Sydney’s attractive Harbour, golden surf beaches and sunshine make it a great outdoors city swimming with street cafés, and after dark it’s alive with trendy bars and clubs, and restaurants dishing up food from all over the world.
The Sydney Opera House stands proud at the edge of the water watching the yachts and sail boats navigate Harbour Bridge, another of the city’s key landmarks.
This vibrant city is Australia’s oldest and largest, regarded by many as the capital in all but name.
Flights to Sydney
Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport is Australia’s main international gateway, situated on the northern shoreline of Botany Bay.
Flights to Sydney are operated by many international airlines including Qantas, British Airways, Etihad Airways and Virgin – mainly from London Heathrow. There are, however, also flights from regional UK airports such as Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow.
Flights to Australia from London take approximately 23 hours.
Sydney’s top attractions
There’s stack to do outside in Sydney, apart from sipping a latte at one of the many buzzing cafés.
First off, there’s plenty of architecture to admire in the city centre, both old and new – from the iconic Opera House and modern glass and steel structures to the many grand old Victorian buildings such as the Sydney Town Hall and the Queen Victoria Building.
One of the main historical areas of the city is The Rocks, established shortly after the British penal colony was formed in 1788, with many buildings constructed from local sandstone (hence the area’s name). Interesting buildings such as Cadman’s Cottage and Sydney Observatory make the area popular with tourists, as well as the weekend Rocks Market, the souvenir shops and the historic pubs (two of which claim to be Sydney’s oldest: the Fortune of War and the Lord Nelson).
You could also catch some rays and go for a swim at Bondi Beach; learn to surf at Manly; or hire a kayak to explore the harbour. Back on land, Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens, home to over one million specimens, are just a short stroll from the Opera House, laid out on a slope overlooking the harbour. You could also take the coastal walk to Coogee; go on an excursion to one of the nearby national parks; or visit Sydney Olympic Park, home of the 2000 Olympics and now a parkland area with sporting facilities.
If you can drag yourself out of the sunshine, Sydney also has a wide range of top museums, galleries, theatres and concert venues for those seeking cultural sustenance. Apart from the obvious such as the Sydney Opera House, top cultural attractions include the Australian Museum (natural history); the Museum of Sydney; the Australian National Maritime Museum; the Art Gallery of NSW (classical, modern and Aboriginal art); Sydney Aquarium; the Powerhouse Museum (science and design); and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
