Sydney Travel Information Sydney is Australia’s most popular international travel destination and one of the greatest cities in the world.
No other city in Australia has got such a beautiful harbour with the old Sydney Harbour Bridge and the unique Sydney Opera House. There is also the historical The Rocks, Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney Botanic Gardens, world-class surf beaches like Bondi and Manly, and suburbs like Kings Cross, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Paddington. Here is some Sydney travel information and in the end of the page is accommodation and a Sydney street map.
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Sydney Harbour National Park Sydney’s gorgeous harbour starts between the North and South Heads and stretches 20km west to the Parramatta River. Much of its shores and many of its islands are protected by the Sydney Harbour National Park with some good walking tracks and lookout points. There are some quiet beaches at Nielsen Park, Camp Cove, Manly Cove, Reef Beach and Balmoral. At Cadman’s Cottage on The Rocks you can book tours to Fort Denison and Goat Islands.
Sydney Travel Information: Sydney Harbour Bridge Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of the world’s great bridges which was built during the years of depression and was completed in 1932. It connects the city centre to the North Sydney business district and is used by both cars and trains. But you won’t see much from the trains or cars so the best way to discover the bridge is by a bike or by foot – on the eastern side of it there is a pedestrian path, and the western side is used by cyclists. An even better way of discovering the bridge is to join the Bridge Climb – a three-and-a-half-hours tour across the top of the bridge where you can have your photo taken with the Opera House down in the background.
Sydney Travel Information: Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is nowadays probably even more famous than the Harbour Bridge. It was designed by the Danish architect Jorn Utzon and built of Swedish roof tiles between 1959 and 1973. It is really much more than an Opera House – it’s a cultural complex which includes an Opera Theatre for opera and ballet performances, a Concert Hall for symphony, jazz, chamber and pop music concerts, and in the back there is the Bennelong Restaurant, one of the best restaurants in Sydney. In the lobby area in the front of the Opera House there are some good views over the Sydney Harbour and different rooms can be hired for conferences, parties and weddings. You can walk in and around it and climb up the steps to a balcony in the front where there are some good views. There is also a 1hr tour which includes a free drink. Personally I was offered a free drink at a Volvo conference downstairs where we happened to walk in while discovering the building, and the drink was very good ;-)
Sydney Travel Information: Circular Quay Sydney West of Sydney Opera House is Circular Quay – the place where Captain Arthur Phillip first arrived with the convicts and established a settlement which would become the start of Sydney. Circular Quai is today mainly a transport hub with a train station and terminals for harbour ferries. In the western end of it is the First Fleet Park, and north of it is the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Sydney Travel Information: The Rocks Sydney East from Circular Quai is the historical Sydney – The Rocks and Millers Point. It is a lovely hilly area with cobbled streets lined with colonial buildings, historical pubs and converted warehouses. On the eastern side of the Harbour Bridge there is the Rocks Square where there are often street performances; and on George Street there is the Cadman’s Cottage – Sydney’s oldest house. Also on the George Street are the historical Sailor’s Home and Merchant’s House, and the weekend Rocks Markets. Further north are Campbell’s Storehouses, and if you continue walking along Hickson Road through the Dawes Point Park, you come to Dawes Point where there are the old wharves which now house a luxury hotel, Sydney Theatre, Bangarra Dance Theatre and Sydney Dance Company.
Sydney Travel Information: Old Sydney Pubs South from here is Millers Point where in the Observatory Park there is the old Sydney Observatory where you can watch Sydney night skies ever night. South of it is the National Trust Centre with SH Ervin Gallery which has art exhibitions. North of the park are the historical pubs Lord Nelsons Hotel and Hero of Waterloo. East from here along Argyle Street, on the corner of Glouce and Cumberland Streets is another popular historical pub – Australian Hotel.
Hyde Park Barracks and other Sydney Museums South-east from The Rocks is the city centre which starts south of the Circular Quai in north and ends south of Chinatown. The main street through the CBD is George Street which begins at The Rocks in north and runs south along the western side of the city centre and ends at the Central Station. On the eastern side of the city centre there is Macquarie Street, in and around which are the Museum of Sydney, Justice & Police Museum, Parliament House, Mint Building, State Library with a free gallery and the historical museum of Hyde Park Barracks where tourists can learn about Sydney’s convict history while Aussies can use a computer program to track their family history and find out what crimes their forefathers were sent here for!
Sydney Travel Information: Sydney Shopping West from the Macquarie Street are Sydney’s two central pedestrian malls: Martin’s Place surrounded by financial institutions and Pitt Street Mall with Strand Arcade, shops and warehouses, and the entrance to the Sydney Tower. It is worth going up for excellent views from 250m height at an observation deck and rotating restaurants. South from here is the beautiful historical warehouse Queen Victoria Building, and there are a fair few interesting shops along the streets between here and Chinatown.
