Cape Town ranked 10th in the world for culture

You'll remember earlier in the year that Cape Town came out on top in the Best Cities in the World for 2025 list.

That result was confirmed after more than 18,500 city-dwellers took part in Time Out's survey of all the elements which make a city great.

One of the elements of the survey had to do with culture - which Cape Town scored highly on.

So high, in fact, that it is now officially the 10th best city in the world for culture!

Now that's lekker!

Time Out Travel explains: 'Each city was given a score for both the quality and affordability of its cultural offering (following the survey), and only the highest-scoring cities for each country made the longlist. We then turned to Time Out’s culture experts – our global network of city editors and art and culture writers – to vote for their favourite destinations.

'The result? The 20 most exciting, dynamic cultural hubs on the planet right now, where experiencing art in all its forms is affordable and accessible – both to those who live there and to those who visit.'

How Cape Town ranked highly

A huge 89% of Capetonians rate the city’s cultural offering, pointing to events like First Thursdays, Cape Town Jazz Fest and a thriving theatre scene - both big and small productions, as well as what's on offer at the V&A Waterfront, home to our very own Time Out Market Cape Town.

You can check out the full list and read Time Out South Africa Content Director Andrew Hallett's thoughts on the Cape Town cultural scene here.

Cape Town accolades in 2025

This ranking comes after the Labia Theatre was named as a contender for the most beautiful cinemas in the world and a Cape Town pizza cracked the top 20 globally.

The Mother City was also named Time Out's Best City in the World for 2025 back in January, while it was revealed that Cape Town is a top 10 destination for finding love.

In addition, a local coffee shop ranked highly globally and a Cape Town eatery was shown some love in a top 50 list.

Did you know that there is a dog museum in Cape Town?

TIME OUT RECOMMENDS:

😋 The best restaurants in Cape Town
🏨 The best hotels in Cape Town
🍳 The best breakfast and brunch spots in Cape Town
🍷 The best wine farms in and around Cape Town
🍕 The best pizza in Cape Town
📍 The best things to do in Cape Town