With an abundance of diverse activities – surfing on brilliant beaches, going into the depths of the urban jungle or visiting world-renowned landmarks – it can be difficult to decide what to do first when arriving in Sydney. For a little head start, we’ve laid out the highlights, that cannot be missed on a visit to the biggest city of Australia:

1. Luna Park

Ride the Ferris Wheel, the Wild Mouse rollercoaster or just enjoy some people gazing at Sydney’s retro Luna Park. This colorful theme park originally opened in 1935 and has been open on and off since, with some of the attractions still in use this day. The general old-school vibe and its waterfront position are what makes Luna Park worth the visit even for those who are not planning on riding anything.

Entrance to the park is free, visitors solely have to pay for the rides they want to get on. Luna Park is open year round and can be easily accessed by ferry, which stops right in front of its literally smiling door. (Milsons Point Wharf)

Note: avoid going on school holidays as it tends to get extremely overcrowded.

For more information and opening hours visit www.lunaparksydney.com

2. Sydney Opera House

Perhaps the most symbolic to Sydney is the Opera House. Surprising for some is that, even though it looks like one gigantic building from a distance, the Sydney Opera House actually consists out of 7 individual venues. Each and everyone with their own iconic white roof built up out of over 1 million tiles. The Opera House still hosts over 40 shows a week and no, these aren’t only opera shows. Shows vary from cabaret to theater and dance; basically, anything that concerns performing arts so that visitors of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy a visit to the striking UNESCO world heritage site.

TIP: Have a drink at the Opera Bar whilst visiting the Opera house. This beer garden is situated right at the waters edge and offers a phenomal view of the harbour.

Visit www.sydneyoperahouse.com for more information and to discover the prices of a show to your liking.

3. Chinese Garden of Friendship

An oasis amidst the busy city center; the Chinese gardens of Sydney. This calming sight is open to the public for an entrance fee of 6 AUD (€3.7/$4.2 ). It takes roughly 30 minutes to an hour to make your way through the park

For more information visit www.darlingharbour.com

4. Walk the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney’s Harbour Bridge was originally build to make the Northern half of Sydney more accessible and has been in use for nearly a century now. The bridge is 1.149m long and 49m wide, allowing cars as well as pedestrians to cross the sea. For an exceptional walk in which you can spot several city highlights from above, access the bridge on Cumberland Stree in Circular Quay, and make your way over to the Northern end. The walk is particularly good during sunset and sunrise!

Sydney Harbour Bridge bonus activity:

Feeling a bit more adventurous than crossing the bridge by foot? It is also possible to actually climb the steel arch bridge, where an organized tour will bring you all the way up to the top. Hearsay has it that this experience, and the views from above, are ones to never-ever forget. As it is a once in a lifetime experience, climbing the bridge does not come cheap. Tour prices start at 168 AUD and run up to 388 AUD.

For more information visit www.bridgeclimb.com

5. Bondi Beach

A visit to the world’s most renowned beach can surely not be left off this list. Surfing, tanning, people watching, take a ton of photos, drinks with a view, outdoor workouts; there is something to do for everyone on this nearly 1 km stretch of sand. For a complete overview, click here to discover the best things to do in and around Bondi Beach.

6. Darling Harbour

Sydney’s Darling Harbour is without a doubt a leisure and entertainment hub. The long paved path surrounding the harbour is filled with bars, restaurants, and shops that are ready to entertain its visitors. The waterfront location and the skyscrapers set in the background of the area, is what makes Darling Harbour an impressive sight in general. At night, the area comes even more alive, with street performers, happy hours and tourist and locals alike flocking to the area, preparing for a night into town.

7. Go to Manly

Perhaps one of the most surprising Sydney suburbs is Manly. This idyllic beach set town is located a half hour ferry ride away from Circular Quay, or 15-minutes if you hop on the fast ferry. Manly is a Sydneysiders favorite and many will go to Manly on the weekends, to either get their surf on or just to enjoy a nice meal along the palm-lined boulevard. There is more to Manly than just the long stretch of golden main beach, make sure to explore the area and visit Shelly beach whilst you’re there.

The ferry to Manly leaves every half hour from Circular Quay. The price of a ticket for the regular ferry is roughly 15 AUD per person. The fast ferry is priced at 18.20 AUD. Prepare yourself for some killer views along the way.

