“Show Them the Flats”: South Africans Divided After Cape Town Is Crowned World’s Most Beautiful City

• Cape Town topped Time Out’s 2026 global beauty ranking with an 86% score from locals
• Over 24 000 people worldwide were surveyed, making this a people-powered result, not just expert opinion
• South Africans pushed back hard online, saying the title only tells part of the city’s story

Cape Town has been named the world’s most beautiful city for 2026 by global travel publication Time Out, after a survey of more than 24,000 people across the globe gave the Mother City its highest-ever beauty score.

The ranking, released this week, asked residents in cities worldwide one question: Would you describe your city as beautiful? Cape Town came out on top, with 86% of Capetonians saying yes, beating out Edinburgh, Sydney, Chicago and Paris.

Time Out Travel Editor Grace Beard said the list is about cities with a one-of-a-kind appeal, noting that Cape Town’s beach-lined fringes set it apart from every other city on the list.

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According to reports, City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth James Vos welcomed the recognition. He said the accolade is a reflection of what residents have always known about the Mother City.

Vos added that every international visitor who chooses Cape Town supports local businesses and helps sustain jobs across the tourism industry.

SA weighs in: “Show them the flats”

Not everyone was ready to pop the champagne. South Africans took to social media to give their very honest, very unfiltered take on the title. Many locals said the ranking only captures one side of Cape Town’s story, the mountain views, the Atlantic Seaboard and the wine farms that tourists see on postcards.

One commenter said the result only applies around the mountain, and that showing visitors the Cape Flats would change their minds very quickly. Another said Cape Town is beautiful on the surface, particularly in areas polished for tourists, and that the natural beauty is real, but the full picture tells a different story.

Others pushed back on the negativity. One resident said every country, city and neighbourhood has a darker side, and that bad people exist all over the world, not just in South Africa. In the Time Out rankings, Edinburgh in Scotland followed Cape Town with an 84% score, with Sydney at 78%, Chicago at 77% and Lisbon at 74% rounding out the top five.

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More articles coming out of Cape Town

• Ward 57 Councillor Yusuf Mohamed shared a video showing streets littered with waste following repatriation gatherings in Cape Town.
• A new Cape Town project is giving people off the streets a safer place to sleep during the cold winter months.
• Regular MyCiTi bus passengers will face steep fare increases ranging between 32% and 50% starting next month.

Source: Briefly News