Sydney

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

A Taste of Sydney, Australia

An August 2005 trip to Sydney by Tallulah_B

Seal in AquariumMore Photos

This was my first visit to Sydney. I hit the major sights and had a leisurely 5 days in an exciting city.

  • 10 reviews
  • 3 stories/tips
  • 9 photos

A Taste of Sydney, AustraliaBest of IgoUgo

Overview

Opera House and Harbour Bridge
Sydney must-sees: Ride a ferry, go to the aquarium, visit the Taronga Zoo, and check out the botanical garden.

Quick Tips:

Grab the Sydney guides that are in the airport because they contain coupons. There is also a big tourist info center at Darling Harbour.

Best Way To Get Around:

You can take the subway from the airport into the city. You can buy a travelpass (green, red, or blue) based on how long you will be in town and what kinds of transportation you will use (combo between ferry, subway/train, and bus). The monorail only goes around the center of town and the big tourist sights but it is NOT part of the same tranpo system and your travelpass won't work on it. I recommend taking the ferries as much as possible. You get a great view of the city and a scenic ride to wherever you are going.

The Grace HotelBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Grace Hotel"

This is a luxurious, modern hotel located in a historic Art Deco building. Yet, the online rates were quite affordable ($US160/night). The Grace is centrally located, a 5-minute walk to the Darling Harbour complex and a 15-minute walk to the Circular Quay. The twin room was comfortable for two people with lots of luggage. The bedding was sumptuous, with down comforters. The shower was powerful and refreshing. The lobby is gorgeous, celebrating the Art Deco history of the building. The concierge was helpful with taxis, tours, and transit information. It was a great stay all around.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Tallulah_B on September 13, 2005

The Grace Hotel
77 YORK STREET Sydney, Australia 2000
61 2-92726888

Baia San MarcoBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

The menu gave a vegetarian and a carnivore a lot to pick from, from pizzas to pasta to hearty meat dishes. A diverse wine list. Sumptuous desserts. The restaurant opened onto Darling Harbour and was a pleasant, comfortable setting for a slow-paced meal.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Tallulah_B on September 13, 2005

Baia San Marco
Cockle Bay Wharf Sydney, Australia 2000
+61 (0)2 9283 3434

Chris Seafood CafeBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

This cafe has a modern, airy setting that attracts a busy evening dinner crowd. They served huge salads (could have been a whole meal itself) and American-size portions for entrees as well. Excellent wine list for Australian and New Zealand wines. I had the salad, a salmon dinner, and a panna cotta dessert for US$45.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Tallulah_B on September 18, 2005

Chris Seafood Cafe
61 York Street Sydney, Australia

Art Gallery of New South WalesBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Open 10-5pm daily. Free admission. Free guided tours are offered to get a sense of the overall collection. More information is available at www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au. An art museum with an emphasis on Australian paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. If you are familiar with European artwork of this period you may find the collection a bit provincial and uninspiring. However there was an excellent collection of aboriginal artwork on display on the lower level of the museum. This collection was worth a visit. Though not a lot of curatorial information in the collection, the works reflect diverse trends in Aboriginal art. Though I was not traveling with children there are activities at the museum for kids. While I was there, a man dressed as a fruit bat was giving a tour to children. Our tour guide said this was a regular occurence.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Tallulah_B on September 13, 2005

Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery Road Sydney, Australia 2000
+61 (0)2 9225 1744

Powerhouse MuseumBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Open daily from 10:30-5pm. The admission fee was AU$10. Free tours of the collection are offered. The museum can be reached via the monorail or it's a short walk from the Darling Harbour area. The paths to get there from Darling Harbour are well marked. It is a fascinating museum focused on design, science, sociology, and technology which is housed in a former power station. If you've visited the Tate Modern in London you can appreciate how a museum in a power station can be an awe-inspiring experience. The Powerhouse Museum is quite large and I barely could take it all in a few hours. But even a short visit focused on specific exhibits will be rewarding. I was there during the Sydney Design competition week. Award winning design projects by students were on display, as well as professional design projects -everything from fashion to umbrellas. If you go, you must do the Krispin K design tour. Hosted by a fashion diva, he gets the group thinking about form and function and how design affects our everyday lives and how design has changed through history. Lively, silly, and fun -but watch how you dress. Be prepared to be put on display if you are dressed in a fashion-forward way! There also seemed to be a lot of great exhibits for kids.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Tallulah_B on September 13, 2005

