Pardon the heat in Cape Town. The Mother City’s blushing because she’s the most beautiful city in the world…
Cape Town, South Africa (13 March 2026) — South Africa’s golden city is back in the global ranks again, this time landing sixth place on Time Out’s list of the 50 best cities in the world for 2026!
The annual ranking, released by Time Out Worldwide, celebrates cities that offer exciting place to visit and a great place to live. This year’s list drew on insights from more than 24,000 locals across 150 cities, alongside votes from over 100 Time Out city experts.
Locals were asked what they love about their cities and how it actually feels to live there. From food and culture to happiness, affordability and quality of life, Cape Town keeps ticking all the boxes!
“This city has it all: pristine beaches, character-filled neighbourhoods and genuinely friendly locals, from the city centre flower sellers and the fishermen hauling in the daily catch in Kalk Bay to the creative excellence of its hospitality entrepreneurs. All of this plays out beneath Table Mountain, framed by the extraordinary Cape Floral Kingdom and the Cape Winelands,” shares Time Out.
The numbers behind the ranking made us smile even more.
Of all 150 cities surveyed, Cape Town locals were the most likely – more than anywhere else in the world – to call their city beautiful. 86% of Capetonians said so. The highest percentage on the entire list. That’s not a travel writer’s opinion, but the people who live here, in traffic, paying rent, on a Tuesday.
There’s also a lot happening in the city. Time Out gives a nod to Cape Town’s tourism reinvention boom, with mention of the world-renowned Montreux Jazz Festival which make its debut in nearby Franschhoek later this month. Meanwhile, major hospitality developments including a new Marriott hotel planned for the V&A Waterfront turns heads internationally.
It’s also been quite a week for South Africa on the global stage. Three South African destinations – Masiya’s Camp at Royal Malewane, Park Hyatt Johannesburg, and Amura in Cape Town – just made TIME Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list. The Mother City’s Labia Theatre also landed on Time Out’s list of the world’s 100 greatest cinemas!
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