City Guide – 24 Hours In Sydney, Australia
Sydney is an amazing place, and I really recommend you try and spend longer than just one day there, to really see everything – but this guide gives you a quick idea about what you can see in 24hrs and can help you get started – hope you have a wonderful stay in Sydney!
9 am. Find Nemo and his friends
Start the day discovering the incredible Australian underwater life at the Sydney Aquarium right in the center of town (Darling Harbour) and get an insight in what’s under that nice warm water you might be swimming in later that day (although be prepared to change your mind about that swim – when you see the sharks…!)
Get there first thing in the morning when they have just opened up, at that time you can basically get the whole place to yourself. Without all the crowds you can really soak up the experience, and walking through a quiet practically empty aquarium you really get to feel the closeness to the animals and be able to walk in your own pace.
In some aquariums the glass actually makes the fishes look smaller than they really are, with that in mind seeing the white sharks makes your legs weaken a bit..!
11 am. Idyllic Icons and Quaint Quay
Next stop is Circular Quay, where you get a nice view of the two most famous icons of Sydney – The Sydney Opera House and The Sydney Harbour Bridge. Make sure to check out The Rocks, which is the oldest part of Sydney. This is the place the British convicts claimed and built their camp in 1788. Walk along the street in and out of boutiques in buildings dating back to when the European settlement began.
Many of the boutiques have really restored that old feeling, and entering a “Puppet Boutique” in some sort of back yard it feels like you’ve just stepped back a century in time.
After a stroll around the area, check out the famous market in The Rocks, where the farmers market and designer market blend in with each other and you can buy all from home made lemonade and candy, to everything you can possibly make out of Kangaroo balls… All from farmers to young new designers come here to sell their stuff, and whatever you’re into, I guarantee you’ll find something you like here.
12.00 Tea Time At Tara’s
After a bit of shopping, sit down for a tea break on the outside seating at Tara Tearoom right next to the market. It’s a very charming Irish café with tasty freshly warm scones in all kinds of flavors mixed with fairy/Irish music and pretty knitted tea pot warmers.
1 pm. Green Garden and Vivacious Views
Check out Sydney Opera House up close, and after trying to get a good picture (which is almost impossible – with so many tourist around – the best pictures are taken from a ferry going across the harbor towards Manly Beach), continue to the Royal Botanic Gardens. This park is very beautiful and full of surprises and little stories.
Australia’s wild life and nature is quite special, and you can notice this even in this park in the middle of the city, where the huge trees are crowded with bats and the fish crawls up from the ocean making their way to a pond once every year.
If you want a good view over Sydney, go to Lady Macquaries Chair, where you find an amazing view over the city and the harbour. The chair was once carved out of a rock ledge for Elizabeth Macguires, as she was known to visit the area and sit enjoying the panoramic views of the harbour – something you can understand.
3. pm. Shopping In a 19:th Century Building
Go shopping in the impressive Queen Victoria Building, a beautiful old shopping mall from the late 19th century. The mixture of these new modern shops in an old building blend in well, and the details inside are really one of a kind.
This is a place to go even for the one who aren’t interested in shopping, you can find many memorials and historic spectacles. The building is awesome and reminds you of the first class rooms in the scenes of “Titanic” movie.
After this, walk down the street and grab an ice tea drink with jelly pearls from EasyWay, a weird but tasty drink.
4 pm. Bondi, Beer and Fish ‘n Chips
Take the bus down to Bondi beach and soak up the afternoon sun, check out the surfers, sunbathe or take a swim. After a sunny salty hour go and get some typical Aussie food; Fish ‘n chips and beer at a bar/restaurant with a view over the beach. Beer is more than just a beverage in Australia, it has become part of their culture. There are so many different types of Australian beers, ‘Tooheys New’ is one of the typical NSW beers.
7 pm. Max Out At IMAX
Get back to the city. Go to the IMAX theatre cinema and get blown away by the 3 d affects on this HUGE screen (the largest film format in the world!). You really get sucked into the film and it feels as if you can touch it.
9 pm. Party Hard In The Harbor
If you feel for some partying, there are quite a few clubs spread along the Darling Harbour, which must be the most beautiful place to spend the evening.
Click here to see a list of the bars, pubs and clubs in Darling Harbour.
IF YOU HAVE A SPARE DAY
If you have a spare day I really recommend you to check out Manly Beach for a day. It’s the little brother to Bondi beach, with more of the local feel, more beautiful, less crowded and less touristy. You can easily spend a day surfing or swimming, and there is a nice little shopping street along the way from where the ferry lands down to the beach.
Plus, like I said before you get the absolute best view of the Opera house from the ferry running between Manly and Darling Harbour. It’s a beautiful scene in the afternoon with the golden sun shining on the building.
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