Time Out has recognised Cape Town as the Best City in the World for this year after scoring high for its stunning beauty, overall happiness, and excellent food scene.
The global magazine also highlighted that Cape Town offers visitors countless opportunities to experience remarkable food, vibrant culture, exciting nightlife, beautiful green spaces, and access to nature.
According to the City of Cape Town, more than 18 500 people around the world shared their thoughts on their city, including Time Out’s regular readers.
A panel of more than 100 city experts, drawn from Time Out’s global network, was also asked to name the most exciting cities in the world right now.
Time Out then aggregated all the data – a total of 44 different criteria – to rank the best cities in the world for 2025.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the city is delighted with being placed first on the prestigious Time Out Best Cities in the World list for 2025.
“While Cape Town often features at the top of global travel destination lists, this recognition is particularly meaningful as it is largely based on the responses from residents of the city themselves.
“In addition to all the things that make Cape Town a must-visit tourism destination – our unmatched natural beauty, blue flag beaches, wonderful cuisine, nightlife, and cultural diversity – it is the overall happiness of residents that perhaps means the most in this extensive survey," Hill-Lewis explained.
According to the Mayor, all their work is aimed at making Cape Town the best city in the world to live in – where people can build lives of value and where they have a real sense of ownership of their city and could not be prouder that this came across so strongly in the responses of residents.
Meanwhile, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, James Vos, said this recognition speaks volumes about the incredible spirit of Cape Town.
“At the heart of it all are our communities sharing cuisine and cultures. This is a shared achievement, and we’re excited to continue attracting visitors from around the country, continent, and the rest of the world.”
According to Vos, the 2023 Gross Value Add of the industry for Cape Town was more than R27 billion in addition to supporting over 91 000 jobs.
“This acknowledgment from Time Out and their readers is sure to be a further boost to our wonderful local tourism industry, further fuelling Cape Town’s economic growth. Cape Town isn’t just the best city to visit – it’s the best city to be a part of,” Vos added.
Time Out South Africa’s Content Director and Capetonian, Andrew Hallett, has described this recognition as the “huge high five” to the residents who work so hard to create a city that can be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.
“Cape Town provides not only an amazing playground for those looking for the best food, best sights, and best adventures, but it is also a place that people are happy to call home. If you’ve never been to Cape Town, do it! You won’t be disappointed,” Hallett added.
From affordability to access to nature, Travel Editor at Time Out, Grace Beard said liveability was a key factor in our survey this year.
“This list not only showcases the world’s most exciting cities to visit in 2025, where world-class culture, great food, and exciting nightlife can be found on every corner but also reflects the places where locals feel most at home,” Beard said. – SAnews.gov.za
