SOUTH AFRICA - CAPE TOWN - WESTERN CAPE - TRAVEL - ACCOMMODATION - CAR HIRE
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 Left Lane Traffic: In South Africa one drives, as in the UK, on the left-hand side of the road. Driver's License: To be able to rent a vehicle one must be in the possession of a national or an internal driver's license.Speed Limits: 60 km/h within municipal areas, 100 km/h on Regional Road and 120 km/h on National Roads (Freeways). Alcohol: The limit is 0,8 permil. If you are caught over the limit, you must pay a high fine. Buckle up: The driver and all passengers must wear a safety belt.  Traffic Rules: Similar to those in Europe. A peculiarity is the four-way stop. Here the rule is "First come, first serve" . In a traffic circle the rule is "Rght before left".Taking over: If somebody sees that a faster car is coming from behind, he usually makes space by driving over the yellow line on to the outer strip. After having taken over, the other driver thanks by hand or by flashing the hazard lights. Fuel: Petrol costs approx. R4 per litre, diesel a little less. Rented cars usually take unleaded petrol. Rented car pick-up: You can pick your rented car up at the airport. If you are tired after a long flight, rather let a taxi take you to your accommodation and have the car delivered there the next day. |
Traffic-Info
Cape Town
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Most of the flights from Europe to Cape Town go via Johannesburg (which extends the travelling time by 2 hours). Direct flights take about 11 hours and are offered by SAA, British Airways and LTU. The time difference in central Europe is one hour (+1) between October and April , between May and October the time is the same. The ticket prices vary in the Economy class between 600 and 1100 Euro. The winter months (June to August) are the cheapest and towards the end of the year, the prices are the most expensive.Flights within South Africa (domestic flights) are offered by SAA, Nationwide, British Airways and Kulula.com. SAA has the most comprehensive net. Tel 021-9361111. Kulula.com is the cheapest, but only serves Cape Town - Johannesburg. Price approx. 700 Rand. No service on board. Tel 0861-585852.
Nambia is serviced by SAA and Air Namibia, whereby Air Namibia includes more destinations (Windhoek, Walvis Bay, Keetmanshoop, Lüderitz etc.). Tel 021-9362755.
Overseas flights always land at the international terminal , even if the plane had a stop-over in Johannesburg. The same applies to departures from South Africa. The terminals are only a few minutes walk apart from each other.
At all terminals there are bank counters for currency exchange, a post office counter, cellphone rentals, restaurants, bistros, book and souvenir shops etc. All major airlines servicing Cape Town have an information and a ticket counter. All bigger car rentals are also represented. There is sufficient parking available in front of the terminals.This is also where the rental cars stand. Click on the airport map!|
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The central bus station for the city busses lies between Grand Parade and Strand Street. The busses appear don't appear very clean, but they are safe and travel anywhere in the wider Cape Town area. The connections from Hout Bay and Camps Bay to the city are good, however their services don't run that late.
The overland busses start from the Main Station in Adderley Street, next to the Main Station. All three operators,Translux, Intercape and Greyhound, service practically all the bigger cities in southern Africa. They have modern travel busses. Pricing example: Cape Town - Johannesburg or Cape Town - Windhoek: approx. 450 Rand.Translux services Kimberley, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, East London and Durban, Tel 021-4493333: email
Greyhound services Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, PE, East London and Durban. Tel 021-5056363. email
Intercape servicesall bigger cities in South Africa and Windhoek. Tel 021-3804400. email
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Taxis cost approx. 8 Rand/km. The usual tip is an additional 10%. For the airport transfer there are cheaper shuttle services with reliable cars (like VW Bus) available, e.g. SAMOR.
The minibus taxis are cheap. They are usually 9-seater busses (often Toyota) with 12 seats. They are the poorer people's means of transport and are usually overcrowded and not quite traffic-safe. The drivers speed. However, if you, want to give it a try, you will find the central stand for minibus taxis on the upper deck of the main station in Adderley Street, from where they will take you anywhere.|
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Cape Town's station lies in Adderley Street and Strand Street. Apart from the luxury trains - there are 3 regular long distance trains available, Bookings: Shosholoza Meyl, Tel 086-0008888.Trans Karoo (Cape Town - Johannesburg), daily at 9:20am. Price 1st classe, single: approx. 500 Rand.
Trans Oranje (Cape Town - Free State - Durban), departure mondays at 18:50 o'clock. Price for 1st class: approx. 600 Rand.
Cape Town - East London, departure sundays at 10:25 am. Price for 1st class: approx. 500 Rand.
The Cape Metro Rail. runs three local Metro lines. They operate from 5 am to 7 pm and depart every 30 minutes. Tel 080-0656463.
Cape Town - Simon's Town (via Woodstock, Observatory, Muizenberg, Fish Hoek). Price: about 15 Rand.
Cape Town - Wellington (via Bellville). Price: about 15 Rand.
Cape Town - Strand (via Bellville). Price: about 15 Rand.
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