5 things to do in Sydney
5 things to do in Sydney
This must-visit touristic hub has a lot to offer aside from opera
Sydney is, apparently, the prettier sister of Melbourne.
And indeed, with more than 10 million overnight visitors in 2023, this is a tourist haven and the most visited city in Australia.
As we moved forward from our first Australian destination, Melbourne (check out the 5 best things to do in Melbourne here), we experienced the magnificent city of Sydney. With great positive impressions of the city, here are our top 5 things to do in Sydney:
Below I will dive into each of these experience, and what you can expect.
01. Visit the Sydney Opera House
Ok, this one is a no-brainer. By far, the most popular attraction of Sydney is the Sydney Opera House. This architectural marvel does not disappoint, as it’s equally impressive from afar as it is when seen from up close.
Once you’ve taken all the *obligatory* selfies with the Sydney Opera House, here’s what else you can do around the area.
Learn about Sydney Opera House
At the entrance of the building, in an underpass looking area, there are a few panels exhibiting details about how the Sydney Opera House came to be.
If you are a fan of 70s modernist architecture, you will find the history and information about the construction of this architectural piece, fascinating.
Book a show at the Opera House
If you’re staying in Sydney for a few days, and can afford the time and money to go on a performance at the Sydney Opera House, do it! Should you be reading this post before your trip to Sydney, I’d highly recommend looking at what’s available now, and reserving your spot early on, as most shows get sold out, especially the popular ones.
“Do I need to dress up to watch a show at the Opera House?” - you may ask. In our experience of watching an awesome performance of “Best Opera" excerpts, a smart dress code is optional. There were plenty of people dressed up for the show, but equally, there were many that were watching the show in a casual attire.
Grab a drink at the Opera Bar
One popular place for a drink is the Opera Bar. This relaxed bar offers food and drinks day and night, with occasional live music. Check it out, if you want a non-pretentious relaxed experience on the river. For a full, more formal dining experience, the Opera House’s official restaurant is called Bennelong, and offers modern fine dining. Bear in mind that reservation may be required.
Check out the Circular Quay
Should you decide to venture further from the Opera House for a drink, the Circular Quay may offer more options (not as many as the Rocks area described in the next section, however.)
This is essentially the place where Sydney’s passenger ferries depart, with multiple destinations such as Manly beach, Sydney Olympic park, and more.
02. Marvel at the Sydney Harbour Bridge and explore the Rocks
Fairly close to the Opera House (Australian, non European way of “close” considered here) is the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This engineering masterpiece is very visible from the Opera House, and you can get great snaps from there (2 in 1 bonus touristic here).
However, should you wish to explore the bridge from a closer point, one thing you can do is to start walking from the Opera House to the Bridge, passing through the area of the Rocks - which is a neighbourhood of historic laneways in the shadow of Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Grab a drink or dinner at the Rocks
Earlier I mentioned that the Rocks has more food & drink venues. Indeed, you have plenty of options here, as this area is popular. It may be a bit on the touristic side, however the area is very nice, and provides a somewhat European and historic vibe, in a sharp contrast to the more modern and business areas of Sydney.
Going up the bridge
Bear in mind that you may not be able to get up on the bridge from the northernmost Rocks area. While we tried to go up on the bridge from the Dawes Point Reserve, we couldn’t find the entry point to the bridge, which may be as we were there after 6pm.
Follow the instructions on the official NSW government map of access points to the bridge.
Activities at the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Now you’ve somehow managed to climb up the bridge (congratulations, by the way), you can enjoy the views of the bay from the Pylon Lookout.
Enjoy the the largest steel arch bridge on the planet while walking in your pace, or take part of a bridge climbing session - a popular activity for tourists. On the other side of the bridge, there’s Luna amusement park, which you may have seen on Sydney postcards and souvenirs.
Whether you decide to explore the Sydney Harbour Bridge by foot or climb, or simply decide to marvel at it from afar - one thing is certain, the Harbour Bridge is an impressive structure, and one of the defining landmarks, not just in Sydney, but worldwide, too.
