7 Days in Sydney, Australia — The Active Voyager

Welcome to Sydney

Australia has been on our bucket list for a while (pause—who doesn’t have Australia on their bucket list?), so when a work trip presented an opportunity to go to Sydney, we immediately decided to tack on a few extra days and explore the city. Work kept us close to Sydney proper, but as it turns out there is tons to do within Sydney and we had no problem filling our days (though, I do regret not going north to see the Great Barrier Reef). Sydney is a charming, easy, walkable city that made us feel immediately at home. The weather in November (their summer) was perfect for running around the city and taking day trips to wine country and hiking in the Blue Mountains.

Where to Stay

We stayed in the Darlinghurst neighborhood of Sydney and loved it. It is centrally located, walking distance to all of the major sites within Sydney as well as the ferries that take you across the harbor. Though it’s close to the central business district (CBD), it has a residential and somewhat artsy vibe. We stayed at this Airbnb and would absolutely stay there again: Darlinghurst gem! Walking distance to the CBD ($150/night).

**Day 1. Arrive and Explore Darling Harbour**

If you’re flying from the United States, you’ll probably arrive mid-morning in Sydney. We found ourselves arriving with a good amount of energy, but we definitely crashed early on the first day.

11:00 - Arrive in the Sydney Airport. Follow signs to take the train to Central Station (A). Buy an Opal Card (for public transit) and put enough money on it to cover the train fare ($20) plus an additional $30 to cover other travel in Sydney.

12:00 - Walk from Central Station to lunch at Single O Surry Hills (B). We tend to pack light so we didn’t mind having our luggage for this stop which is on the way to the Darlinghurst neighborhood. Start your trip with a delicious and healthy meal here. They don’t take reservations so you may have to wait for a table, but tables turn over quickly.

1:30 - If possible, check in early to your hotel/Airbnb (near C). Otherwise, drop your bags off and continue on. (See Pre-Travel Checklist)

2:30 - Head out for a walking tour of the neighborhood. First, head towards the Queen Victoria Building (D), passing through Hyde Park on your way there. Wander inside the Queen Victoria Building to see the interior architecture and window shop at the high-end stores. Continue on to Darling Harbour (E) and walk to the end of the King Street Wharf (F).

4:00 - On the way back, stop at the local grocery store, Woolworths. Located all over the city, there is one in the Darlinghurst neighborhood (C) that we visited several times on our trip. After cooking dinner at the Airbnb, chances are you’ll want to crash early with jet lag.

You’re probably itching to see the Sydney Opera House, so spend the first full day exploring the city’s most famous sites.

8:00 - Since you went to bed early, you’ll probably be up early (we found ourselves rallied around 6am on our first morning). Take advantage of the energy with a morning run. Run from the Airbnb (A) out to Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair (B) and around the edge of the park. The area around Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair was extremely crowded, but just below the chair at the water level was totally empty—and the view of the Opera House is just as good down there. Turn around once you’ve had enough of the view (near C), and head back the way you came (total run ~5k).

9:30 - After breakfast at the Airbnb, head north in the same direction of the morning run. Make a stop in the Royal Botanic Gardens (open daily 7am-5:30pm). The grounds are free to explore (it costs $10 to go into the greenhouse, which we skipped). Our favorite parts were the view of the Sydney Opera House through the flowers and the succulent garden.

11:00 - Next, head towards the Sydney Harbour Bridge. There are two ways you can see the bridge. The Harbour Bridge Climb is definitely the snazzier option—you literally walk up the bridge while harnessed to it and a dozen other people. However, when we looked into it, it seemed insanely expensive ($200-300 per person depending on the time of day!) and also way longer than necessary (4 hours!). Enter: a significantly better option, walking up the Sydney Pylon Lookout (C) (open daily 10am-5pm). It costs $19 AUD, takes ~30 minutes, and has an AMAZING view of the opera house and bridge. Win.

12:00 - Stop for lunch at The Rocks Cafe (D). We enjoyed a crocodile burger (because why not?) at a lovely table outside on the street.

1:30 - Time for the big one: the Sydney Opera House! Walk over the quay to the Sydney Opera House (tours run daily from 9am-5pm, $42 AUD). Tours are about an hour, and you can buy your ticket online in advance to reserve a time. The tour takes you inside all of the unique and brightly-colored performance spaces, and we even caught a rehearsal in progress.

