General
Most tourists to the Eastern Cape and/or Garden Route arrive in, or end their journeys, at Port Elizabeth. It is known affectionately by the abbreviated form of "PE" and is also called "the friendly city". Being a coastal city the wind can blow fiercely on bad weather days and thus a less enduring term for PE is "the windy city"... Recently the city fathers decided to name the larger PE area, which includes nearby Uitenhage and Despatch, "Nelson Mandela Bay". In this way the Icon that is Nelson Mandela, who grew up in the Eastern Cape, is being honoured and wonders is being done for the city's marketing initiatives!

Port Elizabeth, located on the southern shore of Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa (763 km east of Cape Town), is a port city and also the industrial powerhouse of the province. It is South Africa's fifth largest city in terms of population (±1.5 million inhabitants). The predominant languages of the city's residents are English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. While the city occupies an important place in the province and South Africa's history its main tourism function is that of transport hub. It lies on the N2 ("National Route 2") coastal highway and Port Elizabeth International Airport is a smallish, but well served, domestic airport. PE also offer great city-beaches and is a good base from which to explore the region.

Climate
The city has a moderate climate year round, with sea temperatures ranging from 16 degrees C in winter to 23 degrees C in summer. From approx. October until May the city experiences a comparatively dry and warm summer, with relatively low humidity. Winters, which are from approx. June until September, are mild. The average temperature for summer and winter are 25 degrees and 17 degrees C respectively. A temperate all year round rainfall is common.

Architecture
Port Elizabeth is a leading centre, in South Africa, of Art Nouveau architecture due to her European heritage. Many older buildings in the city centre thus display the intricate stonework, wrought iron and stained glass of that era. Combinations of Art Nouveau and Colonial styles are seen in houses along Cape Road. Along with the Victorian and Edwardian styles resulting from the arrival of the 1820 British Settlers, Port Elizabeth also boasts a collection of Cape Dutch style architecture, with the symbolic gables and timber finish typical of the era. Although influenced by Dutch architecture, the Cape Dutch style is unique to South Africa and examples of it are seen all over the Eastern and Western Cape.

The Beachfront and Harbour
Port Elizabeth's tourist attractions include eco-attractions, scenic nature trails, historic heritage, magnificent wildlife (close by), cultural experiences and water sport activities. The city's main attraction is its family friendly beaches, well served by various beachfront hotels and self-catering apartments. Another favourite tourist attraction is Bayworld, which incorporates a cultural and natural history museum, a dolphinarium, a snake park as well as the Number 7 Castle Hill Museum (see below).

The Apple Express, a restored steam train, departs from behind the harbour at scheduled times. Passengers enjoy a scenic return day-trip to the village of Thornhill, en-route passing over the highest narrow-gauge railway bridge in the world - Van Staden's River Bridge.

Just of Hobie Beach, The Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World includes a casino with more than 700 slot machines and 20 gaming tables, a manmade lake, a fun park, a cineplex (movie house) and various lakeside restaurants. It is located within walking distance of various quality beachfront hotels.

Museums
No 7 Castle Hill was completed in 1830 and is one of the oldest surviving British Settler cottages in Port Elizabeth. The Prince Alfred's Guard Museum is housed in the restored Victorian Drill Hall (1880) - the building is a National Monument. The Museum is a mixture of a military and regimental museum. The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum (formerly the King George VI Art Gallery) is a municipal museum opened in 1956. Collections consist of British art, international printmaking, South African art (particularly that of the Eastern Cape), and Oriental art (including Indian miniatures and Chinese textiles).

The Jewish Pioneers' Memorial Museum is housed in the original Raleigh Street synagogue (1912) and is only open on Sundays. It features a collection of memorabilia, ceremonial items, historical photographic displays and a Jewish ex-servicemen's memorial. The Port Elizabeth Branch of the South African Air Force Museum used to be located near Port Elizabeth International Airport, while still listed in many travel guides and websites it has in fact closed. However, if you are an aircraft enthusiast follow the above link where internet resources are listed, which covers the remaining branches of the Museum. The St Croix Motor Museum is a private collection of vintage and classic vehicles dating back to the early 1900's.

