Travel to Sydney

Much has been written and said about Sydney's harbor, and with good reason. The harbor boasts one of the world's most recognizable views, dominated by two icons in the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge. The area also provides no end of activities and neighborhoods to explore. If you're time poor, however, it is easy to accomplish a lot in a short time frame or select a few activities that appeal to your own sense of adventure. The following is a short list of things to see and do should you find yourself in the harbor city, spoilt for choice but lacking time.

Sydney Harbor Bridge itself looms over the water like a giant coat hanger, a term used affectionately by the locals. A climbing tour is offered if you're willing to fork out around $170.00 for the hike. If not however you can still walk across at road level for free. The added bonus is that you can take your camera with you for some shots of the Opera House and surrounding area.

Once across the bridge, on the opposite side of the city centre, is Milsons Point. Home to the heritage listed Luna Park Sydney, an old fashioned fun park where roller coasters, ferris wheels and other rides of old bring a little nostalgia to the waterfront. Entry to the grounds is free, so you only pay for the rides and amusements you use. If fun parks aren't your thing, tucked under the bridge is a waterfront park providing a perfect place to spend a lazy few hours stretched out on the grass with a picnic taking in the spectacular views of Sydney's central business district.

Heading back across the bridge, you come to Sydney's historic The Rocks. This is one of the most historic parts of Australia and the area where the first British settlers landed and from which the bustling city, and indeed country, grew. Once occupied by convicts and prostitutes, today The Rocks cobblestone laneways are full of designer shops, art galleries and eateries. The area lends itself perfectly to the aimless wander and is dotted with historic watering holes in which to rest weary feet and replenish

A short stroll from The Rocks is Circular Quay, a transport hub with ferries departing for suburbs across the bay. From here you can catch one of the ferries to Manly or Toronga Park Zoo, or maybe purchase a Daytripper ticket, which lets you ride as many ferries on the same day as you like and explore some of the lesser known suburbs of the city. The Daytripper is also valid on Metro trains and buses for those who are looking to explore a little further. Apart from the ferry terminals, Circular Quay boasts many fine restaurants, with superb views of the quay (and prices to match). Stroll further onward and you will come to the Sydney Opera House. The once controversial structure stands proudly above the water, defying convention as it overlooks proceedings on the waterways and the street.

A show at the Opera House is a must. If opera is not your thing, there are also orchestral performances, plays, concerts and comedy shows to provide something for everyone. Tours of the building are also available and include a walk onto one of the stages. Turning away from the harbor and the Opera House, you come to the Royal Botanical Gardens, a huge sprawling space dedicated to various varieties of trees, plants and shrubs. It is easy to get lost in the gardens wandering the many paths and admiring whichever flowers are in season at the time. Near the center is a shop and cafe should you wish to eat on your visit, or you can bring your own and eat on one of the many lawns.

If you are visiting late in the day, beware of the resident flying foxes, which generally sleep during the day, but can raise an almighty racket when the sun goes down. Whatever your interest, Sydney's harbor has something for you, and to top it off, some of the most spectacular views you are likely to find anywhere in the world.

Do you want to hire a car when visiting Sydney? Thinking about Sydney, although it is fairly large, Sydney is quite a compact city. It is unique in the sense of there are very wide variety of things to do within the Sydney CBD, there are all sorts of cultural and urban attractions, museums, there are tourism icons such as the Harbour Bridge and The Sydney Opera House, things that people really want to see. Also, its beautiful beaches are one of the things that Sydney is very well-known for as well. While Sydney is a fairly compact area, there is a wide variety of attractions and things that you probably would want to see if you come here, so that is one thing to understand.

Secondly, public transport in Sydney. Now as a rule, it is quite a good standard. It is far from perfect and any Sydney local will tell you that. It is reasonably frequent, most of the major attractions are fairly accessible by public transport and it is a relatively inexpensive way for you to get around. Some other aspects of Sydney that are fairly important are parking. Within the Sydney CBD and in the city itself, parking is available but it can be quite difficult. Within the CBD itself you are really going to look at the parking stations to park your vehicle and they can get expensive. For an overnight stay, you can pay over $20 without any problems at all.

