Sydney

Harbour light, long lunches and a city built around the water.

Sydney wraps around one of the world’s great natural harbours. Ferries are commuter transport, there is a beach for every mood, and the Opera House is as good to sit inside as it is to look at.

Best time to visit: September to November and March to May. Language: English. Currency: Australian dollar (AUD).

Did you know?

The Sydney Opera House became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
Locals call the Harbour Bridge, opened in 1932, “the Coathanger”.
Greater Sydney has more than 100 beaches.

Things to do in Sydney

Sydney Opera House (Opera house): The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Australian Museum (Museum): The Australian Museum, originally known as the Colonial Museum and Sydney Museum, is a state public museum in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Taronga Zoo (Zoo): Taronga Zoo Sydney is a government-run public zoo located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in the Lower North Shore suburb of Mosman, on the shores of Sydney Harbour.
Art Gallery of New South Wales (Art museum): The Art Gallery of New South Wales, founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia.
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (Art museum): The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, formerly the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, is located on George Street in The Rocks neighbourhood of Sydney.
Auburn Gallipoli Mosque (Mosque, free): The Auburn Gallipoli Mosque is an Ottoman-style mosque in Auburn, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney (Botanic garden): The Royal Botanic Garden is a heritage-listed major 30-hectare botanical garden in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney centr
St Mary’s Cathedral (Cathedral, free): The Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians, Patroness of Australia, locally known as Saint Mary's Cathedral, is a Catholic basilica and the seat of the Archdiocese of Sydn
Hyde Park (Park, free): Hyde Park, is an urban park, of 16.2-hectare, located in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Kamay Botany Bay National Park (National park): The Kamay Botany Bay National Park is a heritage-listed protected national park in the eastern part of Botany Bay in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Sydney Town Hall (Concert hall): The Sydney Town Hall is a late 19th-century heritage-listed town hall building in the city of Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, Australia, housing the chambers of the Lord Mayor of Sydney, council offices, and
Hyde Park Barracks (Museum): The Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney is a heritage-listed former barracks, hospital, convict accommodation, mint and courthouse and now museum and café located at Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district, New S
Sea Life Sydney Aquarium (Aquarium): SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is a public aquarium in Sydney, Australia.
Manly Beach (Beach, free): Manly Beach is a beach situated among the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia.
Sydney Observatory (Museum): The Sydney Observatory is a heritage-listed meteorological station, astronomical observatory, function venue, science museum, and education facility located on Observatory Hill at Upper Fort Street, in the inner city Syd
St James’ Church, Sydney (Church, free): St James' Church, commonly known as St James', King Street, is an Australian heritage-listed Anglican parish church located at 173 King Street, in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales.
Sydney Harbour National Park (National park): The Sydney Harbour National Park is an Australian national park comprising parts of Port Jackson, Sydney and its foreshores and various islands.
Australian National Maritime Museum (History museum): The Australian National Maritime Museum is a federally operated maritime museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney.
Sydney Mint (Museum): The Sydney Mint in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is the oldest surviving public building in the Sydney central business district.
State Library of New South Wales (Museum): The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries i
Garigal National Park (National park): The Garigal National Park is a protected national park that is located within the North Shore and Forest District regions of Sydney, New South Wales, in eastern Australia.
Lakemba Mosque (Mosque, free): The Lakemba Mosque, also known as the Masjid Ali Bin Abi Talib and officially the Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb Mosque, is a Sunni Islam mosque, located at 71-75 Wangee Road, Lakemba, in suburban Sydney, New South Wales, Austra
Luna Park (Amusement park): Luna Park Sydney is a heritage-listed amusement park located in Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern shore of Sydney Harbour.
The Domain (Park, free): The Domain is a heritage-listed 34-hectare area of open space on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, Australia.
Museum of Sydney (Museum): The Museum of Sydney is a museum in Sydney that was built on the ruins of the house of New South Wales' first Governor, Arthur Phillip, on the present-day corner of Phillip and Bridge Street.
Macquarie Lighthouse (Lighthouse, free): The Macquarie Lighthouse, also known as South Head Upper Light, is the first, and is the longest serving, lighthouse site in Australia.
Powerhouse Museum (Science museum): The Powerhouse Museum, also known as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, is a collection of four museums in Sydney, owned by the Government of New South Wales.
Auburn Botanical Gardens (Botanic garden): The Auburn Botanic Gardens are a botanical garden located in Auburn, New South Wales, Australia.
Belmore Park (Park, free): Belmore Park is a public park at the southern end of the Sydney central business district in the Australian state of New South Wales.
Al-Zahra Mosque (Mosque, free): The Al Zahra Mosque, more commonly known as the Al Zahra Mosque, is a Twelver Shi'ite mosque located in Arncliffe, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Theatre Royal, Sydney (Theatre): Theatre Royal Sydney is a theatre in Sydney, Australia.
Railway Square (Square, free): Railway Square is a public space and locality at the southern end of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia, formed by the confluence of George Street, Lee Street, Quay Street and Pitt Street.
Al-Rasool Al-A'dham Mosque (Mosque, free): The Al-Rasool Al-A'dham Mosque is a Shia Islam mosque located in Bankstown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Penshurst Mosque (Mosque, free): The Penshurst Mosque is a mosque in the southern Sydney suburb of Penshurst, in the St George area.
Shelly Beach (Beach, free): Shelly Beach is a beach located in Manly, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Bare Island (Fort): Bare Island is a heritage-listed islet located at La Perouse, New South Wales in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney in eastern Australia.
Victoria Park (Park, free): Victoria Park is a 9-hectare urban park situated on the corner of Parramatta Road and City Road, Camperdown, in the City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Wild Life Sydney (Zoo): Wild Life Sydney Zoo is a wildlife park in the Darling Harbour precinct, on the western edge of the Sydney central business district, Australia.
Centennial Park (Park, free): Centennial Park is an urban park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Wentworth Park (Park, free): Wentworth Park is a park near the suburbs of Glebe and Ultimo in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
State Theatre (Theatre): The State Theatre is a 2,034 seat heritage listed theatre located at 47–51 Market Street, in the Sydney central business district in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia.
Bicentennial Park, Homebush Bay (Park, free): Bicentennial Park is a 40-hectare suburban parkland located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, in the local government area of City of Parramatta, New South W
Bronte Beach (Beach, free, hidden gem): Bronte Beach is a small but popular recreational beach in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia.
Wynyard Park (Park, free, hidden gem): Wynyard Park is a 0.7-hectare urban park in the Sydney central business district, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Children's Chapel, St James' Church (Church, free, hidden gem): The Chapel of Saint Mary and the Angels is a chapel in one of the bays of the crypt of St James' Church, Sydney, created as a place for younger children to receive an adapted form of the Eucharist on Sundays.
Sydney Park (Park, free, hidden gem): Sydney Park is a 41.6-hectare recreational area in the inner-city area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Enmore Theatre (Theatre, hidden gem): The Enmore Theatre is a theatre and entertainment venue in Enmore, New South Wales, Australia.
Hornby Lighthouse (Lighthouse, free, hidden gem): Hornby Lighthouse, also known as South Head Lower Light or South Head Signal Station, is a heritage-listed active lighthouse located on the tip of South Head, New South Wales, Australia, a headland to the north of the su
Malabar Beach (Beach, free, hidden gem): Malabar Beach is a beach in Malabar, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, located to the south of Maroubra Beach and to the north of Little Bay and La Perouse.
Ferndale Park (Park, free, hidden gem): Ferndale Park is located in suburban Chatswood, 8 km from the centre of Sydney, Australia.
Robertson Point Light (Lighthouse, free, hidden gem): Robertson Point Light, also known as Cremorne Point Light, is an active lighthouse in Cremorne Point, a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Bradleys Head Fortification Complex (Fort, hidden gem): The Bradleys Head Fortification Complex is a heritage-listed former mast and defensive battery and military fortification and now war memorial and recreational area located at Bradleys Head Road within the Sydney Harbour
Sydney Lyric (Theatre, hidden gem): Sydney Lyric is a theatre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Pratten Park (Park, free, hidden gem): Pratten Park is a sporting venue in the suburb of Ashfield in Sydney, Australia.
The Wharf Theatre (Theatre, hidden gem): The Wharf Theatre is a theatre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Where to eat and drink in Sydney

