(2010 FIFA world Cup Organising Committee)

South Africa's third-largest city is a thriving industrial centre and the largest port in Africa. Its beachfront pulls thousands upon thousands of white Jo'burgers down to "Durbs" every year, while the harbour remains a photogenic place for meandering or eating and drinking at the dockside.

Another unmistakable feature of Durban is a legacy of the city's Indian population (its second-largest group): mosques, bazaars and temples, festooned with wildly coloured deities, stand juxtaposed with the Victorian buildings marking out the colonial centre.

Source: Roughguides