If you are staying in or around the city, I will really recommend that you do, especially if you are here for a short stay, it makes a lot of attractions accessible or within walking distance. I have recommend many people on a short stay that they should stay in the city, in which case parking could be quite expensive as well. So all those things are probably what you would be thinking about when you are determining whether you should hire a car?

I suggest that if you are here for short stay, if just want to see some of the major attractions on a short stay, it is probably not worth your while to hire a car to get around. Most of these things are accessible by public transport. One of the things about Sydney is its heavily reliant on tourism, all major attractions are made accessible by public transport and those few that are not can be really worthwhile and very cost effective just to get a taxi to those locations. So as a rule, if you are staying less than a week, I would suggest that you probably will rely on public transport rather than getting motor vehicles.

I suggest the opposite though if you are looking to get outside of Sydney and to start looking at rural New South Wales, country Australia, because one thing about Australia is some vast open spaces. If you really want to get the most out of any trip to Australia, then driving can perhaps be one of the better ways to go about it. So, here are my recommendations, if you will be staying in Sydney for a relatively short period, you probably better off using public transport. However, if you are looking to get outside of Sydney, for a greater Australian trip, then you probably would look at hiring or driving a motor vehicle.

So if you decide to drive in Sydney, here are some things to keep in mind. The first one is licensing. In New South Wales, if you have an overseas license, you will be able to drive using that license and only that license anywhere in New South Wales. As long as you have a valid drivers license overseas, you can drive in Sydney and in New South Wales. One thing to keep in mind is that you need to keep your drivers license on you. It is an offense in New South Wales to not have your drivers license on you if a policeman asks you to produce it.

Some driving tips if you decide to drive in Sydney. Overall, Sydney and Australia is a very safe place to drive, it is not as chaotic as a lot of counties, people are fairly orderly and it is a pretty pleasant place to drive. There are a lot of fatal motor vehicle accidents in Australia, speed is largely responsible for these, people exceeding the speed limit and also the fact that Australia being so geographically large means a lot of vehicles are traveling at high speeds.

The first and most obvious thing to remember is you have to drive on the left. If you are from one of those countries that drive on the right-hand side, it is really important that you remember that. It could be chaotic and dangerous if you do not remember to do that. So always drive on the left, the easy way to remember is that you as the driver will be closest to the center of the road. It is a law in New South Wales and everywhere in Australia that you have to wear a seatbelt whenever you are driving a motor vehicle. If you did not wear a seatbelt, you or your passengers will likely to be fined by a police officer.

Alcohol is another one. Everyone likes to have a few drinks when they are on vacation that is for sure, but it can be very dangerous to operate a motor vehicle when you are on the influence of alcohol. The legal limit for adults is .05% alcohol, .05 means if you have 3 standard drinks in the first hour, you will be over the limit and you will not be able to drive a motor vehicle. There are very heavy penalties for people who drive motor vehicles whilst they are under the influence of alcohol, including fines and imprisonment.

Speeding. Speed limits vary a great deal in Sydney, and as a result you really need to keep an eye out, make sure that you are traveling within the appropriate speed limit for that area. There are plenty of highway patrolman out there that will give you a ticket or take some sort of action against you if you speed whilst driving. These are some of the things you might want to consider when driving in Sydney and Australia.

From Parramatta to Circular Quay, there is a really large river called the Parramatta River. Along that river operates the River Cat, a ferry that runs between Parramatta and Circular Quay. The most common way to get from Parramatta to Circular Quay is by train. The train is faster, and much more regular than the River Cat, but in the end of the day it is a train. I had some time on my hands, so I was not in any rush to get to Circular Quay and so I thought why not take the River Cat? So I wandered down to the ferry terminal and of course the first drawback is the timetable.