Powerhouse Museum
500 Harris Street Sydney, Australia 2007
+61 (0)2 9217 0111

Royal Botanic GardensBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Tour of Royal Botanic Garden"

Fruit Bat Above Garden
The garden offers a free walking tour through the FREE botanic garden. The tour covers a little bit of Sydney history (how the park came to be, how the people of Sydney used it through the years) with a lot of botany and some wildlife information. The garden is full of fruit bats, cockatoos, and owls. My tour guide was less eager to talk about the animals than about the plants, but she begrudgingly answered animal questions too. The Wollemi pine, one of the oldest plants on earth was the highlight of the tour. The story of how the garden came to have this ancient and historic tree was a wonderful part of the tour. The park is also just a great place to sit and eat lunch. You can buy a sandwich from a nearby shop and just sit in the garden to eat it with all the office workers on their lunch break doing the same. Much like Central Park in New York City, the Royal Botanic Garden is an oasis of nature in a bustling city. For a lovely harbourside walk, you can start at Circular Quay walk around the Opera House and continue around the garden out to Mrs. Macquarrie's Chair (a rock formation jutting into the harbour). This is a great free activity to do on a sunny morning in Sydney.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Tallulah_B on September 13, 2005

Royal Botanic Gardens
Mrs Macquarie's Road Sydney, Australia 2000
+61 (0)2 9231 8111

Sydney AquariumBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Seal in Aquarium

The Aquarium is open 9:30-10pm daily. The entrance fee is expensive (US$14 for student discount!!, full price is probably closer to US$20) but there are discount coupons in every tourist pamphlet I saw in the tourist office so grab a pamphlet from the tourist center in Darling Harbour before you go. I know the price is high for a family but I think its well worth it. There is a lot to see and the kids I saw walking around were MEZMERIZED by the place. So was I!!

If you can't get to the Great Barrier Reef while in Australia, definitely go to the Sydney Aquarium. You will get an approximate experience that is uniquely cool unto itself. Beyond regular aquarium displays of small fish tanks full of marine life the Sydney Aquarium offers three giant underground tanks: one for seals, one for sharks and stingrays, and one that recreates the reef environment. You get to walk through the tanks and watch sharks, seals, and fish swim above you and around you.

If you are not traveling with kids, you can go at night when things are calmer. It's open until 10pm every night (last ticket sold at 9pm). The seals may be asleep, but all the other tanks are full of life at night and prove to be eerier after dark. I think the Aquarium is a MUST-SEE when in Sydney.

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Tallulah_B on September 13, 2005

Sydney Aquarium
Aquarium Pier, Darling Harbour Sydney, Australia 2000
+61 (2) 8251-7800

Balmain Saturday MarketBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

I recommend a trip out to Balmain if you are looking to see how real people in Sydney live. It reminded me very much of Park Slope in Brooklyn. Much like the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, Balmain if part of the city but also a world apart. It is truly a village full of charm. The suburb of Balmain is easy to get to via ferry from Darling Harbour or Circular Quay. Catch the city bus, #442 when you arrive in Balmain. The bus drives up Darling Street and after about 10 minutes you will be in the center of town. Ask the driver for the stop closest to St. Andrews Church. It is opposite a cemetery and the London Hotel (look for these landmarks when you are on the bus so you know when to ring the bell). The Balmain arts and crafts market operates on Saturday morning from 7:30am-4pm. The offerings at the market are diverse. I bought a Japanese woodblock painting, a handbag from a Sydney designer, a necklace, and homemade jam. There was also a homemade food market inside the church next to the market. The town of Balmain also offers great little cafes to grab a bite to eat in and antique shops that open later in the day. I arrived early for the market (8:30am) and much of the neighborhood was still asleep. The bungalow-style architecture of the village is worth seeing. I didn't see any other part of Sydney that looked quite like Balmain.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Tallulah_B on September 13, 2005

