Often overlooked by travellers in search of glitz and glamour, Port Elizabeth is probably South Africa's best-kept secret. Fantastic weather and an enormous range of attractions make it a great place for a totally relaxing stay.

The beaches range from crowded, social and developed to long and deserted. Lovely old buildings reflect PE's past as an integral part of the development of the Eastern Cape and South Africa, and a host of cultural activities will offer you an insight into the lives of other people.

Some of the attractions seem a tad, well, gloomy, but are actually very interesting. A visit to the cell in which Black Consciousness activist and freedom struggle martyr Steve Biko was held before his death is certainly an eye-opener, and graveyard and ghost tours are really far more positive than they may sound.

Port Elizabeth is a significant industrial centre, with much emphasis on the motor manufacturing industry, so it's quite appropriate that it has the country's most impressive motor museum.

For an innovative shopping experience close to the beach, the Boardwalk has a whole host of fashionable shops and some wonderful coffee shops and restaurants, as well as a casino. It's an open-air space as opposed to a mall, and a semi-natural water feature winds through the complex, which seems to please a range of birds as well as shoppers.

Port Elizabeth is a great place to base yourself for a while, as it is so close to many other wonderful destinations. You could do day trips to Addo Elephant National Park, Shamwari, the Baviaanskloof, Port Alfred, Jeffreys Bay or Grahamstown. Within the metro limits there are lovely walks, some fantastic mountain bike trails, pretty good surfing, fantastic sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing, and great diving.

You could even dive in the predator tank of the Bayworld aquarium. There are some excellent golf courses, most notably Humewood, which is the only true links course in South Africa.

Source: South African Tourism

	The picturesque Kings Beach in Port Elizabeth (Photo: SA Tourism)

	Port Elizabeth - Ibhayi  Addo Elephant Park  Wavescape surf site  Eastern Cape Tourism  South African Tourism

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