The River Cat leaves about every hour on the hour, as opposed to the train which runs between 3 and 5 per hour. But I had some time on my hands and I was not too far away from when the River Cat was going. So I waited around and jumped on it. It is fairly inexpensive; it cost me 7 dollar 70 for the trip, which is fairly standard and not too expensive at all. So I waited around, I got on this River Cat, the first thing that I was shocked by is it is quite small. It was a very personal experience; there was two guys working on the River Cat. They pull up at the ferry, throw the drawbridge across and on you go. And then you do not even pay until the River Cat takes off then they come around and collect your money for your tickets at that point.

I got on around at 5 o'clock, which is winter at the moment in Australia, so it gets dark quite early, so it was dark when I got on it. The entire trip takes just over an hour, you can do it by train around 35 to 40 minutes depending on the train. There are some pretty interesting sights to see along the way; around 6 or 7 stops between Parramatta which is one end of the run and Circular Quay which is where it terminates. The stops are all really little wharfs, they are little riverside suburbs where it pulls over, ropes up, puts the drawbridge out and 1 or 2 people would get on and off, very small, pretty quiet actually and some quiet little pleasant suburbs as well over there.

So you can take in those little wharfs and you have these people that get this little River Cat to and from work everyday. You can also see some riverside suburbs along the river, got its bushes and weeds on both sides, so you cannot really take it in too much, but during the breaks there is a lot of parkland, a lot of quiet pretty suburbs as well. Definitely the highlight of that is the arrival at Circular Quay. You enter Circular Quay from the front of Sydney Harbour, from the mouth of the Parramatta River, swing underneath the Harbour Bridge, veer straight for the Opera House and take a right into Circular Quay, near the CBD. It is really spectacular.

Sydney Harbour is one of those icons, there is the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, but really the views do not get any better than going underneath it on the River Cat and then just having it there straight in front of you when you are in that River Cat. So that is the Parramatta River Cat, obviously if you are in Parramatta and in a hurry, the River Cat is probably not the method of transport for you. It is a little slower and it is not so regular, but if you are not in a rush, it is definitely a far more scenic and pretty way to make that trip.

When examining a list of attractions or a map of Australia, it's only natural to think, "I just want to do everything!" But to narrow it down a little bit, Sydney Australia is a destination that won't disappoint! If you're pressed for time, the Australian tourism industry recommends catching the Manly Ferry, taking a harbor cruise, riding the Shelly Ferry, visiting Shell Beach and touring Manly Beach. Many travelers point to the Sydney Opera House as a highlight of their trip as well.

When you come to Sydney Australia, you'll obviously want to get the most optimal view of the towering buildings, the world-famous Harbour Bridge and the architecturally intriguing Opera House. At Circular Quay, you can travel thirty minutes from the Sydney Harbour to Manly via ferry, where you'll get the best view of these landmarks. When you arrive in Manly, you may want to eat some delicious grub at the brand new Manly Wharf Pub. A more traditional, narrated tour is the Sydney Harbour Cruise, which can tell you a little bit about waterfront mansions, Australian history and the city's multitudinous cultural offerings.

You'll get the same view as the ferry, but you'll have a longer ride and more commentary. "Coffee cruises" have become very popular, offering fresh espresso, teas, gourmet biscuits, muffins and Lamingtons, which is an Aussie favorite. Or you can go on the half-day Sydney Harbour sail aboard "Katrina," a luxury yacht, which will take you to hideaway beaches and bays. The Sydney Harbour Bridge Cruise will quickly take you beneath the bridge and narrate a little about this landmark, specifically. You'll stop in the Darling Harbour, where theatres, aquariums and museums await.

For all you land-lubbers, there's a nice walk from the Manly Ferry Terminal to Shelly Beach. You'll pass pubs, cafes, shops and restaurants, although, the particularly keen may even spot a Manly penguin or breaching Humpback Whale! You can take a tour of Manly Beach or get a terrific view of the Sydney Harbour from the North Fort lookout. With the city, the AMP Centrepoint Tower, a 1,000-foot-high Australian national monument, will give you a bird's eye view of Sydney's cityscape.

