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January 15, 2025

Time Out’s Best City In The World Right Now Is Cape Town

For the seventh year of Time Out’s global survey of city-dwellers, more than 18,500 locals shared their thoughts on their city, including Time Out’s regular readers.

[Image: Rawpixel]

Cape Town tops the annual list of the Best Cities in the World, released today by Time Out.

Scoring highly across the board for its beauty, overall happiness and top-notch food scene, Cape Town has climbed one place since last year where it ranked second.

The Mother City is rich in history and cultural significance and offers visitors countless opportunities to discover incredible food, culture and nightlife, not to mention impeccable green spaces and access to nature.

Andrew Hallett, Time Out South Africa’s Content Director and resident Capetonian, said: “To be recognised as Time Out’s Best City in the World is a huge high five to the Capetonians who work so hard to create a city which 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 city where the people are living their best lives and are happy to call it their home. If you’ve never been to Cape Town, do it! You won’t be disappointed.”

For the seventh year of Time Out’s global survey of city-dwellers, more than 18,500 people around the world shared their thoughts on their city, including Time Out’s regular readers. Questions covered everything from food, nightlife and culture to affordability, happiness and overall city vibe.

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 combined all the data – a total of 44 different criteria – to rank the best cities in the world for 2025.

“We are delighted with Cape Town’s first place on the prestigious Time Out ‘Best Cities in the World’ list for 2025”, says Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cape Town’s Mayor.

“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. All our work is aimed at making Cape Town the best city in the world to live in – where people are able to build lives of value and where they have a real sense of ownership of their city – and we could not be prouder that this came across so strongly in the responses of our residents.” 

Grace Beard, Travel Editor at Time Out added:Our annual list of Time Out’s Best Cities in the World right now proves that if you want to know what makes a city truly great, ask a local. Thousands of city-dwellers worldwide responded to our survey this year, sharing their opinion on everything from nightlife and food to public transport, green spaces and friendliness. Their collective insights, coupled with the opinions and expertise of Time Out experts around the globe, allow us to create a definitive ranking of the best cities in the world right now.”

“From affordability to access to nature, 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.”

Here’s what they had to say about the top 5 Time Out’ Best Cities in the World – you can find the full list of 50 here:

Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town scored highly across the board, and it’s no surprise: 82% of Capetonians would describe their city as beautiful, and 97% of locals say it makes them happy. Where else can you visit a colony of African penguins, taste world-class wines, stroll Blue Flag beaches, enjoy views from one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, and experience vibrant nightlife – all in a day? Cape Town offers this and more, from historic sites to cultural hubs: whether that’s Kalk Bay’s fishing heritage, East City’s food scene, Time Out Market Cape Town, or Cape Point’s natural beauty.

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok checks every box for a great city: famously friendly, culturally rich, and packed with iconic sites like Wat Arun and the Grand Palace. The Thai capital’s world-renowned food scene – ranging from Chatuchak Market street eats to Yaowarat’s bold flavours – ranked highly, with 86% of locals declaring food in Bangkok ‘good’ or ‘amazing’, and 84% saying eating out is affordable. With the expanded BTS Skytrain and MRT, exploring Bangkok has never been easier. 

New York, USA

New York City is an ever-evolving capital of hustle and bustle, creating a constant buzz that keeps locals and visitors on their toes. FOMO is real here – blink, and you might miss incredible public art, Michelin-starred pop-ups, or surprise concerts. 78% of New Yorkers described the city as exciting, the highest percentage of all cities surveyed – and an impressive 92% approved of its world-class arts and culture scene. From iconic attractions like Edge, the northern hemisphere’s highest observation deck, to vibrant neighbourhoods like Riverdale and Coney Island, the city truly has it all.

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne’s reputation as Australia’s culinary and cultural capital speaks for itself: the city is home to top dining spots, blockbuster shows, and Time Out’s World’s Coolest Street in 2024. What truly sets it apart is that it continues to surprise, with new green spaces, wellness hubs and cycling paths. Time Out’s survey of locals reinforced this status, placing Melbourne second in the ‘restaurants and eating out’ category and fourth in ‘culture.’ In 2025, the new Metro Tunnel will link the western and southeastern suburbs, making it easier than ever to explore the whole city. 

London, UK

London remains one of the world’s best cities, thanks to its vibrant cuisine, iconic pubs, unparalleled shopping, and diverse communities. London was voted the most-loved city by Time Out experts, and locals recognised it as the most diverse and inclusive. London’s nightlife scene is booming once again, thanks to exciting venues like Hoxton’s pub-turned-club Lion and Lamb, Outernet’s Here, and Hackney Wick’s Colour Factory, plus new queer bars like La Camionera and The Divine. London is anything but a sleepy city; it’s buzzing with life and culture.

The rest of the top 50 best cities are:

  1. New Orleans, USA
  2. Mexico City, Mexico
  3. Porto, Portugal
  4. Shanghai, China
  5. Copenhagen, Denmark
  6. Chicago, USA
  7. Lisbon, Portugal
  8. Edinburgh, UK
  9. Hong Kong
  10. Sydney, Australia
  11. Amsterdam, Netherlands
  12. Barcelona, Spain
  13. Seville, Spain
  14. Paris, France
  15. Medellín, Columbia
  16. Hanoi, Vietnam
  17. Madrid, Spain
  18. Berlin, Germany
  19. Dubai, UAE
  20. Singapore
  21. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  22. Beijing, China
  23. Chiang Mai, Thailand
  24. Jakarta, Indonesia
  25. Vienna, Austria
  26. Tokyo, Japan
  27. Marrakech, Morocco
  28. Perth, Australia
  29. Brighton, UK
  30. Prague, Czech Republic
  31. Glasgow, UK
  32. Brisbane, Australia
  33. Marseille, France
  34. Budapest, Hungary
  35. Los Angeles, USA
  36. Lagos, Nigeria
  37. Seoul, South Korea
  38. Valencia, Spain
  39. Montreal, Canada
  40. Bilbao, Spain
  41. Abu Dhabi, UAE
  42. Belfast, UK
  43. Bristol, UK
  44. Mumbai, India
  45. Warsaw, Poland

Good old Kaapstad, eh?

[Source: TimeOut]

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