Sydney is one of the best cities in the world. Fact.
There’s a lot to do, all set in pretty stunning surroundings. People living in and around Sydney, in Australia in general in fact, enjoy a largely ‘outdoorsey’ life style and that’s visible across every inch of Sydney.
Here’s a short city guide to Sydney, what is without a doubt one of the world best, most exciting, most liveable cities. If you’re going, lucky you, enjoy every second, if you’re not going, this is your chance to remedy that quick sharp…
View from the Harbor Bridge.
Our Ultimate Guide for Getting to Know Sydney
Getting there
As Australia’s busiest airport, you have a huge number of options when it comes to traveling to Sydney. You can fly with top airlines including the likes of Virgin, Qantas, Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Air China giving you a wealth of stopover options on the way there too.
Building in a stopover on your ways to Australia is an awesome way to take a holiday within a holiday, as delaying your onward flight a few days (or even weeks if you have the time to spare) often costs very little, or nothing at all! Spend a few days in Dubai, Singapore, Thailand, India, Malaysia, China to name just a few, and really maximise your time away.
Getting around
Sydney has a great transport system, so getting around is easy. Take the bus, monorail, ferry, taxi, water taxi, train, cycle or use your own two feet, either way, getting to where you want to go won’t be a hassle.
A lot of the buses in Sydney only accept prepaid tickets at certain times so check out if that’s the case before you try and board – good thing is ticket vendors are never far away.
Cabs aren’t horrendously expensive, and there are plenty of taxi ranks round the city. You’ll be looking at approximately $$3.60 -$6.10 AUD to start, then up to $2.62 per km (cabs cost more from 10pm to 6am).
Things to do
I hope you’ve got a lot of time in Sydney – because you’re going to need it!
Take the ferry to Tongariro Zoo, learn to surf on Bondi Beach, climb the Harbor Bridge, enjoy a paddle board lesson, and take a thrilling Thunder Jet Boat ride around the harbor.
If you’re looking for things that cost little, or nothing at all, the coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee is amazing, also the Chinese Gardens of Friendship at Darling Harbor are beautiful or take a picnic to the Botanical Gardens on a sunny day to chill out in the backdrop of the Opera house and Harbor Bridge.
Chinese Friendship Gardens.
Weather
When it comes to Sydney seasons, think about things as being back to front. So Summer is our winter. Their spring is our Autumn and vice versa. The hottest time to be in Sydney is from December, January and Feb where temperatures, on average, hover at around 28-30 degrees, although heatwaves are common.
In the winter, temperatures can fall to around 8-10 degrees and rain regular. It never really reaches the same chill as winter in the UK but it definitely gets cold around June, July, August.
Beaches
Where to start with the beaches of Sydney…. There are loads! Lots and lots of amazing, golden sandy, gloriously sun kissed, beautiful beaches – each one different to the next.
My own favorite; Coogee. This South Eastern suburb has long been a favorite of young Aussies and is fast becoming the place to be for expats and backpackers too. Coogee beach is the new Bondi and is often busy.
Talking of Bondi, while Coogee is coming forward as the new place to be in Sydney, there’s no denying at, that the moment, it’s all still all about Bondi. This long stretch of beach is as much of an iconic part of Sydney as the Opera House or Harbor Bridge, it’s a big traveler hub so if you want to mingle with other backpackers and meet new friends this is a great place to be during the day and to party at night.
Catch the ferry to busy Manly for a more family friendly atmosphere and a host of shops and cafes along the length of the sand or Bronte Beach a couple of kms down south of Bondi for a quieter, but just as beautiful, beach experience.
Sydney’s iconic Bondi beach.
Where to stay
Some of our favorite hostels include Wake Up hostel central Sydney, Base Sydney and Bondi YHA.
If you are passing through and have a campervan Lane Cover River National Park is a great place to park up. It’s good value and only short train ride from the city center.
Shopping
Sydney is one of the best cities in the world for shopping and has an enormous selection of stores and outlets to choose from as well as local markets and independent and vintage stores.
For souvenirs, check out Paddy’s Markets, more something a bit cheaper and alternative Bondi Market is open on Sunday with lots of choice, then there’s the pretty and ornate Strand Arcade, and Westfield shopping center in town.
Eating and drinking
It’s no coincidence that thousands of young travelers flock to Sydney every year. You can pretty much guarantee yourself a perfect lifestyle here and that includes an almost unlimited number of places to eat and drink.
Iceberg bar, Bondi has amazing views over Bondi beach, enjoy a drink with a view at the Australia Hotel bar near Harbor Bridge, and you need to order a cocktail in the legendary Opera Bar. Nuzzled neatly just below the Opera House, this bar boasts what is quite possibly one of the best, if not the best, bar views in the world.
Head to The Spot in Randwick for the best Thai food you’ll eat outside of Bangkok at Blue Monkey Thai or to Beach Burrito in Coogee for amazing Mexican.
Blue Mountains National Park.
Near by
The fun doesn’t stop once you leave Sydney, New South Wales is full of diverse activities and places of interest that will help make a day trip from the city unforgettable.
It would be almost unthinkable to miss out on the views and treks in the Blue Mountains National Park, Take a ride to the Hunter Valley and sample some Aussie Wine or hire a car and go a little further afield with a few days in hippy hotspot Byron Bay.