Cape Town has been named in the top 12 destinations to visit in 2009, by the influential frommers.com
Cape Town, South Africa
South Africa is gearing up to host the worlds best football (or soccer, if you’re from the U.S.) teams during the 2010 World Cup, and Cape Town promises to have one of the grandest venues for the event. Get here before the crowds do to take advantage of a spruced-up city. Truthfully, though, the city has one big advantage: Cape Town, the oldest city in southern Africa, is regularly heralded as one of the most beautiful on earth. The massive sandstone bulk of Table Mountain, often draped in a flowing “tablecloth” of clouds, forms an imposing backdrop, while minutes away, pristine sandy beaches line the cliff-hugging coast where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. You can visit African Penguin colonies at Boulders Beach along False Bay or take the ferry to Robben Island, the former prison home to political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela.
Other destinations featured in the 2009 list include Istanbul (Turkey), Belfast (Northern Island), Saqqara (Egypt) and Waiheke Island (New Zealand).
