Sydney is an amazing city with much to offer the tourists. Below find a suggested best travel itinerary for Sydney Australia.
Day 1 – Sydney Harbour
Sydney Harbour is arguably one of the world’s most amazing and spectacular harbours. It offers stunning waterways and beautiful dining districts featuring cuisine from all around the world, as well as calming relaxed walks. This is a wonderful place to start to find your bearings for this city.
Chinatown, Darling Harbour, King St Wharf, Barangaroo, The Rocks & Circular Quay
Your first day in Sydney might include a walk from China Town (one of the largest in the world outside of China) to Darling Harbour, a beautiful harbourside precinct. From here, you may follow the harbourside past King St Wharf to Barangaroo and around the Barangaroo Hill. Further on, you will pass Walsh Bay where you will follow the walkways around the Piers (4 of the 5 allow you to walk by the water). Here you may see people fishing as you pass the Dance Company precinct. A little further on, you will be greeted by a huge smiley face on the other side of the harbour. This is Luna Park, a small copy of the one at Coney Island, New York. Note, there is actually a very old fashioned amusement area called Coney Island inside it dating back to 1935. Proceeding on, you will pass under the harbour bridge and will face the stunning view of the Sydney Opera House.
The Rocks
You are now in famous district of The Rocks, the original Sydney settlement. You may see a large cruise liner docked here or a majestic tall ship and of course, you will see Sydney ferries plying their way around the harbour. The Rocks area is full of history: old sandstone buildings, statues of soldiers and settlers, and there are even ghost tours that run at night.
Observatory Hill and The Bridge
Just up the hill, is Observatory Hill, a great spot to gaze down on the harbour. It is also close to the walkway that crosses the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Here, you may visit the small Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon Museum. The interesting,, if not quaint, museum will explain how Paul Hogan aka Crocodile Dundee, used to work as a Sydney Harbour Bridge rigger before becoming a world famous actor. The view over Circular Quay is amazing from the museum. Likewise, you can check in for a Bridge Climb experience from the same general area.
From The Rocks, you can stroll around the harbour passing Circular Quay. Later, you may like to come back on another day to take a ferry to Manly or Taronga Zoo.
The next stop should be the Sydney Opera House. Take a tour around the Opera House at https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/tours/sydney-opera-house-tour. These can be booked in advance. However, sometimes they leave a little space for last minute arrivals. So, if it shows as full, you may still like to check availability when you get there. If you cannot do a tour, you may be able to book a show. Its not just operas that show here.
Circular Quay and Botanic Gardens Precinct
From the Opera House, it is a short stroll to the Royal Botanic Gardens where you may see the resident eels in the pond or cockatoos or parrots in the trees. A little further on, you will come across Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. Often called Lady Macquarie’s chair, it is a historic, convict-carved sandstone bench located at Mrs Macquarie’s Point that dates back to 1810. It is an ideal photo point as it offers iconic, panoramic views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge in the same photo.
Day 2 – The Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains is an iconic sandstone mountain range only 80kms (50 miles) from Sydney. The park is a huge expanse covering an area larger than many small countries. It is heritage listed and must see destination for nature lovers. Any trip should include a visit to Wentworth Falls, Katoomba Falls, and Echo Point (home to the Three Sisters). These vantage points provide excellent views over the forest canopy.
The easiest way is to explore under the forest canopy, is to board the Scenic Railway. This is the world’s steepest railway. It was originally used as miner transport back in the 1880s, remnants of which still remain. There are a few short walks under the canopy where you can see some prehistoric ferns species that date back to the times of the dinosaurs. At the other end, there is a cableway to help you ascend back to the top. There is also a skyway (cable car) to take a view between two sides of the cliffs. You will see Katoomba Falls and the huge sprawling valley below.
Travel Ideology Sydney Tours run tours to the Blue Mountains in comfort and with someone else to drive. See https://www.sydney-tours.com.au/blue-mountains-tour/. This tour can be combined with a trip to Featherdale Wildlife Park is you wish. Featherdale Wildlife Park is an excellent place to see the elusive koalas close. It is difficult to get close to wild koalas in Sydney.
