Nate & Kristen’s 5 day itinerary of the best things to do in Sydney, including iconic sites, hikes, local food, and day trips!

Sydney

Things to Do in Sydney

We spent 5 days in Sydney – 3 days in the city and 2 days for day trips.  We felt like this was a good amount of time to really see the area and all the things to do in Sydney, without feeling rushed.  I would only recommend adding an extra day to your itinerary if there was an additional day trip you wanted to do.

Walking Tour of Sydney

On our first day in Sydney, we decided to take the free 3-hour walking tour of the city, offered by I’m Free Walking Tours.   It was a really great tour, and I’m really glad we did it!  He took us to many of the notable sights in the city and explained a lot of history about the city and about the founding of Australia.  We started on George Street and walked through Hyde Park, learned about the mall and the secret underground system, saw alleyway art installations, walked through the Rocks, and ended in Circular Quay, by the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.  It really is free, but at the end they do ask that you tip the tour guide whatever you feel the tour was worth.

Tip: I recommend taking this on your first day because it really helped us to get our bearings on the city.  We were able to navigate around other days based on areas we remembered from the tour.  He also gave us a lot of insider information on good local bars, unique things to do in Sydney, how to use the public transportation, etc, that is very helpful to learn on the first day.

Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach Coastal Walk

The Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk is a fabulous way to see the beautiful coast!  We actually started in Coogee, the furthest south town.  The walk is paved, with some stairs, so it’s not a strenuous workout.  It’s well marked and easy to figure out where to go.  We were there on a Sunday, so it was filled with locals too.  We were amazed at how huge the waves were!  One part of the trail actually goes through the middle of a historic cemetery.  We stopped for lunch at Bronte Beach, in the middle, but it still only took us about 2-3 hours, including lunch.

I recommend doing the hike in that order – starting in Coogee and ending in Bondi – because then you can end with a drink or meal at the famous Bondi Iceberg Club.  It’s one of the more iconic things to do in Sydney.  They have natural (saltwater) swimming pools that appear to run right into the ocean.  The food at the restaurant is pricey, so we just got drinks, but the view is fabulous!!

We took a bus to Coogee Beach, and then returning from Bondi, we took a bus to Bondi Junction and caught the train back into the CBD.  There are also buses that take you all the way back to the CBD from Bondi Beach.

Cockatoo Island

Cockatoo Island is one of the more unique, off the beaten track, things to do in Sydney.  The island is in the Sydney Harbor, about a 15 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay.  It was originally a home to convicts, and then later turned into a shipbuilding hub, and then later a major ship repair facility during WW2.  Walking through the old buildings was very cool and creepy at the same time!  It feels like an abandoned city, but with such a unique history.  It’s free to go see, and only $5 for the self-paced audio tour.

Harbour Bridge

The famous Harbour Bridge is an icon of the Sydney skyline.  There is a pedestrian walkway to walk across the bridge, which you must put on your list of things to do in Sydney!  I recommend taking the train to the other side, to the Milson’s Point stop, and then walking back across the bridge.  It’s a great view of the Sydney Harbor and Opera House.

There are 2 other ways to get onto the bridge.  One way is to climb stairs to a lookout point, called the Pylon lookout, on the south end of the bridge (for a fee).  For more of an adventure, the Sydney Bridge Climb takes you to the very top.  The Bridge Climb was recommended to us by a few people, and looked cool, but we opted out because it’s pretty pricey.

Royal Botanical Gardens

The Royal Botanical Gardens are free to walk through and the highlight is the lookout point at the end called Mrs Macquarie’s Chair.  This is the best place to get a spectacular view of the harbor, the Opera House, and the Harbour Bridge. (See header photo above!)

Day Trip: Hunter Valley Wine Tour

Our day in the Hunter Valley, with Kangarrific Tours, was one of our favorite days!  Highly recommend taking this tour with Sam!  We were picked up in Sydney and drove about an hour north to a wildlife park where we got to meet kangaroos, a koala, and a python!  It was so cool, and the koala was definitely as soft to pet as you’d imagine!

