20 Best Places to Shop in KwaZulu-Natal and Durban, South Africa

An outstanding collection of art and crafts from local artisans is on offer at this nonprofit center dedicated to promoting their work. Purchases can be shipped overseas.

Ardmore Ceramics, known for its exquisite and elaborate pieces, was established on the Ardmore farm in 1985 by ceramic artist Fée Halsted who was soon joined by the now late Bonnie Ntshalintshali, 18 years old at the time. The on-site museum dedicated to Bonnie is testament to her role in making Ardmore the brand it is today, with exhibitions in top galleries and private homes around the world, including a collaboration with Hermès and auctions by Christie’s of London. There are glorious luxury fabrics, table decor, and more featuring the iconic Ardmore prints for sale, too. None of the ceramics are below R1,000 and some go up to an eye-watering R500,000. They offer tours of the site with artists busy at work, too—call in advance to arrange. 

Super-stylish interiors here cleverly combine the best of African and colonial design in a contemporary space.

Founded by Anna Savage, who established the popular I Heart Market at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, this market is a showcase of organic and wholesome food and local produce at The Alliance Cafe. It's a great way to gather with the locals and pick up excellent bread, cheese, yogurt, freshly squeezed juices, and farm-fresh veggies while sipping on a great coffee and settling in for languid brunch. Open Sundays from 9 to midday.

As you enter the gardens of Culamoya Chimes, in the Dargle District, your ears will be gently assailed with harmonious chimes of every description. There's a 13-foot chime in the garden as well as other chimes inside the shop that mimic the sounds of Big Ben and St. Paul's Cathedral down to gentle tinkles of fairy magic. The chimes are handmade and can be shipped to your home.

This small gallery in a cozy Edwardian house carries a wide selection of work—including prints—by local and international artists and photographers.

Under massive trees in the shady setting of Berea Park, this is one of the most popular of Durban's many flea markets, where classy stalls sell homemade traditional food, plants and herbs, baked goods, handmade clothes and crafts, leatherwork, bath and beauty products, jewelry, soft furnishings, and much more. There's also a tea garden with live entertainment and a park for the kids. It's open Saturdays 9 am to 2 pm.

Established in 1924, Peel's Honey is the oldest honey label in the country. Snack on peanut honey brittle, or other tasty treats, or take a jar of creamed honey with you for padkos (the popular South African word for "road food," to munch as you drive). The new store sits inside a refashioned shipping container and also stocks other regional goods such as Terbodore Coffee. It's just off the N3 below the Midmar Dam. 

If you're short on time, but still want to experience some of the best of the Midland Meander's arts and crafts, drop in at the one-stop Piggly Wiggly, where a wide range of shops—all representing Meander destinations and selling their products—are clustered around a central green with a Piggly putt-putt course and train ride for kids. There are fast-food outlets serving pizza and hamburgers, but be sure to sample the award-winning cappuccino and a slice of freshly baked cheesecake at Piggly Wiggly’s famous coffee shop. On weekends, the reptile show and petting zoo at the Dingo Farm and Reptile Park is sure to keep little ones entertained (R60) while you peruse the antique book shop or lick a nougat ice cream. 

With quirky wooden puzzles for the young and young-at-heart, this small shop provides a selection of locally themed puzzles, including brainteasers and 3-D puzzles. Consider the various well-crafted Africa and Big Five-shaped puzzles as unusual curios to take back home.

Rorke's Drift is still a mission station, run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and this center at the mission sells handmade bags, handwoven rugs, curios, and beadwork, all created by local artists. It's a good one to support.

Andrew Early specializes in making elegant wooden bowls, modern wood sculptures, and one-of-a-kind furniture pieces using salvaged, exotic woods like jacaranda and local varieties like African mahogany and stinkwood. The pieces are often snapped up by studios in New York and elsewhere. Ask if you can visit the delightful studio behind the sprawling farmhouse, which you'll find 6 km (4 miles) from Rosewood, down Dargyle Road.

Established over three decades ago, this pottery is where renowned potter Ian Glenny, whose work is in private collections and galleries worldwide, founded the Midlands Meander in 1983. The pottery has an earthy, rugged appeal and you can choose from porcelain, stoneware, or terra-cotta pots, bowls, and vases—or even invest in a fireplace.

This is a great place to buy handmade leather goods, especially shoes, beautiful bags and briefcases.

Contemporary handcrafted jewelry, many pieces featuring diamonds, is sold here.

Near Culamoya and Granny Mouse, 8 km (5 miles) south of Nottingham Road, Mole Hill, established in 1997, has a good reputation for high-quality, hard-wearing men's and women's shirts with an African twist. If you've always fancied a colorful Mandela-type, mandarin-collared shirt, you may well find one here, and both ladies' and men's shirts come in a wide range of sizes. Custom shirts can also be made to order.

Although the market, next to the Growthpoint Rugby Stadium, carries cheap imports from the East, these are offset by an interesting selection of local crafts, antiques, collectables, wooden masks, beaded and leather goods, and more. Add-ons include live entertainment and varied food stalls.

The beautiful 100% handmade rugs sold here are produced in Donnybrook village. The company provides employment and skills to the local rural community.