Two cities in Africa have been crowned among the world’s best cultural destinations

NewsThe two African cities crowned among the world’s best cultural destinations

We’ve just released our latest ranking of the world’s best cities for culture – and two African destinations made the list

Were you shocked to learn that, after surveying 18,500 people on their cities’ cultural offerings, the gleaming French capital was named as the best place in the world for culture? No, neither were we (and you can read more about whyhere). 

But our freshly updated roundup of thebest cities in the world for cultureincludes 19 other brilliant hubs that are top-tier places for an art and culture fix right now – and two of them are in Africa. 

The first of these wasCape Town, where 89 percent of the locals we spoke to positively rated the city’s cultural offering, citing events such as ArtsCape, Cape Town Jazz Fest, Kaapse Klopse and First Thursdays. The city sits in tenth place on the culture ranking, but came first as the world’s best city overall

Recommended:These are the 50 best cities in the world for 2025. 

‘Cape Town’s culture scene has seen an explosion of talent over the last few years,’ says Time Out South Africa content directorAndrew Hallett. ‘TakeDweba Art & Cafe, a new resident of Longmarket Street, where artists fearlessly confront contemporary issues through diverse visual languages over a cup of coffee. We’ve seen an impressive run of stage shows, includingDear Evan Hansen, which local actorStuart Brownshone in.’

Intrigued? Read more about thebest things to do in Cape Town here. 

The next city to be included wasMarrakech, which sits in seventeenth place and had a positive review of its cultural scene from 68 percent of locals. 

More specifically, local expertPaula Hardywrites: ‘Contemporary art galleryMACAALhas recently been revamped and showcases thought-provoking exhibitions, as does Comptoir des Mines Galerie. Riads, too, contribute to the cultural conversation, hosting conversational salons, artist residencies and artist-led experiences. The best can be found atDar Al Dall,Jnane RumiandRiad Jardin Secret, who are behind soon-to-open galleryRigotang.’

Here’s our list of all thebest things to do in Marrakech. 

Check out Time Out’s brand-new list of the 20 best cities for culture in the world for 2025. 

Did you see thatthese are the world’s top emerging destinations for summer travel in 2025?

Plus:The overlooked Mediterranean country named the best place to visit this year. 

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