Pietermaritzburg: 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.
Pietermaritzburg is a city of 839,327 people in South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal), 636 m (2,087 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is King Shaka International Airport (DUR), 70 km (43 mi) from the centre. It has 1 railway station on record, including Pietermaritzburg railway station. Our booking partner lists 131 places to stay.
Key facts
Open Pietermaritzburg in Google Maps
Daylight in Pietermaritzburg runs from about 10 h 17 min a day in late June to 14 h 6 min in late December (computed for -29.62° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Pietermaritzburg is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is King Shaka International Airport (DUR), 70 km (43 mi) from the centre, whose 12,139-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB, 4 km).
Flights to Pietermaritzburg: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Pietermaritzburg railway station. Trains to Pietermaritzburg
Buses to Pietermaritzburg · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 131 places to stay in Pietermaritzburg. Of the 60 with a star rating, the largest group is 4-star (34), and 1 are five-star. Across 78 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 7.9 out of 10. Guests have left 19,816 reviews in total.
Hotels in Pietermaritzburg: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Durban, 67 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Newcastle, 212 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Maseru, 284 km (Lesotho) — flights
- Botshabelo, 357 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Richards Bay, 185 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Mthatha, 268 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- KwaDukuza, 93 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Vryheid, 209 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Pinetown, 53 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Ladysmith, 132 km — buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Zhuzhou, Hampton.
Common questions
Which airport serves Pietermaritzburg?
King Shaka International Airport (DUR), 70 km (43 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Pietermaritzburg?
About 839,327 people live in Pietermaritzburg, across 126 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Pietermaritzburg in?
Africa/Johannesburg, currently UTC+2.
What currency is used in Pietermaritzburg?
The Rand (ZAR). Traffic drives on the left.
How many hotels are there in Pietermaritzburg?
Our booking partner lists 131 places to stay in Pietermaritzburg, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Pietermaritzburg?
Durban (67 km), Newcastle (212 km), Maseru (284 km), Botshabelo (357 km), Richards Bay (185 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 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.