From all cities around Australia, Sydney is quite a gem! The city itself is modern and contemporary, full-on with technology, beautiful skyscrapers and a brand new light rail that goes all around it. Besides, we have the famous Sydney Harbour with the unique Sydney Opera House and the gigantic Harbour Bridge, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.
But that’s not all mates, we have so many places to talk about! So make sure you read this article until the end so you don’t miss a place!
In 2022 Marrickville in Sydney was named number 33 in Time Out 51 coolest neighbourhoods around the world.
Must do
If you ever go to Sydney, the first thing they tell you to do is to go to Sydney Harbour. And I couldn’t agree more. If you wanna have spectacular views, no matter which spot you are in, it’s guaranteed! The Sydney Opera House and the surrounding Botanical Gardens is a must. From anywhere near there, you could also have a view of the Harbour Bridge that is just shocking!
What do you like best about your city?
What I love about Sydney is definitely the beaches. My favourite ones are in the Eastern Suburbs, which basically means, iconic Bondi Beach, Bronte, Coogee, Gordon’s Bay and my local beach, Maroubra (which I’m in love with because of its pure nature).
Best Walk in Sydney
Sydney is all about walks and letting yourself get lost in nature, even though sometimes you are just a few kilometres away from the city. From all the amazing walks around Sydney, here is my top three.
Number one would be the Bondi to Malabar walk. Most of the people only do Bondi to Coggee, but for me, it’s worth it to make it until the end. In the beginning, you will see all these amazing beaches and parks (even cemeteries) but to end with unbelievable cliffs and small bays.
On the other hand, number two could be the walk that goes around the cliffs in Manly, which are quite impressive, but also the paradisiac beaches such as Store or Collins Beach that you will find along the way.
The last but not the least would be the walk you can do from Rose Bay to Shark Bay. Beautiful views from the city and you could jump in the water too and have a nice picnic for lunch.
In my opinion, the Bondi to Coogee walk is always crowded, no matter which day of the week you go (avoid weekends if possible) and the other ones are more relaxed and not so overfilled with people.
Best Restaurants in Sydney
Sydney is becoming quite trending about restaurants at the moment, I have to say. There are so many, and they are so good. Australia is famous for having amazing different varieties of breakfast (or as they say brekkie), and even brunch now! Any cafe around Surry Hills, Paddington or Darlinghurst would be probably pretty good, and also the ones close to the beach. One of my favourite restaurants is located in Palm Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches on the Northside of Sydney, and is called “The Boathouse“, if you wanna check it out!
Best Music Festival
Like Electro music? Electric Gardens is the music festival for you then! Here in Sydney, is one of the most popular music festivals. It’s really well organised, in the middle of the city in one of the biggest parks, so it would be impossible to feel overcrowded. Many different artists go to this festival year after year and for what I’ve seen it’s pretty spectacular!
Best Nightlife
Sydney’s nightlife is not as popular as could be in Europe or the States. But, if you are keen for some dancing and some drinks you should try The Argyle near The Rocks. Beautiful venue, nice music, but could be pretty packed on a Friday afternoon. Here is a tip, people in Australia start having fun during the afternoon because places don’t last very long during the night. On the other hand, if you want to meet some locals, I recommend visiting the Coogee Pavilion. Another amazing venue just seconds from the beach with a rooftop that will take your breath away. Sunday afternoon Sunset Sessions are totally worth it!
Best Day Trip Out of Sydney
If you ever consider getting out of the city, even for a day, I will suggest going to the Blue Mountains or the Royal National Park. Both are one hour and a half from the city, just in different directions.
What to do in the Blue Mountains? Definitely, the Grand Canyon Walking Track. Allow yourself three to four hours of pure nature and amazing landscapes. The walk goes through the Canyon and it’s simply one of the most beautiful tracks I’ve ever done in Sydney. The track is easy and it’s really well built.
What to do in the Royal National Park? Here is my suggestion: Wattamolla Beach. Another scenery that is breathtaking. This mix between lagoon and sea is simply amazing. There is even a waterfall! You could relax around the area, do some picnic and then explore some of the short tracks that are near. If you are a lucky one, you could even see some whales as well!
Something that not many travellers would know about Sydney
As the state capital of New South Wales, Sydney is massive! So, if we are gonna visit Sydney for a few days (or weeks) you need to take into account that distances are going to be serious and the public transport could be a bit slow-going sometimes (always depending on traffic). That being the case, with a little bit of planning around, you could cover quite a lot of areas as the days go by and enjoy every single part of it. My personal recommendation is to do suburb after suburb. Plan to visit places that are close to each other day after day so you don’t lose much time on the road!
Sydney has great diversity and some places are just unique! Please also do not miss spots such as La Perouse’s Fort, Little Bay Beach, Watsons Bay and Parsley Bay, Darling Harbour, Hyde Park, Milsons Point and Luna Park.
