Sydney
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Logistics
Getting There
Sydney is found on the West coast of Australia, and one of the main cities in Australia. Australia has 6 states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania) and 2 territories (Northern Territory and Australian Capital territory). Sydney is part of New South Wales and the city has a population of about 5 million people. The city sits right on the coast.
There’s flights from all over the world into Sydney, with long haul flights arriving from places like the US and Asia, as well as many local flights from other parts of Australia. The Sydney airport is large and convenient for traveling both internationally and locally within Australia.
Depending on where in the world you are traveling from to Australia, it is likely to be a long flight. From the west coast of the United States, flights are approximately 15 hours. If traveling from Europe, you’ll need to connect somewhere along the way with common stopovers being in Singapore, Dubai, Qatar, among others. Expect a long travel day. From Europe, it’ll be 24+ hours of travel and you’ll arrive in Australia quite a bit later due to the time change, but don’t worry, you gain the time back on your way back west.
Within Australia, flights are often still required as it’s quite a large continent. From Sydney to Melbourne is approx 1.5 hours, from Sydney to Adelaide is just over 2 hours, from Sydney to Brisbane is approx 1.5 hours, and from Sydney to Perth is 5 hours.
Getting Around
The city of Sydney is sizable and while parts of it are walkable, its definitely not a fully walkable city. The light rail is an above ground tram connecting much of the city together. You tap in and out of the tram at the station where you get on and off the train. Google maps makes it very easy to figure out your optimal route to use the light rail to reach your destination.
As Sydney sits right on the water, there’s also a ferry network to help travel between parts of the city. When visiting places like Manly beach, it’s likely easiest to take the ferry. There’s different ferry routes and speeds. Check the map for the best option to help determine your route to your destination. It’s quite normal to get the ferry to or from Circular Quay (near the Sydney Opera House) out towards Manly beach or other destinations.
Accommodations
Sydney has a variety of different neighborhoods to consider when visiting. Central Business District (CBD) is the heart of the city, where you’ll find many of Sydney’s offices, major shops, and some of its most iconic sights. Surry Hills is a trendy neighborhood known for its lovely cafés, restaurants, and wine bars, making it a great area for eating and drinking. Bondi Beach is all about that quintessential Sydney beach and active lifestyle. There are also lots of cafés, restaurants, and shops around the neighborhood. Manly Beach offers a similarly laid-back beach-town feel, but it’s across the harbor and a little more removed from the rest of Sydney, so it may not be the most convenient base for a first-time visitor.
Things to do and see
Sydney Opera House
Visit the famous Opera house on the harbour. Book tickets in advance to get a tour of the venue and learn about the famous architecture. Tours are offered in different languages and offered throughout the day.
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Another iconic Sydney landmark that cannot be missed. For those that want a different experience, you can book the Sydney Bridge climb to be roped up and climb across the bridge. For those not inclined by this experience, enjoy it from afar whether it’s from walking along the shore, on the ferry, or just underneath.
Manly Beach
Well known beach away from the city center. The most common way to get to this area is by taking the ferry if you’re coming from the city center. Lots of people will come here to surf, enjoy the golden sand, or just spend an afternoon away from the downtown.
Bondi Beach
A must hit on a trip to Sydney, this is a well-known beachside neighborhood. You’ll see surfers in the water, and the Bondi Icebergs spot with the big lap pool next to the ocean can be found here. There’s lots of shops, cafes, restaurants and drinks spots around Bondi beach.
Bondi Icebergs
Swimming club with a large lap pool immediately next to the ocean. There’s also a restaurant here if you fancy sitting and taking in the experience.
Walk from Coogee to Bondi beach
Take the walk from Coogee beach to Bondi beach along the coast. The walk is about 6km long and runs along the coast the entire time, passing by coves and with nice viewpoints. Grab a coffee and enjoy the walk along the coast with stunning views over the ocean.
