Cape Town is the BEST CITY in the WORLD

Cape Town has once again clinched the title of Best City in the World, according to readers of The Telegraph, who cast their votes in the 2025 Telegraph Travel Awards.

With more than 20,000 travellers taking part, the South African city topped the list ahead of global favourites Seville and Sydney.

This marks the seventh time that Cape Town has secured this prestigious accolade in just over a decade. It is also the second time this year the city has received global top honours, having been named Best City in the World by Time Out in January.

According to travel writer Greg Dickinson, the city’s ongoing appeal is easy to explain.

“Few places can match South Africa’s most feted metropolis for photogenic power: the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront fringing the Atlantic, Table Mountain rearing as an epic backdrop, the land ebbing down to the beaches of Camps Bay and the flicked tail of the Cape of Good Hope.”

James Vos, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, credits the win to “serious graft, smart thinking, and a whole lot of local passion.”

He added that their destination marketing and management efforts, in partnership with Cape Town Tourism, are “working, and we’re going to keep raising the bar, because the world is watching.”

Cape Town Tourism’s Briony Brookes echoed the sentiment.

“Being named the world’s best city again isn’t just about bragging rights… it’s a celebration of what makes this place unforgettable: the people, the energy, the views, and the stories that connect us with visitors from around the world.”

This accolade is also on the back of the Cape Town International Airport also being crowned the “best in the world”.