Sydney is regarded to be among the top cities of the world for various reasons. This amazing city and New South Wales county capital is located in Australia’s south-eastern part. It is here that the largest natural harbour of the world —Sydney Harbour—is located along with sun-soaked beaches, Sydney Opera House, vibrant art scenes as well as few of the earth’s best restaurants. Let’s take a look at five incredible things to do when visiting this world class city. But before you go, it is advisable to consider the best eSIM in Australia in order to avoid massive mobile phone charges when you return home.
Explore the hottest neighbourhoods:
There are distinctive neighbourhoods in the city, with each boasting of having its own
character. Several big-ticket attractions are present here around Circular Quay
area, in city centre, adjacent to the harbour. You can visit outlying islands
by getting a ferry ride or explore on foot to check out the Royal Botanic Gardens,
Sydney Opera House, Museum of Sydney and Contemporary Art Museum, all located close
by. Walking a bit to the north along water, you will reach The Rocks,
considered to be Australia’s very first European settlement. Currently, it is
historic village filled with heritage buildings. You can also visit to stroll
the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, which takes about an hour either way.
Beaches:
Bondi beach along with icebergs restaurants & pool is a popular place for tourists and locals alike. It is the limelight of Sydney. You can go surfing or even take surfing lessons. You
can also enjoy Coogee Coastal Walk, which is about 3.7 miles and starts at the
Bondi Iceberg swim club. During the walk, you can come across stunning
Cliffside rock pool & bay views. In case, you visit during late October or
early November, then get a glimpse of Sculpture by sea. It is considered to be
an annual extensive exhibition that is held outdoors on the coastline. Coogee
Pavilion is quite stylish, where you can have Bloody Mary & craft beer. There
are other beaches like Milk Beach, located within National Park Sydney Harbour;
Parsley Bay, located northeast to Milk Beach and Redleaf Beach located in the
eat in Double Bay. They do provide low key experiences. There are well
developed coastal villages such as Manly Beach, located approximately 18-minute
rides to the north from Circular Quay on Fast Ferry. It boasts of waterfront
bars and hipster coffee shops.
Plenty of mouth-watering dishes:
You can try out fresh seafood here or the best steaks of Australia. Sydney can be termed to
be a gourmand’s paradise. This city boasts of having plenty of migrants with
many of them coming from food cities like Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Spain,
Italy and Japan. With them, they have brought along their culinary traditions.
Over time, they have tried to blend their food culture with taht of the
seasonal, local produce to come up with amazing delicacies. This cosmopolitan
city is regarded to be home to several internationally acclaimed chefs. Mr.
Wong in Circular Quay is known to attract good crowd to enjoy its heritage
setting and have contemporary Cantonese cuisines. Hubert, located close by, is
well known for French cuisine and cocktails and is an underground lair. You can
even enjoy waterside dining experience like Quay or Bennelong. The restaurant
run by Peter Gilmore the acclaimed Australian chef is known to serve the very
best Australian wine and produce within Sydney Opera House domed ceilings. In
central Sydney, travellers make it a point to visit the Opera Bar that hugs the
harbour to have Sydney Sling (pomegranate, sabre gin, lime, mint & bitters)
or perhaps glass of vino. Surry Hills is another culinary destination to be in
the city. The village has plenty of cafes and restaurants. For French, you can
visit classics such as Loluk Bistro, while Porteno is a popular Argentine
hotspot, where you can order for 8-hour lamb, a speciality of the place.
Zoo:
Taronga zoo attracts over 1 million
visitors annually due to its lush grounds and stunning skyline views. From
Central Business District, the zoo is only 12-minute ride on a ferry across
harbour. It is an expansive place boasting of having over 4,000 animals
including giraffes, tigers, koalas, platypus, kangaroos, chimps, lions,
elephants, Komodo dragons, etc. Visitors can also enjoy concerts, take ropes
course, go for hiking trails, lemur forest, several beaches and rainforests.
Enjoy side trips:
Side trips are just amazing. Among the outdoorsy types, one of the popular spots is the Blue Mountains, which takes around 2 hours to reach by train and located west of the city. Here, you can enjoy hiking, get a glimpse of kangaroos in the wilderness and go winter skiing. If you
take the chance to walk through this national park, you are likely to find
waterfalls, forests, small villages, caves and rock formations.
Hunter Valley is indeed the best place if travelling with a wine lover. This wine region is popular
for medium bodied reds like shiraz as well as crisp dry whites such as
Semillon. This valley is also the oldest wine region of Australia. The majority of
the vineyards here are family owned, innovative and focuses mostly on small
production. Here,y ou can visit Tallavera Grove Wines and sample the best grapes in the valley. Bistro Molines offer excellent lunch with assorted, decorated varietals. Charcuterie and
cheese can be had at Gundog Hunter Cellar and Gourmet Pantry. In case, the plan
is to stay for the weekend, then you can enjoy staying at Chateau Elau at
Vintage, considered to be an expansive resort offering luxury villas to 18-hole
golf course that is Greg Norman designed.
Best hotels in Sydney
Often travellers are of the wrong opinion of the city being just another stopover. They think that the interesting places of the city can be covered in a day or two. But the truth is that to get to know Sydney, you need to look beyond the Opera House and Bondi Beach. You can visit the vineyards, New South Wales, the islands or even visit Blue Mountains located on the western part to enjoy skiing during winter and hiking in summer. Booking best hotels in Sydney in advance is recommended to beat the rush.
So now that you are aware of several interesting things to do and places visit in Sydney, from its vibrant downtown to incredible gardens and beaches and dining, it truly should be on everyone’s bucket list!
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