Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town, South Africa

          Cape Town is a port city on South Africa’s southwest coast, on a peninsula beneath the imposing Table Mountain. Slowly rotating cable cars climb to the mountain’s flat top, from which there are sweeping views of the city, the busy harbor and boats heading for Robben Island in Table Bay. The notorious prison that once held Nelson Mandela is now a living museum.

     By being attached to a city so relentlessly likeable that it could get a sand castle voted onto this list if it wanted, while placing high on virtually every other popularity poll as well. 

In 2011, TripAdvisor gave Cape Town a “Top Destination in the World” nod in its Travelers’ Choice Awards. National Geographic gave it the number two slot on its “Top 10 Beach Cities” list and has short-listed it as one of its “places of a lifetime.” 

Foreign Direct Investment calls Cape Town one of the top 20 expat destinations. Business travelers regularly honor South Africa’s “Mother City” in their own polls. So do leisure tourists in general, who consistently make this breezy, pleasant place one of the most popular tourist destinations in Africa.

A sweet harbor. Nice architecture and weather. Good wine country, lovely waterfront shopping and a welcome cosmopolitan feel. Beaches with penguins. And -- wonder of wonders -- Table Mountain.