Sydney

Australia's most iconic city, Sydney is a hive of activity, culture, business and entertainment. It is unofficially known as the country's 'real' capital, and has the highest number of international visitors. Here, money will buy everything your heart desires, but you'll need a lot of it: goods and property have some of the highest prices in the country, and thus Sydney has a reputation as being outlandishly expensive. This aside, though, the city has a wealth of cheap eats (especially in China town; almost one fifth of Sydney's population is of Asian decent!) and a burgeoning entertainment scene, attracting international and domestic performances and exhibitions year-round. Sydney too has the most lively gay and lesbian scene, its Mardi Gras the biggest LGBT parade in the country.