Sydney itinerary: How to spend 7 amazing days in Sydney

G’day, mate! You bugger, where have you been? No, wait, let us tell you first: Recently we have spent the most wonderful three weeks in the capital of New South Wales — the spectacular Sydney. Based on our absolute ripper of the experience, I created this detailed 7-day guide to exploring the Harbour City.

Don’t let the “detailed” part bore you: Apart from the usual top tourist destinations, I also mention the best coffee shops to get a flat white to go (look for 📍pins!), as well as the most bonza spots to end your day at with an incredible view. I do get technical though, as most tourists (us included) appreciate the useful info: Hence the information about prices, public transportation, and practical tips to make your stay in Sydney as enjoyable and risk-free as possible.

Without further ado, I present you with this list of things to do in Sydney, Australia. You can read it as is, or skip to the parts you want to explore first.

Article contents

1. Day 1 — Sydney’s highlights at their best
2. Day 2 — famous Sydney’s beaches and skyscrapers
3. Day 3 — the best city views
4. Day 4 — animals, stars, and waves
5. Day 5 — free museums all day long
6. Day 6 — all-time favorite Manly
7. Day 7 — hazy blue vastness
8. Some places to add to your itinerary in Sydney
9. All about food
10. Things you need to know before visiting Sydney

Before we dive into listing what to see and what to do in Sydney, I’ll remind you that this checklist of things to explore in 7 days can easily be shortened to a 5 day Sydney itinerary (by picking the places that strike your fancy the most) or lengthened to Sydney destinations to witness in 14 days (just read till the end of the article where I list the city’s additional points of interest).

Unfortunately, I cannot help you with condensing Sydney’s best experiences in one day… since we believe it’s impossible to come to the city and leave so soon. Well, if we are forced to try and think of the itinerary, your best bet is to just focus on the big guns: Sydney Harbour, Opera, and Bridge.

Day 1 — Sydney’s highlights at their best

I believe that the common logic of international travel applies here, in the Land Down Under: The first day of your Sydney itinerary should cover all the main city players.

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Sydney is, without a doubt, the Sydney Opera House. If it’s your first time in the city, start making your way to the Opera from St Mary’s Cathedral, catching sights of other top things along the way. Bonus points for lots of quirky native Australian birds — “local pigeons” as I call them!

So, our 7 days in Sydney itinerary will cover the immediate grounds of the Sydney Opera. Let’s elaborate a little on the area’s most known tourist attractions:

St Mary’s Cathedral

📍Before you actually set off on the journey that is our detailed Sydney itinerary, you need to get some coffee first nearby. I know just the place to do so: Bohäus Cafe. This café is a one-stop shop for all things coffee!

Truth be told, Sydney is different from cities in Europe in terms of its virtual lack of architectural marvels. The buildings here are beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but you rarely see a structure that is “doing a lot”. Instead, the surrounding nature has got the spotlight all to herself.

• However, St Mary’s Cathedral — a gothic-style cathedral — is one of Sydney’s architectural exceptions.

The cathedral is definitely a sight to see all year round, but it’s looking its best in December. Christmas market sets up shop in the cathedral’s square, and the walls of the building become a clean canvas for a colorful light show! I recommend you don’t steer off course and explore the inner workings of the church. You might get lucky to catch an organ’s rehearsal when inside: After all, the cathedral is proud to own four (!) of these grand instruments.

One of the things that put St Mary’s Cathedral at the top of our 7 days in Sydney Itinerary is the fact that it is free to visit. Remember that St Mary’s Cathedral is a working place of worship, so be respectful of churchgoers’ privacy when taking countless pictures of deep brown wooden pews and intricately carved out high ceilings!

Opening hours: 6:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Fee: free, small donation appreciated

Hyde Park

St Mary’s Cathedral is set right opposite the park. It’s a great place for a leisurely stroll on a hot summer day with plenty of shaded areas to hide from the sun.

The grounds of the park are often overlooked by both Sydneysiders and city’s visitors, but the park’s permanent residents — Australian white ibis — usually create some traction among the foreigners. These white birds that were once considered sacred are now often referred to as bin chickens or dumpster divers, and exist on the same level as New York’s pigeons.

