stay
The Golden Mile puts you on the promenade and is the simplest choice for a beach trip; it is busiest and best around North Beach and Umhlanga-facing Blue Lagoon. Umhlanga, fifteen minutes north, is the upmarket alternative, calmer and greener, with the better hotels and restaurants. The Berea and Morningside, on the ridge above the city, are residential and leafy with good guesthouses and a short drive to everything. Ballito, forty minutes north, suits a longer coastal stay.
Eating
Durban curry is its own tradition, hotter and oilier than most Indian regional cooking, and the bunny chow, a hollowed-out quarter loaf of white bread filled with curry, was invented here. The Victoria Street Market and Grey Street area are the traditional heart of it. Florida Road in Morningside is the city's restaurant strip for everything else, and the Wilson's Wharf and harbour side is where to eat fish.
When to come
Durban's winter, from May to August, is arguably its best season: dry, sunny, around 23 degrees by day, and the sea still warm enough to swim. Summer is hot and very humid with heavy rain, and the December school holidays fill the beachfront completely and push rates to their annual peak. Book well ahead for December, or come in June instead.
