Visitor Information

The George Tourism Bureau (tel. 044/801-9295; www.visitgeorge.co.za; Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 9am-1pm) is at 124 York St. Note: It's not essential to stop here; Knysna has an excellent tourism bureau.

Getting There

By Air -- You can fly to George Airport (tel. 044/876-9310) daily from the major centers (including Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban) with SAA (tel. 044/801-8434) and its subsidiaries. Budget airlines servicing George are 1Time and Kulula.com.

By Train -- Spoornet Shosholoza has just introduced a Premier Classe train (tel. 021/449-2252; www.premierclasse.co.za) from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, which leaves every Friday at 3pm and will deposit you in George at around 5am the next morning; fares for this distance cost between R800 and R1,050. If you've got money to burn, board the beautiful Edwardian Rovos Rail (tel. 012/315-8242; www.rovos.co.za), which does the 24-hour run from Cape Town to George -- a beautiful route, with a wine- or brandy-tasting stop -- but it runs only four times a year, in October, November, February, and March. Tickets are from R6,000 to R12,000 per person, sharing; the top rate is for the 16-sq.-m (172-sq.-ft.) Royal Suite.

By Bus -- The intercity buses (Intercape, Greyhound, Translux, and Baz Bus) travel from Cape Town along the Garden Route to Port Elizabeth.

Getting Around

By Car -- Choose from one of six companies offering rental cars at the airport, including Avis (tel. 044/876-9314), Budget (tel. 044/876-9204), and Hertz (tel. 044/801-4700).

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