Alternatively, there are trains that can run you to Katoomba and a hop on hop off bus to get you to some of the sites. However, you may need to wait for a while between pickups.
Day 3 – Jet Boat Sydney Harbour and Bondi Beach to Coogee Coastal Walk
Bondi
Take a train to Bondi Junction and a bus or Uber to Bondi Beach. Have a walk along the beachside promenade or along the sandy beach. Icebergs is an ideal place to enjoy a meal. The food is good vale and the views are awe inspiring. Make sure to bring your passport it is a club. Hence, they need to confirm that you live outside the 5km area. It is a great place to watch the surfers. The club is named after the process of throwing ice in the water during winter so that swimmers can get that extra buzz. From here, there is an excellent coastal walk around to Coogee. It will take most people about 2 -3 hours.
Day 4 – Manly and Wildlife
Manly
Take a ferry from Circular Quay to Manly. This is a great way to get there, but is also a lovely way to see one of the world’s most impressive harbours. Once you arrive at the wharf, walk through the pedestrian mall until you arrive at Shelley Beach. In summer, you will probably see water dragons. These are lizards that measure about 1ft. You will also see brush turkeys at Shelley Beach. The views are amazing along the walk. On returning to the beach, you may see surf lifesavers, as well as people playing beach volleyball.
Walking with Wild Kangaroos Tour
No tour to Australia is complete without seeing a kangaroo in the wild. Travel ideology runs the premier tour in this regard, See https://www.sydney-tours.com.au/wild-kangaroos/. This tour takes you to get close to wild kangaroos in their native habitat.
Day 5 – Visit a Flying Fox Colony
Flying Foxes
Sydney has many flying fox (fruit bat) colonies. These are not the mini-bats that are found in Europe and the USA. These beautiful creatures have wingspans of about a metre (roughly 3ft). They are an important part of our ecosystem and without them many of our native flora would not exist.
Jetboat ride
A jet boat tour of Sydney Harbour will provide a wonderful way of seeing the harbour from a different perspective. From Circular Quay, there are two companies that run Jet Boat tours. They run regularly. Experience the exhilaration of a little adrenalin first thing in the morning.
Central City and Shopping District
Take a short walk from Circular Quay to the Central Shopping area You will pass the Police Museum and the state parliament on the way as well as many lovely sandstone buildings.
Sydney Tower
Take an elevated ride to the top of Sydney Tower for a revolutionary view from high above That is, there is a revolving restaurant at the top. It is a place where you can experience the taste of kangaroo meat as well as emu and crocodile sausages.
Look for Possums in Hyde Park
Just after the sun goes down, some of the city’s nocturnal life comes out to play. Brush tail possums may come out in Hyde Park. Fruit Bats are occasionally seen scoping out the city’s fruit trees, flying overhead.
Other
There are over 100 beautiful beaches spanning Sydney’s ocean and waterways. There are delicious restaurants representing most countries and major regions. They often have food that tastes even better than in the original country due to the quality of the underlying produce. Sydney has waterways and small bushy sections throughout the greater Sydney basin, making it not just a big city but a great place to live.
Other options to consider
- a ferry trip to Parramatta will provide an opportunity to see the suburbs that line the Parramatta river on the way to the geographic centre of the city.
- a ferry to Cockatoo Island, a UNESCO World Heritage listed site. It showcases a unique blend of convict history, maritime industrial heritage and provides panoramic harbour views over the harbour.
- a trip to see kangaroos living in an urban environment.
- a trip to see Wombats in the wild.
- a trip to see Sydney parrots. We have about one sixth of the world’s parrot species in Australia.
- a trip to see Sydney’s Northern Beaches, a paradisiacal peninsular, almost cut off from the rest of Sydney
- a trip to see Kangaroos and Pelicans in the wild.
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