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