Sports are more than just entertainment in Sydney Australia: it's an important part of culture and a celebration of the Australians' pride. It is an important part of the culture. Rugby is by far the most popular sport but you can also see a horse race at Randwick Race Course, an Australian Football League game (cheer for the Sydney Swans!), a National Basketball League game (go Sydney Swifts!), the start of the "Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race" and the quirky "City to Surf" foot race.

When you first arrive in Sydney Australia at the Kingsford Smith airport, unless you've booked a tour, you'll likely feel overwhelmed and out-of-sorts. You can visit the Sydney Visitor Centre in The Rocks at the corner of Argyle & Playfair Streets or the Sydney Visitor Center at 33 Wheat Road in Darling Harbour between 9:30 am and 5:30 pm to get maps and attraction information.

The key to Australian vacationing is to come prepared, so you may want to look online or book a few tours before you depart from your homeland! The "Sydney Sampler," for instance, offers five nights exploring Sydney. Starting at $U425 per person, you'll receive five nights of hotel accommodations and round trip airport transfers, a day at Blue Mountains National Park, the Sydney Harbour coffee cruise, the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge and beach tours. You'll also stop to see wildlife, museums, shops, Aboriginal heritage sites and more. To arrange a tour, you can check "United Vacations Sp".

When visiting The Sydney Harbor Bridge, the question is of course, what is the best way to see it? And how should a visitor take advantage of the Sydney Harbor Bridge on a short visit or any sort of visit to Sydney?

There are a few ways that you can really enjoy the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The first way is by taking a walk around it. There is that pedestrian access on the eastern side, if you are down in The Rocks area you can basically take the stairways up, you can get up to the Harbor Bridge and then just walk across it. And that affords great views first of all, it is cheap, it is good exercise, it is not the most peaceful walk in the world because you have got six lines of traffic not far from you way to and from the city, but a beautiful nonetheless.

You can take all time in the world, it is not at all busy even during peak hour periods, take as long as you want so you can walk across it. One of the other things that you probably going to want do in Sydney Harbor Bridge is to get a photo of it. Now obviously being actually on the Bridge is not the best spot for taking photos of it. In my experience the best spot, although there are many around the Harbor foreshore area, is in front of the Sydney Opera House.

If you stand in front of the Opera House, there on a bit of foreshore there you can not miss it, then you can look straight across the Harbor Bridge and that is one of the best spots for your photos. You can get photos of the bridge itself, zooming in or zooming out and plenty of those photos of yourself, your friends and loved ones posing in front of the Harbor Bridge.

There's a couple of options if you want to actually climb the Bridge. The Pylon Lookout, is a lookout within one of the pylons. It is actually a museum, the Sydney Harbor Museum. If you go through there, this museum shows you a lot of history of how the Bridge was built, the structure itself, some of the history there, some of the people that died during its construction. It is a very interesting and educational experience.

It is not like you would spend hours at the museum, but certainly the good thing is that it is a very affordable way to climb the bridge. There is an admission charge but it's quite affordable. And not only do you get to learn about the Bridge itself, but you get to the top and you get to look at the magnificent views that you get from so many hundred meters up there.

The other option if you are looking to climb the Harbor Bridge is the Bridge Climb. It is a private company that runs these climbs of the Bridge. And you can see them at all hours of the days and night. These organized groups climb along this span to the very pinnacle of the Bridge, and then they climb back down. I have done it myself and it is an excellent walk. You do pay reasonable well to for the privilege. They take safety very seriously and its a completely safe activity and very enjoyable.

One of the disadvantages is that you can not take a camera or anything and you can not take any photographs of the view while you're up there. You really have to just to enjoy it in person, some photographs are taken by the staff and you can buy those when you leave the walk. The whole thing takes quite a few hours and you need to book well in advance, because it is quite busy.

So, if you want to really get into the Harbor Bridge, there is a number ways that you can do it. You can get over to the Opera House or somewhere around the foreshore and you can take your photos and the like. It is a very simple matter to walk across, backwards and forwards across the Bridge, you do that in half an hour, you can walk over there and back and there's nice spots on the north side as well. If you are more interested in climbing it, your options are really the Pylon Lookout, or the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb.

