Nobuhle Modise

It’s easy to recommend things to do in Durban. Finding time to do them yourself is another matter. There’s the surf lesson you’ve been meaning to book, the museum you keep driving past, and the jazz venue you’ve only seen in other people’s pictures. For the final week of our sister station East Coast Radio’s Fugitive campaign, we’ve chosen five experiences that deserve a place in your plans. These are Time Out recommendations, separate from the Fugitive’s official clues. TIME OUT DURBAN RECOMMENDS: 📍 The best things to do in Durban🍽  The best restaurants in Durban🏨 The best hotels in Durban🛏️ Where to stay in Durban📢 Latest news from Durban Follow Time Out Durban on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok! To get the coolest news, features, and things to do straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Even a man on the run has to eat. And in Durban, grabbing something at a petrol station would be a waste of a perfectly good appetite. With East Coast Radio’s Fugitive on the move, we have put together the day out we would prescribe for someone with limited time and plenty of reasons to keep moving. There is coffee, culture, a little pedalling and enough food to make a second lunch seem reasonable. The route stays around the beachfront, city centre, Berea and Florida Road. Give yourself a day, leave room between stops, and let Durban do what it does best: persuade you to stay a little longer.

Everyone is looking for The Fugitive. We’re looking for somewhere to put our phones away, drink a coffee while it’s still hot, and forget what time we said we’d be home. Durban has plenty of places for that. Some are quiet enough to hear the birds; others let you wander, browse and eat your way through a morning. None of the places below is a clue to The Fugitive’s whereabouts. They’re simply worth knowing when you want a few hours to yourself. TIME OUT DURBAN RECOMMENDS: 📍 The best things to do in Durban🍽  The best restaurants in Durban🏨 The best hotels in Durban🛏️ Where to stay in Durban📢 Latest news from Durban Follow Time Out Durban on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok! To get the coolest news, features, and things to do straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

The school holidays are here, bringing all the usual negotiations over screen time, snacks and what everyone is going to do for the day. Durban has plenty of well-known family attractions, but this list looks beyond the first places that usually come to mind. There is something for the child who wants to jump, the one who would rather dig for gemstones, and the teenager who is unlikely to be impressed by another play area. Public schools break from 24 September to 5 October 2026, although dates may differ at independent schools. Here are some of the most interesting ways to fill those days. TIME OUT DURBAN RECOMMENDS: 📍 The best things to do in Durban🍽  The best restaurants in Durban🏨 The best hotels in Durban🛏️ Where to stay in Durban📢 Latest news from Durban Follow Time Out Durban on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok! To get the coolest news, features, and things to do straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Planning a getaway? We’ve found some of the latest accommodation deals and specials across KwaZulu-Natal, from September escapes in the Drakensberg to glamping in the Midlands and stays on the South Coast. If your next getaway has been sitting on the wish list because of the price, it may be worth taking another look. There are currently several accommodation specials and reduced rates available across KwaZulu-Natal, covering everything from mountain retreats and countryside glamping to safari stays and coastal escapes. We’ve rounded up some of the deals currently available, with several ending later this month or in the coming months. Rates and availability can change, so check the booking terms before making your reservation. Follow Time Out Durban on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok! To get the coolest news, features, and things to do straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter. TIME OUT DURBAN RECOMMENDS: 📍 The best things to do in Durban🍽 The best restaurants in Durban🏨 The best hotels in Durban🛏️ Where to stay in Durban📢 Latest news from Durban

A family holiday sounds idyllic until you hear the words: “What are we doing now?” The trick to getting the school holidays right is finding somewhere that gives children plenty to do without parents having to plan an itinerary from breakfast to bedtime. KwaZulu-Natal has several resorts where the activities are part of the stay, so there’s no need to spend every morning searching for the next outing. We've rounded up five options across the province where families can settle in, unpack and let the kids get on with having a holiday. Follow Time Out Durban on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok! To get the coolest news, features, and things to do straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter. TIME OUT DURBAN RECOMMENDS: 📍 The best things to do in Durban🍽 The best restaurants in Durban🏨 The best hotels in Durban🛏️ Where to stay in Durban📢 Latest news from Durban