From there we drove another hour up to the Hunter Valley.  The unique thing about this wine tour is that Sam gets an idea of the types of wine everyone drinks on the drive, and then calls to set up the tastings at specific wineries based on everyone’s interests!  It felt like such a personalized tour!  (He usually caps the tours at 12 people.)  We went to 2 wineries, Adina and Mount View, and 1 brewery, Potters, and received wonderful one-one-one attention and education about the wines/beers.  It wasn’t like other tastings we’ve done where they just pour your tasting and walk away, so we learned a lot about the wines.  We also stopped at a chocolate shop and a cheese shop.  It was such a fun and unique day!

Day Trip: Blue Mountains National Park

I highly recommend spending a full day in the Blue Mountain National Park!  We loved it – it was our favorite activity of all the things to do in Sydney! There are tours that take you there as a group, from Sydney, but I’m so glad we went on our own, because we saw a lot more than we would have seen with a group.  We took the train there – it’s about a 2 hour ride from Sydney Central Station to the Katoomba Station.

Once you’re there, the only way to see it, without a car, is to buy a pass to the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus.  It’s a hop on hop off bus that travels around the entire park.  It’s too big to see the entire thing in a day on foot, and they pick up every 30 minutes from a lot of key points within the park.  We started first thing in the morning and made the following stops.  (The numbers below correspond to the Blue Mountain Explorer Bus stop numbers.)

Stop 10 – Narrow Neck Lookout point is a quick stop that the bus makes for everyone to just hop off and take a picture.

Stop 11 – Stop 14 – We got off at Stop 11 and hiked to Stop 14 (Prince Henry Cliff Walk to Echo Point).  Highly recommend, as this was our favorite trail we did all day!  The views of the valley were breathtaking!  All of the trails are flat, well marked, and definitely doable if you’re in shape.  This trail ends at Stop 14 which is the famous Three Sisters rock formation.  It was cool to see, but it was definitely the most crowded stop.  (This is where the group tour buses go.)

Stop 14 – Stop 16 – We continued hiking from Stop 14 (Three Sisters) to Stop 16 (Kiah Lookout).  The first part of this trail takes you right up to the Three Sisters, so it was cool to see them up close.  This next part of the trail was much longer.  It was more wooded, with lookout points along the way.

Stop 17 – We hopped back on the bus at Stop 16 (to rest our feet!) and then got off at Stop 17, Leura Cascades.  It was a little tricky to find this trail.  When you cross the street, and walk up the street towards a parking area, go left at the bathrooms to find the trail.  This was a short walk down to see these beautiful cascades.

Stop 18 – We got back on the bus there and hopped off at Stop 18, Gordon Falls.  This was a 5 minute walk to another beautiful lookout point.

Stop 31 – We then rode the bus to Stop 21 where we had a late lunch in Leura Village.  At 3pm, they start running a second, smaller, bus from Leura Village to Wentworth Falls (Stops 30 and 31).  We took that bus to Stop 31. We took a few smaller trails to some lookout points to see the falls.

Tips: Bring snacks!! We had intended to stop for lunch at one of the cafes at Stop 16.  However when we got there, we found the café was closed!  Fortunately we had granola bars to hold us over until we could find food, mid-afternoon, at Stop 21.

We did not pay for the highly advertised Scenic World (skyway cablecar and railway), as it would have doubled the cost of our day.  We didn’t feel like we missed out because we saw the same views they saw from our hikes.

There is a lot to see/hike, so arrive early in the morning to hop on the first bus at 9am.

Restaurants

The Australian Heritage Hotel

The Australian Heritage Hotel is located in The Rocks and famous for their pizzas.  We got a kangaroo and emu pizza and a crocodile pizza.  Definitely worth trying them all!  We liked the kangaroo the best, so if I was to go back, I would get a full kangaroo pizza.  (Yes, eating kangaroo is a popular thing to do in Sydney!) It’s a small place with a full bar and definitely worth checking out!