Balmain Saturday Market
217-223 Darling Street Sydney, Australia 2041
+61 (0)2 9555 1791

Taronga ZooBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

View of City from Zoo
The Taronga Zoo can be reached via ferry. Your admission price allows you to ride the gondola up to the zoo entrance. Starting at the top of the zoo, you essentially walk down the hill and end back at the ferry terminal.

If you won't be getting out in the wild while visiting Australia, this zoo is a must. You can see all the native animals here: wombats, echidnas, kangaroos, wallabies, and koalas. They also had some animals I'd never seen at zoos before: tafirs, meercats, and tahrs.

They are building an Asian animal pavilion, which was unfinished when I was there.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Tallulah_B on September 13, 2005

Taronga Zoo
Bradley's Head Road Sydney, Australia 2088
+61 (2) 9969 2777

RIDE THE FERRIES!!!Best of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

They are an affordable and beautiful way to see the city. You can buy an unlimited travel pass that includes ferries, buses, and subways (but NOT the monorail). The ferry provides an easy ride from Darling Harbour (where the aquarium, restaurants, and bars are) to Circular Quay (near the opera house and historic Rocks district). You get to go under the famous Harbour Bridge, you get great photos of the Opera House, and it’s so refreshing to see the city from the water. You can take a ferry to the Taronga Zoo, outer-suburb beaches (Manly and Bondi), and cute, artsy suburb of Balmain.

Chinese Garden of FriendshipBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Chinese Garden
This is a small Chinese garden in the Darling Harbour area. It can be reached via the monorail (Entertainment Centre Station), ferry (Darling Harbour), bus or train (Town Hall Station) or light rail (Haymarket Station). Since the Guangdong area of China and Sydney share a similar climate the garden uses plants common in Guangdong. The garden is designed to reflect traditional Chinese principles of water, plants, stone and architecture and designed to reflect yin and yang, activity and calmness. So there are still ponds and active waterfalls. The entrance fee is low (AU$6 for adults, AU$3 for students), and the atmosphere is high. It offers a nice, quiet respite from the rest of the city. There is also a traditional tea house offering food and drink within the garden. You could sit there for hours watching the birds or reading a book. There is a costume shop as well, where you can try on traditional silk gowns from the Ming and Ching dynasties. More information can be found at www.chinesegarden.com.au

Manly BeachBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Manly Beach
If you have extra time and want to see some of the suburbs of Sydney, a day trip to Manly is easy to do. Ferries to Manly leave from the Circular Quay (the main ferry terminal). A tourist office operates at the ferry terminal in Manly. Although I was visiting the Sydney area in winter, there were brave souls lying on the beach at Manly. The ferry ride there is relaxing. Many locals say this is one of the most scenic ferry rides. It takes about 30 minutes. Manly is a small seaside town with cafés, restaurants and souvenir shops. The main drag called the Corso isn't particularly attractive but we ate delicious lamingtons (a famous Australian dessert, coconut covered cake) at one of the bakeries on the Corso. We ate delicious and strangely flavored gelato at the gelateria in the ferry terminal. So bring your appetite to Manly. There is a great 30-minute walk along the beachfront that takes you to a scenic vista overlooking the ocean. Make a right once you reach the beach from the Corso to take this walk. The paved path is well marked. There is only one shop on this path, a great little gift and jewelry shop where my friend bought a unique onyx ring.

About the Writer

Tallulah_B
Tallulah_B
Brooklyn, New York

Get the Word Out

Share this travel journal beyond IgoUgo with your favorite sharing tools.