03. Walk around the Botanical Garden
While this activity may not make all everyone’s charts for things to do in Sydney, for us, this was a really pleasant area to enjoy views of Sydney as well as the nature.
Views of the harbour from the Botanical Garden
Located to the east of the Opera House, the Botanical Garden stretches and allows for about a 20 minute straight diagonal walk across itself. On its west and north points the views of the harbour are fantastic, and you can continue to satisfy your snap-taking craze with even more pictures of the Opera and Bridge.
You can also combine the visit to the Botanical garden with visit to the Art Gallery of NSW and St Mary’s cathedral (see more below).
Also check out the drone footage of the Sydney Harbor which we will be posting to our Instagram account soon.
Beware of the ibis
One thing we found out is that the super quirky and awesome looking Australian Ibis is considered almost a “pest” by the locals as it’s literally everywhere and is very cheeky in its behaviour. If you decide to sit down in the garden and do a picnic or grab a snack, most certainly you’ll a new “friend”. The ibises are not dangerous, so I will leave it up to you to decide whether to feed them or ignore them, as the locals do!
Visit the Art Gallery of New South Wales
One of the more impressive galleries is the Art Gallery of NSW. Its displays of contemporary, modern & indigenous art receive positive reviews, and it may worth checking our its classical-style building, founded in 1871.
Once you are at the gallery site, you can also explore the St. Mary’s Cathedral, a 15-min walk from the Art Gallery.
04. View Sydney from high up & explore the CBD
Another “must do” is the Sydney Tower Eye - the second-tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere.
While we left this for the last thing to do, as we were not sure about it, I now think it is worth a visit (if you don’t mind the 35AUD fee, that is).
The views are truly spectacular with a truly 360 degree photo possibilities.
Get ready to take some pictures, or simply enjoy - you’re truly in one of the highest places in the Southern Hemisphere!
From the tower, you can continue to explore the heart of Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD), and it’s many malls and modern shops, hidden in-between the many impressive shiny business buildings. Bear in mind, that Sydney is not like Melbourne in this respect, and there are no laneways with street food here.
Nevertheless, the CBD is an important part of Sydney, and for those that want to full Sydney experience, it’s worth paying a visit.
05. Relax on Sydney’s marvellous beaches
Sydney has multiple beaches, close and far from the city. The most popular ones are Bondi beach, and Manly beach. We checked them both, and below is more about our experiences.
Bondi Beach
This beach is considered one of the closest ones, as it’s only 20-30 minutes by car from Sydney’s CBD. It did seem rather nice, and not too crowded (the picture below is taken on a Friday). Also, should you want to grab a drink/food with a beach view, the Bondi Pavilion is great place to do this (although it may be busy at times).
Manly Beach
This is worth a full day-trip! Hint: it’s not the beach…
The best thing about it is that you can combine it with another must do thing in Sydney: getting the ferry from Sydney to Manly.
While we found the beach itself rather touristy, we absolutely loved the walk in the Sydney Harbour National Park and its surrounding walks (picture below).
Summary
Beach lovers will find both beaches rather nice. For a more natural, walk-filled day, go to Manly beach. For a quick, “mid-week” city beach getaway, Bondi beach is your bet!
Either way, enjoy and grab some 50+ sunscreen, this is the Australian Sun!
Bonus: Trip to the Blue Mountains
If you love nature and/or have more than 3 days to visit Sydney, then visiting the Blue Mountains National Park is a high recommendation from us. Stay tuned as our next post will cover going to the park by train from Sydney, and the Scenic World park!
Conclusion
Sidney has a lot to offer for tourists, as well as digital nomads. Should you find yourself in Sydney, don’t forget to check the main landmarks, but also the famous beaches of Sydney. For those with slightly more time, you can venture out on a day trip to Blue Mountain or spend a day at Manly beach.
Which are your 5 things to do in Sydney? Let us know in the comments below!
The Wandering Hustlers is a travelogue made by Morgan and Anna - two digital nomads, wandering the world. Stay tuned for more posts about Melbourne, Sidney, Bali, and many other places we’ve travelled to and follow us on Instagram!