CBD (Central Business District)
Downtown area with lots of offices. Aligned to it’s name, it’s the central business district for the city
Circular Quay
Transport hub in CBD right near the Sydney Opera House. This is a good spot to get a ferry to visit places like Manly beach.
Darling Harbour
A harbour area with lots of restaurants and drink spots not far from CBD
Royal Botanic Garden
Found overlooking the Sydney harbour, the royal botanic gardens is lovely to wander through when visiting some of the key sights. Take a stroll through the gardens on a sunny morning.
Mrs Macquaries Point
This point is a peninsula which sticks out into the Sydney Harbour. It’s a perfect place to get nice views of both the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Rocks Neighborhood
A small area right around Sydney Harbour Bridge and near the Opera house, this is Sydney’s oldest neighborhood. It’s now known for having shops, restaurants and places to grab drinks.
Centennial Park
Lovely park in Sydney great for walks, runs, or even cycles as lots of cyclists will be seen here in the park on nice days.
Surry Hills
Trendy Sydney neighborhood with an abundance of cafes, shops, and restaurants. The architecture is very nice in the neighborhood, making it a great place to wander around aimlessly on different streets and see where you decide to stumble into. However, if you prefer to have a place to start, consider Crown Street or Foster Street as these are good points within Surry Hills.
Cycling
With the weather in Sydney, it’s no surprise there’s lots of cyclists in the city. Cyclists may enjoy city rides, or more likely when time allows, take on longer routes to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy other places.
Food and Drinks
Centennial Homestead
Cafe
Centennial Park
Cute little cafe in the middle of Centennial Park
Fabbrica Bread Shop Coogee
Cafe
Coogee
En route to the Coogee to Bondi walk, good spot to grab a pastry
Coffee Roooom – Coogee
Cafe
Coogee
Right near Coogee beach, pop in here for a takeaway coffee before you head on your way to walk the coast
The Bakery on Glenayr
Cafe
Bondi
Amazing bakery in Bondi with scrumptious pastries
Will & Co Bondi
Cafe
Bondi
Easy place to grab a coffee near Bondi beach off the main street
Artificer Coffee
Cafe
Surry Hills
Coffee spot in Surry hills neighborhood
Bourke Street Bakery Surry Hills
Cafe
Surry hills
Cute cafe best for takeaway on a corner in Surry Hills
Bills
Brunch
Bondi
Busy brunch spot good for a sit down bite to eat
The Shop & Wine Bar
Wine Bar
Bondi
Cute wine bar in Bondi with minimal seating, but great to sit down in for a glass of wine and bites
Pasta Emilia’s
Dinner
Surry Hills
Great Italian restaurant with good pastas and nice service
Pocket Bondi
Drinks
Bondi
Cocktails overlooking Bondi beach, what more is there to say
Bar Conte
Drinks
Surry Hills
Excellent negroni bar, perfect for a pre or post dinner drink
D Bowls Acai Bondi
Snack
Bondi
Acai bowls stand with outdoor seating near Bondi beach
Other Notes
Duration
Three to four days in Sydney is perfect for first-time visitors. This is enough time to see the main sights, explore like a local, and hit the beach for an afternoon. If you’d like to consider day-trips, or just have more time to soak in the local life, you can always add more time. Many consider a day trip to the Blue Mountains from Sydney.
Weather
Sydney is known for having a nice climate with sunshine and warmer average temperatures. The winter still sees temperatures dropping, but rarely ever below freezing. Summer months see warm temperatures in the high 80s (F) / high 20s (C).
Time of year
As Australia is in the Southern hemisphere, the seasons are flipped for us northern hemisphere folks meaning summer is December to February, fall is March to May, winter is June to August, and spring is September to November. Sydney is known for having decent weather year round opening up flexibility on when to visit. Peak tourism is often around the Christmas holidays into January. If you’d like to avoid the busy period or travel at cheaper times, consider avoiding this period. November and February can be great times to visit with nice weather and often less busy.