3:00 - Stroll down George Street and then Pitt Street to the Sydney Tower Eye (F). In lieu of paying to go to the observation deck, head to the revolving restaurant called 360 Bar and Dining to have a drink (open 12-4pm and 5:30-11pm). Yes, the drinks are extremely expensive, but the entry fee for the Eye is $29 AUD so you might as well pay the same amount and get a drink out of it. The views from the rotating restaurant are awesome. Post up, have an exciting cocktail or two, and watch the Sydney skyline pass by.

5:00 - On the way back to the Airbnb, stop to take a picture at St. Mary’s Cathedral. You can poke your head in the cathedral for free (open Mon-Fri 6:30am-6:30pm, Sat 8:30am-7:00pm, Sun 6:30am-7:00pm).

5:30 - Enjoy a relaxing evening at the Airbnb.

**Day 3. Hike the (Australian) Grand Canyon**

Pack a lunch, rent a car, and head out for a hike in the nearby Blue Mountains.

8:30 - Pick up a rental car for the day (there are Hertz, Thrifty, and Enterprise pickup locations in Darlinghurst, depending on your preference.) If you hate the idea of driving, you can supposedly take a train from Central Station to Katoomba and get the Explorer Bus—but we opted to drive so we would have more control over arrival and leave time.

11:00 - Drive to the Grand Canyon Walking Track in the Blue Mountains (~2 hours). Start at Neates Glen Car Park in Blackheath. At the beginning of the hike you’ll quickly descend into a rain forest. For most of the hike you’ll be walking at the bottom of the canyon along creeks and through rocky tunnels. At the end, you’ll climb a gazillion of stairs to Evans Lookout where you’ll get a great view of Grose Valley—the perfect place to enjoy a picnic lunch.

1:30 - After lunch, you can walk back to the car at the road level (~1 mile). It’s significantly faster and easier than the route there!

2:00 - Start the drive back to Sydney. On the way, stop at the Three Sisters lookout on Echo Point Road. When we were there it was mobbed, we so snapped a quick picture and got back in the car. We stopped for a coffee in Katoomba to keep us going through the afternoon.

4:30 - Drop the rental car off and head back to the Airbnb to get cleaned up.

6:00 - Head out for a night on the town. Start with a drink at Bulletin Place Bar. The cocktails are eclectic and delicious.

7:30 - Enjoy dinner at William Blue. William Blue is a culinary and hospitality school, so dinner is prepared by chefs in training and the wait staff are hospitality students. The food was delicious, the staff extra-attentive, and the value for your money is great. Make a reservation in advance.

**Day 4. Day Trip to Hunter Valley and Meet a Kangaroo**

We’re not usually one to sign up for tours, preferring to explore on our own schedule. However, to see Australian wine country you need to drive about 3 hours north from Sydney. And to enjoy wine country, well, you don’t want to be the one driving. Hence, we signed up for a full day (7am-6pm) group wine-tasting tour of Hunter Valley. We found a quirky tour company, Kangarrific Tours ($115), that doesn’t just take you to several small (and very good) wineries, but also hits up a craft brewery, chocolate shop, cheese seller, and an animal reserve where you get to meet kangaroos and koalas. The guide was funny, the tour group was mostly young couples like us, and all around we enjoyed ourselves. We even picked up a couple of bottles of wine and produce to bring back with us to enjoy on our last couple of days at the Airbnb. If you have the time while you’re in Sydney, this is a fun day trip.

**Day 5. Ferry to Manly and Walk from Manly to Spit**

This was one of our favorite days in Sydney. Enjoy a beautiful ferry ride to Manly, and then walk 10 miles along the coastline from Manly to Spit Bridge. The views are outstanding.

9:00 - Pack a lunch and set out for a trek to the beach town of Manly. Walk to Circular Quay (A) to pick up the Many Ferry. Use your Opal Card to take a one-way ride ($10). The ferry caters to commuters and runs regularly (see more info here). The ferry ride is about 30 minutes and takes you through the harbor with great views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

9:30 - Head from the Manly Wharf (B) to beautiful Manly Beach (D). Grab a coffee, walk the beach and check out the surf.

10:00 - Follow signs for the Manly to Spit Bridge walk. Head first out to North Head, where you’ll get a great view across the harbor back to Sydney. Then you’ll come back into Manly, walk past the wharf again, and continue to follow the coast line along the trail to Spit Bridge (past F to G). Catch views of sailboats in the bay, secret beaches, and jungle bush, with periodic scenic lookout points. Stop at one of the outcropping rocks for a picnic lunch. Near the end of the trail, see aboriginal engravings at Grotto Point (G). The whole walk is about 10 miles.

