Australia has been on my bucketlist since forever, but it always seemed out of reach because it is literally so far. When we saw that there was a flight deal for half the normal airfare cost, we jumped on that opportunity immediately! We've been told how expensive Australia is, so we're extremely happy we were able to find this deal.
And, before we knew it, we were off!! When deciding which cities to visit, Sydney was a no-brainer. The largest city in Australia with an unlimited number of things to do and see (let alone eat)? Yes please!
I spent a lot of time researching what to do in Sydney, and was sad to say that I didn't have enough time to do everything here. It's a glorious place to visit with enough of the city life to explore as well as the 'beach town' vibe to experience. There is always something to do and I could've spent a whole week here! But I've put together a guide that highlights some of the important things that I believe would be helpful if you're planning a trip to Sydney. It includes a number of things I experienced personally and some things I wish I skipped. Enjoy!
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Things to Do and SeeAnd, before we knew it, we were off!! When deciding which cities to visit, Sydney was a no-brainer. The largest city in Australia with an unlimited number of things to do and see (let alone eat)? Yes please!
I spent a lot of time researching what to do in Sydney, and was sad to say that I didn't have enough time to do everything here. It's a glorious place to visit with enough of the city life to explore as well as the 'beach town' vibe to experience. There is always something to do and I could've spent a whole week here! But I've put together a guide that highlights some of the important things that I believe would be helpful if you're planning a trip to Sydney. It includes a number of things I experienced personally and some things I wish I skipped. Enjoy!
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- An obvious attraction (I feel silly even writing this haha) is the Sydney Opera House & Harbour Bridge - both equally iconic and not to be missed. I’d highly recommend going once during the day and once at night. Avoid sunset / golden hour, as I found that it was so packed, it took away from my experience. Instead, for three of the best viewpoints to grab a photo during sunset and take it all in from a distance, find it in my 24 Hours in Sydney travel guide!
- Another must-do is the coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee. It’s a 3 to 4 hour walk, if you leisurely stroll, stop at the beaches/towns along the way, and take a couple photos. I'd recommend going on a weekday, as it gets pretty busy during the weekend. There are a lot of people running, walking their puppies, or just hanging out by the coast. It has stunning views, and don't forget to look back every once in a while to take in all the views! You also can't miss out on seeing the famous Bondi Iceberg with your own eyes!
- A cool area I wish I had more time to explore was a suburb called Newtown. Located in the south-west sector of Sydney, it’s just a quick cab ride away from the Central Business District (CBD). It has a bunch of hip bars, restaurants, and appeals to a younger crowd.
- For an indoor activity, check out the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It's a free activity, and perfect to hang out in for an hour.
- Next to it, you can also walk around in the Botanic Gardens. Beware of the bugs - I've warned ya! Haha. Through the gardens, you'll be able to make your way to one of the most popular viewpoints - Mrs Macquarie's Chair. You'll be able to get a photo like this if you go :)
- One of the biggest letdowns of our time in Sydney was Taronga Zoo. I'll say this first: I don't recommend spending time or money here at all. It costs about $120 for two people (admission + the ferry to get there). I don't know what I was expecting, but it was all very underwhelming. It smelled, wasn't kept clean, very few things to look at, and you couldn't see much out of the famous Sky Gondola. We were in and out within an hour! If you want to see wild kangaroos, I'd recommend just going out of the city like Blue Mountain.
- Darling Harbour is a very popular spot to check out, as you can see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge from here. There are a lot of spots to sit to enjoy the gardens, bars with patio seating, and is also where the newly renovated convention centre sits.
- On a nice afternoon, take a local ferry out to Manly Beach. On the way there, you'll be able to check out Sydney's skyline and also cruise by the iconic attractions. Manly Beach is one of the nicer beaches and is a famous surfing spot, if you're into that! There's a town there for you to walk around, shop, and relax.