Think you need a big budget to have a good day out in Durban? Think again. The city is packed with experiences that won’t leave your wallet feeling considerably lighter, whether you’re a visitor looking to explore the city or a local in need of a fun day out without spending a fortune. From its famous beachfront and buzzing promenade to its marine attractions and long-standing family favourites, Durban has plenty to offer at pocket-friendly prices. You can get out on the water, meet some of the ocean’s most fascinating residents, explore a miniature version of a South African coastal city or take in some of Durban’s best-known sights from the top deck of a double-decker bus. And with each of these experiences costing R200 or less per person, you can spend the day exploring without having to constantly check your bank balance. So, whether you’re planning a weekend outing, looking for something to do with the kids during the holidays, or simply want to rediscover your own city, here are five things to do in Durban for under R200. Follow Time Out Durban on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok! TIME OUT DURBAN RECOMMENDS: 📍 The best things to do in Durban🍽 The best restaurants in Durban🏨 The best hotels in Durban🛏️ Where to stay in Durban📢 Latest news from Durban

Durban’s Golden Mile offers a selection of world-class hotels. Behind the polished lobbies and welcoming smiles are teams working around the clock to keep some of the city’s best-known hotels running smoothly. At the helm of four Southern Sun properties along the Durban beachfront are four women who share a passion for people and the city they call home. Lettisha Singh, Nomfundo Nzama, Nicole Munro, and Portia Msomi share their stories with us. TIME OUT DURBAN RECOMMENDS: 📍 The best things to do in Durban🍽  The best restaurants in Durban🏨 The best hotels in Durban🛏️ Where to stay in Durban📢 Latest news from Durban Follow Time Out Durban on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok! To get the coolest news, features, and things to do straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Tourism in KwaZulu-Natal is often reduced to its beaches, game reserves and big-name hotels. But behind those experiences is a diverse industry shaped by people working across conservation, hospitality, cultural tourism and travel, and increasingly, women are taking up space in all of it. For Women’s Month, we meet five women whose careers could hardly look more different. One works on the front lines of wildlife conservation, another leads one of KZN’s best-known luxury hotels. In contrast, others build hospitality teams, create cultural experiences, and grow their own travel businesses. Their stories also offer a glimpse into the many ways visitors experience the province. From the wilderness of iMfolozi and the shores of Umhlanga to KZN’s battlefields, heritage sites and local communities, their work helps connect travellers with the people, places and experiences that make the province distinctive. Together, they show that there is no single route into tourism and no single way to shape it. These are their stories. Follow Time Out Durban on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok! To get the coolest news, features, and things to do straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter. TIME OUT DURBAN RECOMMENDS: The best things to do in Durban The best restaurants in Durban The best hotels in Durban Where to stay in Durban Latest news from Durban  

There’s plenty to catch your eye at Doppio Zero on Florida Road before the food arrives. Art is thoughtfully incorporated into the walls around the entrance, while soft finishes bring warmth to the space. The attention to detail gives you reason to look around rather than head straight for the menu. The Spicy Corn Riblets bring some of that personality to the table. Charred, buttered corn gets a dusting of paprika and chilli spice, with a lively marinade that makes this starter the standout of the meal. It’s the kind of plate you keep reaching across the table for. Alongside it, the Beef Bao combines fillet steak, sesame cabbage slaw, jalapeños, Japanese aioli and roasted garlic jus in a steamed bun. For mains, the butter steak with mash takes a decidedly rich approach. The generous amount of butter might give you pause, but the steak itself was well prepared. It’s an indulgent order, especially with mash alongside it. The burger with mushroom sauce keeps things familiar. Presentation is its strongest feature, with the shoestring fries giving the plate a particularly striking finish. Dessert continues in a sweet direction. The Cereal Milk Cookie was the favourite, pairing a choc chip cookie with cereal milk ice cream and sweet flake crunchies. The Velvet Nest is a playful little dessert, combining chocolate mousse, burnt butter ice cream and spun toffee. The beautiful space is a strong part of the draw at this Florida Road address. Start with the corn riblets, and if you’re s

