Durban Beachfront
I have always struggled to answer the question “What is the best city in South Africa?” This question does not have a universal answer. What you think is the best city depends on who you are and what you are looking for in the city. How you view a place can be influenced by a number of factors, such as your background and current life circumstances. People of different nationalities, professions and age groups have different preferences.
The top three largest cities in South Africa are Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. I cannot talk much about Johannesburg because I have never lived there. I have only visited it three times. However, most of my friends who live there think Durban and Cape Town are better holiday destinations compared to Joburg.
Johannesburg City Center
There is no ocean in Joburg and it is not among the most beautiful cities in South Africa. However, it does have many tourist attractions and is a very vibrant city. The place is always teeming with people and is the largest city in South Africa. Most South African celebrities live there. Joburg is an ideal place for business. It’s where things are happening. Although there are many unemployed people in Joburg, the city has more job opportunities than all other South African cities.
For the past ten years, I have lived in Durban and Cape Town. I have spent five years in each city. It was always my dream to settle down in Cape Town. As a nature lover, I was fascinated by Table Mountain and the city’s natural beauty. So five years ago I packed my bags and left Durban for the Mother City. During my first year in Cape Town I had no car so I didn’t travel a lot. I lived in Crawford, a few kilometers from Hanover Park. I went to places like Canal Walk, Camps Bay and the V & A Waterfront a few times. I greatly enjoyed that and looked forward to exploring the rest of the city. During my second year, I bought a car, which enabled me to visit all the other tourist attractions Cape Town has to offer. Surprisingly, I wasn’t impressed.
Cape Town
The beauty of some areas in Cape Town can be exhilarating. It has several breath-taking views. The city center is also very clean. The place has many tourist attractions that can keep a visitor happy for a few days, weeks, or months. However, living in Cape Town for a couple of years is a different story. In general, it is the most quiet city I have been to and I found that extremely boring. Perhaps my being bored was exacerbated by the fact that I don’t drink. Some friends of mine who drink enjoy spending late nights at the clubs and bars in Long Street, the busiest street in Cape Town, and they think the mother city is the most awesome place to be in South Africa.
According to my experience, Capetonian life is a bit too slow and the people of Cape Town are not that friendly. If one is from Durban or Joburg, one cannot stay for too long in Cape Town without feeling bored and depressed. The beauty of the Atlantic Seaboard area seems to be the only main thing that Cape Town has to offer. When you explore other parts of the City, you realize that it isn’t really the most awesome place to live in here in South Africa. There are many informal settlements in the fringes of the city. In my view, Cape Town is a bit overrated. I have also noticed that its CBD is really small. One can easily count the number of high-rise buildings (skyscrapers) and walk around the whole city in just a few hours.
Cape Town is ideal for the elderly and the rich who want to live a quiet and luxurious life. It is a good place to retire if you have money. Couples on honeymoon can also have a great time in the Mother City. It is the perfect city for romance. Going to the movies and doing night shopping at the Waterfront or Canal Walk can be very enjoyable if you have the right company. However, to someone who wants to live a vibrant urban life I wouldn’t recommend Cape Town. I would recommend Durban and Johannesburg. I find these two cities much more lively and friendlier than Cape Town.
Nonetheless, people who love nature might prefer Cape Town over Durban or Johannesburg. Although there are many leafy suburbs in Durban and Johannesburg, I think Cape Town is greener than the two cities. However, Durban has the best beachfront in South Africa, with several piers extending into the ocean. There are many games that children and adults can play on the beach. Then there is the Golden Mile, a stretch of beachfront that runs from South Beach to North Beach. Taking a walk along the Golden Mile near sunset is a very awesome experience. Most of Cape Town’s beaches are natural. There aren’t any games one can play at the beach. So, if you want to entertain your kids at the beach, go to Durban. Among many amenities the city has to offer, it also has Gateway, one of the largest malls in South Africa. To know what your best South African city is, you should come and spend some time in each city. Personally, in my biased opinion, I think Durban is the number one City in South Africa.
