Lewisham

The Inner West at its scruffy best: craft breweries, multicultural eats and Cooks River trails where dogs rule. Come for the dumplings, stay for the off-leash runs.

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

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

Grand terraces, the famous Witches' Houses and quiet streets between Glebe and Leichhardt. A calmer slice of the inner west, made for an unhurried lap.

The Balmain peninsula's leafy tip, with waterfront parks and ferry calm. Quiet, scenic and made for a slow harbour stroll.

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.

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

A leafy harbour peninsula of sandstone heritage and waterfront reserves. Quiet, scenic and made for a slow foreshore stroll.

Sydney's Little Italy of the inner west — bakeries, delis and Federation homes on quiet, leafy streets. Heritage-calm and made for an unhurried, pastry-fuelled lap.

A harbour peninsula built for wandering: village pubs, waterfront parks and ferry views at every turn. Half of Balmain owns a dog, the other half wants to pat yours.