Attraction
Sydney Opera House
Jørn Utzon's sail-roofed performing arts centre on Bennelong Point, opened in 1973 and the setting for opera, theatre, concerts and daily guided tours.
The best things to do in Sydney start with its harbour: walking the foreshore from the Opera House to the Harbour Bridge, taking a ferry to Manly or Taronga Zoo, and exploring the sandstone lanes of The Rocks, where the colony began. Beyond the water, the city offers free museums such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Australian Museum, the green space of the Royal Botanic Garden and a coastline of surf beaches led by Bondi.
The central business district and Circular Quay hold most of the major sights, while Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Chippendale and Newtown are where locals go to eat, drink and shop. Sydney's food scene is one of its strengths, ranging from fine dining with harbour views to wood-fired cooking, Thai and Malaysian restaurants in Haymarket and a café culture built around excellent coffee and breakfast. Four or five days is enough to see the highlights at a comfortable pace, with a week allowing time for beaches, day trips to the Blue Mountains and slower days in the inner suburbs.
Attraction
Jørn Utzon's sail-roofed performing arts centre on Bennelong Point, opened in 1973 and the setting for opera, theatre, concerts and daily guided tours.
Attraction
The steel arch bridge that has linked the city with the North Shore since 1932, with a free footpath, a cycleway and a museum in its…
Attraction
Australia's oldest botanic garden, founded in 1816 on Farm Cove, with free entry, harbour foreshore paths and the Calyx glasshouse exhibition space.
Attraction
A hillside zoo on the harbour's north shore, open on this site since 1916 and home to more than 5,000 animals, a short ferry ride from…
Attraction
The state's leading art museum in The Domain, with free general entry across two buildings, Naala Nura and the newer Naala Badu, opened in 2022.
Attraction
Sydney's best-known surf beach, a kilometre of sand about 7 km east of the city centre, patrolled by lifesavers and lined with cafés along Campbell Parade.
Café
A café, garden and bar complex in a former industrial site in Alexandria, popular for weekend breakfasts among planted courtyards and seasonal displays.
Café
The original café of Sydney specialty roaster Single O, on Reservoir Street in Surry Hills, serving its own coffee alongside breakfast and lunch.
Café
The original Bourke Street Bakery, opened in Surry Hills in 2004 and known for its sourdough, pies, sausage rolls and ginger brûlée tarts.
Café
The Crown Street branch of bills, the Sydney café group founded by the late Bill Granger, known for its relaxed all-day menu and ricotta hotcakes.
Café
The King Street, Newtown, shop of Black Star Pastry, the Sydney patisserie known for its Strawberry Watermelon Cake.
Café
The Victoria Street shop of Gelato Messina, the Sydney gelato maker offering more than 40 flavours and regularly changing specials, open until late every night.
Hotel
A low-rise luxury hotel on the water's edge at Campbells Cove in The Rocks, with 155 rooms and suites with balconies facing the Opera House.
Hotel
A luxury hotel in the restored former Department of Education building in the Sandstone Precinct, opened in 2023 with 192 rooms and an indoor pool.
Hotel
A 36-level luxury hotel above The Rocks with 565 rooms and suites, harbour views, a spa and the Altitude restaurant and Blu Bar on level 36.
Hotel
A theatrical design hotel in the heritage Gowings and State Theatre buildings on Market Street, with 200 rooms, a spa and two restaurants.
Hotel
A boutique hotel inside the heritage-listed Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf, with an indoor pool, split-level loft rooms and harbour or city views.
Hotel
A boutique hotel in a restored Art Deco building on Pitt Street, with a rooftop pool and bar and a restaurant led by chef Luke Mangan.
Bar
An outdoor bar on the lower concourse of the Sydney Opera House, facing the Harbour Bridge, with live music every day and food served at the…
Bar
A cocktail bar on Harrington Street in The Rocks inspired by 1960s Las Vegas, known for theatrical, film-inspired drinks and attentive hospitality.
Bar
A basement whisky bar reached from a laneway off Clarence Street, with more than 360 whiskies behind a fairy-lit bar and an old-fashioned saloon feel.
Bar
A sandstone pub in The Rocks that claims to be Sydney's oldest continually licensed hotel and Australia's oldest pub brewery, brewing its own beer on site.
Bar
A two-level rooftop cocktail lounge at the top of Hotel Palisade in Millers Point, with harbour views, shared plates by day and DJs at night.
Bar
A pub on Cumberland Street in The Rocks, trading since 1921, with a public bar, a 1920s-style cocktail bar and a rooftop with harbour views.
Restaurant
A contemporary Australian restaurant inside one of the Sydney Opera House shells, with a three-course dining room menu, à la carte counter seating and a bar.
Restaurant
A long-running fine dining restaurant on East Circular Quay, associated with Matt Moran, serving Australian produce with views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
Restaurant
Chef Lennox Hastie's Surry Hills restaurant, where seasonal Australian produce is cooked entirely over wood fire in an open kitchen.
Restaurant
Chef Josh Niland's Australian fish restaurant in Paddington, known for its whole-fish cooking, dry-aged fish and use of every part of the catch.
Restaurant
An Italian restaurant and bar above the Bondi Icebergs ocean pool, with views along the full length of Bondi Beach.
Restaurant
Chef Mat Lindsay's modern Australian restaurant in Chippendale, where a wood-fired oven shapes a menu of shared plates.
Thing to do
The F1 public ferry from Circular Quay to Manly, a seven-nautical-mile harbour crossing past the Opera House and the harbour's eastern bays to the Heads.
Thing to do
The observation deck of Sydney Tower, 250 m above the city centre, giving 360-degree views over the harbour, the beaches and towards the Blue Mountains.
Thing to do
A Romanesque-style arcade completed in 1898 on George Street, with a central dome, stained glass, decorative clocks and four levels of shops and cafés.
Thing to do
A harbourside amusement park opened in 1935 at Milsons Point, with its giant face entrance, heritage rides and views across to the city.
Thing to do
A long-established indoor market beside Chinatown, trading Wednesday to Sunday with fresh produce, souvenirs, clothing, gifts and food stalls.
Tour operator
Guided climbs over the arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from a base in The Rocks, with several routes including a summit climb and an Aboriginal…
Tour operator
A harbour cruise company founded in 1970, running sightseeing, hop-on hop-off, lunch and dinner cruises on Sydney Harbour from Circular Quay.
Tour operator
An Aboriginal-owned tour company offering a daily 90-minute walk through The Rocks on Aboriginal Dreaming, culture and the harbour's original landscape.
Tour operator
A walking tour company running pay-what-you-feel tours of central Sydney and The Rocks since 2009, starting from the square beside Town Hall.
Tour operator
A bike tour company based on Harrington Street in The Rocks since 2004, offering guided rides around the harbour and city as well as bike hire.
Four or five days covers the harbour, the main museums, Bondi and an inner-city neighbourhood or two; a week allows a day trip to the Blue Mountains.
The Rocks and Circular Quay put the Opera House and harbour on your doorstep, the city centre is convenient for transport and shopping, and Surry Hills or Chippendale suit visitors who prioritise food and nightlife.
The Airport Link train runs from both terminals to Central, Town Hall, Wynyard and Circular Quay; taxis, rideshare services and buses are also available.
Accommodation and dining out can be costly, but many highlights are free, including the harbour walks, beaches, the Royal Botanic Garden and several major museums, and public ferries are an inexpensive way to see the harbour.
Sydney is generally safe; take normal precautions with belongings in crowded areas, and always swim between the red and yellow flags on patrolled beaches.