I spent about a week in Sydney on my recent trip to Australia. Many people tell me there is nothing much to see or do in Sydney. Actually, it all depends on where you like to go. There are many nice places to see and do in Sydney itself.
Sydney is worth spending a week there. I was never bored and had something to occupy myself with everyday. Beacuse I had to go to Canberra first before going back to Sydney, I did not manage to spend more time there as I had to get a return flight back. But in order to fully utilise the time, I would recommend at least a week there.
I am speaking from personal experience as I really did manage to travel on my own in Sydney and going to really nice places. To kickstart, Sydney's public transportation is really good, so you really do not need a car. Most of the best places are around the train stations and easily accessible by bus.
I would recommend getting a weekly pass, which covers all areas, depending on where you go. If you are only planning to go around the metropolitan area and the city centre, just a pass that covers these areas would do instead of getting one that covers fully. The pass itself lets you take unlimited trains, buses, ferries and the light rail, but does not include monorail.
So what would I recommend doing in Sydney? That is assuming you take the Scoot flight, which only flies at a godforsaken hour and reach Sydney International Airport around noon. I was staying with my relatives, so had to go to one of the suburbs, but there are many available and not too expensive accommodation around the centre areas of Town Hall and Central.
The best way to travel from the airport to the city centre is to take a train. Assuming you take the train from the airport to Sydney Central Station where your accommodation is situated nearby, you can buy a weekly pass from Sydney Central station itself. Please bear in mind that the pass does not cover the airport line. There are additional charges if you need to travel back and forth from the airport.
Sydney Central Station is the main interchange for trains, buses and light rail. It is in a colonial style building, built in the style of an old-fashioned railway. The trip from the airport to Sydney Central station takes half an hour the most, which means you would be able to check in at your accommodation by two in the afternoon.
Please do bear in mind that Sydney Central Station is very big, so one has to see the notice for train schedules and study the map thoroughly to know where to go. Most of the smaller train stations have no gantry in and out, but if you think you can just buy the cheaper fare, think again, because even though there are no gantries at many of the smaller stations, there are periodic checks and once caught, there will be a fine of A$100.00 at least. I did not experience this but my aunt told me.
Facade of Sydney Central Station
After checking into your accommodation, you can hop onto the light rail and travel to Fish Market Station for lunch at the Fish Market. I did not manage to go there, but that place has the greatest variety of fresh seafood available.
The entrance of Sydney Central, where the light rail stops
After lunch, you can take the light rail and alight at Paddy's Market at the Haymarket (the stop is the Paddy's Markets station). The place closes at five in the afternoon though, so there should be just a little time. Paddy's Market has the greatest variety of cheap stuff like a big bazaar. Alternatively, you can go to Paddy's Market first and then go to Fish Market for dinner.
Paddy's Market is opposite Sydney's Chinatown and next to Capitol Square, so maybe you can take in a movie at the old-fashioned Capitol Theatre, and then go to Chinatown for dinner and exploration? And that would end your first day.
If your second day in Sydney happens to be on a Sunday and you are Catholic or Christian, you can take the train around half past eight in the morning to Museum Station and explore Hyde Park. Hyde Park stretches from the Australian Museum, to the ANZAC Memorial, to St Mary's Cathedral and St James Station, and to Hyde Park Barracks.
Both Museum Station and St James Station are in the style of an old London Underground Tube station. Get out at Museum station and go down the stretch of Hyde Park where the Australian Museum, ANZAC Memorial, Reflection Lake and Cook and Philip Olympic Pool is situated, then go by St Mary's Cathedral to the other side of Hyde Park where the Archibald Fountain is situated. The end of Hyde Park will be where Sydney Tower is from across the street at St James Station.
After exploring Hyde Park, you can go for mass at St Mary's Cathedral (I would recommend the solemn mass at half past ten) or St James Cathedral. After the church service, walk down the side of St Mary's Cathedral to enter the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Domain, where you can see many good varieties of plants, trees and flowers, and sea view of the Domain at Mrs Macquarie's Chair.