- Wander through Chinatown for an afternoon. It's only a couple blocks away from Darling Harbour and is pretty central with all things considered. It's Australia's largest Chinatown after all! It is also a great option if you're looking to spend a little less money on food.
Things to EAT!
- Eating Australian beef is something that you moo-st include in your itinerary (ha, did you see what I did there?). Treat yourself to an expensive cut of meat as well for the full experience. The Butcher’s Block has a great steak menu (not too many options to overwhelm you, but totally sufficient). We enjoyed a MB6+ wagyu sirloin & a rib eye (both grain fed). They were honestly the best steaks I’ve had – buttery, delicious goodness!
- Australian meat pies is also a huge thing that cannot be missed. One of the most popular spots is The Pie Tin, located in Newtown. There are typically both savoury and sweet, but I'd stick to the traditional and get a savoury meat pie.
- This is a big win for me, but sushi is relatively cheap in Sydney!! There are a lot of sushi shops that sell little burrito rolls for $3-4, which is a great snack. I may or may not have had too many of them lol!
- And of course - BREAKFAST! How could I not talk about one of the most important meals of the day? I've been told that Australians take their breakfast seriously. I didn't really know what it meant, and I still kinda don't. All I know is that people wake up early for this! Literally, every single table at a local breakfast joint will be filled up before 9am. And no matter where you are, you can be sure you're getting something good and fresh.
- An extremely popular area is Sydney's own "Little Italy" strip all along Norton Street. Here's a Google Maps link to the area. Unfortunately, we didn't make it there but it comes highly recommended and from just looking at the reviews of the number of Italian spots, they all look bombbbbb.
- But the one dining experience you cannot miss is having a lovely meal on a boat as you cruise down past the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge with Captain Cook Cruises. It's such a different view and ambiance during the evenings while you're on that calm water. It's even better when you get to enjoy a 6-course meal with wine pairings! If you are not a huge fan of being on a boat for this long, there are also sunset cruises. Be sure to add one of these tours to your itinerary - it will not disappoint.
Drinks / Happy Hours
- Starting off with one of the highlights of my time in Sydney, which I obviously am highly recommending: visit Blu Bar at the Shangri-La during sunset and sip on a delicious cocktail while admiring spectacular views. I mean, just look at the picture below! You cannot do better than this. Although it is on the expensive side, I believe it’s HIGHLY worth the price and I would do it all over again. Many people decide to climb up Sydney Harbour Bridge for the views, but I honestly would just recommend going to a nice rooftop bar (like this one haha) and take in the views from there. It's honestly so much more worth it + you get a pretty delicious cocktail to go along :)
- The Argyle, a very popular venue for dining and nightlight, is located in a 1820s building with multiple establishments and dining areas. Situated in The Rocks, it's a great spot for happy hour and food! There are always different events happening with live entertainment or DJs, as well as a huge drink selection. People come here after work and stay until the late night hours. Something to experience for sure!
- A couple other spots are mentioned in my condensed Sydney, Australia travel guide, so check it out here.
Other Things To Know
Cost
Brace yourself for the price tags when you arrive. I read about it prior to arriving but was truly shocked when I paid for the first meal. We ordered a burger, chicken caesar salad, and 2 basic drinks and the total came to $70 AUD. I couldn’t believe my eyes! From that point on, we made it a mission to look for cheaper (but still delicious) options around the city. Drinks are also expensive around the city, so make sure you visit spots during happy hour. Just accept and know that the cost for things are more expensive going into your trip budgeting, and you’ll be good :) - - - To read about just how much we spent on our Australian trip was, head here. *insert monkey covering eyes emoji*.
Accommodation
Depending on what you are looking to do, staying in the Central Business District (CBD) is most likely the best bet. We made the mistake of staying in Potts Points (which is an ok area), but we had to take the train/cab everywhere. It added to the overall cost of our trip, which totally could’ve gone towards a nicer hotel in the CBD with everything within walking distance.
