Attractions in Sydney

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Places To Go In Sydney, Australia

After many years of dreaming about a vacation to 🦘 Australia, my wife and I finally made the journey a few seasons ago, from our home in British Columbia, Canada. What a journey it was and a place everyone should visit if given the chance. Below, I’ve put together a few of the …

Attractions In Sydney, Australia

that we enjoyed and also highly recommend taking in, on your first visit to the city.

Our time was limited and we wanted to see as much as we could, in and around the City of Sydney. At the same time, sticking to our tight travel budget as well.

First, check out my short amateur video slide show, on some of the places to go in Sydney, that we took in during our visit.

Sydney Sites To See – YouTube Video

Sydney Landmarks

Beautiful Sydney Harbour

Sydney Harbour

Perhaps the most visited and most popular of attractions in the city is; Sydney Harbor.

Listed as one of the most picturesque and beautiful harbors in the world, you can spend hours walking and enjoying the sites and attractions, this beautiful part of the city has to offer!
 

The Sydney Harbour is the most visited part of the city for tourists.

Tall Ship Sydney Harbour

From the many cruise ships arriving and departing from here, to the historic; The Rocks District steps away and the expansive pedestrian promenade along its shores, to the magnificent world renowned landmark Sydney Opera House,it’s all here for you to enjoy!

Sydney Cruise Ship Port

As well, all passenger ferries to outline areas such as; {Manly}, can be boarded right here at Sydney Harbor.

Sydney Australia Harbour

Sydney Sites To See Include Manly

Manly Australia

Manly Australia

One of our favorite places to go in Sydney, was hopping the passenger ferry across the bay to the nearby District of Manly. It’s a superb place to visit and spend part of, and/or an entire day.

The ferry runs often and the ride itself is worth the journey. It takes about 30 minutes to cross and the scenery of the harbour from the water, is beautiful.
 

 

 
There are plenty of things to see and do while in Manly. There’s numerous shops, restaurants and the main attraction here, are the beaches. There’s also an excellent scenic pedestrian walkway lining the shoreline.

Manly

Manly has smaller coves and beaches that are great for 🤿 snorkeling and swimming enthusiasts. We did just that on our visit over!

I definitely recommend adding a visit to Manly, in your travel itinerary.

Take The Hop On/Hop Off Tour Bus

Sydney’s Hop On/Off Sightseeing Bus

hop on hop off bus sydney australia

Something that has become increasingly popular over the years and now found in most major tourist destination cities around the world, are the Hop On/Hop Off Sightseeing Buses.

This is a great way to see many of the top tourist attractions in Sydney, and at your leisure. I really like having the option of getting on and off these buses as you please.

Buses usually run every {20 minutes} and cover a huge part of the city and make stops at many of the popular places to and see in the city.
 

 
This is how we also managed to travel to the famous Bondi Beach to enjoy the sites and the beach for an afternoon.

Bondi Beach

This very popular beach and tourist attraction is located just a short bus ride from Sydney Harbour and downtown. The Hop On/Hop Off bus is a great way to get around conveniently and affordably, all at your leisure throughout the day.

Free Stuff To Do In Sydney Include The Rocks

 The Rocks District in Sydney

The Rocks District Sydney Australia

The city’s oldest area is known as; The Rocks District.

In its early day’s back in the late 1700’s, this area was mostly run down and a place where sailors spent their time drinking and frequenting the local ladies of the night.

Today, it’s completely opposite of its early time, and also just steps from Sydney harbor. It’s another major tourist attraction teeming with local outdoor cafes, restaurants, shops and much more!

There’s also a really nice Tourist Information Center and gift shop located in the heart of {The Rocks} district as well. Helpful staff on duty can assist with all your questions for travel and tour bookings, while in Australia.

There is also free wi-fi for those wanting to catch up on things back home.

The Rocks District is definitely worth checking out and spending some time at during your stay. Below, I have included a link to a great website, for more complete information on this area.

The Rocks Sydney Logo

 The Rocks

Climb Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Looking for something a little more exciting?

How about a walk up to the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge, for a spectacular view!.
You can take a guided tour climb to the top or take a leisurely stroll for free, on the pedestrian only pathway across the bridge.

The fully guided tour is about 2 to 3 hours, taking you to the very top of the arch. The free walk across the bridge is also great to do, for outstanding views and picture taking.

Catch Your Breathe In Hyde Park

St. Mary’s Cathedral and Archibald Fountain

Hyde Park Fountain Sydney Australia

Hyde Park which is appropriately named after {London, England’s} main park, and is the oldest park in all of Australia. Covering a huge expanse of over 16.2-acres, the park is located right downtown in the business district of Sydney.

It’s an easy to walk from Sydney Harbor and the downtown hotels. This is a perfect place to escape the city hustle and bustle, and catch your breath for a spell. Take a stroll around the park and visit …

Archibald Fountain, St. Mary’s Cathedral, The Old Barracks
and so much more.

It’s a great place to relax in the shade under a beautiful assortment of trees on a typical hot day in the city.

Explore Darling Harbour

 Darling Harbour

Attractions And Things To Do In Sydney Australia

Darling Harbour should be included in places to go in Sydney. If you are taking advantage of the Hop On/Hop Off sightseeing bus like we did, then this is one of their stops on their route.

There’s a large pedestrian walkway fronting restaurants, shopping and more at this harbour. You can easily spend an afternoon and/or evening, taking in all of its attractions and dining options.

Darling Harbour Attractions

Located in this district you’ll find popular attractions such as;

  •  The Powerhouse Museum
  •  Sydney Aquarium
  •  Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
  •  Australian National Maritime Museum
  •  Harbourside Shopping Centre

I’ve also listed the harbors official website below to check out.

 Darling Harbour

Final Thoughts Banner

There you have it, these are just a few of the more popular Attractions in Sydney and personal suggestions for things to see and do in and around the city. We enjoyed all that I’ve listed in this post, while on our brief stay in this beautiful .. City Down Under!

Attractions In Sydney

I’ve also listed the 🦘 Official Sydney Tourism link below to their website. It’s filled with excellent information to assist in your travel planning to this part of Australia.

🟩 Be sure to check out the {Google Map} box at the bottom of this post for Sydney’s exact location in Australia.

Sydney Australia Tourism Logo
 Sydney Destination NSW

Update Banner

My wife and I returned to Australia a couple of seasons ago, spending 5 wonderful nights in the city of Melbourne. It was a planned stop over, on our return home from Singapore. We absolutely loved the city and there is so much to see and do, like that of Sydney!

As part of our vacation to Australia, we embarked on an amazing South Pacific Cruise departing from Sydney Harbour. Be sure to check out my post and photos of our …

Royal Caribbean South Pacific Cruise

It was without a doubt, one of the best cruise vacations we have ever taken.

Safe and Healthy Travels!

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