World's Best

Travel + Leisure Readers' 10 Favorite Cities in Africa and the Middle East of 2023

Readers showed their love for Africa’s dynamic cultural capitals in our annual "World’s Best Awards" survey for 2023.

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Published on July 11, 2023

Every iteration of a city can be found on this list of T+L readers’ favorite urban hubs in Africa and the Middle East: a financial capital, a site of pilgrimage, a center for history, art, shopping, even nature. But for nearly 800 million people, these dynamic destinations are simply home.

How Voting Works

Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Nearly 165,000 T+L readers completed the 2023 survey, an increase of nearly 25 percent over pre-pandemic voting levels. A total of more than 685,000 votes were cast across over 8,500 unique properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

Cities were specifically rated on the criteria below:

Sights/landmarks
Culture
Food
Friendliness
Shopping
Value

For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.

Hot air ballooning over the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt — Alison Wright/Getty Images

What Readers Loved

This year’s diverse list includes some of the world’s oldest cities — but also several established only within the last 250 years. Among them is Dubai, a nomadic settlement that coalesced into a fishing and pearling village in the early 19th century. “What has arisen in this former desert town is truly amazing,” wrote one respondent of the No. 4 ranked city; it has grown to be the most populous in the United Arab Emirates since the country’s independence in 1971.

On the other end of the spectrum are two reader favorites in Egypt, a country that also claims many of readers’ favorite hotels in the region for 2023. Coming in at No. 7 is the capital, where the district of Historic Cairo is considered one of the earliest Islamic cities. “You must go to the Mosque of Ibn Tulun,” wrote one reader of the area’s late-9th-century masterpiece. Three hundred miles up the Nile is No. 6 Luxor, among the very oldest continually inhabited urban areas on earth.

The countries of North Africa are among the continent’s most visited, but two of this year’s top ten cities can be found in Central and Southern Africa — regions where, historically, tourists (especially from the Global North) have overlooked dynamic urban centers in favor of nature experiences like safaris. That may, hopefully, be starting to change. The No. 2 city on this year’s list is Cape Town, which has become a popular scenic getaway as tourism in South Africa exploded in the 21st century. And coming in at No. 9 is Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, which T+L readers loved for its hills and “luscious” urban greenery.

The year’s No. 1 city takes us back across the Sahara. Keep reading to find out where — and see the full list of readers’ favorite cities in Africa and the Middle East for 2023.

The Winner

Marrakesh, Morocco

The Madrassa Ali Ben Youssef in Marrakech, Morocco — Mlenny/Getty Images

This city of around one million in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains is one of Morocco’s most popular tourism destinations — and a consistent presence in the T+L World’s Best Awards. “Marrakesh has everything. Adventure, amazing restaurants, hopping clubs, and culture,” commented one reader. “I first visited in 2018 and fell in love. Of all the cities in the world, I chose to celebrate my 50th birthday there in 2022 — with 20 friends.” Travelers will find a unique amalgam of Amazigh, Arab, and French language and culture, including popular tourist sites like the historic medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Jardin Majorelle and Yves Saint Laurent Museum. It’s also a destination for design-lovers, home to some of Morocco’s most exciting contemporary art and craft.