Transportation
The main thing you need to know about transportation around the city is that the train is a great option, IF you have an Opal card. It charges you based on the ‘distance travelled between points’ vs a fixed fee per ride. The cost from the airport into the city entre is $18 AUD and is not avoidable, unfortunately! But I highly recommend you purchase one when you get into the city as you will be able to get a discount on the fares when travelling between any of the other stations. OR, if you'd rather just take a cab to places, I would highly recommend ride sharing! We used Uber Pool a lot when in Australia and it was worth the savings!
Jet Lag
Not sure where your hometown is, but if you’re from North America (east coast, to be specific) like me, jet lag is gonna hit you HARD. No matter what you do on the flight there to prepare for it or try to avoid it, it’ll be a pretty difficult first couple days. I found it to be manageable if you do NOT take a nap once you land. Fight the urge!!! You’ll probably sleep at 8/9pm and wake up around 6/7am, so plan for some early morning activities the first couple days - like, the coastal walk or enjoy the sunrise from one of the viewpoints!
Coffee
If you need to know anything about coffee in Australia is that it is filled with local coffee shops. My boyfriend’s dad has the best nickname to describe it – “it’s a latte town” haha. Starbucks even failed here and had to close up their shops (I only saw maybe 2 during my entire time in Australia as I explored). Anyway – it’s safe to say that the local spots really know what they’re doing! And of course, Australians are known to have created the flat white so of course I had to go around trying them all (and you should too). It’s also good to note that they don’t have ‘regular coffee’ or ‘filtered coffee’ here. The closest thing they have to it is an Americano, or called a Long Black here. Also surprisingly, the cost of coffee wasn’t outrageous like everything else – about $3.50 to $4 for a latte (same price back home, if not cheaper actually haha).
Racism
If you look at me with a creepy smile & I smile back politely and look away, that doesn’t mean I don’t know English lol. And if you come up to me and tell me I "don’t belong here" and "should go back to my real home", you bet I’m going to reply and say “go f*ck yourself!” I’m NOT at all saying that all Australians are like this, as I’ve met manyyyy who are wonderful while travelling. But this is just something to beware lol. I was really hit hard with this reality when I was there and it honestly made me homesick and so grateful for living and growing up in a country such as Canada!
Many people decide to climb up Sydney Harbour Bridge for the views of the city, but I honestly would recommend going to a nice rooftop bar (like the one at the Shangri-La pictured below) and take in the views from there. I mean, check out the photo below. You honestly can't beat that!! If you wanted to do the Harbour Bridge climb during sunset, it would set you back $375 AUD per person LOL. Instead, take a seat and actually enjoy the view with a delicious cocktail! It is honestly so much more worth it + you get a pretty delicious cocktail to go along :) I'm not lying when I say this was probably one of the highlights of my entire stay here!!
Cuddling Koalas
Ha, this was probably one of the first things that came to my mind when I booked my flight to Australia. I just wanted to see and hold a cute liddo bebe koala! It's good knowledge to have that due to laws, it's illegal to hold one anywhere in Australia except Queensland. It's also quite costly lol but I saved my money to do it when I was in Cairns.
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And that concludes my travel guide for Sydney! I hope this was helpful for you and will either help you plan for your upcoming trip to Sydney or make you want to go!! If you have any questions, please send me an email or Instagram DM, and I’d be happy to answer! To see more of photos, click here for my Australia IG hashtag.
I also highlighted all my Instagram Stories of my trip to Australia (Sydney, Cairns, and Melbourne), which you can watch here.
Related Blog Posts:
- 5 Bites of Melbourne
- Estimated Budget for a Trip to Australia
- Penguin Paradise in Melbourne, Australia
- Travel Guide: Cairns, Australia [coming soon]
- Estimated Budget for a Trip to Australia
- Penguin Paradise in Melbourne, Australia
- Travel Guide: Cairns, Australia [coming soon]
Don't forget to pin this travel guide if you found it useful! :)
Cheers! Xo
