Sydney in 4 days
Sydney wraps around its harbour, where the 1973 Opera House and the 1932 bridge face each other across Circular Quay. The city has more than 100 beaches from Bondi to Manly, a botanic garden founded in 1816 right in the centre and, two hours away by train, the cliffs of the Blue Mountains.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Sydney Opera Houseabout 1 hJørn Utzon's building opened in 1973 after fourteen years of work, its concrete sails covered in over a million Swedish tiles.
- Afternoon
Sydney Harbour Bridgefree · about 1 h 30A steel arch with a 503-metre span, opened in 1932 and rising 134 metres above the water, with a footpath along its eastern side.
- Late afternoon
The Rocksfree · about 1 h 30Where the First Fleet landed in 1788: sandstone lanes, the hand-dug Argyle Cut, old wool stores and pubs such as the Lord Nelson.
Day 2
- Morning
Royal Botanic Gardenfree · about 1 h 30Founded by Governor Macquarie in 1816, 30 hectares running out to Mrs Macquarie's Chair, where the Opera House and the bridge fit in one frame.
- Afternoon
Taronga Zoohalf a dayOpened in 1916 on the harbour slopes at Mosman, twelve minutes by ferry, with koalas, platypuses, Tasmanian devils and a bird show against the skyline.
Day 3
- Morning
Bondi Beachfree · half a dayA kilometre of sand 7 km from the centre, watched by a lifesaving club founded in 1907, with the Icebergs pool cut into the rocks.
- Late afternoon
The ferry to Manly2 to 3 hThirty minutes across the harbour, past the Opera House and out by the Heads, then the Corso to Manly Beach and the Shelly Beach path.
Day 4
- All day
The Blue Mountainsfree · a full dayA World Heritage sandstone plateau of eucalyptus canyons 100 km west, where Echo Point in Katoomba faces the Three Sisters and the blue-hazed Jamison Valley.
Where to sleep in Sydney
- Sydney Harbour YHA · €45 a night
- Sydney Central YHA · €38 a night
- Wake Up! Sydney Central · €40 a night
- Little National Hotel Sydney · €130 a night
- The Ultimo · €110 a night
- Adina Apartment Hotel Sydney Town Hall · €125 a night
- Park Hyatt Sydney · €550 a night
- Four Seasons Hotel Sydney · €250 a night
- Capella Sydney · €450 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.