Gqeberha

Yes. The city was officially renamed Gqeberha (pronounced roughly 'khe-bear-ha', with a Xhosa click on the 'q') in February 2021, restoring the original Xhosa name for the river that runs through it. Most locals, signage, airlines, and travel sites still use Port Elizabeth or 'PE' in everyday speech. Both names refer to the same city, and you'll see them used interchangeably.

Moderately. PE has higher property and violent crime rates than Cape Town's tourist areas, but most visitors stay in Summerstrand, Walmer, Humewood, or Richmond Hill without incident. The basic rules: don't walk between districts after dark, use Uber rather than hail taxis, don't leave valuables visible in a car, and skip isolated beaches at sunrise or sunset. Daytime, in tourist areas, the city is straightforward.

Two to three days covers PE itself comfortably — one for the beachfront and Route 67, one for Bayworld or a boat to St Croix Island, one buffer day. If you're using PE as a base for Addo Elephant Park, the Garden Route, or Jeffreys Bay, plan five to seven nights total. The city alone is not a week-long destination; the region around it is.

March to May and September to November are the sweet spots. Daytime temperatures sit between 20 and 24°C, the southwesterly wind eases, the water is still warm enough to swim, and you avoid both the December-January crowd and the cold July nights. April in particular is dry, mild, and shoulder-priced. Summer (Dec-Feb) is hot and busy with South African holidaymakers.

Cheap by European or North American standards, mid-range by South African standards. A mid-tier hotel runs $70-110 a night, a sit-down dinner with wine $20-30 per person, and a full-day Addo safari $90-150. PE is materially cheaper than Cape Town for similar beach and restaurant quality. The variable expense is safari and car hire, which can double a daily budget if you go private-guide.

Three things, in order: long Blue Flag beaches on a warm-Indian-Ocean coast; being the closest big-city airport to Addo Elephant National Park, the malaria-free Big Five reserve 35 minutes inland; and being the eastern bookend of the Garden Route from Cape Town. It's also South Africa's 'Friendly City' — locally famous for an easier, slower social register than the larger metros.

Card. Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere, including small cafés, petrol stations, and Uber. Carry 300-500 rand in cash for tips (10% in restaurants, 5-10 rand for car-park guards), small markets, and rural petrol stations on Addo or Garden Route drives. ATMs are widespread in malls and tourist areas; avoid free-standing ATMs in quiet streets at night.

Uber and Bolt both serve PLZ Airport directly and are the cheapest reliable option — expect 80-150 rand ($4-8) to Summerstrand, Walmer, or Humewood, a 10-15 minute drive. Most hotels arrange transfers for around $20. Car-rental desks (Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Budget) sit inside the terminal and are the right call if you're driving Addo or the Garden Route.

Addo Elephant National Park (35 min) for Big Five safari; Schotia and Shamwari private reserves (60-90 min) for higher-end safari with lions; Jeffreys Bay (60 min) for surfing and the Supertubes break; St Francis Bay (90 min) for canals and quiet beaches; Storms River and Tsitsikamma National Park (2 hours) for forest, cliffs, and the world's highest bungee at Bloukrans Bridge.

Summerstrand for first-timers — it's the safest tourist strip, walking distance to Hobie Beach, the boardwalk, and the densest cluster of hotels. Richmond Hill is the better pick for return visitors who want a neighbourhood feel and walkable restaurants on Stanley Street. Walmer is the convenience pick if you've got an early flight or a rental car. Avoid central PE for accommodation.

Cape Town wins on almost every objective metric: better restaurants, better wine, Table Mountain, a more polished waterfront, more international flights. PE wins on price, on warmth (the Indian Ocean is genuinely swimmable; the Atlantic at Cape Town is not), and on safari access — Addo is on PE's doorstep. The honest answer for most trips: fly into Cape Town, drive the Garden Route, and fly out of PE.

Yes, easily. Addo's main gate is 35-40 minutes from Summerstrand. Most operators offer 7-9 hour shared safaris that include hotel pickup, park fees, two game drives, and lunch, for roughly $90-150 per person. You can also self-drive in a rental car for around $30 in fees and have the park to yourself before tour buses arrive at 10am.

Most Western passports — US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian, Japanese — receive 90 days visa-free on arrival, no application needed. Indian and Chinese citizens now use a free Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). Nigerian, Kenyan, Pakistani, and several other nationalities must apply through VFS Global or a South African embassy in advance. Your passport must have 30 days validity beyond departure and two blank pages.

Honest, unfussy, and seafood-leaning. The beachfront does grilled line-fish, calamari, and prawns well at places like The Boathouse and Ocean Basket. Richmond Hill's Stanley Street is where real cooking happens — Muse for a tasting menu, plus bistros doing modern South African and Italian. Don't miss a proper braai (barbecue) at a township tour dinner or a guesthouse fire. Cape wines are everywhere and well-priced.

Marginally. PE's beaches, boardwalk, Route 67, and Stanley Street give you a comfortable two-day stop, and it's a perfectly fine bookend to a Garden Route drive. But the single thing that justifies flying specifically into PLZ — rather than detouring through it — is Addo Elephant Park. If safari is off the table, consider Cape Town with a Garden Route loop instead.