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gateway is not one of the biggest malls in africa it is the biggest mall in the southern hemispere jhb has sandton city ct unknown
If Gateway is the biggest Mall in the Southern Hermisphere, then it must be one of the biggest in Africa. Cape Town has Canal Walk. It seems bigger than Gateway. The only thing that makes Gateway to be deemed bigger is that it has a large parking area. However, Canal Walk has more shops than Gateway.
Actually Gateway is the biggest shopping mall in the southern hemisphere and one of the global pioneers in shoppertainment malls including a water park and wave house, full Tony Hawk designed skate park, climbing rock, go karts, virgin active, theatre, cinema nouveaux, games arcade, kids fun-fare and action soccer.
Cape Town quiet?Have you ever been to Long Street or De Waterkant on a Friiday or Saturday night?
Those are the only places that have people. Long Street and Waterkant on weekends are the daily life of Durbanites and Joburgers.
I have lived in both Dur and Cpt and have to say that I love Cape Town but only as a tourist...Durban is a way better place to live
Been to all 3 as a tourist. Durban and Jo'burg are not attractive cities and the sea front at Durban is just like any other working port. No way can it compare to San Francisco. Cape Town is in a nice setting on the ocean but that big flat boulder ridiculously called Table "mountain" is unattractive and the backdrop is just a boring rocky outcrop mostly covered in fog. I went up the cable car and overlooked a town and saw the ocean. I was totally underwhelmed and Cape Town airport is a joke. Hobart, Tasmania, Vancouver and Santorini Greece are much more dramatic and when you compare Alcatraz to Robbin Islane, well enough said. Gibraltar has an interesting vantage from the top of the rock.
I'm not surprised the author was bored living in Cape Town. The weather is crap in winter, very windy.
Don't mention Rio to South Africans or you will upset them!
I think that when you have alot of boring arid scrub terrain like South Africa has you tend to over egg the pudding. Certainly not a beautiful country and its cities are nothing to write home about. In fact I thought Pretoria was nicer than the 3 cities under discussion.
By the way I am British but feel the USA has so much more beautiful and varied scenery overall.
I doubt that you had enough time to see all that Durban has to offer. In Durban, I think you only went to the harbour. Durban is called Africa's Miami for a reason. It's certainly not "just like any other working port."
Mr Dude
Who on earth says Miami is beautiful? Point made I think.
I can't see why you say what you say about South Africa coming from the British Isles. I just got back from that drab place. I live in, am from, and have 47 states of the USA. By far the western part of the US is the most beautiful, all countries have enclaves, but Cape Town is ranked and is one of the world's most beautiful places. San Francisco is unremarkable; the Golden Gate Bridge is orange, Fisherman's Warf has lousy food, and the housing is R-E-D-I-C-O-U-L-O-U-S so far as prices (maybe not for a Brit.) By the way Alcatraz is creepy nothing to write home about.
Walter, Don't appreciate you calling the British Isles a "drab place". Only idiots visit the UK in Winter. We have lots of history and some beautiful national parks like Exmoor and Lake District. Not as big as the USA but size isn't everything. Have you been to Cape Town?
As you say everywhere has its nice enclaves and indeed USA has some parts which are quite frankly ugly but I enjoyed the parts I visited including San Francisco. Maybe if I compare Cape Town to Rio De Janeiro you will see why I think the former is overrated.
Carole, the UK is perhaps the most boring country in Europe. I mean it's has nothing to offer! Funny you mention national parks, why dont you talk about the city since this is what you rant was about? If we are to talk about national parks Uk looks like a kidergaten garden compared to SA nation parks.
Stick to the topic and talk about the city scenery in the UK. The point is there are none! Just the usual imported high street shops starbucks, Mcdonalds, primark e.t.c - and on the weekend lots of drunken yobs spilling out of bars. Even London which is over priced and dirty still has a shut down by midnight in most places. This is a complete joke! A Brit complaining about SA being boring? This must be the funniest thing I have read.