Meanwhile, Hyde Park is a notable facet to every list of things to do in Sydney in 7 days. Not only for its flora and fauna, but also for its historical significance.

• It’s the oldest park of Sydney, and it possesses quite an impressive collection of important monuments: The grand Anzac Memorial that is said to be a national tribute to the military and Archibald Memorial Fountain with a high bronze statue of Apollo set right in the middle.

If you’re traveling with family, then visiting Hyde Park is a perfect opportunity for a picnic! Grab some picnic essentials at the closest Coles or Woolworths (some Aussie pies and a pack of Tim Tams will do the trick) and head on over to the neatest patch of grass, — take a nice little breather in nature while still being smack dab in the city center!

Royal Botanic Gardens

Royal Botanic Gardens is one of the best places to visit in Sydney if you’re a nature lover. It’s my favorite place in the whole city! This, and the little Esplanade Park in Manly.

Royal Botanic Gardens is a huge FREE park that you can sneak into right as you leave Hyde Park. It will take hours to discover it on foot!

Just to give you an idea of where to start with your garden exploration, I particularly enjoyed three areas of the park:

• Palm Grove, which has long been home to more than 300 palm varieties. This place is perfect to expand your palm trees knowledge: If you think of these trees as just tall trunks with a bunch of leaves at the top, walking around the grove will teach you a thing or two. There are huge palms and teeny tiny ones; palms that bloom and the ones that have intricate-looking trunks; there are palms that look like corals and ones that can blind you with its bright colors, like a Flame Thrower Palm (that’s the real name!).
• A literal small garden located right in the center of the park; here you can see the local produce proudly growing under the Australian sun. Everything you might want in a salad grows here, like zucchinis, curly kale, onions and the like!
• A small lake and the Lotus Pond, where you can admire the amazing flowers on one side and lots of ducks on the other. As per the informational stand by the lake, they say that the waters are festered with dozens of eels. Get this: Nobody knows where they come from! Isn’t it whacky?..

Side note: Right by the lake lies the best photo op of the Gardens: The spot where you can take pictures with the skyscrapers of the CDB (the Central Business District) in the background.

Opening hours: 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. (closing times change seasonally)

Sydney Opera

The star of our 7-day Sydney itinerary! Or any other itinerary in general. Sydney Opera House is by far the most iconic building of the Southern Hemisphere. This place is guaranteed a place in a top ten on your Sydney bucket list, because who doesn’t want to snap a picture in front of the stunning white wing-like structure? I know for sure that it was the case for us: Ever since we were little, we wanted to see the Opera House stand before our very own eyes. Alas, the dream seemed to be too out of reach: That is, until our long-awaited trip to Australia.

Anyway, the Opera House is an obvious top choice when it comes to creating your Sydney to-do list. You will definitely feel its pull during your first day here, with your legs bringing you closer and closer to the majestic structure, seemingly on autopilot.

The area surrounding Sydney Opera House is a popular hotspot, especially in summer months, when cruise liners keep bringing large groups of “fresh” tourists to already existing local crowds. Apart from snapping a quick picture while trying not to hit anybody on the head with your selfie stick, what else does one do near the Opera House?

I have a few suggestions in store:

• Walk the whole perimeter of the building and see how the construction changes angle to angle
• Stop by the waterfront terrace and embrace the view of the harbor and Sydney’s other side looming over the water
• Notice the two flags blowing in the wind at the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge; curiously wonder what the other flag stands for, with the first one being quite obvious — the national Australian Flag. I can give you a hint: It has something to do with the native residents of the land
• While you’re still in a state of perpetual wonder, you might start to make out groups of people moving along the top of the bridge. Keep reading to learn more about the experience itself!
• Look at the ferries disturbing the calm of the harbor — you will get to experience the ferry ride on the second day of our itinerary

The opera building is even more impressive from the inside. But if you don’t plan on making a night out of it by visiting a music festival, an exhibition, or a particular performance, then you can just take a guided tour of its premises. Such a wonderful experience and will only cost you AU$45.

Opening hours: the outside territory is open 24/7; you can get inside at 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Saturday; 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sundays
Fee (guided tour): AU$45

Day 2 — famous Sydney’s beaches and skyscrapers

If you only have 2 days in the city, this Sydney itinerary will have you crawling back to your hotel exhausted but unbelievably happy!

