Travelling to Durban by car is cheaper this year than last Christmas

Fancy taking a last-minute trip to Durban this long weekend? Well, it may cost you thousands.

South Africa will have a public holiday on Friday to celebrate the Springboks winning the Rugby World Cup earlier this year.

Many are expected to take advantage of the long weekend, and some companies being closed from next week for the festive season, to head down to Durban for a much-needed break.

But, be warned, if you have left it late to book your trip you may have to dig deep into your pocket.

Here’s how much it will cost you to take a trip to Durban :

By Plane

By far the most expensive is to make the journey by air.

Popular airline FlySafair advertises flights from R2 047 on Thursday, to R1 750 on Friday. If you decide to take Thursday off and travel on Wednesday evening you will pay R3 304, with prices going up.

SAA costs R3 460.79 if you leave on Wednesday night and R2 805 if you leave on Thursday. Friday’s fares start from about R2 149.

Lift has sold out for Wednesday night, while flights start from R1 895 and reach R2 545 on Thursday. Friday flights start from 1 895 to about R2 300.

Last year, FlySafair’s cheapest one-way flight from Johannesburg to Durban cost R631, excluding the cost of checked-in luggage.

READ ALSO: Joburg to Durban or Cape Town: What the travel costs are

Car

A cheaper, and most popular option, is by car.

Travelling the around 570km from Joburg to Durban city centres will take you about six hours via the N3. A 1.4 Trendline Polo Vivo has a fuel tank capacity of 45-litre fuel tank, which means a full tank of 93 petrol at R22.79 per litre will cost about R1 025.55. One tank of petrol should get you to Durban.

Last year, the same trip cost R1 042 because petrol was more expensive per litre.

Toll tariffs for a Vivo, which falls under class 1, total R307.50 for a trip to Durban.

READ ALSO: Have wings, will soar-soon

Bus

An even cheaper option is to go by bus.

Travelling on CitiLiner Plus on Friday evening, and arriving in Durban on Saturday, will cost R380. To arrive by Friday on the same bus, you will pay R450.

Alternatively, travelling on InterCape Mainliner will cost you R1,470 to arrive by Friday. It will cost you R1,120 to arrive by Saturday on the same bus service.

Last year the cheapest bus ticket from Johannesburg to Durban cost around R300. 

Additional reporting Kyle Zeeman