UltimateCity Guide Sydney
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The Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge across the water on a clear day The Opera House lit at night across the harbour The Opera House lit at night across the harbour Sydney rock oysters The Martin Place Christmas tree lit at night

The city guide to Sydney, Australia

Best of Sydney · This week

Article of the weekSydney fun factsFun facts about Sydney, each with its source: the Opera House and two convict sites on UNESCO’s list, Royal National Park (1879), the Scenic…Read the article In depthSydney on filmSydney on film: the city streets of The Matrix (1999), the harbour of Finding Nemo (2003), Muriel’s Wedding (1994) and Priscilla (1994), Mission…Read the article In depthSydney at the table: the harbour, the fire and the fishBennelong beneath the sails, Aria on the Quay, Oncore high over Barangaroo, Firedoor’s wood fire and Saint Peter’s fish: how Sydney eats, and where…Read the article In depthAustralian FoodRock oysters and prawns from the fish market, barramundi, the meat pie, lamingtons, pavlova and a flat white: what to eat in Sydney.Read the article Coming upChristmas in SydneyChristmas in Sydney: the Martin Place Christmas tree (26 November 2026 to 5 January 2027), Carols in the Domain on Saturday 19 December, the QVB’s…Plan your Christmas

Launch edition · Autumn 2026

The red carriages of the Glacier Express crossing the stone arches of the Landwasser Viaduct below a snow-capped peakSister guideULTIMATE Rail JourneysThe story of the train, the great journeys and where to book themA cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, MontenegroSister guideULTIMATE CruisesLines, ships and itineraries, from river to expeditionThe Matterhorn in winter above ZermattSister guideULTIMATE Ski ResortsSeason dates, hotels, après and ski schools, resort by resortThe Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratSister guideULTIMATE PropertyThe harbour east, Mosman, the beaches and the rules for foreign buyers

Sydney, from the harbour to the ocean

Sydney is built around one of the world’s great natural harbours. Its first people are the Gadigal of the Eora nation; the First Fleet anchored in Sydney Cove in 1788, and the convict city they built survives at Hyde Park Barracks and on Cockatoo Island, both on UNESCO’s World Heritage List with the Opera House. Here are the harbour hotels and the design hotels of Surry Hills, the restaurants from Bennelong to Firedoor, the galleries, the ocean beaches and coastal walks, the ferries, and journeys to the Blue Mountains, the Hunter Valley, Royal National Park, Palm Beach, the Southern Highlands and Canberra. Every listing is checked against the venue’s own website or an official source, and anything we can’t confirm is left out.

The harbour city: reading Sydney’s great sights

In depth

The harbour city

Sydney·In depth

The Opera House on Bennelong Point, the Bridge over the harbour, the convict barracks and the ferries to the ocean beaches: how to read Sydney.

Read the story

Sydney, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

Ten neighbourhoods, each with its own guide: the Quay and The Rocks, the sandstone city and Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, the kitchens of Surry Hills, Paddington’s terraces, Potts Point, Bondi, Manly, Newtown and Mosman.

Sandstone warehouses turned shops and galleries in The RocksNeighbourhood guideThe Rocks & Circular QuayWhere Sydney beganThe sandstone and copper domes of the Queen Victoria Building on George StreetNeighbourhood guideThe City & BarangarooSandstone and the new waterfrontDarling Harbour and the city towers on a bright dayNeighbourhood guideDarling Harbour & PyrmontThe western waterfrontA corner pub in Surry HillsNeighbourhood guideSurry Hills & ChippendaleTerraces and kitchensIron-lace terraces in PaddingtonNeighbourhood guidePaddington & the harbour eastTerraces and harbour beaches

Harbour or beach

For a first visit, stay by the harbour and take the ferries; the beaches are a bus or a ferry away.

  1. Neighbourhood guidePotts Point & WoolloomoolooArt deco and the wharf
  2. Neighbourhood guideBondi & the eastern beachesThe ocean beaches
  3. Neighbourhood guideManly & the northern beachesAcross the harbour
  4. Neighbourhood guideNewtown & the inner westKing Street and the workshops
  5. Neighbourhood guideMosman & the north shoreThe zoo and the headlands

History & heritage

Gadigal Country before 1788, the First Fleet and the convict city, the gold and railway age, the Bridge and the Opera House, and the city of today.

The Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge across the waterHistory & heritageSydney: from Gadigal Country to the harbour cityGadigal Country, the First Fleet and the harbour city

Before you go

The ETA or eVisitor, Opal and contactless, the airport trains, the seasons and the itineraries that work for a first visit.

Before you goSydney essentialsThe ETA, 000 and the seasonsLight rail trams on George StreetGetting aroundGetting aroundOpal, metro, ferries and trainsThe sails of the Sydney Opera House from the forecourtItinerarySydney in three daysThe Opera House, Manly and BondiA Manly ferry crossing the harbourItineraryThe harbour by ferryTaronga and the headsThe Opera House and the Harbour Bridge at dusk with a ship passingLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addresses

On the move

On Fridays and at weekends the daily Opal cap is $9.65: the day for ferries.

  1. ItineraryThe Gold weekendCrown Towers and Oncore
  2. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendThe Park Hyatt and Aria

Our advice

Take the Manly ferry

The ferry from Circular Quay to Manly crosses the harbour past the Opera House and the heads: the finest harbour cruise in Sydney, at a commuter fare. Manly

The ULTIMATE letter

Sydney in your inbox

An occasional email with new places, events, neighbourhood guides and our latest in-depth articles. No spam, ever.

Beyond Sydney

The Blue Mountains by train, the cellar doors of the Hunter, Royal National Park, West Head and Palm Beach, the Southern Highlands and Canberra.

The Three Sisters at KatoombaBeyond SydneyThe Blue MountainsSandstone and eucalyptsVineyards of the Hunter ValleyBeyond SydneyThe Hunter ValleyThe wine countryThe lagoon and beach of WattamollaBeyond SydneyRoyal National ParkThe second-oldest national parkPalm Beach and Pittwater from Barrenjoey HeadBeyond SydneyKu-ring-gai Chase & Palm BeachWest Head and BarrenjoeyFitzroy Falls in the Southern HighlandsBeyond SydneyThe Southern HighlandsFalls and the coast road
  1. Beyond SydneyCanberraThe capital

Our advice

Walk the coast early

Walk from Bondi to Coogee in the early morning, before the heat, and swim between the flags at Bronte on the way. Walks in Sydney

In depth: Sydney’s back stories

The harbour city’s great sights, the table from Bennelong to the fish market, the arts from Naala Badu to the Opera House, the hotels, the ferries and what a foreign buyer should know: the stories behind Sydney.

Martin Place and the harbourChristmas in SydneyThe tallest tree in NSW and fireworks at midnightNorth Head from the waterIn depth: nature & wildlifeWild SydneyFlying-foxes, penguins and whalesThe new Sydney Fish Market building on Blackwattle BayThe back storySydney at the tableThe harbour, the fire and the fish

At the table

Book the harbour rooms weeks ahead; the neighbourhood kitchens of Surry Hills and the inner west are where Sydney eats every day.

  1. The back storyFrom Naala Badu to the Opera HouseSydney’s arts
  2. The back storyWhere Sydney sleepsHarbour or city

Oceania and Asia with the ULTIMATE guides

Sydney opens the ULTIMATE guides of Oceania: north to Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo, out to sea from Circular Quay, and the great train journeys.

Pura Tanah Lot on its rock in the sea in late-afternoon lightULTIMATE BaliBaliThe island of templesThe towers of the Central Business District lit up at night, reflected in Marina BayULTIMATE SingaporeSingaporeThe garden cityHong Kong Island and the harbour at night from Victoria PeakULTIMATE Hong KongHong KongThe harbour city of the north

The ULTIMATE City Guides around the world

See all Oceania

Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

Canal houses and bridges in Amsterdamthe NetherlandsULTIMATE AmsterdamThe canal ring, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, canal-house hotels, twenty MICHELIN-starred tables, brown cafés, and day trips to Haarlem and Keukenhof.The Alhambra in Granada in the evening lightSpainULTIMATE AndalusiaSeville, Granada and the Alhambra, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz and Jerez, Ronda and the white villages, Doñana and Cabo de Gata.The floodlit Acropolis and Parthenon at dusk, seen from Philopappos HillGreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.The road winding out to the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor, Mallorca, above the open seaSpainULTIMATE Balearic IslandsMallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera side by side, and how to hop between them by ferry.The Sagrada Família lit up at nightSpainULTIMATE BarcelonaGaudí and the Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter, four Three-Star MICHELIN kitchens, the beaches and day trips to Montserrat and Girona.Belgrade's old town and the spire of the Cathedral Church of St Michael above the Sava at sunsetSerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.

