Sydney is Australia’s largest city and unofficial capital, with a stunning oceanfront location and vibrant, diverse neighbourhoods. Sydney is a must-visit on your first trip to Australia and a great spot for a weekend city break for travellers from within Australia. Having lived either side of Sydney, both in Brisbane and Melbourne, I’ve visited Sydney for work and pleasure more times than I can count. I’ve put together this Sydney Travel Guide to share my favourite spots & keep track of new ones as I find them.

Related: Australia Travel Guide

How long should you spend in Sydney?

Sydney is so fun for a weekend or long weekend city break, but if it’s your first time and you’re coming from overseas, you’ll want to spend 3 or 4 days in the city.

Read more: Itinerary for One Month in Australia

The best things to do in Sydney

Postcard moments with Aussie icons

You can see some of Australia’s most iconic manmade sights in one stop: Circular Quay in Sydney. From there, you can take in Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House in one go. You don’t want to spend long in this area (spread out, not really anything else to do, full of tourists and tourist bait), but it’s worth swinging by for the postcard-worthy views and then getting outta there.

Catch the Manly Ferry

Hop on the famous Manly Ferry from Circular Quay to Manly, one of Sydney’s many beautiful beach neighbourhoods. Manly feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and the ferry journey itself is one of the most famous in the world.

Hit the city beaches

Sydney is famous for its city beaches, so make the most of the prime oceanfront location while you’re in town. Bondi Beach is the most famous, but Coogee, Bronte, Tamarama and Manly are also beautiful.

The best neighbourhoods to visit in Sydney

There are lots of cool neighbourhoods to visit in Sydney, but since the city is so spread out I’ve picked my three favourite neighbourhoods for this Sydney Travel Guide, to make it a little easier to find a place to start!

The Rocks

In the shadow of Sydney Harbor Bridge, The Rocks is one of the oldest European neighbourhoods in Australia. The area is a little touristy, but it’s a pretty, historic neighbourhood in a stunning location.

Bondi

No trip to Sydney is complete without a visit to Bondi, the city’s most famous beach neighbourhood. Not only is there the gorgeous Bondi Beach, famous swimming pool over the ocean and Icebergs restaurant, but there are plenty of cool cafes, bars and restaurants in the neighbourhood, making it the perfect spot to spend a day. This is my favourite area to stay in, when I visit Sydney!

Surry Hills

One of Sydney’s coolest inner city neighbourhoods, you’ll find some of the best bars, restaurants and shopping in Surry Hills. It’s right near the CBD, as well as other trendy suburbs like Paddington, Darlinghurst, Redfern and Ultimo.

Where to eat & drink in Sydney

A classic Aussie brunch

Bills is an Aussie classic: Australian celebrity restaurateur & cookbook author Bill Granger is responsible for the worldwide avo toast mania and the booming popularity of ricotta hotcakes. Find a Bills in Bondi, Darlinghurst and Surry Hills.

For brunch that will blow up your Instagram, look no further than the Grounds of Alexandria. Part cafe, market and Instagram wonderland, Grounds is like no other brunch venue in Australia.

Some of my other favourite brunch spots are The Nine and Porch & Parlour, both in Bondi.

On the water

Whether it’s a waterfront table at Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, Champagne in the shadows of the Sydney Opera House at Opera Bar, sipping on cocktails at Bungalow8 or kicking back with beach party vibes at Bucket List in Bondi, eating and drinking on the water is a Sydney essential.

Read more: A Girls’ Weekend in Sydney

Where to stay in Sydney

Most Sydney travel guides will recommend that you stay in the CBD (downtown) Sydney, but if you have more than 48 hours I’d recommend staying somewhere further afield with more neighbourhood character.

Circular Quay & the CBD

Many tourists choose to stay in the heart of the city, close to major sights like Darling Harbor, the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. If you’ve got 48 hours or less in Sydney, I think this is a good move, but if you have more time up your sleeve I’d encourage you to stay somewhere outside the CBD.

Bondi & Coogee

To embrace that classic Sydney beach lifestyle, consider finding an Air BnB in Bondi, Coogee or Bronte. The only catch is that these beachy ‘burbs are a little way out of the city, and there’s no public transport from Bondi (you have to get an uber to neighbouring Bondi Junction, to get the train). Public transport in Sydney is a little bit of a hassle.

Inner city neighbourhoods

Glebe, Surry Hills and Darlinghurst are city-fringe neighbourhoods with a bit more soul & local atmosphere than the city centre.

Side trips from Sydney

Brisbane

Australia’s fastest-growing city is just a 1.5 hour flight from Sydney, making it an easy destination to tack on after your Sydney trip.

Read more: Brisbane Travel Guide

Gold Coast

Another city by the sea, the Gold Coast in Queensland is less than 1.5 hour flight from Sydney. You can fly to Coolangatta, which is on the Gold Coast, or fly to Brisbane then make the 1 hour drive to the coast.

Explore more: The Gold Coast

Melbourne

An hour’s flight south of Sydney is Australia’s second largest city, and Sydney’s biggest rival, Melbourne. This is a great side trip for culture, food & wine and sport.

Read more: Melbourne Travel Guide

The Blue Mountains

Hire a car if you’re heading to the Blue Mountains, which is a 90 minute drive from Sydney. It’s one of Sydney’s greatest weekends away.

Have you been to Sydney? What are your favourite spots? Where would you like to visit the most?

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