Sydney is Australia's premier holiday destination and the first port of call for many international visitors. The good news is that many of its major attractions are free and with the Australian dollar at bargain basement, most are amazingly cheap.

Here are 7 suggestions to help you get the most out of your visit to Australia's largest city:

1. Circular Quay.

Circular Quay is the heart of Sydney and your introduction to the beautiful harbour. It is a great place to start your exploration and you will be fascinated by the excitement and buzz of this area. All ferries leave from this focal point and you are within walking distance of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. It is great place to relax, enjoy a meal in one of the many restaurants or stroll around and enjoy the ambience.

2. The Rocks.

Nestled alongside the south portal of the bridge is one of the first settled areas of Sydney known as "The Rocks" This historical and fascinating area filled with old buildings, pubs and shops is a great place to visit for souvenirs, a meal or a drink. Weekend markets are very popular for those looking for a bargain.

3. Walk over the bridge.

The entrance to the walkway over the bridge is just behind The Rocks and best of all it's free. This amazing walk will provide you with some of the most breathtaking views in Australia as you look down on the Opera House, yachts and ferries in the harbor and in the distance, the entrance to the Pacific Ocean.

4. Ferry to Toronga Park Zoo.

Toronga Park Zoo is one of the finest in Australia. You will be able to view all the Australian native wildlife including the elusive platypus. It is worth spending a day here and its location on the north shore of the harbor allows spectacular views of the Sydney skyline. Take the ferry from Circular Quay.

5. Ferry to Manly.

No visit to Sydney would be complete without taking a ferry from Circular Quay to the oceanside resort of Manly. The ferry ride is one of the most popular trips for visitors to Sydney and allows spectacular harbor views. I particularly love Manly. Its main beach on the Pacific Ocean is a mecca for surfers, swimmers and sunbathers and the main street is a popular place to enjoy a meal, go shopping or just soak up the ambience of the area.

Here's a suggestion. Try to time your return ferry trip to Sydney to leave Manly just before sunset. You will be rewarded with the golden glow of the late afternoon sun shining on the sails of the Opera House and the setting sun highlighting the black silhouette of the bridge. A magic holiday moment.

6. Take a tour of the Opera House.

Tours of the Opera House take place regularly during the day and this is the only way for you to experience the true beauty of this iconic Sydney landmark. Better still, enjoy a live performance in the main concert hall. It will be a holiday memory I promise you will never forget.

7. Take a harbor walk.

Sydney has many wonderful harbor walks, but my favorite is a walk from the Opera House to Kings Cross. It requires only a moderate level of fitness and there are plenty of places to stop and admire the views of the busy harbor as well as parks and gardens. Kings Cross is a perfect place to finish your walk. It is the city's nightlife and restaurant mecca, but late at night can be a seedy and sometimes unsafe area. During the day however, this cosmopolitan suburb is a venue to relax, enjoy a coffee and experience one of most vibrant areas of this great holiday destination.

The Sydney Harbor Bridge is one of those icons of Sydney, it is one of the best known tourist icons in the world really and it is true to say that almost everyone is familiar with it. When you think of Sydney, along with the Opera House in Sydney Harbor, we think about Sydney Harbor Bridge.

A little bit of history on the Harbor Bridge. Sydney Harbor Bridge joins the Sydney CBD to the northern suburbs of Sydney, which is north Sydney, which is again a business area. But to the northern suburbs which is essentially a link to those residential areas. The Bridge itself is 503 metres long, so it is a fairly long Bridge and it is 134 meters above the sea level, so it is a very high Bridge.

Now, some interesting trivia this Bridge was opened in 1932 and this quite interesting story that comes along behind it. The story goes that on the 19th of March 1932, it was a huge occasion after many years of building this Bridge, an enormous crowd had gathered on the Bridge itself and around Sydney's foreshore both on the CBD side and the north Sydney side.