See all 86 guides

HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

The latest from our readers: visitors and locals talking about Sydney, its restaurants, theatres, museums and neighbourhoods.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    Bondi to Coogee

    This week's pick

    Bondi to Coogee

    Bondi·Walk

    The clifftop path south from the Bondi Icebergs runs past Tamarama, Bronte and Clovelly to Coogee, with ocean pools along the way. Go early, swim at Bronte, and in spring look out for Sculpture by the Sea on the cliffs at Tamarama.

    Find out more

    Every list in the guide

    Plan your day

    The Three Sisters above the Jamison ValleyItineraryA day in the Blue MountainsOne dayVaucluse House and its gardenItineraryA property viewing day: the harbour east, Paddington and BarangarooOne day

    Know your neighbourhoods

    Our favourites right now

    Restaurants

    1. 1Sydney at the table: the harbour, the fire and the fishSydney · In depth
    2. 2Australian FoodSydney · In depth: food
    3. 3BennelongSydney Opera House · Restaurant
    See all 18

    Cafés

    1. 1Single O Surry HillsSurry Hills · Café
    2. 2Reuben HillsSurry Hills · Café
    3. 3Paramount Coffee ProjectSurry Hills · Café
    See all 9

    Bars

    1. 1Opera BarSydney Opera House · Bar
    2. 2Blu Bar on 36The Rocks · Bar
    3. 3The GlenmoreThe Rocks · Pub
    See all 8

    Hotels

    1. 1Where Sydney sleeps: the harbour, the city and the eastern suburbsSydney · In depth
    2. 2Park Hyatt SydneyThe Rocks · Grand hotel
    3. 3Four Seasons Hotel SydneyCircular Quay · Grand hotel
    See all 18

    Sights

    1. 1The harbour city: reading Sydney’s great sightsSydney · In depth
    2. 2Sydney: from Gadigal Country to the harbour citySydney · In depth: history and heritage
    3. 3Sydney Opera HouseBennelong Point · Landmark
    See all 20

    Arts & Culture

    1. 1From Naala Badu to the Opera House: Sydney’s artsSydney · In depth
    2. 2Art Gallery of New South WalesThe Domain · Art museum
    3. 3Museum of Contemporary Art AustraliaThe Rocks · Art museum
    See all 27

    Parks

    1. 1Wild Sydney: Flying-Foxes, Penguins, Kookaburras and WhalesSydney · In depth: nature & wildlife
    2. 2Royal Botanic Garden SydneySydney CBD · Garden
    3. 3Hyde ParkSydney CBD · Park
    See all 8

    Walks

    1. 1Bondi to CoogeeBondi · Walk
    2. 2The Hermitage Foreshore trackVaucluse · Walk
    3. 3Bradleys Head to Chowder BayMosman · Walk
    See all 8

    Shopping

    1. 1Queen Victoria BuildingSydney CBD · Shopping arcade
    2. 2The Strand ArcadeSydney CBD · Shopping arcade
    3. 3David Jones Elizabeth StreetSydney CBD · Department store
    See all 11

    Health

    1. 1Emergencies: call 000Sydney · Emergency number
    2. 2Beach and sun safetySydney · Advice
    3. 3St Vincent’s Hospital SydneyDarlinghurst · Hospital
    See all 9

    Property

    1. 1Buying in Sydney: the harbour, the east and the rules for foreign buyersSydney · In depth
    2. 2Foreign buyers: new dwellings onlyAustralia · Rule
    3. 3The vacancy feeAustralia · Rule
    See all 7

    Developments

    1. 1Sydney Metro: City & SouthwestSydney · Railway
    2. 2Sydney Metro WestSydney · Railway
    3. 3Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) AirportBadgerys Creek · Airport
    See all 6

    Cars & boats

    1. 1Taxis and rideshareSydney · Taxis
    2. 2Driving in SydneySydney · Driving
    3. 3Car hire for day tripsSydney · Car hire
    See all 5

    Getting Around

    1. 1Getting around Sydney: trains, metro, ferries and OpalSydney · In depth
    2. 2Sydney Airport (SYD)Mascot · Airport
    3. 3AirportLinkMascot · Train
    See all 9