Alison Budge

A red sandstone amphitheatre. An ancient woodland on the English coast. A teeny tiny island with a black sand beach. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes – luckily, the world isn’t held to the same rigid beauty standards as humans are – and we’ve curated this list to celebrate that.  It goes without saying that Time Out’s ranking of the world’s most beautiful places is entirely subjective and by no means exhaustive, but what we can guarantee is real-life experience. Every single beach, lake, city and valley on this list has been visited and vetted by our globetrotting network of travel writers. In short, they’re all well worth making the journey to see for yourself (no social media fakery here).We update this list regularly, ensuring we’re including the big-hitters while considering the impact of overtourism and spotlighting lesser-known beauty spots. So here it is: Time Out’s guide to the most beautiful places on planet Earth. Happy travels!Updated March 2026: There are seven new additions to the list this year, including a terracotta-coloured Old Town in Italy, an opulent Renaissance-style library in New York and a compact mountain range in northern Spain.Grace Beard is Time Out’s travel editor, based in London. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED:⛰️ The most beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Sites🗺 The most underrated travel destinations i

Updated 30 May, 2025 South Africa is known the world over as a producer of exceptional wines, so it’s no wonder travellers flock to the wine farms (the proper South African term for estates) of the Western Cape. Cape Town is bordered by six viticultural regions – all less than an hour’s drive from the city centre – where hundreds of wineries beckon, with the promise of wide-open spaces, stunning outlooks and, of course, world-class wine. Here’s what you need to know to make the most of it all. You can find wine farms as far along the Garden Route as Plettenberg Bay, up the West Coast to the Namibian border and inland for about 250 miles to the dry Karoo area. The different climates, topography and soil types, known as the terroir, influence the taste of wine produced from the different varietals, as does the skill of the winemaker and the varietal chosen. Many of the wine estates are historical farms home to strikingly beautiful Cape Dutch manor houses, gardens, hotels, and fine-dining restaurants. Plus, in order to differentiate themselves, each farm tends to add something extra to their offering. In fact, you don’t even have to like wine to enjoy a trip to the Winelands: Cape Town’s wine farms offer experiences for all, from families and sports fans to history lovers and foodies. Read the latest in our new Mother Sippy: Fairview grows Regional Revival series If you’re staying in Cape Town itself, and only have time for a day trip to visit some wine farms – well, you real

Cape Town has no shortage of chic malls and glitzy boutiques if you’re looking to shop up a storm, but the heart of the city is found in its vibrant markets, hosted anywhere from open lots to cavernous hangars, from wine estates to suburban gardens. Do as locals do and use these markets for fresh produce, artisan goods, clothing and so much more. Here’s our selection of the best in and around town, picked by three local writers. RECOMMENDED: 📍 The best things to do in Cape Town🍽 The best restaurants in Cape Town☕️ The best cafés and coffee shops in Cape Town🏖 The best beaches in Cape Town🍕 The best pizza in Cape Town Ishay Govender, Alison Budge and Richard Holmes are travel writers based in Cape Town. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides written by local experts.