Fortitude Valley

Entertainment district with upmarket James Street shopping by day, rowdy nightlife scene after dark.

Fortitude Valley is fine during the day but gets messy at night, especially on weekends. James Street has some great shopping and restaurants where you'll feel totally safe during daylight hours - it's actually quite upmarket. But this place completely changes after dark. We're talking about 50,000 drunk people flooding the streets on weekend nights, and it can get pretty rowdy. You'll see fights, people throwing up, the whole party scene. If you do want to go out here at night, stick to the nicer rooftop bars rather than the street-level chaos. The police and security know what they're dealing with and increase patrols, but honestly as a solo woman you're better off enjoying other areas for nightlife. Come here for daytime shopping and dining, then head elsewhere when the sun goes down.