Kings Cross is Sydney's red-light district and with this comes the prostitutes, junkies, drunks, strippers and homeless teenagers. It is also a bustling centre for backpackers and other travellers; the two sides of "the Cross" (as locals call it) coexist with little trouble.

I have lived in Kings Cross myself and have felt safer here than wandering deserted streets in the suburbs. As long as you don't cause trouble, you will probably not get into any trouble. It is not the sort of place you leave things lying around or unattended...they won't be there for very long. It's the same in most cities around the world.

On the Pacific Island Travel website they write:

The Cross can seem threatening but the constant flow of people makes it relatively safe, and it's always lively, with places to eat and drink that stay open all hours. Climbing up William Street from Hyde Park, Darlinghurst Road beckons with its giant neon Coca Cola sign. At weekends, an endless stream of ice-cream-licking suburban voyeurs, disgorged from the underground Kings Cross train station, trawl along the Darlinghurst Road strip to the El Alamein fountain in the shady Fitzroy Gardens as touts try their best to haul them into tacky strip-joints and sleazy nightclubs. Kings Cross is much more subdued during the day, with a slightly hung-over feel to it: local residents emerge and it's a good time to hang out in the cafés. There's a small arts and crafts market in the Fitzroy Gardens on Sundays.

Walking tours of the Cross leave from the El Alamein fountain at 10.30am on weekends ($14; 2hr) and explore the celebrity and crime connections of the area; alternatively pop into the Kings Cross library off the gardens and pick up a free Kings Cross Walking Tour map.

From the Fitzroy Gardens, the sin strip ends and tree-lined Macleay Street runs through quieter, upmarket Potts Point, with its Art Deco residential apartments, classy hotels, stylish restaurants and occasional harbour glimpses over wealthier Elizabeth Bay, just east. Beyond Macleay Street, Wylde Street heads downhill towards grittier Wolloomooloo.