Introduction
When to visit
How to get there
Where to stay
Hiring a car

Port Elizabeth travel guide

Port Elizabeth Tourism | Port Elizabeth Guide

You're Going to Love Port Elizabeth

With a population of 967,677, Port Elizabeth is the largest city in Eastern Cape, South Africa by the number of inhabitants. It is one of the most popular cities to visit in the country. We recommend you stay at least 3 days in order to fully appreciate everything Port Elizabeth has to offer.

When to visit Port Elizabeth

Port Elizabeth in May
Estimated hotel price
£64
1 night at 3-star hotel
Port Elizabeth in May
Estimated hotel price
£64
1 night at 3-star hotel

Looking for warm weather? Then head to Port Elizabeth in January, when the average temperature is 22 °C, and the highest can go up to 24 °C. The coldest month, on the other hand, is July, when it can get as cold as 10 °C, with an average temperature of 14 °C. You’re likely to see more rain in May, when precipitation is around 60 mm. In contrast, January is usually the driest month of the year in Port Elizabeth, with an average rainfall of 30 mm.

Data provided by weatherbase
Temperatures
Temperatures
Data provided by weatherbase

How to Get to Port Elizabeth

Plane

When flying to Port Elizabeth, you’ll arrive at Port Elizabeth (PLZ), which is located 2 miles from the city centre. The shortest flight to Port Elizabeth from the United Kingdom departs from London and takes around 24h 10m.

Train

The train station in Port Elizabeth is called Port Elizabeth Port Elizabeth Railway Station, and is located 0.3 miles from the city centre.

Car

Another option to get to Port Elizabeth is to pick up a car hire from East London, which is about 147 miles from Port Elizabeth. You’ll find branches of Firefly and Sixt, among others, in East London.

Bus

Several bus lines operate bus routes to Port Elizabeth, including APM, Intercape and Big Sky InterCity. From East London, the bus ride to Port Elizabeth takes 240 miles and will cost you around £28. From George, the ticket costs about £16 for a journey of 270 miles. The most popular bus station is Port Elizabeth Port Elizabeth, Ec, located 0.3 miles from the city centre of Port Elizabeth. Port Elizabeth Eldo House is also a commonly used station, and is 2 miles from the city centre.

Plane

When flying to Port Elizabeth, you’ll arrive at Port Elizabeth (PLZ), which is located 2 miles from the city centre. The shortest flight to Port Elizabeth from the United Kingdom departs from London and takes around 24h 10m.

Train

The train station in Port Elizabeth is called Port Elizabeth Port Elizabeth Railway Station, and is located 0.3 miles from the city centre.

Car

Another option to get to Port Elizabeth is to pick up a car hire from East London, which is about 147 miles from Port Elizabeth. You’ll find branches of Firefly and Sixt, among others, in East London.

Bus

Several bus lines operate bus routes to Port Elizabeth, including APM, Intercape and Big Sky InterCity. From East London, the bus ride to Port Elizabeth takes 240 miles and will cost you around £28. From George, the ticket costs about £16 for a journey of 270 miles. The most popular bus station is Port Elizabeth Port Elizabeth, Ec, located 0.3 miles from the city centre of Port Elizabeth. Port Elizabeth Eldo House is also a commonly used station, and is 2 miles from the city centre.

Airports near Port Elizabeth

PLZPort Elizabeth

Airlines serving Port Elizabeth

Lufthansa
Good (7,045 reviews)
KLM
Good (1,334 reviews)
British Airways
Good (6,845 reviews)
SWISS
Good (1,588 reviews)
Air France
Good (1,447 reviews)
United Airlines
Good (8,696 reviews)
Emirates
Excellent (3,217 reviews)
Qatar Airways
Good (3,564 reviews)
LATAM Airlines
Good (1,767 reviews)
GOL
Good (1,068 reviews)
Qantas Airways
Good (829 reviews)
South African
Good (32 reviews)
FlySafair
Excellent (113 reviews)
Cemair
Good (16 reviews)
Airlink
Excellent (67 reviews)
Show more
Find flights to Port Elizabeth

Where to stay in Port Elizabeth

Average rates range from around £37 per night for a double room in a 3-star hotel to £69 and up for a 5-star experience. There are also lots of holiday rental options in Port Elizabeth, with prices from £15 to £1,612 per night. Summerstrand is the neighbourhood with the highest amount of rentals to choose from. On average, holiday rentals in Port Elizabeth are about 41% cheaper than a hotel room in the city.

Where to stay in popular areas of Port Elizabeth

Most booked hotels in Port Elizabeth

See all
The Beach Hotel
4 stars
Excellent (8.4, Excellent reviews)
£57+
View
City Lodge Hotel Gqeberha
3 stars
Excellent (8.1, Excellent reviews)
£53+
View
Radisson Blu Hotel, Port Elizabeth
4 stars
Excellent (8, Excellent reviews)
£76+
View
The Paxton Hotel
4 stars
Excellent (8, Excellent reviews)
£56+
View

Hiring a car in Port Elizabeth

Hiring a car in Port Elizabeth costs £20 per day, on average, or £60 if you want to hire it for 3 days.

It’s generally cheaper to hire your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 18% cheaper than airport locations in Port Elizabeth.

Expect to pay £0.90 per litre in Port Elizabeth (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your car hire, filling up the tank will cost between £10.69 and £14.25. Compact (Volkswagen Polo or similar) is the most popular car type to hire in Port Elizabeth, while also 63% cheaper than other types, on average.

Hiring a car in Port Elizabeth costs £20 per day, on average, or £60 if you want to hire it for 3 days.

It’s generally cheaper to hire your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 18% cheaper than airport locations in Port Elizabeth.

Expect to pay £0.90 per litre in Port Elizabeth (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your car hire, filling up the tank will cost between £10.69 and £14.25. Compact (Volkswagen Polo or similar) is the most popular car type to hire in Port Elizabeth, while also 63% cheaper than other types, on average.

Car hire agencies in Port Elizabeth

Avis

Avis
Find car hire in Port Elizabeth

Port Elizabeth Travel Guide - View the KAYAK Port Elizabeth city guide for the best Port Elizabeth travel tips. To help you organise your Port Elizabeth trip ideas, this Port Elizabeth visitors guide provides travel information and trip tips about how to get there, where to stay, what to do, where to eat and more.