Cape Town Coastline Tops Rio, Sydney and Miami

Lonely Planet describes our beaches as 'good-looking, fun-loving, sporty and sociable'

One of the world's leading travel guide resources, Lonely Planet, have voted Cape Town second in the World's Ten Best Beach Cities 2011. Our coastline tops the likes of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Sydney, Australia and Miami in the USA which acts to further endorse and celebrate the cities versatility.

“Whilst Cape Town is a fascinating and culturally rich city it’s also a natural paradise," comments Cape Town Tourism CEO, Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, "We are amongst the lucky few destinations in the world to be able to claim a combination of the finest beaches, iconic natural beauty and distinctive urban culture as part of our unique identity.”

The Lonely Planet’s Ten Best Beach Cities are:

Barcelona, Spain
Cape Town, South Africa
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tangier, Morocco
 Sydney, Australia
Valencia, Spain
Tel Aviv, Israel
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Miami, USA
Brighton and Hove, England

Cape Town’s growing list of accolades includes:

Top City in Africa and the Middle East and One of the World’s Top Twenty Cities by Condé Naste Readers’ Travel Awards 2010
Africa’s Leading Destination by 2010 World Travel Awards
Second as Top Ten Culture & Sightseeing Destinations in Africa and Fourth as Top Ten Outdoor & Adventure Destinations in Africa by TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Awards 2010
One of the Top Ten Ethical Destinations in the World 2010 by Ethical Traveller

To find out what they're talking about read our 10 Top Beaches in Cape Town and our overview of famous Table Mountain.