Before entering the Domain, consider going to the Art Gallery (free entrance) where there are many nice paintings available. Consider having lunch at the Domain or Art Gallery. My adventures in the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain can be found here.
From there, you can walk back via the waterfront to the Opera House and Circular Quay, all the way to The Rocks. Explore the stretch of the Rocks which will end at Campbell's Cove, or the older stretch which will end at the Harbour Bridge. My trip to the Rocks can be found here.
If you are really adventurous and there is still time, can consider going up the Pylon Lookout to the top to see the scene from the top of the Harbour Bridge, then walk across to Milsons Point, which was what I did. Or if you like, you can even venture a bridge climb, but that has to be booked in advance.
If you are going across the harbour bridge up the Pylon Lookout, the end of the bridge would be at Milsons Point, where you can then take a train back to either Central Station or anywhere else you like. Perhaps you can consider ending the day with a play at the Opera House in the evening?
Third day in Sydney can be spent on more thorough exploration. For me, I spent one day exploring the Central Business District, beaches and eastern suburbs, but in order to explore more thoroughly I would recommend two days.
So perhaps the third day can be spent just wandering around the Central Business District all the way to King's Cross, Paddington and Bondi Junction, with a trip up the Sydney Tower and shopping at Queen Victoria Building, Galeries Victoria and Pitt Street Mall. If you prefer night life, there are great night spots at King's Cross and the Darlinghurst area, but please bear in mind that King's Cross area is rather complicated especially at night.
The fourth day can be spent beach hopping from Bondi to Watsons Bay and the Gap, to the eastern suburbs, to Manly and the northern beaches of Freshwater and Curl Curl, and a trip to the Spit as well.
The fifth day can be spent cruising. Depending on the season, you can take a whale cruise, or a lunch cruise, or even a cruise to one of the outlying islands at Sydney Harbour. Bear in mind though that the whale cruise is nothing to shout about, which I have reviewed here. After that, perhaps a trip to the Olympic Park? You can take a ferry to Homebush Bay, which is the terminal for Olympic Park.
Enter the sixth day, where you can go to Darling Harbour, and the nearby Madame Tussaud's, Sydney Aquarium or even the Wildlife Sydney. I would also recommend a visit to the Powerhouse Museum, which I went during the second time I went to Sydney. There are also great night spots and shopping in Darling Harbour itself.
Enter the seventh day. Finally, you can make a trip to the Blue Mountains. If you have a pass that covers the Blue Mountains, that will be great, otherwise the weekly ticket expires on the seventh day and you need to renew. My day trip to the Blue Mountains can be found here.
If you are only planning on one week in Sydney, just get a weekly pass that covers the Blue Mountains area as well, otherwise get a cheaper weekly pass that covers only the metropolitan area, and then extend your stay another week and get another weekly pass that covers not just Blue Mountains, but also Jervis Bay, Port Stephens and Hunter Valley. In this way, you can fully utilise the weekly passes and the train system.
Assuming you are extending your stay to another week, with the weekly pass that goes to the Blue Mountains, you can use it to explore Hunter Valley as well. Hunter Valley is about a couple of hours drive from Sydney centre, and about three hours train ride. It is the wine country nearest to Sydney. I would recommend at least a couple of days there, so it would be good to stay overnight and return back to Sydney the following evening. Hence, the eighth and ninth days can be spent at Hunter Valley, before returning to Sydney on the night of the ninth day.
On the tenth day, perhaps make a trip to Jervis Bay in the south or Port Stephens around the north? These are also places where at least two nights is required. If you are the kind that likes to lie around a relaxing beach resort, then these places are for you. The next three days can be spent there, and return to Sydney on the night of the twelfth day. The train ride from Sydney to Jervis Bay is about three hours each way.
On the thirteenth day, you can take a trip to Blacktown and change to a bus to go to the Featherdale Wildlife Park, which I did not manage to go. The place is a zoo with many local animals like spotted deer, Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, emus, and you can even hug a koala!
Finally, on the fourteenth day, you can take a train back to the airport (the flight would be the early afternoon) and return home. Hence, it is possible to spend one or two weeks in Sydney and still have fun!
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