The city's coolest inner quarters just south of the centre — leafy terraced streets packed with the best cafés, small bars, restaurants and nightlife. Young, creative and walkable to the CBD, better value than the harbour; the top pick for eating, drinking and a real neighbourhood buzz.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
€170–280
typical per night in Australia
The sensible middle
Typical prices for Sydney — neither steal nor splurge.
Where it sits
The circle is Surry Hills & Darlinghurst and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- Botanic Garden & Mrs Macquarie's Chair29 min walk2.4 km
- A harbour ferry8 min taxi2.7 km
- The Rocks9 min taxi2.8 km
- The Sydney Opera House9 min taxi3.2 km
- The Harbour Bridge11 min taxi3.6 km
- The Bondi to Coogee walk14 min taxi4.8 km
- Taronga Zoo16 min taxi5.4 km
- Bondi & the Eastern Beaches (beach)18 min taxi6.1 km
- Bondi Beach18 min taxi6.1 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 10.Surry Hills bars & dining — Sydney's best eating and drinking is in the inner-city terraces of Surry Hills and Darlinghurst — small bars, natural-wine spots, laneway restaurants and buzzing pubs, a world from the touristy harbour. Bar-hop the leafy streets and graze the acclaimed kitchens; this is where locals go out.
- 14.A flat white & brunch — Australia is a coffee superpower and Sydney takes brunch seriously — a velvety flat white and a plate of smashed avo, ricotta hotcakes or a big breakfast at a buzzing café is a local ritual. Do a long, sunny weekend brunch in Surry Hills or by the beach; the café culture here is world-beating.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Surry Hills & Darlinghurst; flights via Google Flights.