Tip: on Sundays, public transport fares are adjusted to a $2.70 travel cap within NSW. Making it by far the best day to explore farther out areas in Sydney, such as Manly.

8. The Rocks

‘The Rocks’ is the oldest neighborhood in Sydney’s inner city center and can be referred to nothing less than spectacular. Whilst the area is mainly popular with locals for its shopping and dining possibilities, it is the view that makes The Rocks into something truly unique. A walk through these vibrant streets is amusing at any time of day.

*All prices as of 8 January ’18 in US dollars & Euro, converted on xe.com

Best things to do in Bondi Beach

Australia’s most iconic beach and, attached, an evenly iconic pool. Well, you’ve probably guessed we’re talking about the world renowned Bondi Beach. When walking on this incredibly large beach you can’t help but feel like you have been there before. Probably due to the ton of movies and series that have been recorded here over the past decade. But still, there is something about it. So, is Bondi even worth the visit when in Australia? YES. Well it might be big, touristy and loud. It is Bondi Beach.

Grab yourself some serious sunscreen, let’s say SPF 50 at least if you do not want to end up completely burned, and enjoy the extremely strong Australian sun rays whilst watching the surfers making their way to the waves. For those who become extremely restless after an hour of beach time (which would be me) there are tons of activities to do around Bondi Beach. First of which would be strolling around the Bondi boulevard, walking past the illustrious graffiti wall and, if you’re lucky, admiring talented street artists at work. You’ll know when you’re at the end of the boulevard when you reach the outdoor gym at the northern end of the beach. Which is where most of the Bondi Beach body’s are made, an attraction on its own if you ask me.

Bondi beach graffiti wall — Bondi graffiti wall

So until now, what is it going to cost you to visit Bondi Beach? Not a thing, yet. Except for maybe an ice-cream to cool down a bit from the Australian heat at Anita’s when walking back to the start of the boulevard. As ice-cream fanatics I can honestly say they serve among the best ice-cream we have ever had, not even mentioning the interior of the shop.

Anita Ice cream Bondi Beach — One scoop – AUD 5.90

And then… a visit to the not to be missed, Bondi Icebergs itself. This beauty of a pool draws quite the crowd, but not as many tourists as one might think. The pool doesn’t feature any sun beds or relaxation area’s what so ever. (or you must think of the rocks as relaxation areas, I for one do not, at least not for longer than ten minutes) Which is probably done to keep the pool suitable for the dozens of swimmers that do their laps their on a daily basis. Which is a good thing, so you will have to do all of your chilling back on the beach or in the Bondi Icebergs club/restaurant. Where you can have dinner/lunch or drinks with a phenomenal view. The entrance for the pool is AUD 6.50 and allows you acces to the sauna area as well.

Not in the mood to take a dip? Take your pictures, and move along towards the end of Bondi Icebergs, were you’ll find the start of the Bondi to Coogee walk. Which is one of the most amazing coastal walks we have ever done. The walk itself will take you up to an hour, depending on how fast you walk. It took us forever, but then again we were amazed at every turn so the amount of stops piled up rather quickly.

Make sure to do the walk, at least once, during either sunset or sunrise. During sunset it tends to get quite crowded, with tourists as well as with joggers. But then again, sunset means waking up at five.. If you’re not a morning person that choice is easily made.

Sunrise rock pool along the Bondi to Coogee walk

Wrapping up, Bondi, and its surroundings, will leave you with quite the awe. It might not be as deserted, and filled with lush green tones, as a lesser known beach elsewhere would be. But this beach stole our hearts, and if you’ll go for a visit, it will steal yours too.

Additional information

Bondi Icebergs is opened year round during the following hours:

Monday 6.00am – 6.30pm
Tuesday 6.00am – 6.30pm
Wednesday 6.00am – 6.30pm
Thursday pool closed for cleaning* (which looks pretty fab)
Friday 6.00am – 6.30pm
Saturday 6.30am – 6.30pm
Sunday 6.30am – 6.30pm

For more information visit http://www.icebergs.com.au/swimming-pool/

Tag: Australia

7+ Things to do during your next trip to Sydney