For many people in KZN, East Coast Radio is part of the daily routine. It’s company on the school run, a laugh in traffic, and the song you turn up on the way home. Our sister station celebrated 30 years by heading out to meet the people on the other side of the radio. Four shows broadcast from four venues across the province, with Time Out Durban joining Breakfast at Humble Coffee in Windermere and Drive at Tyler’s in Umdloti. Carla O'NeillCake, bright yellow outfits and young visitors celebrating ECR’s 30th birthday at Humble Coffee. Humble Coffee on Lilian Ngoyi Road hosted the morning broadcast, giving the usual coffee stop a birthday twist. Hearing familiar voices over the radio is one thing. Getting to see the team at work in your neighbourhood adds something special to the morning. Later, we headed to Tyler’s for the afternoon celebrations. With Drive broadcasting from Umdloti as the working week wound down, it was a fitting coastal finish to our day out. READ: How to spend a day in Durban, Fugitive style Carla O'NeillListeners and the ECR team mark the station’s milestone birthday in Windermere. Platō Coffee in Shelly Beach and Yard 41 in Howick also hosted broadcasts as part of ‘30 Years Because of You’, the station’s tribute to its listeners. Three decades on, there’s something lovely about a birthday that brings people together at the places they already enjoy spending time. Happy 30th birthday, East Coast Radio, from all of us at Time Out Durban. Thanks for th

If your summer plans involve swapping Durban’s beachfront for Dubai’s skyline, there’s another flight option on the horizon. Emirates plans to add a second daily service between Durban and Dubai on selected dates in December 2026 and January 2027, according to aviation schedule specialist AeroRoutes. The extra flights will supplement the airline’s existing daily connection from King Shaka International Airport. The additional Durban departure, EK2536, is scheduled to leave at 12.15 pm and arrive in Dubai at 10.30 pm the same day. On the return, EK2535 departs Dubai at 4 am and lands in Durban at 10.30 am. All times are local. Boarding1NowPlanning a Dubai getaway? Emirates’ extra seasonal flights will give Durban travellers another departure option. For passengers leaving Durban, that means a lunchtime departure alongside the regular evening flight. It adds another option when planning a Dubai break or comparing onward journeys through the airline’s hub. AeroRoutes lists the extra flights in the week before Christmas and again from 2 to 8 January 2027, with a three-class Boeing 777-300ER scheduled to operate the additional service. The increase is seasonal, so travellers shouldn’t expect two daily flights throughout the holiday period. The morning arrival also gives visitors heading to KwaZulu-Natal another way into Durban, with time to get settled before dinner. Before making plans around the extra departures, check the schedule for your specific travel date, along with far

Lake Jozini looked almost too good to be real. From our sunset lookout, the water stretched between the hills beneath a softly changing sky. It looked like a painting, and for a moment, taking photographs felt slightly beside the point. Northern KwaZulu-Natal has plenty of scenery capable of stopping you mid-conversation. But a weekend in uMkuze offered something else to think about between the camera roll and the sundowners: what makes a place worth getting to know once you’ve admired the view? The Spirit of Zululand Weekend, held at Ghost Mountain Inn from October 2 to 4, centred on local maidens who had recently participated in Umkhosi Womhlanga, the Reed Dance. The hotel hosted the celebration in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority. Thuligraphy ImagesThe Spirit of Zululand procession moves through uMkuze. For a traveller, its appeal was the chance to give culture more room in an itinerary usually built around game drives and scenic stops. Zulu heritage belongs to the people who practise, share and pass it on. Spending time in the region offers an opportunity to listen to those stories where they have their roots. There’s more to the trip than the view A good weekend away needs something worth leaving the hotel for. In this part of KZN, wildlife and landscapes are obvious draws, but food, history and cultural experiences deserve time on the itinerary too. Thuligraphy ImagesA dance performance during the Spirit of Zululand weekend at Ghost Mount