3:00 - At the end of the trail, pull up Google Maps and locate the closest bus station, Manly Rd at Avona Cres (near G). It’ll be a bit of walk up a hill to get there. Once there, catch the next bus over the Spit Bridge back into Sydney. Get off at a station near downtown (e.g., Wynyard Station.)

4:00 - Back in Sydney, head back to the Airbnb for an evening of recovery and home-cooking.

**Day 6. Run the Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach Coastal Walk**

Prepare yourself for a bit of a long trek today. We opted to make this a run, but you could walk it if your legs aren’t feeling fresh. This route will take you along beautiful rocky beaches as well as the famous Bronte Beach baths.

10:00 - Take the bus from Darlinghurst (A) to Coogee Beach (B) (there is a bus stop in Darlinghurst at Flinders St after Oxford St; use Google Maps to find the closest stop to you.) The bus takes about 20 minutes.

10:30 - Arrive at Coogee Beach. Take a minute to breathe in the salt air, and then follow signs for the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk heading north. Start your run on the coastal walk. Pass several beaches including Clovelly Beach (C) as you make your way to Bondi Beach (D). On the south side of Bondi Beach, run by the Bronte Baths, man-made pools that overlook the ocean. The run along the coast is about 3.5 miles.

11:30 - Once you get to Bondi Beach, feel free to pause and walk around the beach for a minute. Then, start running west back towards Darlinghurst, passing Centennial Park (E) on your way to the end point (F). This stretch is another 4 miles.

1:00 - Arrive back at the Airbnb, have a big lunch, and relax for a couple of hours as you enjoy a free afternoon. You may consider checking the listings for events at the Sydney Opera House. When we were there, the First Nations Dance Festival was happening on the opera house steps, free to the public.

5:00 - My travel buddy aka husband loves a good whiskey, so we’ve always got to find a good whiskey bar when we travel. If you feel similarly, head from the Airbnb (near A) for a drink at The Baxter Inn (B) (open daily 4pm-1am, except closed Sun), a swanky place with the most extensive whiskey list you’ll ever see.

6:30 - On your last night in Sydney, splurge on dinner at Cafe Sydney (C) (open daily 12-10pm, except 12-4 Sun). It’s expensive, but the view from the outdoor dining area on the terrace overlooking the Sydney Harbour Bridge is pretty remarkable, and the food is top notch. You will definitely need to make reservations in advance and request an outdoor table.

8:30 - If you aren’t exhausted after dinner, catch the nightly light show at the Sydney Opera House (D) called Badu Gili (at sunset and 9pm).

Enjoy your last morning in Sydney.

9:00 - Have a final breakfast in Sydney. Either clean out anything remaining in the fridge, or head to Two Good Eggs in Surry for a classic breakfast.

11:00 - Check out of the Airbnb. Head to the Museum Station on the south side of Hyde Park to pick up the train to Sydney Airport ($20, you may need to top off your Opal Card to get you there.) The train takes about 30 mins.

2:00 - Fly home, or on to other points in Australia (Melbourne, Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef, or central Australia to see Uluru and the bush.)

Have More or Less than 7 Days?

There was tons to do in Sydney, so we had no trouble keeping ourselves entertained for six full days. That said, we felt like we could have done Sydney in 3-4 days, and we wished we had been able to go to other parts of Australia. In an ideal world, we would have seen Melbourne, the Great Barrier Reef, and Uluru and the bush in central Australia. If you have less time in Sydney, I wouldn’t miss exploring downtown Sydney (Sydney Pylon Lookout, Sydney Opera House tour, having a drink in the revolving restaurant at the top of the Sydney Tower Eye), and taking the ferry to Manly and walking from Manly to Spit Bridge.

Costs for Two People

Round-Trip Flights (NYC to Sydney) - $4,000
Lodging - $900 ($150/night)
Rental Car (incl. gas) - $130
Food and Drink - $700 ($100/day)
Activities - $330
Public Transportation - $115
International Phone - $35 ($5/day)
Total Costs = $6,210 (in 2018)

Pre-Travel Checklist

Make sure your passport won’t expire within 6 months of your departure date.
Explore options for dropping bags early on your arrival date. Some Airbnb hosts will let you drop your bags early while they clean, and hotels will usually store luggage for you.
Confirm open hours before you go.
Download offline google maps for Sydney, Manly, and Katoomba.