Top 5 reasons why you should visit Cape Town
Cape Town has fast established itself as the ultimate bucket-list travel destination. Known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, the Mother City has topped the charts as the most sought-after travel hotspot. Filled with beauty, adventure, a vibrant diversity of cultures and a lively energy, Cape Town is the one city in the world that quite literally has it all! It’s certainly no surprise that the Mother City has stolen the hearts of locals and tourists alike. And it will undoubtedly steal yours too! Here are our top 5 reasons why Cape Town should be at the top of your travel bucket-list and why you shouldn’t wait another second to plan your ultimate Cape Town trip right away.
#1 VOTED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY IN THE WORLD
The glorious Mother City once again earned the global praise and recognition she deserves by being crowned the ‘Best City in the World’ by the Telegraph Travel Awards for the seventh year in a row. Securing herself the top spot as one of the most sought-after travel destinations. Undoubtedly making it one of the top reasons why Cape Town should be at the top of your travel bucket-list. Besides claiming this prestigious title, Cape Town’s global recognition doesn’t end there.
Travel and Leisure ranked the city of Cape Town at 12 out of the 15 Best Cities in the World. While the vibrant Mother City made Lonely Planet’s Top 10 cities list for travellers in 2017, claiming the number 2 spot. But that’s not all! Surfer.com also named Cape Town one of the top 10 surf cities in the world. Making the Mother City a bucket-list surfing hotspot for keen surfers and global wave chasers alike. There’s no denying that Cape Town is one thrilling destination which undoubtedly deserves to be at the very top of your travel bucket-list!
#2 CAPE TOWN HAS IT ALL
There is no city on earth quite like the Mother City! Cape Town is the one city in the world that quite literally has it all! From vast coastlines, endless mountain ranges, beaches, natural wonders, winelands and so much more, there is no denying the Mother City’s unapologetic natural beauty and adventurous spirit. From one of the 7 New Natural Wonders of the World, Table Mountain, the Twelve Apostles Mountain Range and Cape Point, to the picturesque Cape Winelands, the scenic Chapman’s Peak and beautiful beaches, Cape Town has something for everyone.
Did you know that a few of Cape Town’s beaches have been named some of the most beautiful in the world? Flight Network gave Camps Bay the title of 32nd most beautiful beach in the world on their World’s 100 Beach list. Boulders Beach, home of the African Penguin Colony, was also crowned the 62nd most beautiful beach in the world on the top 100 list.
While Clifton Beach ranked 2nd on NatGeo’s best beach list. Proving that Cape Town is pure beach bliss!
Cape Town has such an incredible variety of landscapes to choose from, which means that everyday spent in the Mother City is nothing short of a great adventure. From being sun-kissed and salty-haired while spending the day on the beach, sipping on some exceptional wine in the Cape Winelands, going on a trilling hiking adventure, surfing the waves of the peninsula and exploring the glorious unapologetic beauty of the Cape Wilderness, there is no shortage of destinations to explore or adventures to experience. These are only a few of the amazing reasons why Cape Town should be at the top of your travel bucket-list.
#3 ADVENTURE CAPITAL OF AFRICA
Calling all thrill seekers and adrenalin junkies, this one is for you! If you consider yourself an adventurous soul that loves to live life on the wild side, Cape Town should definitely be at the top of your travel bucket-list. Known as the adventure capital of Africa, the Western Cape is any avid adventurer’s dream destination. Even if you’re not a thrill seeker at heart, the Mother City has an exciting adventure experience for you too. Giving everyone the opportunity to join in on the Cape Town adventure fun and games!
From surfing, skydiving, snorkelling with Cape Fur Seals, sandboarding, paragliding and going shark cage diving in one of the only places in the world where you can actually get up close and personal with Great White Sharks, to hiking, kloofing, kayaking with African Penguins, Winetram adventures through the Winelands and so much more. There is an exciting bucket-list worthy adventure experience that’s perfect for everyone! The beautiful year-round mild Mediterranean climate means you can tick as many of these thrilling adventures of your bucket-list right throughout the year.
The Mother City’s marvellous year-round weather is just another reason why you should visit Cape Town and move it to the very top of your travel bucket-list!
#4 HOME TO THE ‘BEST RATED IN THE WORLD’ SPOTS
Besides being one of the most beautiful and vibrant cities in the world, there is so much more to the Mother City than meets the eye. Cape Town is home to some of the best culinary hotspots and coolest hidden gems in the world. Besides the iconic Table Mountain and world-renowned attractions and landmarks, the Mother City has a few surprises up her sleeve. Here are a few highly sought-after spots you should add to your Cape Town bucket-list right away.
First up is something sweet and sensational – ice-cream! Did you know that Unframed was recently named the best ice-cream parlour in the world by Big 7 Travel? It was also the only ice-cream parlour in Africa to be featured. Unframed is essentially an artisanal ice cream maker that makes healthy ice cream from scratch from real and sustainable food. Boasting a wide range of delicious flavours, ranging from all-time-favourite classics to cool and out-of-the-box combinations, Unframed has something for everyone!