Rockpool Bar & Grill, CBD: Dry-aged, grass-fed beef in a soaring Art Deco room. The benchmark Sydney steakhouse.
Firedoor, Surry Hills: Everything cooked over wood fire; the long-aged rib is the stuff of legend.
Bistecca, CBD: A Tuscan-style bistecca alla Fiorentina served by the kilo, phones away.
Chophouse Sydney, CBD: Classic chophouse with a strong wine list, built for client dinners.
Quay, The Rocks: Tasting menus with the Opera House framed in the window.
Saint Peter, Paddington: Whole-fish cookery that changed how Australia eats seafood.
Cirrus Dining, Barangaroo: Sustainable seafood on the waterfront, with a raw bar to start.
Sokyo, Pyrmont: Modern Japanese omakase and a serious sake list.
Bills Surry Hills, Surry Hills: The ricotta hotcakes that launched a thousand brunches.
Single O Surry Hills, Surry Hills: Specialty coffee roasters with a bright, easy breakfast menu.
Spice Alley, Chippendale: Lantern-lit laneway of Asian hawker stalls. Perfect for a casual night.
10 William St, Paddington: Tiny, natural-leaning wine bar with a cult following for its pretzel.
Old Mate’s Place, CBD: Hidden rooftop bar above a laneway, cocktails under the city lights.
The Baxter Inn, CBD: Basement whisky bar with hundreds of bottles behind the bar.
Hamsi Taverna, Sydney: Somer Sivrioğlu’s Turkish taverna for meze and grilled fish.
Lua, Sydney: Luke Nguyen’s new home for Southeast Asian cooking.
Aori, King Street Wharf: Japanese dining on the water at King Street Wharf.
Ashe, Rose Bay: Every table has a front-row view of the harbour.
Tashkent, Leichhardt: Uzbek cooking and some of the rarest dumplings in Sydney.

Also in Australia

Plan a trip to Sydney