The second day will start by the coast, gradually working up the urban side of Sydney to shine through. You will end your day by looking at everything from above, getting all the pieces of the puzzle that is Sydney all together. I can’t wait for you to learn the line-up for the day ahead!

Bondi Beach

📍Before you set off on the next part, you need to have your healthy-ish Aussie brekkie. Where to eat on Bondi Beach? I recommend you pick Bare Naked Bowls Bondi Beach for acai bowls and the adjacent Skittle Lane for the best coffee in Sydney.

Out of all Sydney’s beaches, the most widely known one is, without a doubt, Bondi Beach. As we landed in Sydney, I couldn’t wait to kick off my shoes and finally walk barefoot on the warm golden sand of its shore!

It’s the first place that comes to mind when you plan a beach getaway while in Sydney. Being super close to Sydney’s CBD (if you travel by public transport, bus 333 takes you here in the matter of 30 minutes), the area pays for its popularity in many negative ways…

• In high-season months of summer, Bondi Beach can get too crowded: It’s recorded to simultaneously have at least 40 000 (!) beachgoers on its shore during one particularly nice summer day.

The beach is famous for two things: surfers and Bondi Icebergs Baths. While we’re huge fans of surfing ourselves, I don’t think that this activity will be on your radar during your 7 days in Sydney. It’s just not realistic to fit in adequate surfing sessions into your Sydney itinerary, especially if you’re a beginner. So, just have a look, have a couple of pictures, and you’re good.

As for the Bondi Icebergs, it’s an iconic ocean pool on the southern end of the beach. You will recognize it from the pictures you definitely saw online: Waves crashing over the railings and people swimming back and forth inside the 50-meter pool. Ah, a dream!

Opening hours for Bondi Icebergs: 6 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. Monday – Friday; closed on Thursday; 6:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. Saturday & Sunday
Fee for Bondi Icebergs: AU$10

Bondi to Coogee Walk

Bondi to Coogee Walk has made a lasting impression on our psyche: So much so that I wrote a whole separate article based solely on this coastal walk. And how can you not love this trail? There are little bays, alcoves, and five (!) unique beaches. If you only have one opportunity to enjoy the local nature’s beauty, it has to be this trail!

• We’ve done it three times and never got bored. In general, it takes us 2 hours to get from Bondi to Coogee with multiple “I want to take it all in” stops along the way.

While Sydney sightseeing usually supposes the views of the city itself, nothing can possibly beat the sights of the never-ending horizon and beaches peeking in and out along the cliff coast.

Haymarket

After finishing the walk, take a direct 373 bus to the Haymarket District. This neighborhood boasts plenty of things to do in Sydney to significantly blow your budget. From Chinatown’s many food joints to Market City’s stalls overflowing with all the different trinkets!

Chinatown’s area is particularly pretty during Chinese Lunar New Year (usually celebrated in late January – early February): All the bright decorations will make your neck hurt from looking up all the time. Another popular tourist destination of the neighborhood is the Market City. It’s a super old mall — built a long time ago in 1909 — with hundreds of outlets. You can buy food, clothing, gadgets, and gifts here. The exterior of the building is a curious sight in and of itself, so don’t forget to snap a picture of it. That’s the only thing we did, anyway, since we weren’t too keen on going inside.

Sydney CBD

The complete guide to Sydney can never be complete without hitting at least half of the area’s well-known attractions. Don’t be scared of a slew of additional places you think are still left to visit. Thankfully, all of the CBD’s main sights are located within walking distance of one another, so you can fill in the gaps of places you absolutely must check out while you’re here:

• St Andrew Cathedral (yep, one more!) is a sight for sore eyes, with its gothic architecture that stands out in front of the modern-looking glass office buildings. Pop inside to see the wonderfully decorated interior!
• Another beautiful building that is worth your attention is right next to the cathedral — the Town Hall. The old-timey clock tower is nice to look at, and the steps in front of the building remind you of a smaller-scale Met steps.
• Next up on my list are the famous Sydney malls: Queen Victoria Building and Strand Arcade. Both buildings have managed to save the illusion of grandeur from the years past, but now they’re also coveted grounds for high fashion and luxury lifestyle shopping. You can always just admire the stained-glass windows from afar, without going into the belly of these money-hungry beasts!

