Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg is a city in the center of South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province. The capital of Kwazulu-Natal, it is famous for its history and architecture.
Travel to Pietermaritzburg, visa requirements
By car
Access to Pietermaritzburg by road is easy, lying as it does on the major N3 freeway from Durban to Johannesburg. The R56 connects Pietermaritzburg with Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London to the south-west.
By train
Spoornet operates regular inter-city trains to Durban, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Cape Town.
The train station is on the corner of Church and Railway streets, on the south-west edge of the city centre.
Flights to Pietermaritzburg, airtickets
Oribi airport services flights from Cape Town and Johannesburg regularly.
Get around
Private transport is the best way of getting around. Car rental is strongly advised. If this isn't possible, minibus-taxis are cheap, but uncomfortable and occasionally unsafe. Some of the sights of Pietermaritzburg are within walking distance, if you don't mind trudging along for a few kilometres. Private taxis (cabs) can also be hired, but they are substantially more expensive than the minibus-taxis. The central minibus-taxi rank is in Market Square, which is in the Central Business District near the Natal Society Library and the City Hall. To get to the Central Business District from any of the suburbs by minibus-taxi, look for a taxi that is travelling to "eTuwen" or simply "Town". (There should be a guy leaning out the window announcing this loudly). Note: You DON'T want to go to eThekwini, which is Durban. You want to go to *town*. Ask the conductor if you're unsure.
Minibus-taxis have set routes, so there are a lot of places you can't get to using them.
The CBD isn't as safe as the suburbs. The area around the City Hall is pretty good, but I'd advise against long rambling walks into unfamiliar parts of it.
Pietermaritzburg attractions and sightseeing
The City Hall, which is in the CBD, is the largest red brick building in the Southern Hemisphere. It contains a large organ, and occasionally hosts concerts.
The Tatham Art Gallery (map) across the road houses some fine artwork, including an impressive and ornate clock on the second floor. You'll find a coffee shop on the third floor. Entrance is free.
The Natal Society Library is behind the City Hall, and has recently undergone substantial revamping, with a large new children's wing being built. The fountain and the square that it stands in is scheduled for major renovation.
Down the road you can find the Voortrekker Museum, which celebrates the Great Trek by the Afrikaner people into the interior of South Africa.
Further afield, Queen Elizabeth Park up on the hills above the city contains zebra, buck and the like. No leopards or dangerous creatures, so you can walk around and enjoy the park on foot. Make sure you don't get your food stolen by monkeys, though.
City tours
The nightlife in Pietermaritzburg is pretty limited. Two or three clubs dominate the scene. Crowded House (in the CBD, fairly near to the City Hall) is one of the most popular, playing pop music. Exclusive Lounge nearby plays kwaito and house music. For a more alternative scene, The Red Door out in Mayor's Walk plays alternative rock/punk music on Friday and Saturday nights.
Every year on 16 June the Comrades Marathon is held. The course alternates between the "up" run (Durban to Pietermaritzburg) and the "down" run (Pietermaritzburg to Durban). The distance you have to cover varies slightly from year to year, but is approximately 89 km. [Bruce Fordyce], one of the all-time legends of ultra-distance running, won the Comrades Marathon a record nine times.
Shopping, Pietermaritzburg souvenirs
Liberty Shopping Mall (which is far away from everything else) contains masses of shops, including specialist stores for a host of different goods. In town you can find plenty of shops that sell food, including fast food outlets. Their are also vendors on the pavements, although their goods aren't much to write home about. Downtown in the CBD you can find large clothing stores, as well as smaller Indian shops that sell anything you can think of. Fireworks are particularly popular around Diwali.
Pietermaritzburg nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
Hotels, youth hostels, lodging
Get out
Oribi Airport can connect you to Cape Town, Johannesburg or possibly even Durban. Durban is only about 50 minutes drive away, and Durban International Airport can get you anywhere you need to go (usually with a connecting flight through Johannesburg International.)
In the other direction the Drakensberg Mountains lie about two hours drive away, offering an array of outdoor activities, with plenty of resorts and the like dotted around.
Johannesburg is about 600 km away via the N3 highway. Cape Town is substantially further, about 2000 km.
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