The Gauteng suburb, Melville has made Time Out’s prestigious list of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world, climbing 15 places from the year before.

Coming in at #33 on the list, Melville ranks higher than the exclusive Porta Venezia quarter in Milan, and Tokyo’s culturally rich Kabuto Cho district. The neighbourhood is set to celebrate its 125-year anniversary next year, and we are all hoping that the pandemic will be over by the time we have to celebrate.

“Melville is a joyous, everyone-knows-everyone kind of place. Just north of the city centre, this largely residential neighbourhood’s tree-fringed main road brims with coffee shops, restaurants, and bars that spill onto the pavement. Antiques fan out in front of family-run stores. Artists hawk their creations on street corners.”- Time out wrote.

“Very few parts of Johannesburg, in fact, are better for a casual mooch than the area’s commercial centrepiece, 27 Boxes – once Faan Smit Park, now a 51-store shopping complex comprising colourful stacked shipping containers.”- they continued.

Melville is a famous stopover in Johannesburg for tourists as it has over 30 guest houses in the area, restaurants, several bars and tattoo studios. Influenced by Portuguese and Mozambican cultures, Melville is the best place for any foodie.

Main Image: Time Out