Condé Nast Traveller's Readers' Choice Awards have handed Cape Town a double nod: 15th place among the world's best cities (scoring 88.33) and 10th among the friendliest, with a striking score of 96.00. That made it the only African city on either list, drawn from nearly 800,000 reader responses, largely from UK travellers.
It's worth noting the friendliness ranking is actually a step down — the city sat third in the previous year's awards — yet staying inside the global top 10 for warmth and welcome is no small feat. The magazine credited the city's rare mix of beaches, mountains, vineyards and nightlife, calling out Table Mountain and Boulders Beach (yes, the one with the penguins) alongside the braai, which it framed as central to the city's social life.
City officials were quick to claim the credit. Alderman James Vos, the Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, argued that scenery only tells half the story: it's Capetonians themselves who make visitors feel at home. He also flagged the food scene — a reflection of South Africa's layered history and mix of cultures — as a key driver of the country's strong showing.
The numbers behind the praise are substantial. Tourism pumped R24.5 billion in direct spending into Cape Town in 2025 and supports more than 106,000 jobs. The City wants far more: R35 billion in annual tourism spending and over 234,000 tourism jobs by 2030, to be pursued through destination marketing, airline partnerships and converting interest into longer stays and bigger spends. The awards landed just as the city rolls into its peak summer visitor season.
For travellers, the takeaway is simple: Cape Town is one of the few places where you can hike a world-famous mountain in the morning, taste your way through the Winelands in the afternoon and end up at a rooftop bar by sunset — with locals consistently rated among the friendliest hosts on earth. If the readers' verdicts hold any weight, the Mother City belongs high on your list.
