Cape Town's undisputed status as the tourism hub of South Africa has meant the development of an excellent network of connections to the rest of the country. Flying from Cape Town airport (flight information tel 021 934 0407) is the quickest though most expensive way of getting around, and useful if you need to cover large distances. As far as overland travel goes, the intercity express buses , run by Greyhound (tel 021 418 4310), Intercape (tel 021 386 4400) and Translux (tel 021 449 3333), offer a frequent, comprehensive and inexpensive service connecting Cape Town to major centres in the coastal provinces of Northern, Western and Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal. All have good connections to Pretoria and Johannesburg, which are on the same route. Besides the intercity express buses we've detailed, there are Baz buses , the cheapest way to get around; services run constantly to and fro from Cape Town. The Baz Bus (tel 021 439 2323) leaves Cape Town daily and runs along the coast as far as Port Elizabeth (a 14hr journey), with connections from there to Durban (also a 14hr journey) five times a week. The 24-hour journey from Cape Town to Johannesburg is worth considering, especially if you're a family, as children go free, and you get your own private compartment. Moreover, you can put a car on the train for R900 which saves the very long drive between the two centres (tel 0860 008 888). However, you need to be a bit of a stalwart for the 36-hour journey between Cape Town and Durban.

TRAINS

Two useful trains are the Metrorail suburban services connecting Cape Town with Stellenbosch and Paarl (both 1hr). Outside peak morning and evening hours, trains are irregular but run at approximately two-hour intervals; check that they're running on time. Mainline trains are slow, but can provide a relaxing way of traversing long routes:

Cape Town to: Bloemfontein (every Mon; 23hr); Durban (every Mon; 36hr 25min); Johannesburg (1 daily; 24hr 55min); Kimberley (1 daily; 16hr 30min); Pietermaritzburg (every Mon; 34hr); Pretoria (1 daily; 26hr 20min).

INTERCITY BUSES

Cape Town to: Bloemfontein (5-6 daily; 13hr); Cradock (1 daily; 10hr); Durban (3 daily; 20hr); East London (3 daily; 15hr 40min); George (4 daily; 6hr); Graaff Reinet (1-2 daily; 9hr); Grahamstown (1 daily; 12hr 25min); Johannesburg (4 daily; 17hr); Kimberley (1 daily except Wed; 11hr 45min); Knysna (4 daily; 6hr 50min); Montagu (3 weekly; 4hr); Mossel Bay (4 daily; 5hr 15min); Oudtshoorn (3 weekly; 6hr 15min); Pietermaritzburg (2 daily; 18hr 40min); Plettenberg Bay (4 daily; 7hr 30min); Port Elizabeth (4 daily; 10hr); Pretoria (4 daily; 18hr); Sedgefield (4 weekly; 6hr 45min); Stellenbosch (1-2 daily; 1hr); Storms River (4 daily; 10hr 10min); Umtata (1 daily; 18hr); Upington (4 weekly; 10hr 30min); Wilderness (4 daily; 6hr 30min); Windhoek (4 weekly; 16hr 30min).

FLIGHTS

Cape Town to: Bloemfontein (2-3 daily; 2hr 20min); Durban (10 daily; 2hr); East London (4 daily; 2hr); George (3-4 daily; 1hr); Johannesburg (16 daily; 2hr); Kimberley (1 daily; 3hr); Port Elizabeth (4 daily; 1hr 30min); Upington (6 weekly; 1hr 45min); Walvis Bay (2 weekly; 2hr); Windhoek (5 weekly; 2hr).