If you’re looking for something a little more filling and extravagant, why not pay the world-renowned The Test Kitchen a visit? The Test Kitchen was crowned one of the 50 Best Restaurants in the world as rated by the World Restaurant Awards. The Test Kitchen also ranked 22nd in The World’s Best Restaurant Awards in 2016. Not to mention they claimed the number 44 spot in 2019 and the ‘Best Restaurant in Africa’ title at The World’s Best Restaurant Awards. Undoubtedly making it one of the most sought-after dining experiences in Cape Town.
Another Cape Town culinary gem that is causing some major waves in the global culinary scene is Wolfgat. Wolfgat was named the ‘Best Off-Map Destination & Restaurant of the Year’ in the internationally acclaimed 2019 World Restaurant Awards. Wolfgat is a tiny beach restaurant situated in a 130-year-old cottage and cave on the beach of Paternoster. This Cape West Coast gem is an absolute must-visit culinary spot for anyone travelling to Cape Town.
But wait, it’s not over yet! There are still a few more top-rated spots to add to your Cape Town travel bucket-list. If cafés and coffee shops are more your speed, the Mother City has just what you need. The iconic Truth Coffee Roasting Café was voted the best coffee shop in the world in 2016 by The Daily Telegraph 2 years in a row. Making Truth a top spot to visit for any die-hard coffee lover at heart. Besides top-notch coffee shops, Cape Town has no shortage of trendy cafés. However, Nourish’d Cafe & Juicery is undoubtedly a local fan-favourite! But, don’t just take our word for it, Nourish’d was also named the 13th most Instagrammable café in the world as rated by Big 7 Travel.
Now to quench your thirst with something a little stronger! When it comes to the vibrant Cape Town bar scene, the cool and quirky Gin Bar and SurfaRosa are two must-visit spots. Named one of the 50 most Instagrammable bars in the world, The Gin Bar is somewhat of a Cape Town hidden gem and cool secret spot that has gin lovers flocking from far and wide to see what all the hype is about. Trust us, you certainly won’t be disappointed!
If you’re more of the dive bar kind, SurfaRosa is an epic inner-city find. SurfaRose was named the 19th Best Dive Bar in the world as rated by Big 7 Travel. This means you’re definitely in for an epic time! All these incredible ‘best rated in the world’ Mother City hotspots is just another reason why Cape Town should be at the top of your travel bucket list. Besides the top spots we mentioned above, there’s a whole lot more just waiting to be explored and experienced by you!
#5 CULTURALLY DIVERSE CITY IN THE WORLD
Cape Town is known as one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world. Boasting a vibrant diversity of people, cultures, traditions and history, it truly is a one of a kind city. The Mother City is also the heart of a country with one of the most prolific histories. Boasting several iconic landmarks, museums and heritage sites with great significance, Cape Town boasts a profound history and cultural diversity that is significantly different to other countries. One of which is the iconic Robben Island. Arguably one of the most well-known prison in the world, Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned during the apartheid years. You can take several tours to this renowned Cape Town historical site to get an up-close perspective and view of the exact cell where Madiba spent 18 years of his 27-year prison sentence during his long walk to freedom. A visit to Robben Island is perfect for those looking to gain extra insight into South Africa’s journey to democracy.
The colourful, vibrant and culturally diverse neighbourhood of Bo-Kaap is another destination that deserves to be on everyone’s Cape Town bucket-list. Bo-Kaap is known for its brightly coloured houses that line the steep cobble-stoned streets, diverse cultural heritage, rich history and traditional Cape Malay cuisine. Exploring the streets of Bo-Kaap is exciting, eye-opening, enriching and incredible all at the same time. You absolutely cannot come to Cape Town and not pay this colourful and influential neighbourhood a visit. Cape Town is also home to the famous District Six. One of the most iconic areas of the apartheid era. This once oppressed part of the city has now evolved into one of the most ethnically diverse places in the world. This makes District Six an absolute must-visit destination on your trip to Cape Town.
Besides these world-renowned historical sites and landmarks, Cape Town also boasts a thrilling art, culture and music scene. Home to a variety of museums, art galleries, theatres, performing art stages and street art, with the trendy neighbourhood of Woodstock being at the forefront of Cape Town’s cool and captivating street art scene, there is no limit to Cape Town’s diverse art and culture landscape.
By far the one attraction that has art lovers travelling from far and wide, is the world-renowned Zeitz MOCAA Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. Crowned the ‘Best overall Cultural Destination of the Year’ at the 2018 Leading Culture Destinations Awards, the Zeitz MOCAA is a true artistic and architectural stroke of genius. Besides claiming this prestigious title, this contemporary art museum also won the award for ‘Best New Culture Destination in Africa and the Middle East’. It was also named one of TIME Magazine’s Top 100 destinations of 2018. This undoubtedly makes the Zeitz MOCAA Museum of Contemporary Art Africa a bucket-list worthy attraction for art lovers around the globe.
