The quaint seaside village of Kalk Bay in Cape Town has been recognized as one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world in a new list by Forbes magazine, which features neighbourhoods in Amsterdam, Washington DC and Seoul.

The publication lists Kalk Bay’s “quaint cafes, rustic fishing boats and colourful storefronts” as some of the reasons for its selection.

Minister of Economic Opportunities, Alan Winde welcomed the accolade saying “locals have always known that Kalk Bay is a cool place, but its inclusion in the Forbes list means that many of our international visitors may now put it on their itineraries.”

“The Western Cape has many character-filled gems like Kalk Bay and we encourage locals and visitors alike to explore them. Each seaside ice-cream, delicious plate of fish and chips or souvenir bought from a small store goes a long way to growing the tourism and hospitality economy, and creating new jobs”.

“Kalk Bay is also an excellent base from which to explore some of the city’s other tourist attractions, such as Muizenberg beach, the iconic Saint James beach huts, Boulders Beach and Simonstown,” he said. South Africa has featured twice on the list, with Johannesburg’s vibey Maboneng also making the cut.

A good tip for your next trip to this lovely spot would be to rather take the train instead of the car owing to the fact that parking is very limited. Make sure you visit some of the historical buildings during your visit, and not just the many quaint and beautiful sea-side restaurants. There’s always something new to discover in Kalk Bay.

Here are the rest of the 12 coolest neighbourhoods around the world:

12. Barcelona – Saints

11. Washington DC – Navy Yard

10. Amsterdam – Amsterdam Noord

9. Cartagena – Getsemani

8. Johannesburg – Maboneng

7. Tbilisi – Plekhanov

6. Panama City – Casco Viejo

5. Saigon – District

4. Athens – Keramikos

3. Seoul – Seongsu-dong

2. Chicago – Pilsen

1. Cape Town – Kalk Bay

67 Buskers | 67 Minutes | 67 Street Corners
On Mandela Day, Wednesday 18 July, Smile 90.4FM will once again be Making Music for Madiba.
67 musicians will busk for 67 minutes at 67 different locations around Cape Town – anywhere they can get permission – e.g. on the street corner, in the office cafeteria, or in a shopping mall.
All 67 musicians will start busking simultaneously at 12:00 and finish at 13:07.
Each musician to register successfully will receive a Smile 90.4FM Making Music for Madiba certificate, signboard and busking bucket.
All money collected during the 67 minutes of busking will be pooled and donated towards music development for underprivileged children.
Look out for our buskers Making Music for Mandela, on a street corner near you on Mandela Day!
 
Click here to see where in your neighbourhood we’ll be Making Music for Madiba on Mandela Day!