Madang

We had great Korean BBQ at Madang, between Chinatown and Hyde Park.  We got the platter with about 7 different meats to share.  They bring the raw meat out and you cook it yourself on your table.  It was a little pricey compared to what we were normally spending at lunch, but it was a very authentic experience!

Mamak

We picked up takeout at Mamak in Chinatown one night and we loved it!  It was our first time trying Malaysian food and we got Ayam goreng (Malaysian-style fried chicken) and Nasi goreng (Malaysian-style fried rice).  It was fabulous!  We had read reviews ahead of time that say it’s very popular and there’s often already a line formed outside when they open.  It was very crowded, but luckily we didn’t have to wait too long for our food.

The Baxter Inn

The Baxter Inn is one of Sydney’s secret bars and it’s worth finding!  It’s a really cool vibe, and is worth adding to your Sydney itinerary!  I had a fantastic cocktail and Nate said his old fashion was the best he’d ever had.

Tip: Since it’s a secret bar, it’s hard to find!  It’s located next to Atelier De Velo bike shop on Clarence street.  Go through the entrance to the left, as if you’re going into a parking garage.  It’s NOT the restaurant straight ahead – that’s another secret bar.  Instead, in the right corner, there is an unmarked door with a staircase leading down – as if you’re going down to an underground parking garage level.  When you open the door at the bottom you’re in the bar!  If you get lost, ask someone in the area.  There was a guy in the alley who pointed us where to go.

Hotel

We stayed in an Airbnb – it was a cute studio off Oxford Street.  Oxford Street is right on the line between the Surry Hills and Darlinghurst neighborhoods.  It was a good area and an easy walk from the Museum train station, which made getting around easy.  Ideally I would want to stay a little closer to the CBD (Central Business District – main downtown area) and closer to all the things to do in Sydney, but that area was pricier.  Airbnb is a really good option when traveling to Sydney as we found the hotels to be very expensive.  Plus, it gives you more of a locals experience in a new city!  (Use this code for $40 off your first Airbnb stay.)

Transportation

Public Transportation in Sydney is very easy!  Trains, buses, light rails and ferries are all on the same system.  Load money onto an Opal Card, and tap the card when you get on/off any public transportation.  It charges you based on the distance.  The nice thing is that you cap at $15/day and $2.50 on Sundays.  We mainly used trains and buses to get around everywhere, and it was fairly easy to navigate.  The bus drivers were helpful when we had questions.  We also took the train to/from the airport.

Sydney Travel Tips:

Visa – Everyone is required to obtain a visa before visiting Australia.  It’s called an Australia Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) for visitors from other countries.  The visa information is attached to your passport number, so you don’t need to bring anything.

Sunscreen – Wear a daily sunscreen!  Since the ozone layer is more damaged above Australia, you are more susceptible to getting burned.  We also noticed a difference in how much brighter it was outside.

Local food – Sydney has a big Southeast Asian influence, so take advantage of that with your meals.  We tried Thai, Malaysian, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.

Weather – We went in September and were lucky to have wonderful weather!  September is spring-time in Australia, and temps were 50s-60s (Fahrenheit) every day.  Bring a light jacket – mornings were a little chilly.

People – We found Australians to be so nice and welcoming, and we enjoyed talking to all of the people we met!  They’re very much like Americans in their demeanor and style.

Insider Tip – It’s free to use the bathrooms inside the Opera House, so definitely go inside (the box office entrance) so you can say you were in the famous Opera House!

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Follow the rest of Nate & Kristen’s Australia trip here:

Whitsunday Islands, Australia – Guide to the Whitsunday Islands and Great Barrier Reef

Other travel guides you might like:

North & South Islands, New Zealand – The Ultimate New Zealand Itinerary

Phuket, Koh Phi Phi & Bangkok, Thailand – Adventure Through Phuket, Koh Phi Phi & Bangkok

Hanoi & Hue, Vietnam – Female Travelers’ Guide to Backpacking Vietnam

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