Port Elizabeth travel guide

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Port Elizabeth is South Africa's second oldest city and also the commercial capital of the Eastern Cape. It is located on the South Eastern Coast of South Africa. It is one of the major seaports and tourist destination and is fondly known as the "Friendly City". The town has numerous golden beaches, each with its own attractions and activities and wonderful shopping plazas. It is an excellent holiday Mecca, totally away from the hustle- bustle of the life having perfect weather and locations to relax.

Fast Facts

Port Elizabeth is the plethora of tourists attractions and hangouts. The town has wide assortment of places to visit that will surely leave you spell bound.

The most popular attraction is the beachfront that includes the Oceanarium, a museum, and a snake park.

• The Bayworld Oceanarium : - The Bayworld Oceanarium is popular amongst thousands of people for its Bottlenose dolphin shows. Besides this, there is also an aquarium tank where the visitors can watch a vast array of marine life through glass portholes.
• The Snake Park : - The Snake Park contains remarkable variety of indigenous reptiles in their natural habitat.
• The Museum : - The Museum exhibits the rich cultural and natural history of the town by displaying some of the notable models of sailing ships and giant replicas of dinosaurs that roamed here.
• Grahamstown : - Grahamstown is located in the northeast of Port Elizabeth, is presided over, from the top of Gunfire Hill, by the 1820 Settler's National Monument, an arts and theater complex.
• Addo Elephant Park : - Addo Elephant Park is a well known game reserve in the Port Elizabeth where there is more than 300 varieties of elephants.
• St George's Park : - St George's Park is a recreational center for the city boasting of awe-inspiring landscapes and beautiful surrounding gardens.

When the sun dips and stars glitter in Port Elizabeth, the rollicking frolicking fun starts. At night, the city is adorned with colorful bright lights and the rocking music setting everyone to its tunes. Local bands and local artists entertain people at various venues like beachfront pubs, cocktail bars, nightclubs and discos etc.

Port Elizabeth's varied cultures guarantees a awe-some fusion of tastes and aromas!

The city has a wide choice of good but inexpensive restaurants. The beachfront and central area of the city is densely packed with eating places. The tourists can try the local gourmet dishes or savor Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Curry, Greek, Mexican, Portuguese delicacies. Some of the known eateries are : -

√ The Bell : - The Bell serves the finest variety wines with the delicious seafood.

√ De Kelder Seafood Restaurant & Grill : - This restaurant not only serves the best to its customers but also has a peaceful atmosphere so that people have an excellent time.

√ 34° South : - It is an ideal place for dining. It scores high on both quality as well as quantity in serving the food.

√ Blue Waters Cafe : - Blue Waters Cafe holds a wonderful view of Algoa Bay from the terrace and from inside. It's the hot spot as people relish the food in the natural surroundings.

Port Elizabeth all together offers a complete but unique shopping experience. It has all- flea markets, African crafts and antiques, up market boutiques and malls etc. Below are few acknowledged shopping destinations like : -

The Bridge Shopping & Entertainment Centre

Greenacres Shopping Centre

Walmer Park Shopping & Entertainment Centre

Walmer Park Shopping & Entertainment Centre

Port Elizabeth has a wealth of sports and activities. Its coastal location also makes it an ideal base for many water sports. The city is the water-sport capital of South Africa so enjoy yachting, boat cruises, windsurfing, diving, river rafting etc. If you want to keep yourself dry then there's hiking, trekking, mountain biking and more. Here are some of the most popular sports in Port Elizabeth : -

→ Diving : - discover the wonderful new world below the sea. Port Elizabeth offers one of the best dives in South Africa.

→ Wind surfing : - Algoa Bay in Port Elizabeth has the best boardsailing conditions in South Africa.

→ Sailing/Yachting : - experience one of the best sailing venues in the world in Port Elizabeth.

→ River rafting/Canoeing : - several rivers are there for exploring rafting and canoeing adventure.

→ Fishing/Angling : - Algoa Bay is popular spot for deep-sea angling, fishing and surfing.

Port Elizabeth's top attractions are Horse riding, Hot-air ballooning, Golf, Football, Rugby and so on. The city offers you some of the life-long breath taking outdoor experiences.

Port Elizabeth has a very well developed transport system. The city is visited regularly by a large number of tourists each year. The public transport of the city is very efficient and connects all major parts of the city. The principal means of transport is the minibus taxi which will take you around inside the city. The bus service is also available for traveling but is very erratic and unreliable with changing schedules. Metered taxis are a good option but are fairly expensive.

Hiring a car is the easiest choice to tour around.

Port Elizabeth Airport is the major airport that serves the city of Port Elizabeth. Currently the airport has facilities for only domestic flights but soon it will serve international flights as well. The airport is also used for cargo flights.

Elizabeth is well connected with most major cities is South Africa like Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban etc. Several airlines fly from Port Elizabeth to various cities in South Africa.