The City Centre
Shopping centres and other retail vendors have mostly moved to the suburbs (a trend throughout South Africa). However, many of the city's historical sites are located in its old centre. These are mostly monuments or architectural sites (see above). The well laid-out Donkin Heritage Trail links places of historical interest in the central city area. This includes various memorials, No 7 Castle Hill Museum (the oldest surviving Settler cottage dwelling in the city), the colonial era City Hall (a national monument) and the Main Public Library (Victorian Gothic architecture). While the Heritage Trail could be explored on your own on a walking tour making use of a tourist guide will add a lot of value to the experience.

Theatre, art & culture
Located in the Eastern Cape, Port Elizabeth finds itself in the region where a great mix of cultures first encountered each other - this includes Khoisan, British, Dutch, German and Xhosa peoples. Thus it has a rich heritage of different cultural products, as well as the fusion between them all. Africa Deluxe Tours gladly arranges for its clients to attend concerts or view exhibitions when requested to do so.

Art Galleries
Art venues include the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, EPSAC, Cuyler Street and Ron Belling (a.k.a. South African Aviation) Art Galleries.

Theatres
Venues include the Opera House (a fine example of a Victorian theatre) and the refurbished Feather Market Centre. The latter, heart of auction sales and trade in ostrich feather, wool, hide and fruit during the 19th century, has been converted into an outstanding concert hall and conference centre.

Shopping Centres
Port Elizabeth does not have the huge sprawling shopping centres found elsewhere in South Africa (e.g. Johannesburg, Durban & Cape Town). The Greenacres & The Bridge Shopping Centres are joined and actually functions as one large centre. It is the biggest in the metropole but lacks personality and its layout normally makes for a lot of walking. However, If you're looking for the widest variety of shops this is the place to head to. The other, mid-sized, shopping centre on offer is Walmer Park Shopping Centre. It caters for a slightly more refined and up-market clientele, is smaller but offers a more classy shopping experience. If you have to choose we recommend the latter.

Townships
The Eastern Cape, where Port Elizabeth is located, has always been a hotbed of political activism. Some of the reasons for this go back to the so-called Xhosa frontier wars in the early 1800's, when white and black first clashed over land. The province was home to two under developed and under funded Apartheid created "black homelands" (Transkei & Ciskei) - places of great poverty and virtually no opportunity. The Eastern Cape remains the poorest of South Africa's nine provinces, even though many initiatives are underway to improve its fate, e.g. the Coega industrial development zone.

In the Port Elizabeth area the people most affected by these challenges live in the city's surrounding townships including: Kwa Dwesi, Kwa Magxaki, Motherwell, Soweto by the Sea (also see: Soweto) and Zwide. The city's townships are places of extreme poverty where everyday survival can be a huge challenge. However, it also harbours entrepreneurship, courage, vision and a proud history of participation in the struggle against Apartheid. The confluence of western and traditional culture makes for fascinating experiences. While we strongly recommend a visit to one of the townships it should, for safety reasons, definitely not be done on a self-drive basis. Rather use a reputed township tour operator or contact us to organise a guided excursion for you.

Tourist attractions around Port Elizabeth
Attractions within striking distance from Port Elizabeth include: Addo Elephant Park, Shamwari Private Game Reserve, Salem, Grahamstown, Bathurst, Port Alfred, Kenton-on-Sea, Bushman's River Mouth, Diaz Cross, the Alexandria Forest, Tsitsikamma National Park, Jeffreys Bay, Cape St. Francis and St. Francis Bay.

(source: some of the above information was adapted from the websites of Port Elizabeth Tourism and South African Tourism)

(coming soon: Port Elizabeth Sport & History)