Sydney Tourism - Travel to Sydney
Sydney skyline at night
Sydney is the capital city of New South Wales. With a population of just over 4.1 million, it is the largest city in Australia. It is also the oldest European settlement in Australia, being founded as a British penal colony in 1788.
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Districts in Sydney
Sydney as a metropolitan area has sprawled extensively around its harbour in Port Jackson, up the Parramatta River, along the adjacent coastline (both north and south) and across the surrounding Cumberland Plain to the Blue Mountains.
The Sydney Metropolitan area is normally divided into a number of smaller districts, based on geographical, historical and cultural grounds;
- Sydney City - the historical core of Sydney and the Central Business District
- Sydney/Darling Harbour
- Sydney/Darlinghurst
- Sydney/Kings Cross
- the Eastern Suburbs
- the Sydney/Southern Beaches
- the Northern Beaches - from Manly to Palm Beach and Barranjoey
- Sydney/North Sydney
- the North Shore
- the Sydney/Hills District
- the Inner West
- Parramatta
- Sydney/Outer West
- Sydney/South West
Get into Sydney
Travel to Sydney By Plane
A large majority of international air travellers to Australia arrive first in Sydney.
Sydney is less than an hour from Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra by plane.
A train service known as Airport Link connects Sydney Airport and the CBD.
Sydney's airport is located several kilometres to the south of the city centre and is known as Kingsford-Smith International Airport (code: SYD). http://www.sydneyairport.com.au
Travel to Sydney By car
Sydney is within a reasonable driving distance (minimum 10 hours driving) of Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.
- Melbourne - Sydney = 862 km via Albury (Hume Highway)
- Adelaide - Sydney = 1422km via Mildura or 1659km via Broken Hill (National Highway 32)
- Brisbane - Sydney = 938 km via Port Macquarie (Pacific Highway) or 961 km via Armidale (New England Highway)
Get around in Sydney
Sydney has an extensive suburban rail network (known as CityRail), supported by buses, ferries and one light rail line. **Tip** Most of the buses in the inner city and inner suburbs are government owned. These are mainly blue and white ones (except for one service that's bright red and another which is bright green and gold). The rest of the commuter network are private bus companies. The services don't compete so you'll usually only have one way of getting somewhere by bus. Importantly, the off-peak services from private bus companies is woeful.
On weekdays, a CityRail train is the fastest way to get to the CBD. Sydney trains are often very crowded in peak hour. On weekends check for trackwork before leaving for the station at http://www.cityrail.info/trackwork/index.jsp
Apart from peak hour, you can drive around Sydney reasonably freely. The car is a good option if you want to travel somewhere other than the CBD, since almost all train lines travel in and out of the CBD.
Ferries run all around the harbour and up the Parramatta River. The central hub is at Circular Quay at the bottom of the CBD. More than just a utilitarian means of transport, the ferries are a great way to see the harbourside. Best ferry excursion for visitors is from Circular Quay to Manly. Be prepared to take a stunning photograph of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge as you leave Circular Quay.
The cheapest way to use the buses, trains and ferries is to purchase one of the many travel cards. A quick visit to the TransitShop in Circular Quay (cnr of Loftus & Alfred Sts) will get you all the info you need. You can also look at maps of the TravelPass zones here - http://www.sydneybuses.info/tickets/travelpass_zones.html. If you are in Sydney for a week or more, or even planning a busy day on the ferries then one of these passes will save you a few dollars, maybe even enough for an extra cold beer at the end of your travels at one of Sydneys many pubs.
Sleep - Sydney Tourism
Budget
Sydney has a wide range of backpackers' hostels - popular districts for these include Sydney/Kings Cross, the Sydney/Southern Beaches (Bondi, Coogee) and the Sydney/Northern Beaches (Manly).
Mid-range
- Novotel Darling Harbour offers great views and the convenience of three modes of public transportation at your doorstep: Monorail to the CBD, CityRail to Central Sydney Station, and ferries to Circular Quay and from there to the entire Sydney metropolitan area. Darling Harbour itself is a great entertainment area with great shopping, restaurants, Cinemax theater, and night life. The Casino is just a couple of stops away on the CityRail.
Splurge
- The Sheraton on the Park is one of the nicest 5 star hotels in Sydney. It is located at the Hyde Park (ask for a Park view room) and the staff are really friendly.
- The Shangri-La Hotel (previously the ANA ) is a fantastic hotel if you want to splash out. Beautiful views over the harbour, fantastic service, and very centrally located.
Eat - Travel to Sydney
Sydney is a pretty multi-cultural city. The range of food out there is huge and isn't necessarily expensive. Yum Cha (a.k.a. Dim Sum) in Chinatown is very good - arguably better than HK since we got a lot of their good chefs and local fresh produce is excellent.
See Sydney
- Sydney Opera House
- Sydney Harbour Bridge
- Bridge Climb (spectacular, $155 (off-peak) to $225 (twilight))
- Climb to the Pylon Lookout ($8.50)
- Walk across (free and the harbour views are excellent)
- Darling Harbour
- Swim at Bondi, Manly, Cronulla or Wattamulla
- Visit Sydney Olympic Park, home of the 2000 Summer Olympics ("the best Games ever"!)
- Fox Studios
- Sydney Aquarium
- Australian National Maritime Museum
- Art Gallery of NSW
- See the Rocks
- Take a ferry from Circular Quay across the harbour to Taronga Park Zoo.
- Ferry tours run to Fort Dension and Goat Island in Sydney Harbour. Little pieces of history in the harbour.
- If you really don't have time to go out a look in the bush by yourself, you can get up close and personal with a koala or kangaroo at Koala Park at West Pennant Hills. Further away from the CBD than Taronga Park Zoo. The Zoo has a much broader range of exotic animals and less opportunities to get hands on.
Get out
There are a number of good day trips from Sydney.
- Bell's Line of Road to Lithgow
- The Blue Mountains
- Jenolan Caves
- Newnes Glen in Wollemi National Park
- Kanangra Boyd National Park
- Hunter Valley Wineries Wobbly Wheels tour. (cost was approx $90)
- Wollongong is a lovely small city south of Sydney, accessible by car or train.
External Links for Sydney Tourism
- SydneyAustralia.com - official Tourism New South Wales website for Sydney
- City of Sydney - the Official Site - hosted by the NSW Government, this site relates to the central core of Sydney as a whole - the City of Sydney
