Car hire and driving in Paarl
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In South Africa traffic drives on the left. Picking up at CPT means 43 km (27 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257.
Drives from Paarl
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paarl to Somerset West | South Africa | 41 km (26 mi) | about 38 min |
| Paarl to Worcester | South Africa | 45 km (28 mi) | about 41 min |
| Paarl to Cape Town | South Africa | 55 km (34 mi) | about 51 min |
| Paarl to George | South Africa | 323 km (201 mi) | about 4 h 56 min |
| Paarl to Kariega | South Africa | 594 km (369 mi) | about 9 h 4 min |
| Paarl to Gqeberha | South Africa | 614 km (381 mi) | about 9 h 21 min |
| Paarl to Queenstown | South Africa | 766 km (476 mi) | about 11 h 41 min |
| Paarl to Kimberley | South Africa | 782 km (486 mi) | about 11 h 56 min |
| Paarl to Bhisho | South Africa | 793 km (493 mi) | about 12 h 6 min |
| Paarl to Mdantsane | South Africa | 822 km (511 mi) | about 12 h 32 min |
| Paarl to East London | South Africa | 833 km (518 mi) | about 12 h 43 min |
| Paarl to Bloemfontein | South Africa | 857 km (532 mi) | about 13 h 4 min |
| Paarl to Johannesburg | South Africa | 1,209 km (751 mi) | about 18 h 26 min |
| Paarl to Durban | South Africa | 1,217 km (756 mi) | about 18 h 34 min |
| Paarl to Pretoria | South Africa | 1,256 km (780 mi) | about 19 h 9 min |
| Paarl to Soweto | South Africa | 1,191 km (740 mi) | about 18 h 10 min |
| Paarl to Soshanguve | South Africa | 1,272 km (791 mi) | about 19 h 24 min |
| Paarl to Pietermaritzburg | South Africa | 1,173 km (729 mi) | about 17 h 53 min |
| Paarl to Evaton | South Africa | 1,169 km (727 mi) | about 17 h 50 min |
| Paarl to Benoni | South Africa | 1,230 km (764 mi) | about 18 h 45 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Paarl?
The left, as everywhere in South Africa.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
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 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel 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.