Here are the things I think you MUST do in Sydney and the amount of time it my take.
Sydney is my hometown and although I’ve been living in Melbourne for 2 years, I’ve now visited more than 20 times! That’s a lot! So I have had a chance to see my city as a tourist. But also we were fortunate to have many overseas visitors as I was growing up so I got to explore a lot more of Sydney then I usually would.
– RED bus – Do this your first day, hop on hop off, gives you a good idea of the city.
– Bondi Beach – Famous must see, just an afternoon or a night meal (You can do this on the red bus)
– Coogee Beach for a Sunday morning walk – or afternoon beer.
– Circular quay – visit opera house, the botanical gardens, catch a ferry on the harbour, visit the Museum of Contemporary arts, shop in the rocks.
– Dinner at the Lowenbrau or drinks at the Argyle in the Rocks – beautiful area
– Darling harbour – shopping at Harbourside! Great Aussie items here
– QVB shopping in the centre of Sydney
– Australian Museum – next to Hyde park, visit Old Sydney nearby and walk in the park. (afternoon)
– Ferry to Manly and spend the day at the Mall, Beach and bay! Amazing bushwalks – Spit to Manly Bushwalk.
– Taronga Zoo – best view in the world.
– Coastal drive – Symbio animal park, hang gliders at Stanwell Tops, cliff drive to Austinmeir. Lovely area near where we grew up.
– Sydney Aquarium – one of the best in the world! Honestly!!
– Wildlife Centre- great educational place, but if going to Zoo and animal park in Melbourne, might give it a miss.
– Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk – afternoon (don’t pay for twlight as you will get sunset on this trip.)
– Centrepoint Tower- view of the whole city, edge experience, can also have dinner here.
There are many beautiful parks and walks in Sydney – and from Darling Harbour you can walk to many places – Chinese friendship gardens, Pyrmont, The harbour itself, Hyde Park and Circular Quay.
If you do live in Sydney, can I encourage you to put on your tourist hat and go out and see your city with new eyes? I’ve been lucky to travel overseas a lot in my short time and the best part of that was coming back to Sydney and seeing it from a new perspective. Exploring new bars, new areas, visiting attractions and getting to see it for it’s inner beauty.
Enjoy Sydney!
Lovelly Travels 