Your opinion doesn't matter, because nobody was asking and you are jealous because SA has much more heritage than other countries and many people from overseas love this country that's why Cape Town was in top 15 most beautiful cities in world and not any part of USA!
So your opinion matters more does it little person? Jealous? LOL Jealous of what? You put your foot in your big mouth because UK has far more heritage than South Africa. Didn't we used to rule you lot as one of our more insignificant colonies? Read your history books before you show your ignorance.
By the way there are many review sites where Cape Town is not in the top 10 and Rio De Janeiro is. You have nothing like the Grand Canyon in S Africa. You have Sun City as your gambling show piece . Have you heard of Vegas? Your rudeness shows you feel threatened because Cape Town is overrated and has many more beautiful rivals.
I must say I found your comment extremely offensive... Of course a foreigner, a tourist who's never actually lived in Cape Town, Joburg or Durban, would be so crude towards our beautiful country...
I'm a proud Capetonian who has been all over the world: Australia, America, UK, France, Thailand, Germany & Italy... Initially, I traveled because I was unhappy where I was, and longed to see the "best" the world has to offer, now, after seeing a good portion of it, I can happily say that the ONLY places (that I've been to at least) I'd ever want to live in would be South Africa or Australia...
While I live in Cape Town, my mother's side all live in Joburg and we visit them frequently (around 6 times a year), so I know the two cities all too well. Cape Town is personally my favorite purely out of personal taste, everyone looks for something different and Joburg certainly has its pros.
I'm not going to slander your "beautiful" country as, by the looks of your comment, you are either an immature child or a very unprofessional adult. I hope most other awesome South Africans agree with me here in saying that people like you can stay in your country; if other South Africans had read your post, I'm almost certain you would no longer be welcome here.
Please note: My godparents and their son live in the UK, and I've been there (either to visit them or for other reasons) approximately 5 times; and might I just say that, in my opinion, it doesn't even come close to South Africa. Good day madam.
I Live In Overport A residential Place In Durban Not Far From town And Beach Let's say Its A 3/4 KMFrom The beach durban Needs To Build More places And Refurbish The Old Flats Atleast 400 BILLION Could Be Used To Improve The My City Were It is The Warmest Place to be From riyadh Khan 13 Years - Old
Cape Town is greener than Durban? Are you kidding? Durban is practically built within a jungle.
Yes there are many trees in some areas of Durban but in general, Cape Town is more natural than Durban. In Cape Town you can view the city from a forest in Table Mountain national park. I think Durban is more urbanized.
my dream is to go to SA
now i cant tell which is the best
The best is Cape Town. I come from America and traveled all over SA. My favorite was definitely Cape Town. I am sure you will love it.
my dream is to go to SAnow i cant tell which is the best
I mit say ol this cities ar realy interesting bt i hav nevr been in cape town bt i thck is intrstng too
Can you speak or write English properly?
Untill you can construct any proper sentence in Zulu, Xhosa or any other indigenous language, you have no right whatsoever to dictate how the man speaks or writes his English. It is not our first language and we have no intention of making it one.
I want live in South Africa and I was looking for some great cities like Durban, Pretoria, Joburg and Cape Town. Cape Town is good for anyone, and I think there isn't a quiet city at all. And Durban, a boy said to me that there is a dangerous city to live :( Cape Town should have a great population and nature.
wel i dnt knw sa yet but i wld lyk 2 be i durban
I have lived in Rustenberg, (about an hour from Joburg and Pretoria), Pietermartizberg (also about an hour from Durbs) and I have stayed the longest in Cape Town. All of the major cities have their merits. (Joburg is very cosmopolitan, has all the "money", very vibey, basically the gateway to the world.) The people are on the go all of the time but are actually quite friendly. Durbs itself has a few nice places. (a few shopping malls, a nice beachfront strip, the highlight def being the UShaka marine land, tropical vegetation.) and then Cape Town (good schools, a myriad of good universities, plenty of activities for every type of weather and a very good governance.) I find Joburg the most efficient city, Durban the most "summery" city and Cape Town the best city all-rounder :-)