Visiting Sydney? Do, See & Eat this!
Anytime a friend or acquaintance asks me for Sydney tips, I end up giving them a similar list of my favorite places to see and things to do.. so I thought I’d share that list with you! Whether you’re just visiting Sydney for a few days or have recently moved to Sydney, here’s a list of beaches, parks, neighborhoods and other places you MUST visit!
BEACHES
First things first: You GOTTA do the Coastal Walk from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach (or the other way around, but it’s easier from Coogee to Bondi). It’s a beautiful coastal walk and you can treat yourself to some brunch, lunch, dinner, drinks, whateva, at any of the hundreds of restaurants in Bondi when you’re done. I loved doing this beach walk alone with a podcast, catching up with a friend or when family came to visit. It’s always a beautiful walk and every beach along the way is different from the previous one. There’s even a cemetery by the beach on this walk! So yes, please don’t leave Sydney without doing this!
Another cool beach walk you could do: Coogee to Maroubra. It’s a lot less packed with people, but there’s not a clear route and you gotta walk on the street during parts of it. But Maroubra is a beautiful beach and you can sit and watch surfers for hours. Or you could surf, if that’s your thing!
And a really fun day trip: take the ferry to Manly Beach. It’s a beautiful ferry ride with a great view of the Harbour, and Manly is a huge beach full of surfers.
We even stumbled upon Sally Fitzgibbons (a famous aussie surfer) while we were in Manly Beach once. She’s super sweet.
SIGHTSEEING
While you’re in Sydney, you will eventually see the Sydney Opera House. You can see it from lots of different places in the city, but in my opinion, one of the best views is from Mrs Macquaire’s Chair. Head to the Royal Botanic Gardens and walk towards Mrs Macquaire’s Chair. You can even have yourself a lil picnic there if ya want. Then you can walk to the Opera House from there. My advice: don’t start at Circular Quay (the train station) cuz it’s always packed with tourists and it’ll be underwhelming to see the opera house from up close first!
Once you’re done with that, take some time to walk around The Rocks, a cool neighborhood filled with restaurants. If you go during the weekend, there’s a market full of beautiful stands.
You can also cross the Harbour Bridge walking, and go to Luna Park (an amusement park from the 50s). It’s free to enter and very picturesque. Also has a fab view of the Opera House from the other side of the Harbour. If you’re too lazy to walk the bridge, you can just take the train from Circular Quay to Milsons Point.
NEIGHBORHOODS
My personal favorite neighborhood is Surry Hills (pictured below). There are LOTS of healthy (and not so healthy) brunch places here. Also lots of vintage stores and cute houses. I lived there during my last months in Sydney and it’s the place that felt most like home to me.
Another cool neighborhood is Newtown. It’s eclectic and fun, full of thrift shops, cafes, bars and galleries. If you’re feeling like going somewhere different for dinner, go to Mary’s (on Mary’s street - it’s hidden and has no sign). It’s super grungy and I personally felt really out of place the first time I went there but their veggie burger is SERIOUSLY AMAZING - top 5 best burgers you’ll ever have. My meat eating, burger expert brother said so himself. They’re now selling Mary’s burgers in various places around Sydney, including Circular Quay, so keep an eye out for that!
Chances are you’ll probably spend a day around the CBD (Central Business District), whether you’re going shopping in Pitt Street Mall, or just touristing around the area (Hyde Park is a must!). You can finish your touristy day at Darling Harbour. It’s very touristy but it’s beautiful and there’s lots of restaurants and bars, great for happy hour 😏
Hyde Park and a happy doggo pictured above.
PARKS
It’s always nice to get a breather from the chaos of the city, and Sydney has plenty of beautiful parks for you to do just that.
One of the biggest (or the biggest actually if i’m not mistaken) parks in Sydney is Centennial Park (pictured above). Not only is it huge, it’s also full of animals, including lots of species of birds and even a big space of it filled with bats. Yes, BATS! Flying foxes to be exact. I would spend a lot of my time in Centennial Park, whether I went for a ride in my bike or took a picnic and a book, it’s a great place to chill out and forget you’re in the city. I loved waiting til sunset when the bats flew off in different directions; it’s quite a sight to see.
If you’re walking around Central and need a place to chill, Prince Alfred Park is my favorite park. It’s definitely not as big as Centennial Park, but it has a beautiful view of the CBD and is close to lots of cafes and the train station. I worked at two cafes, both 5 min walking from this park, so this place became my go to place to come before or after work. Many naps were had here haha
If you’ve already visited most places in Sydney and have some extra time, I highly recommend checking out beaches and parks on the outskirts of Sydney. Rent a car and go to Royal National Park - it’s a half hour trip south and the beaches are usually less crowded and it’s BEAUTIFUL down there. Wattamoola Beach and Garie Beach are two beautiful beaches you should definitely check out. If you’re looking for a bit more adventure, check out the Figure 8 Pools.
Another great day trip only 40 kms from Sydney is Palm Beach. There’s a small hike up to the lighthouse, with a beautiful lookout and a great view.
RESTAURANTS AND CAFES
Ahhh the variety of cafes, restaurants and bars in Sydney is way too large to share on here. I’d probably have to do another blog post just for that. But if there’s one restaurant you gotta go to, it’s The Grounds of Alexandria. It’s one of Sydney’s most famous restaurants. I honestly can’t remember if the food is any good but the venue is beautiful and full of plants and a flower shop and aaahh i love it.
So there ya have it, my top Sydney recommendations! Now I got major nostalgia and am hoping I could turn back time and live in Sydney again :(
If I can give you one last rec, it’d be: GET A BIKE! Though the public transportation isn’t half bad, biking to and from work was always one of the highlights of my day. And on my days off, i’d ride to the beach or to a nearby park. I bought a really cheap bike on gumtree and it was my lil baby :)
So what are your thoughts on these recommendations? Would you add or remove anything from this list? Let me know! :)