Sydney Travel Information: Sydney Town Hall South of the QVB on George Street is Town Hall, a popular meeting place next to the Greater Union Hoyts Cinemas and the central Woolworths across the street. East from here is Hyde Park with some nice fountains, tree avenues, ANZAC Park Memorial and plenty of benches and lawn perfect to sit down and have a lunch. East of Hyde Park is the pretty St Mary’s Cathedral, an underground swimming pool and the Australian Museum, which is a science museum but also exhibits Aboriginal history.
Sydney Travel Information: Chinatown Sydney In the southern end of the city centre is the vibrant Chinatown, concentrated around Dixon Street but it covers a large area with Chinese shops and restaurants between Pitt Street in east and Ultimo in south. A highlight of Chinatown and my favourite is the Paddy’s Markets – an excellent market with affordable prices, and upstairs are factory outlets and Chinese eateries.
Sydney Travel Information: Sydney Aquarium North of the Pyrmont Bridge trafficked by Monorail are the excellent Maritime Museum, and the famous and Sydney Aquarium. Sydney Harbour Ferries will take you from here to Balmain – a lovely inner suburb west of the city, with beautiful Victorian houses, speciality shops, restaurants and pubs with live music.
Glebe Markets and Sydney Fish Markets South-west of Darling Harbour are Chippendale and Ultimo, suburbs with a lot of university students, and the bohemian Glebe with some nice street cafes, second-hand bookshops and the lively Glebe Markets on Saturdays. North-east of Glebe are Sydney Fish Markets, a popular place for Sunday lunch with views over Anzac Bridge and pelicans walking on the shore. West from Glebe are Annandale and the Italian suburb Leichardt; and south of it is Newtown – a colourful suburb that is moving upmarket, but still has some funky shops and cheap cafes and eateries.
Sydney Travel Information: Sydney Botanic Gardens Back up north, south-east of the Opera House are the Sydney Botanic Gardens, with lots of plant species from South Pacific, and the Sydney Tropical Centre with tropical woodland, monsoonal and rainforest plants; there is also a Fernery and a Rose Garden. In the Sydney Botanic Gardens are also the Government House, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and farthest north the Lady Macquarie’s Point, popular with picnics with views over the harbour and the Opera House. South of the botanic gardens is the Domain with some football fields and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Between Christmas and New Year every year the Carols in the Candlelight are held here. Also in Domain, you can watch the little red flying foxes covering the sky twice a day in their daily migration between Botanical Gardens where they sleep during the day and Centennial Park where they eat during the night – it’s quite a sight to watch them flying.
Woolloomooloo Wharf and Harry's Cafe de Wheels Near the Art Gallery of New South Wales there is a pedestrian bridge across the railway which takes you to Woolloomooloo Sydney – an old but nice suburb that is interesting to discover by foot. In the northern end of it is the famous Woolloomooloo Wharf with expensive hotels and restaurants, and next to it is the most famous pie shop in the world – Harry’s Cafe de Wheels, open since 1945 with walls covered with photos of celebrities who have visited it in the past. It serves some huge pies with different meats, peas and mashed potato, and it’s still open as you walk home from pubs and nightclubs in the early hours during the weekends (I used to live here and visit it although I would not recommend walking here alone during the night).
Sydney Travel Information: Kings Cross Sydney East from Woolloomooloo is the famous or infamous Kings Cross, depending on who you ask. Its backstreets may smell marijuana and its main street be lined with brothels and wild drinking holes but this is only one side of King’s Cross – there are also nice street cafes and backpackers’ hostels, the usual array of fast-food giants, banks, restaurants and bookshops, tourists and souvenir shops, and Sunday Markets at El Alamein Fountain. The roughness of Kings Cross seems rather attract visitors and I was living in the area for years so if you are street-smart and don’t go silly it is not a dangerous place. You’ll find that a lot of backpackers stay in Kings Cross and enjoy it. As you approach it along William Street, it’s left from the famous Coca Cola sign, but you can also catch the train to Kings Cross Station.
Paddington Bazaar and Centennial Park Sydney South of Kings Cross are Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Paddington with some Victorian architecture and small shops and street cafes. The main street of Paddington is Oxford Street, lined with shops, pubs, restaurants and art galleries, and on Saturdays there are the Paddington Bazaar Markets. In the southern end of Oxford Street is Centennial Park – the largest park in the city with car roads and paths for walking, jogging and roller skating. Centennial Park is also famous for its birdlife – there are many bonds with populations of ibis and spoonbills, ducks, pelicans, cormorants and darters. Locals like to feed them here but it is not a good idea as this is how birds become pests.
