East London: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
East London is a city of 478,676 people in South Africa (Eastern Cape), 48 m (157 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is King Phalo Airport (ELS), 8 km (5 mi) from the centre. Our booking partner lists 380 places to stay.
Key facts
Open East London in Google Maps
Daylight in East London runs from about 10 h 1 min a day in late June to 14 h 23 min in late December (computed for -33.02° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
East London is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is King Phalo Airport (ELS), 8 km (5 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 6,362 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft.
Flights to East London: every airport, routes and times
Buses to East London · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 380 places to stay in East London. Of the 221 with a star rating, the largest group is 4-star (107), and 1 are five-star. Across 162 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.3 out of 10. Guests have left 53,507 reviews in total.
Hotels in East London: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Gqeberha, 238 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Kariega, 247 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Mdantsane, 16 km — tours
- Mthatha, 179 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Bhisho, 48 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Queenstown, 158 km — buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Keelung.
Common questions
Which airport serves East London?
King Phalo Airport (ELS), 8 km (5 mi) from the centre.
How big is East London?
About 478,676 people live in East London, across 157 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is East London in?
Africa/Johannesburg, currently UTC+2.
What currency is used in East London?
The Rand (ZAR). Traffic drives on the left.
How many hotels are there in East London?
Our booking partner lists 380 places to stay in East London, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near East London?
Gqeberha (238 km), Kariega (247 km), Mdantsane (16 km), Mthatha (179 km), Bhisho (48 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.