Paddington is a great destination for artistic-minded visitors. It’s where you can browse antique stores, vintage fashion shops and art galleries, and eat organics treats in boutique cafés and stylish restaurants.

Elegant Paddington is known for its food, shops, cafés and heritage architecture. Take some photos of its charming cottages on stumps and hillside houses with tin roofs and wraparound porches. This is the original “Queenslander” style of architecture of the 1900s and many timber residences still have all the original ornaments and color schemes.

Many of the old homes along the main thoroughfares of Caxton Street, Given Terrace and Latrobe Terrace have been turned into boutiques and homeware shops. Admire the hand-made artworks, jewelry, dresses, natural skin care products, kids’ toys and lamps as you slowly make your way up the hill. 

On the southern end is the Empire Revival, a heritage-listed theater that is now a market-style antique shop run by some 50 different vendors. To get a feel for Paddington’s burgeoning art scene, visit the nearby Brett Lethbridge Art gallery and museum.

There is also a long strip of cafés where you can mingle with the locals. “The Paddo” is a typical Aussie tavern with trivia and comedy nights, but there are also hidden nightclubs, hipster hangouts and brewpubs to discover. The best place for weekend nightlife is Caxton Street at the northern edge of the suburb.

The nearby Suncorp Stadium is not only used for rugby and soccer games but also big-name concerts and the occasional festival.

The international and domestic airports are a train ride or 30-minute taxi trip away from Paddington, which is also just a short drive, or bus trip, away from the city center.

Paddington is a great place to base yourself if you want to see how the locals live in Brisbane, while still being within easy reach of all the fun tourist attractions and transportation links of downtown Brisbane.