People had gathered to see the official opening of this Bridge. One of the ceremonial things that was to happen, was that the Premier, the head-of-state for the state of New South Wales would declare the Bridge open and would slash a ribbon, which was sitting across the Harbour as a ceremonial signification of opening the Bridge. There is a fantastic idea, but there was certain people that had a different idea. At the time there was a para-military group called the New Guard, who firmly believed amongst other things (they were firm Monarchists) that it was appropriate that a member of the royal family would actually open the Harbour Bridge by cutting the ribbon.

So vehemently did they believe this, they took real offence to an Australian head-of-state actually cutting the ribbon. A General by the name of Capt. Francis de Groot, who was a representative of this group was on horse back and he positioned himself quite close to where the ribbon was waiting for Premier Lang to arrive. Just before the Premier got there, de Groot mounted on his horse galloped forward, pulled out his sword and slashed the ribbon, and declared the Bridge open in the name of the decent citizens of the New South Wales.

De Groot was subsequently arrested and taken to a psychiatric hospital, where they found him sane, but he faced a fine and a charge for offensive behavior in a public place. Anyway, interesting little bit of trivia in the history of the Harbour Bridge.

The Sydney Opera House is considered one of the greatest architectural achievements of its time, hence making it one of the most innovative buildings of the 20th Century. The Sydney Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site ensuring this magnificent structure remains timelessly vigilant overlooking the Sydney Harbor.

The Sydney Opera House concept was first proposed in the 1940s by the then director of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music Eugene Goossens. The need for a purpose built Opera House was immediate due to the current location the Sydney Townhall being too cramped and ill equipped. After gaining the support from the then NSW Premiere Joseph Cahill it was decided that an international design competition be held to choose the most innovative design for the new Opera House.

The competition was launched on the 13th of September 1955 and a flood of 233 entries flowed in from 32 countries. Ranging from independent architects to prestigious design firms the eventual winner was a highly imaginative architect from Denmark named Jorn Utzon who proposed the now famous shell based design for the Sydney Opera House.

It was decided that the Sydney Opera House would be built on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour so that all passenger liners of the day that entered the harbour would be awed by this amazing design ahead of its time. Similarly the opera house can be seen from angles on opposite ends of the harbour and is easily accessible by rail and bus.

There are seven functional areas that make up the Sydney Opera House, the Concert Hall is the largest of these spaces, it seats 2,678 and is the home of the famous Sydney Symphony, the second largest space is the Opera Theatre, this hall with its wide swooping arch is home to Opera Australia, the Australian Ballet and Sydney Opera House. The Opera Theatre is constantly booked throughout they year ensuring there are a variety of plays and events to satisfy everyone’s taste.

The Drama Theatre, Playhouse and the Studio are all found beneath the main Concert Hall. Companies such as the Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Festival and Bell Shakespeare Group perform within the Drama Theatre. The Playhouse is one of the more intimate venues within the Sydney Opera House and is ideal for chamber music, single-set productions and film screenings. The Studio is the smallest of the performance halls and is mainly utilized for contemporary performances.

The Utzon Room is the only interior space designed by Jorn Utzon the original architect of the Sydney Opera House. Its refurbishment that was completed recently was the last active work done by Utzon before his passing in 2008. The room is an architectural marvel with brilliant acoustics and dappled light effects from the surrounding harbor. Finally the Forecourt is an open air venue that is used for a multitude of small gatherings and events.

Situated in a separate series of small shells away from the main opera house complex is the Bennelong Restaurant, enjoy fine cuisine from one of Australia’s most celebrated chefs, while overlooking the calm waters of the harbor and the cityscape behind it. In addition there are a variety of theatre bars that are ideal to meet up before or after a show for a quick chat and wind down.

The Sydney Opera House is a vibrant, timeless structure that promotes unique design, arts and culture. The Taj Hotels are located throughout the world including Australia, via a prominent Sydney 5 star hotel.  This luxury abode affords picturesque views of the harbour and the Central Shopping and Business District.