South Africa has two of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods. This is according to ‘12 Coolest Neighbourhoods Around the World’, a list compiled by Forbes after consultation with travel experts.
Johannesburg’s Maboneng is one of the two South African neighbourhoods featured. According to Melissa Biggs Bradley, co-founder of luxury travel agency, Indagare, and one of the experts consulted for the list: “Maboneng has transformed into a lively urban area with blossoming art and culinary scenes.” Home to the Museum of African Design and Arts on Main complex, the area is a haven for artists and boutique shops and restaurants. Jo Buitendach, founder and tour guide at local tour company Past Experiences says: “Maboneng is a vibrant spot. There’s a lot happening around art in the area, with street art and graffiti especially. I always encourage people who are new to the city to start in areas like Maboneng or Braamfontein and then, hopefully they will discover there is a whole city out there to explore.”
Kalk Bay in Cape Town is the other neighbourhood on the list. Tom Marchant, founder of American travel agency, Black Tomato, and another expert consulted for the list says: “Blanketed with quaint cafes, rustic fishing boats and colourful storefronts, this vibrant harbour neighbourhood is recently the talk of the city.” Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, Alan Winde, said: “Locals have always known that Kalk Bay is a cool place, but inclusion in the Forbes list means that many of our international visitors may now put it on their itineraries.” He added that Kalk Bay was a good base for visitors to see other part so the region such as Muizenberg or Boulders Beach.
Other neighbourhoods that made the list include:
- Sants in Barcelona, Spain
- Navy Yard in Washington DC, USA
- Amsterdam Noord in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Getsemani in Cartagena, Colombia
- Plekhanov in Tbilisi, Georgia
- Casco Viejo in Panama City, Panama
- District 5 in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam
- Keramikos in Athens, Greece
- Seongsu-dong in Seoul, South Korea
- Pilsen in Chicago, USA
