Museums in Durban
6 museums listed in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal with CastAwayZA. Get GPS directions and contact numbers on the free app.
Museums
Port Natal Maritime Museum
Durban, KwaZulu-NatalThe Port Natal Maritime Museum, located along the bay in Durban, serves as an educational chronicle of the region's seafaring heritage and the development of Africa's busiest port. The museum's primary highlights are its real, multi-ton historical vessels anchored on-site, including the SAS Durban naval minesweeper, the JR More steam tugboat, and the Ulundi, which is South Africa's oldest surviving coal-fired pilot tug. Visitors can walk the decks and explore internal spaces like the engine rooms, wheelhouses, and crew quarters. Indoors, the Britannia Exhibition Hall houses an extensive collection of maritime artifacts, deep-sea diving equipment, weather-predicting instruments, and intricate scale models of historic ships. The museum also features specialized exhibits dedicated to local maritime history, including Durban's past role as a prominent whaling station.View details →MuseumsDurban Natural Science Museum
Durban, KwaZulu-NatalThe Durban Natural Science Museum, established in 1887, operates on the first floor of the historic, Edwardian neo-Baroque Durban City Hall on Anton Lembede Street. It stands as one of South Africa’s oldest and most frequented scientific institutions, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to view its extensive natural history collections. Inside, the galleries feature realistic habitat dioramas of African wildlife, a life-size reconstructed Tyrannosaurus Rex model, a fossilised Elephant Bird egg, and an authentic Egyptian mummy named Peten Amen. The institution also guards rare biological treasures, including a near-complete Dodo skeleton and a vast collection of indigenous birds, reptiles, and insects. In addition to its public galleries, the museum runs an active research facility on KE Masinga Road that handles significant biodiversity documentation and educational outreach initiatives.View details →MuseumsPhansi Museum
Durban, KwaZulu-NatalThe Phansi Museum, located in the Glenwood suburb of Durban, is a renowned cultural institution housing one of South Africa's largest and most spectacular collections of traditional arts, crafts, and artefacts. The museum is situated in Roberts House, a restored 1898 Victorian national monument that was once home to Esther Roberts, one of the country's first female anthropologists.View details →MuseumsKwa Muhle Museum
Durban, KwaZulu-NatalThe Kwa Muhle Museum is a poignant and deeply informative local history museum located in Durban Central. It is dedicated to documenting Durban's urban growth and the everyday lived experiences, confrontations, and resilience of its ordinary residents leading up to and during the apartheid era. The museum is uniquely housed inside the former headquarters of the city's notorious Native Administration Department, a building that once served as the nerve centre for Durban's strict system of labour and influx control. Today, it has been transformed into a beacon of hope and reflection, offering a raw and unbiased look at the region's complex social history.View details →MuseumsM.O.T.H. Museum Of Militaria
Durban, KwaZulu-NatalThe M.O.T.H. Museum of Militaria, situated at 208 KE Masinga Road in Stamford Hill, Durban, is a military history museum curated by the Memorable Order of Tin Hats veterans' organisation. Located adjacent to the historic Old Fort site, the museum houses a specialized private collection of warfare artifacts, authentic historic uniforms, medals, battle relics, and rare archival photography spanning both World Wars and various regional operations. The facility features wheelchair-accessible entry points, accessible restrooms, and dedicated on-site parking for visitors. It maintains scheduled operating hours from Thursday to Sunday between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM, remaining closed to the public from Monday through Wednesday.View details →MuseumsLocal History Museum
Durban, KwaZulu-NatalThe Local History Museum, also known as the Old Court House Museum, is located at 77 Samora Machel Street in Durban Central, Durban. Operating as the oldest public building in the city's central business district, the double-story heritage structure was originally built in 1866 and served as a municipal court, a loop-holed defensive stronghold during the Anglo-Zulu War, and a military recruitment centre during the World Wars. Today, it functions as a public educational institution housing chronological exhibits on the cultural development and colonial history of the KwaZulu-Natal region, featuring early fashion collections, lifelike historical dioramas, and specialized galleries dedicated to notable South African figures like journalist Nat Nakasa. The venue accommodates visitors with wheelchair-accessible entrances and on-site parking, operating from Monday to Friday (08:30 – 16:00) and Saturdays (08:30 – 12:30), while remaining closed on Sundays and public holidays.View details →See all 6 museums in KwaZulu-Natal — free
Get GPS directions, contact numbers and full offline search — 100% free.
Free GPS directions to every placeContact numbers & WhatsAppOffline access for road tripsFull search across 13,263+ placesFavourites, notes & check-in map
