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Sydney

Harbour, Opera House and Ocean Beaches

Plan this trip
4 daysIdeal stay₹9,810From / night₹3,270Food / day₹3,200Entry

Australia's biggest city wraps round one of the world's great harbours: the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, ferries to Manly and Watsons Bay, and surf beaches like Bondi and Coogee joined by a cliff-top walk. The only Indian non-stops land here (Air India from Delhi, Qantas from Bengaluru). Harris Park, by Parramatta, is the Indian quarter, with vegetarian thali places, sweet shops and grocers.

Highlights

  • Sydney Opera House tour or performance
  • Harbour Bridge walk or BridgeClimb
  • Manly ferry across the harbour
  • Bondi to Coogee coastal walk
  • The Rocks and Circular Quay
  • Taronga Zoo by ferry
  • Royal Botanic Garden and Mrs Macquarie's Chair
  • Darling Harbour and the Maritime Museum
  • Vegetarian thalis in Harris Park

Things to do

  • Sydney Opera House guided tourMorning · 1h 30m
  • Walk across the Harbour Bridge to Milsons PointMorning · 1h 30m
  • Ferry to Manly and the Shelly Beach walkAfternoon · 4h
  • Bondi to Coogee coastal walkMorning · 3h
  • Taronga Zoo by ferryMorning · 4h
  • The Rocks markets and Circular Quay at duskEvening · 2h
  • Dinner in Harris Park (Little India)Evening · 2h
  • Royal Botanic Garden and Mrs Macquarie's ChairMorning · 2h
  • Art Gallery of NSW and its Sydney Modern buildingAfternoon · 2h
  • Lunch at the new Sydney Fish Market, Blackwattle BayAfternoon · 1h 30m
  • Darling Harbour and the Australian National Maritime MuseumAfternoon · 2h 30m
  • Ferry to Watsons Bay and the cliff-top walk at The GapAfternoon · 3h
  • Spit Bridge to Manly coastal walk (10 km)Morning · 4h
  • A performance at the Sydney Opera HouseEvening · 2h 30m

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Sydneyvia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Sydneyvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: September – November, March – May

Heads up

New Year's Eve in Sydney

Hotels round the harbour triple their prices for 30-31 December and many need a minimum stay; foreshore viewing spots fill from the morning of the 31st.

  • New Year's Eve fireworks, Sydney Harbour · 31 Dec — Fireworks off the Harbour Bridge at 9 pm and midnight. Free foreshore spots fill from the morning, and some ticketed or capacity-limited vantage points sell out months ahead; hotels with harbour views triple their prices. Trains run all night, but roads round the harbour close.
  • Vivid Sydney — Three weeks of light projections on the Opera House sails and round Circular Quay and Darling Harbour each evening, with music and talks; free to walk. Late May to mid-June; the waterfront is crowded at weekends.
  • Diwali in Sydney and Melbourne — Australia's Indian communities celebrate in the weeks round Diwali: stalls, music and fireworks in Harris Park and Parramatta in Sydney and at community fairs in Melbourne. Flights from India are dearest around the holiday.