Sydney Travel Information: Eastern Suburbs North-east of Centennial Park is Moore Park and Fox Entertainment Centre where there are film studios, cinemas, shopping and restaurants. North from here (and east from Kings Cross), are the wealthy eastern suburbs Elisabeth Bay, Edgecliff, Double Bay, Rose Bay and Watsons Bay, with views over the harbour. East of Centennial Park is Bondi Junction, a laid-back suburb with an interesting shopping mall, and bus stops to the southern beaches.
Sydney Travel Information: Bondi Beach Surfing The famous Bondi Beach is today a trendy place with stylish cafes and restaurants, boardwalks to lookout points, and excellent surf waves but it also gets crowded with surfers and backpackers, and quieter options are Bronte and Coogee. Coogee is further south but Bronte is easily reached from Bondi Beach via a lovely coastal walk with some good views and outdoors art exhibitions. You can learn surfing with Let’s go Surfing and Learn to Surf. On Sundays there are the Bondi Beach Markets on the Campbell Parade - the main street along the ocean.
Sydney Travel Information: Manly Beach Sydney The most famous beach on the northern shore is Manly - a lovely beach next to a little beachside town with a pedestrian mall - the Corso - with shops, pubs and restaurants, and the famous Oceanworld which differs from Sydney Aquarium by the fact that it focuses on dangerous sea creatures. You can learn to surf here with Aloha Surf Manly. There is also the Manly Art Gallery & Museum, and behind it is the 10km Manly Scenic Walkway. On the North Head is the historical Quarantine Station which you can visit on pre-booked guided tours.
Sydney Travel Information: Taronga Zoo Sydney Further east on the north shore is the famous Taronga Zoo, with the usual array of Australian animals such as kangaroos and koalas, wombats, echidnas and platypuses, but also bears, elephants, giraffes and other species from around the world. It is up on a hill so there are good views of the harbour and you can get nice photos with the Opera House in the background.
Sydney Travel Information: Transport and Car Rentals There is excellent public transport to get around by trains, buses, monorail and harbour ferries, but if you want to go for a drive out of the city, there are Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty car rentals; and – the very popular Kings Cross Car Markets where backpackers buy cars and campervans cheap and sell them again after a trip around Australia. To get around in a laid-back way in Sydney, Cheeky Monkey, Favourite Cycles and Inner City Cycles rent bikes; and Manly Blades and Total Skate rent in-line skates.
Sydney Travel Information: Sightseeing Tours If you like touring and be taken around, there are guided walks in the city offered by The Rocks Walking Tours. There are the usual hop-on-hop-off sightseeing buses in town; and you can cruise the harbour with Harboursights Cruises, Magistic Cruises or Matilda Rocket Express. You can also discover the neighbouring Blue Mountains with Wonderbus and Tread Lightly Eco Tours.
Sydney Travel Information: Eating Out Dining is equally various and some of the examples include Salad Works, Mint Cafe and Sailors Thai in the city centre, Pho Pasteur, BBQ King and Enperor’s Garden BBQ & Noodles in Chinatown; Fu Manchu and Foodgame in Darlinghurst, Il Baretto and Maya da Dhaba in Surry Hills; Flatelli Paradiso and Tuk Tuk in Kings Cross, Tanjore and Padde Manors in Glebe, Bacigalupo and Green Gourmet in Newtown, Bar Italia in Leichart; Luv in a Cup and House of Soy in Bondi; Beanrush and BarKing Frog in Manly, and Rice and A Fish Called Googee in Coogee.
Sydney Travel Information: Sydney Pubs Sydney has also got an excellent night life, with bars, pubs and clubs lively until the small hours. The classic place to head in the city centre is the Establishment. On The Rocks, the three legends have already been mentioned in the text above: Australian Hotel, Hero of Waterloo and Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel. In Kings Cross, there are World Bar, Bourbon, Jimmy Lik’s and Soho Bar & Lounge. In Surry Hills there are the Cricketers Arms and Hollywood Hotel; and in Paddington there are the Lord Dudley Hotel and Paddington Inn Hotel. In Balmain there are the London Hotel and Riverview Hotel, and in Bondi the place to drink is Bondi Icebergs Bar. Nightclubs include Slip Inn in the city centre, Goodbar in Paddington; and Yu, Icebox and Plan B in – where else but Kings Cross.
Sydney Travel Information: Festivals The festivals celebrated are Sydney Festival in January; Chinese New Year and Tropfest in February; Mardi Gras in March; Royal Easter Show in April; Sydney’s Writers’ Festival in May; Sydney Film Festival in June; City to Surf Run in August; Carnivale in September; Kings Cross Carnival and Manly Jazz Festival in October; Sculpture by the Sea (along the walk between Bondi and Bronte mentioned above) in November; and Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve in December.
Here's a Sydney street map, places mentioned on this web page tagged. You can click on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
