Bondi

The beach's calmer, more local end, where the coastal walk starts and the grassed reserves open up. Salty, relaxed and far comfier with a dog than the tourist strip.

The coastal-walk icon. The sand itself is a no-dog zone, but the parks, cafes and clifftop paths above more than deliver. Come for the views, not the beach romp.

A tiny clifftop cove on the Bondi-to-Bronte walk, all sea air and ocean views. Salty, scenic and made for a coastal stroll.

Seaplanes overhead, harbour at your feet and Lyne Park for the foreshore amble. The east at its most relaxed — polished, breezy and good with dogs.

Bondi-close and leafy, with Waverley Park's green and quiet village streets. Walkable, easy-going and good with a dog.

Beside Centennial's parklands, with open green and off-leash space close by. Leafy and made for a proper run.

A beloved eastern beach with a grassy park and the coastal walk on tap. Salty, relaxed and made for a sea-air stroll.

Clifftop ocean views, leafy streets and headland parks at the city's eastern edge. Breezy, scenic and made for a coastal walk.

Westfield, towers and trains, with Waverley Park's green close enough to escape the rush. Busy and city-fast, but it keeps room for a dog walk.

Harbour beaches, Nielsen Park and leafy clifftop streets at the city's polished eastern tip. Coastal, calm and made for a swim-and-stroll kind of day.