December’s first weekend already presents a diary dilemma: Gagasi FM Beach Fest on Saturday, Sean Paul on Sunday, or enough stamina for both? Those dates are among the highlights in Durban Tourism’s summer programme, unveiled at Tyler’s in Umdloti on 30 September. Several are already familiar to Time Out readers. The launch brings them together with township festivals, heritage experiences and plans for celebrations stretching into January. So, what is worth picking out? The music dates to watch The strongest early December pairing is Gagasi FM Beach Fest at Moses Mabhida People’s Park on 5 December, followed by Sean Paul's Durban show at the ICC on 6 December. Elsewhere, the city’s supplement lists Usuku Lomshunqo at KwaMashu’s Princess Magogo Stadium on 28 November, followed by INK-Kasi Xperience at the same venue on 19 December. Afro-house fans also have Anywhere In Your City music festival to watch, scheduled for 19 and 20 December at Moses Mabhida People’s Park. These later dates give us more to watch as organisers release their line-ups and ticket details. A festival date is a starting point; who is playing, what it costs and how the day is organised will help you decide which one earns a place in your diary. Give the gaps between gigs some thought The programme also includes the Inanda Heritage Route, Victoria Street Market, Ricksha Bus tours and Point Waterfront gondola cruises. These are established experiences, rather than summer announcements. Of them, the Inanda H

South African motorists may want to fill up before Wednesday. Fuel prices are heading sharply upwards this October, with the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources confirming increases across petrol, diesel, illuminating paraffin and LPGas from 7 October. And this one is going to hurt. The price of 95 unleaded petrol will jump by R3.33 a litre, while 93 petrol will rise by R3.12 a litre. Diesel users are also facing a hefty increase, with 0.05% sulphur diesel climbing by about R2.84 a litre and 0.005% sulphur diesel by around R3.24 a litre. Sunshine SeedsBrace yourself for a massive fuel hike. How much are fuel prices increasing? Here’s what changes from Wednesday, 7 October: Petrol 93: up R3.12 a litre Petrol 95: up R3.33 a litre Diesel 0.05% sulphur: up about R2.84 a litre Diesel 0.005% sulphur: up about R3.24 a litre Illuminating paraffin at wholesale level: up R3.58 a litre The maximum retail price of LPGas will rise by 42 cents per kilogram, and by 48 cents per kilogram in the Western Cape. For anyone driving to work, planning a road trip or simply trying to keep the monthly budget under control, it is a sizeable jump. Why are fuel prices going up? A big part of the increase comes down to what is happening internationally. The department says the average Brent crude oil price climbed from US$87.89 to US$101 during the review period, driven by continued tensions between the United States and Iran, uncertainty around oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz, higher

There are shop openings, and then there are shop openings with Lucas Leiva in the room. Liverpool’s former midfielder made an appearance at the exclusive launch of Durban’s new official Liverpool FC store on Thursday, 1 October. For members of a local supporters’ club, the chance to share the occasion with a player they had spent years watching was reason enough to celebrate. Their delight was one of the evening’s highlights. The store itself deserves some attention, too. Beautifully presented, the Gateway space gives buying football merchandise a sense of occasion. The partnership with South African supporterswear brand Old School brings a premium feel to the experience, giving fans somewhere they will want to spend time browsing. Liverpool appointed Old School as its South African retail partner earlier this year. Nobuhle ModiseFramed Liverpool shirts, accessories and club memorabilia line the displays at the new Gateway store. For those whose wardrobes already contain several versions of the same red shirt, this could be dangerous territory. Beyond the kits, the range includes clothing, accessories, gifts and collectables, with an in-store printing service for personalising shirts. It gives KwaZulu-Natal supporters a dedicated local address for official Liverpool merchandise, joining the club’s stores in Cape Town and Johannesburg.  But a handsome store and a busy store are two different propositions. After seeing the space at the exclusive launch, one question remains:

Surf Riders has closed its South Beach café, ending one of Durban’s most familiar beachfront spots. For years, the café at 17 Erskine Terrace was part of the Golden Mile's everyday life. It was where surfers stopped after being in the water, families settled in for breakfast, dogs were welcomed and tourists found themselves right in the middle of Durban’s beachfront buzz. That is why the closure has hit a nerve. Surf Riders was never only about the food. Its appeal was also where it sat and what happened around it. The beach was right there. So were the promenade, surf lessons, runners, cyclists, families and holidaymakers moving through South Beach. It gave people a reason to stay a little longer. The restaurant has now left the site after its municipal lease arrangement came to an end. eThekwini Municipality says the property has already been through a new leasing process and another tenant has been appointed. The identity of that tenant has not yet been made public. There are also financial issues between the City and the former tenant, which the municipality says are being dealt with separately. For regulars, though, the loss is much simpler. A familiar beachfront meeting place is gone. Surf Riders became known for its breakfasts, burgers, seafood and easy-going atmosphere, but much of its charm came from the setting itself. You could arrive sandy, barefoot or straight from a walk on the promenade and it never felt out of place. The brand is not disappearing completely. S

The Premier League trophy is coming to Gateway, and Lucas Leiva is coming with it. For Durban’s Liverpool supporters, Saturday’s shopping trip suddenly looks a lot more interesting. KwaZulu-Natal’s first official Liverpool FC store will open at Gateway Theatre of Shopping on Saturday, 3 October 2026. Former Reds midfielder Leiva will meet supporters and sign player cards, while fans will have a chance to see the Premier League trophy up close. A DJ, raffles and opening discounts are also on the programme. Old School, the South African brand operating the store, says more than 2,500 supporters have already registered for tickets to the celebration. The Gateway branch becomes Liverpool’s third official store in South Africa, following the Canal Walk store in Cape Town and the Mall of Africa branch in Johannesburg, which opened in May. PSL Facebook.Liverpool FC’s Mall of Africa store opened in May, ahead of the club’s expansion to Gateway in Durban. For KZN supporters, the lasting attraction is having a dedicated local shop for official club merchandise. The range includes football shirts, clothing, accessories, gifts and signed collectables, with an in-store printing service for fans who want to personalise their kit. That should also make shopping for the Liverpool obsessive in your life a little easier. Shirts aside, there are mugs, books, stationery and children’s keepsakes to browse. Leiva’s appearance gives Saturday’s celebration an extra pull. The Brazilian midfielder s

The Pick n Pay Wine & Food Festival is changing scenery this year. On Saturday, 3 October, it moves to Sugar Rush Park in Ballito, where the lawns look like a good place to settle in for an afternoon of tasting, eating and listening to live music. Around 50 South African wine estates are expected, pouring reds, whites, rosés and bubbles. Your ticket includes a tasting glass and 20 tokens, which you can use at the wine stands. Tastings cost between one and four tokens depending on the wine, so take a look around before spending them all at the first stand. The stands close at 4.30 pm, even though the festival runs until 6 pm. Pick n PayA toast to an afternoon of wine, food and live entertainment at the Pick n Pay Wine & Food Festival.   Come hungry, too. The food market will have dishes including lamb, sushi and salads, alongside cheese and charcuterie. There’ll also be burger and pizza trucks. If sitting on the grass with a picnic sounds more appealing, you can pre-order a bag for two when booking your ticket.  For anyone keen to learn while they sip, the Tasting Room offers small-group wine and canapé pairings. New to the Durban event is the Mixology Theatre, where guests can make two cocktails with an expert mixologist during a 45-minute session. Both experiences need a separate booking and cost R150 per person, per session.  General admission is R350 and starts at 1 pm. Pick n Pay Wine Club members can enter from noon with the correct early access ticket, also R350. Ther

