Sea Point, Cape Town, saunters in on list of world's coolest ’hoods

TimeOut has released its sixth annual list of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods — and flying the flag for South Africa is Sea Point, Cape Town, which comes in at No 21, an impressive leap from last year when it was 38.

The magazine says it polled more than 12,000 people around the world for this year's top 40 list to unearth “the neighbourhoods in their hometowns where everyone wants to be right now”.

The selection was then narrowed down “with the insight and expertise of city editors and local experts who know their cities better than anyone else”. Factors taken into account include community and social ventures, access to open and green space, and thriving street life.

The focus this year was on places with “big personalities” — where post-pandemic digital nomadism may have led to a surge in new community spaces, multipurpose culture centres and a thriving café scene — but these are also places that remain “resolutely local at heart”, where slick new developments and cool cafés sit side by side with old pubs and family grocers to “keep it real”. 

The coolest neighbourhood in South Africa, then, and highest ranking in Africa too, Sea Point is described as a “200-year-old suburb” and a “a beautiful slice of Cape Town ... popular for its 5km seaside promenade and public gardens that draw a refreshingly diverse crowd of locals and tourists”.

It is hailed for its “vibrant multiculturalism”, which includes the city's only eruv (an area exempt from ancient Jewish law which forbids the carrying or pushing of items in public on the Sabbath); sparkling views of the Atlantic; and the colourful Main Road with its street boutiques and “on-trend eateries”. 

A suggested perfect day in the ’hood includes coffee at Paris Cape Town, a wander on the promenade and a dip in the Sea Point Pavilion pool. The Mojo Market is recommended for lunch, followed by window shopping along Main Road and coffee and macarons at Coco Safar. Some action with a kayak launched from Three Anchor Bay should be followed by sundowners on the terrace of The Winchester Hotel before dinner at Three Wise Monkeys, “one of the best ramen and noodle bars in the city”. 

As for the absolute top scorers, the world’s No 1 neighbourhood is in Medellín, Colombia, and it’s called Laureles — home to “the famed nightlife strip known as La 70", as well as Estadio Atanasio Girardot, the city's main football stadium and concert venue.

Despite all that action, TimeOut says Laureles has a “pretty laid-back reputation” with parks, tree-lined streets, yoga studios and countless coffee shops. Crucially, it also manages to maintain a “traditional Colombian neighbourhood feel”.   

No 2 is Smithfield in Dublin, Ireland, “where long-standing stalwarts coexist alongside exciting new ventures”. Third is Carabanchel in Madrid, Spain. Once a working-class area, it’s now “buzzing with trendy art galleries and cutting-edge creative spaces”, the magazine says. 

In fourth place is Havnen in Copenhagen, Denmark, the city's harbour area where folks go to play in “boats, floating rafts, paddle-boards, kayaks or in its swimming pools”. Sheung Wan in Hong Kong rounds out the top five.

There is only one other African neighbourhood on the list: Cantonments in Accra, Ghana, which squeaks in at No 40.

Read more about the world's coolest neighbourhoods and see the full top 40 list here.