Balmain East

Live music, late eats and Enmore Road's dog-welcoming pubs, all a short stroll from Newtown. Hip, walkable and happy to pour you a schooner with the dog at your feet.

The quiet bit of the inner west between Rozelle and Leichhardt, with the Bay Run and Easton Park close by. Leafy, low-key and made for an easy lap.

A leafy inner-west favourite of cafes, quiet lanes and light-rail ease. Walkable, friendly and reliably dog-welcoming.

A leafy inner-west village of cafes, quiet lanes and a friendly local pace. Walkable, low-key and reliably dog-welcoming.

Wedged between Newtown and Glebe, with Sydney Uni's leafy grounds and quiet terrace streets to wander. The inner west's calm achiever — the buzz close by, the pace nicely unhurried.

Inner-west industrial-edged near Marrickville, with parks and grit close by. Practical, walkable and good for a quick lap.

Cooks River-close and leafy, with foreshore paths and a quiet village pace. Walkable and made for a riverside lap.

Antique shops, weekend markets and a peninsula made for slow laps. Rozelle keeps the village feel inner Sydney usually trades away — dog firmly in tow.

Cooks River wetlands and a big riverside reserve, with off-leash green close by. Walkable and made for a riverside run.

A quiet, leafy inner-west pocket of village calm and easy streets. Walkable, low-key and easy with a dog.