Neighbourhood guide
The city and Barangaroo
Macquarie Street’s sandstone, the QVB and the arcades, Hyde Park and the new waterfront of Barangaroo.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe city centre runs from Circular Quay south to Central: sandstone public buildings on Macquarie Street, the arcades and the Queen Victoria Building on George Street, Hyde Park and the museums on its edge, and to the west the new waterfront of Barangaroo.
Sights
Hyde Park Barracks, the Royal Botanic Garden, the Art Gallery, the Australian Museum, St Mary’s, the State Library, Sydney Tower Eye and Barangaroo Reserve.
Eating and drinking
Oncore at Crown Sydney, Rockpool, Restaurant Hubert, Employees Only, The Baxter Inn and Hinchcliff House.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Dicklyon · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsStaying
Capella Sydney, the InterContinental, QT Sydney, Kimpton Margot and Crown Towers.
Walk Macquarie Street, then George Street, then come back through Hyde Park.
Our advice: the QVB is at its best on a weekday morning.
Why it's on our list
- Sights
- Eating and drinking
- Staying
What’s nearby
Distances from The city and Barangaroo are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 12 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest stations and wharves
- Town HallTrainLight rail200 m2 min walk
- GadigalMetro300 m4 min walk
- QVBLight rail400 m5 min walk
Key sights
- Queen Victoria Building400 mWalk 5 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 9 min
- Hyde Park Barracks900 mWalk 11 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Darling Harbour950 mWalk 12 minCycle 5 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Royal Botanic Garden1.5 kmWalk 18 minCycle 7 minCar or taxi 12 min
- Harbour Bridge2.6 kmWalk 32 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 16 min
- Bondi Beach6.4 kmCycle 32 minCar or taxi 27 min
- Sydney Airport8.6 kmCycle 43 minCar or taxi 34 min
- Sydney Opera House13 kmCar or taxi 46 min
Main stations and the Quay
- Wynyard Station950 mWalk 12 minCycle 5 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Central Station1.0 kmWalk 13 minCycle 5 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Circular Quay1.6 kmWalk 20 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 13 min
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
The back storySydney 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 to book.
The back storyAustralian FoodRock oysters and prawns from the fish market, barramundi, the meat pie, lamingtons, pavlova and a flat white: what to eat in Sydney.
The back storyWhere Sydney sleeps: the harbour, the city and the eastern suburbsThe Park Hyatt beside the Harbour Bridge, the Four Seasons above Circular Quay, Capella in the sandstone heart of the city, Crown Towers at Barangaroo, and the design hotels of Surry Hills and Chippendale: where to stay in Sydney.