A pair of sandals can look lovely on a screen. In person, you can pick it up, try it on, and ask who made it. That small shift was the pleasure of The Social, which brought brands usually encountered through a phone into the Durban Exhibition Centre for three days of browsing, eating and meeting the people behind the stalls. Season 4 ran from 25 to 27 September with more than 120 brands and food vendors. The country club theme gave the hall its sense of occasion: fabric draped overhead, lights hanging above the aisles and displays dressed with as much care as the products on them.  Nobuhle ModiseFabric draping and woven pendant lights gave the busy exhibition hall its country club look. There was plenty to look at once the setting had caught your attention. Rails of modest fashion stood alongside accessories and rows of sandals, while food stalls offered a break from browsing. One display declared “She’s Off the Market”, giving the shopping weekend a bit of cheek. The mix felt broad enough to reward curiosity. You could arrive with a purchase in mind and still find yourself drawn towards something entirely different. Nobuhle ModiseBibi Aayesha’s stall was stocked with spicy pur and chevra among the weekend’s food finds. The Social also understood that a good day out needs room for more than shoppers. Children were accommodated, so families could take their time rather than make a swift circuit of the hall. That mattered to the feel of the event. Its premium styling invite

There are certain places we tend to reach for when someone says holiday in South Africa. Cape Town. The Kruger. Maybe the Garden Route. They deserve their place on the list, but World Tourism Day feels like a good day to look a little wider. Celebrated every year on 27 September, World Tourism Day turns the attention to an industry that is about far more than hotel rooms and airport arrivals. It is also about the people cooking the food, telling the stories, running tours, managing attractions and finding new ways to convince the rest of us to leave the house and see what is right in front of us. Magda EhlersSouth Africa offers plenty of reasons to explore beyond the usual travel favourites. READ: Durban ICC wins big in Africa as KZN tourism businesses take home World Travel Awards This year’s global theme is “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism”, while South Africa is marking the day under “Growing South Africa’s Tourism Sector in the Digital Era.” It sounds suitably futuristic, but the idea becomes much more interesting when you bring it closer to home. A traveller no longer needs a glossy brochure to stumble across a restaurant in a township, a hiking trail outside a small town or a cultural experience they had never heard of. A photograph, video or search result can put an independent tourism business in front of someone sitting hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away. That matters in a country where so much of what is worth seeing sits

Ask ten people in KwaZulu-Natal what heritage means to them and you are unlikely to get the same answer twice. For one person, it is the meal they can make without measuring a thing. For another, it is a surname, a song, a prayer, a place or a story repeated so often that nobody quite remembers who told it first. It can be the isiZulu expression that does not land properly in English. The family recipe nobody has written down. The outfit brought out for one important day. It can also be the uncomfortable parts of our history, the things we would rather not carry but cannot afford to forget. Over the past few weeks, Time Out Durban has spent a lot of time asking people about heritage for our series. Not always in those exact words, but the question has found its way into conversations about music, food, family, townships and the city itself. What became clear through these conversations is that heritage rarely sits still. The history of Heritage Day proves it. Before 24 September belonged to the whole country, it carried a particular meaning here in KwaZulu-Natal. The date was observed as Shaka Day in honour of King Shaka kaSenzangakhona, one of the most consequential figures in the history of this province. Shaka ruled from 1816 until his assassination in September 1828. During those 12 years, he transformed what had been a relatively small Zulu chiefdom into a powerful kingdom. He reorganised the amabutho regimental system, changed military strategy and brought numerous