Cairns Travel Safety Guide — Australia

Safety Score: 8.2/10 · Value: 7.8/10 · Beauty: 8.9/10

Cairns sits on the tropical far-north coast of Queensland and runs almost entirely on one thing: it is the jumping-off point for the Great Barrier Reef and the ancient Daintree Rainforest, two UNESCO World Heritage sites that lie within day-trip distance of each other. The town itself started as a port for the gold and sugar trade in the 1870s and still has an easygoing, slightly weathered tropical feel. There is no city beach, so life centres on the Esplanade lagoon, a free saltwater pool by the water, plus the night markets and a busy strip of dive shops and tour operators. The crowd is a mix of backpackers, divers and families, and the pace stays relaxed and humid. Most people use it as a base for a few days of reef trips, rainforest tours and the Kuranda railway before moving on.

Tripvey Score — estimated from travel advisories and publicly available data. Not official safety advice.