Sightseeing in Sydney | Best Things to Do

I immediately fell in love with each city I visited in Australia. Sydney was no exception to that rule. It’s the perfect blend of city and beach life, exhilarating but also laid back. It’s home to pristine beaches, beautiful parks and gardens, architecture of many different styles, and the most amazing braised eggplant you will have in your entire life. Dive into these recommendations as fast as you’re going to want to jump into the Sydney Harbour.

Sydney Free Walking Tour

These tours are a great way to learn the history of the city, see some of the top sites, and get recommendations on how to spend the rest of your time in the city from a local! If you are new to this concept, free walking tours are run by guides who work solely off tips. At the end of the tour, you tip the guide what you think the tour was worth.

Just a few of the many things covered on Sydney’s Free Walking tour include Hyde Park, the Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay, and the Harbour Bridge. The tour leaves at 10:30 am and again at 2:30 pm from the Town Hall Square. Feel free to book in advance here, or just show up to join!

Bondi to Coogee Beach Walk

Do you want to see some of the best beaches in your life? Do the walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach and be amazed by what your eyes see. I recommend spending at least an entire day doing the walk so that you can stop and swim at all the different beaches. Don’t forget to take that Insta-worthy pic at Icebergs Club Swimming pool. Once you get to Coogee, reward yourself with a schooner (or seven) at Coogee Beach Hotel or the Pavilion. Both places bump on Sundays.

Bar Hop the Circular Quay or Darling Harbor

Life doesn’t get much better than sitting in the sunshine looking out onto the water with a cold cocktail in your hand. Both Circular Quay and Darling Harbor are loaded with cute promenade restaurants and bars. With so many options, they all have super competitive happy hour deals too. We love a good happy hour deal!

Enjoy the View at Sydney Tower

The Sydney Tower will give you the best panoramic view of the city! There are a few ways to do this. You can pay to go up the tower which is about $30. OR you can go up to the 360 Bar and Dining experience where they simply have a $25 minimum bar tab. Why not spend less and also enjoy some drinks while you enjoy the view?

Stroll Through Sydney’s Gardens and Parks

Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens span between Circular Quay and Potts Point, leading you right up to the Sydney Opera House. They are gorgeous and a free activity! I highly recommend walking through the gardens about an hour or 2 before sunset, making your way down to Macquaries point and catching the sun go down behind the Sydney Opera House!

The Chinese Garden of Friendship

The Chinese Garden of Friendship is an authentic Chinese style garden featuring pavilions, bamboo, waterfalls, ponds, and exotic plants. You completely forget that you are in a major Australian city when you step inside. The price is only $8 and is definitely worth it! Once you leave here, head on out and continue to stroll down to Darling Harbour.

Hyde Park

This is Australia’s oldest park and is said to be a contest ground for the aboriginal people. Once the settlers started taking over, it was turned into the first common area in Australia! Now it features avenues of trees, fountains, and multiple memorials. It’s great for a nice relaxing day in the shade. This park is also free and open to the public!

Shop in the QVB (Queen Victoria Building)

The building occupies an entire city block and boasts beautiful ceilings and stained glass windows. Back when it was first built, it held a concert hall, offices, and showrooms but now holds mostly stores, restaurants, and coffee shops. It is a gorgeous building and definitely worth taking a look!

View the Iconic Sydney Opera House

We were lucky enough to see the Sydney Opera House on a techno boat party, but if you don’t think you can make it to one of those, there are plenty of other options to experience it. As mentioned before, take a stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens and come out on the South Side of the Opera House. Walk through the Circular Quay and see the Opera House from the Northside. If you would like to see the light show on the sails, they illuminate the Eastern side all year long at sunset, 9:00, 9:30, and 10:00. While you’re there, stop and get a drink at the Opera House bar!

Sydney Bars and Nightlife

Harpoon and Hotel Harry

If you’re looking for that perfect, laid back, hotel bar feeling, look no further. This place was super casual and exactly what we were looking for to start a night out.

Soda Factory

Down the street from Harpoon and Hotel Harry is an American Diner themed speakeasy where you can find juicy burgers, neon signs, and playful cocktails. Start the night off here with chill music and then shut the bar down by tearing up the dance floor to some top 40’s, electronic, and hip hop.

Side Bar

Side bar is attached to Wake Up Hostel and was always bumping with a decent crowd on any night of the week. Here you can find beer pong, pool tables, themed nights, foam parties, and a big ball pit. The strong drinks are a shoo-in to meet locals and other travelers who frequent the bar!

Sydney Food Recommendations

Chinese Noodle House

By far, my favorite meal I had in Australia! Chinese Noodle House obviously has great noodle dishes and dumplings but the real star of the show was the braised eggplant! I have had dreams about it since I have left. Get some shallot cakes too! There are a few locations with similar names but the real Chinese Noodle House can be found at 8 Quay St.

Italian Bowl

The Italian Bowl is located in Newton, a little bit farther from the city center, but definitely worth checking out. Our pasta dishes were incredible and we were drooling over the arancini- stuffed rice balls which are coated with bread crumbs and then deep-fried. It’s super casual and also BYOB! Definitely stick around and check out the hip vibes of Newton after dinner.

Meat Pies

Australia doesn’t really have a typical cuisine being a country of immigrants. However, one thing very typical to Australia is their meat pies! You can find them at most cafes. One of the most recommended places to try an authentic meat pie is at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels. There are multiple locations in Sydney, and 3 surrounding the Darling Square area.

Day Trips Outside of Sydney

Blue Mountains

This trip can easily be done by yourself without a tour guide from Sydney. Hop on the Blue Mountains train line at Central Station and get off at Katoomba. The trip takes about 2 hours and trains leave pretty frequently. Once you get to Katoomba, you can take a bus down to the trails or walk there (about 30 mins). Pack a lunch and some water and spend the whole day hiking. You can also enjoy panoramic views from a gondola, cable car, and railway through Scenic World. If we could do it again, we probably would have passed on buying the Scenic World passes and spent more time hiking.

Manly Beach

I never made it over here but would have loved to if I had more time! Manly Beach is a little bit north of Sydney so it’s recommended to spend at least the afternoon over there. The beach is pristine and a lot less packed than the beaches from Bondi to Coogee. To get to Manly you can take a ferry from Circular Quay, which is only 30 mins compared to the 45 min bus ride to Bondi.

Wedding Cake Rock

A big old rock that looks like a slice of cake. It’s become a very popular photo spot for tourists and is not too hard to get to from Sydney. Take the T4 train from Central to Cronulla and then take a ferry to Bundeena from the Cronulla wharf. The Coastal walk starts at the end of Beachcomber Avenue in Bundeena and the wedding cake rock is the 3rd stop on the walk. Allow about an hour each way for the entirety of the walk! There’s plenty of beautiful beaches and views along the way.

Where to Stay in Sydney

It truly depends on what you want to be close to! I would recommend splitting time in between staying in the city center and by the beach. Wake Up Hostel has a great location in the city center and has the perfect atmosphere for solo travelers. Check out other hostels on Hostelworld here.

What do you think of these Sydney recommendations? Let me know in the comments below!