Our Airbnb “home” in Sydney was just outside downtown in the suburb of Darlinghurst. More specifically, we were on Victoria Street and only 2 blocks from the Kings Cross train station. It was a great apartment and a clean, bright, and lively neighborhood. There were always plenty of great options for places to eat and people of all walks of life on the streets. In all seriousness, we may not have been cool enough to live here for a month.  

In addition to the fun atmosphere, Darlinghurst is also a great location.  It’s about 35 minutes to get to the heart of downtown Sydney, but also only about 20 minutes to some beautiful waterfront options that aren’t Sydney Harbor.  The neighborhoods of Elizabeth Bay and Rushcutters Bay had coves full of boats that were great eye candy during our walk on a lovely summer day.

If you’re backpacking while in Sydney and looking for a hostel, a 1 block stretch by the Kings Cross train station had at about 10 different hostel options. What else had a surprising amount of options? Strip clubs. It had every right to be seedy, but even I never EVER felt unsafe.  The tree-lined street is clean, the sidewalks wide, the crowd young and happy, and no signs of the “business” were ever spilling into the streets. Kevin and I lovingly nicknamed this block “skin street”. Please don’t hesitate to stay in this neighborhood. It was the best part of our stay in Sydney.

Not to brag, but it was also my birthday while we were here. All I wanted was margaritas and nachos. Beach Burrito Company was only two blocks away and came up big with great versions of both treats. Best birthday ever?