The Tower

This Sydney’s must-see will definitely catch your eye multiple times during your stay in the city: The Tower is so tall you can’t escape its sight.

If you google Sydney + what to see in 3 days, one of the top choices will be paying a visit to the Tower. No wonder, it’s one of the city’s top attractions! While some Sydneysiders might find this tourist spot a tad overrated, you can’t ignore this ginormous structure forever.

General admission to the Tower’s observation deck costs AU$28 per adult. The panoramic views of the city and its suburbs are worth any amount of money, in our opinion. If you prefer to plan everything in advance, book tickets for the Tower on GetYourGuide.

Opening hours: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Day 3 — the best city views

As the name suggests, the third day of our Sydney itinerary is closely linked with the city’s views — from the ground, from the water, and even from the air (kind of, it’s pretty high up!) Get ready to shop, eat, walk, climb, and, finally, go out onto the water. Finish the day with our secret (well, not so secret) spot that is amazing for welcoming the second day’s sunset.

The Rocks

📍As per usual, every day of Sydney’s exploration should start with coffee. Pop into Dutch Smuggler Coffee Brewers; go for an unbeatable order of a flat white and toasties. This combo will give you enough fuel to walk around Sydney’s iconic neighborhood — the Rocks.

The area feels very European, with low two-storey buildings lining both sides of the cobblestone walking streets. The old city-looking buildings together with tall sandstone warehouses create an architectural atmosphere of Sydney’s past. Our favorite part of the neighborhood was the quaint little streets surrounding Susannah Place (an old grocery store turned into a historical museum) in the direction of Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Rocks weekend markets are an event that brings thousands of people to the area. From 10 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday, there are hundreds of stalls selling food, clothes, art, jewelry and everything in-between. Personally, I think that you shouldn’t begin your acquaintance with the neighborhood during the weekends. The crowds can get too overwhelming, urging you to leave sooner than you’d hoped for.

However, I know the place to hide from the weekend crowds ⬇️

Observatory Park

A green oasis next to the Rocks. The park boasts the already familiar views of the best Sydney attractions: The bridge, the opera, the harbor, and the city’s skyline. Let us tell you, this view never gets old and never disappoints!

While the park is a great place for a picnic during the day, it completely changes at night: the buildings surrounding it get illuminated with thousands of flickering lights; and the harbor’s waters become the mirror. In fact, the hill that the park sits on is one of the best places to watch the New Year’s fireworks every year.

The hill is also home to the Sydney Observatory (hence the name of the park), a heritage sight that is best visited at nighttime. Grab yourself a ticket for the Observatory tour and explore the cool observatory domes, while also getting a chance to see the telescopes in action!

The Bridge

And here it is! Walking along Sydney Harbor Bridge is, without a doubt, one of the top things to do in Sydney. Windy, noisy, crowdy, but how gorgeous this walk is!

The walk is free and takes around a half an hour to complete, covering the entire length of the bridge (more than one whole kilometer!). The time, of course, depends on how many stops you take along the way to snap a few pictures of Sydney Opera House and the harbor itself through the safety fence.

• Getting onto the bridge is quite easy: from the Rocks’ side, look out for the Argyle Stairs, and then for Bridge Stairs — both structures are super monumental-looking, and therefore, very hard to miss.

For a chance to witness even more breathtaking views of the area, climb up one of the pylons on the eastern side of the bridge to a gorgeous viewpoint — the Pylon Lookout. At the top, you’re guaranteed to be met with a stunning 360° view of Sydney’s immediate surroundings, as well as a small museum detailing the construction of the bridge.

If you’re not a bludger (that’s what Aussies call lazy people) and you have a few hundred bucks to spare, you can partake in Bridge Climb. There are a few different climbs to choose from, starting with the Ultimate one that lasts 3,5 hours. No matter which one you choose, you will defo get the experience of the lifetime: Follow in the footsteps of such stars as Oprah Winfrey and Will Ferrel who already braved the climbs. Bridge’s summit is 134 meters above sea level, so the experience is not for the faint-hearted and vertigo-prone.

Side note: If you plan on renting a car in Sydney, you should know this thing. The Bridge and the nearby Tunnel are the only short and convenient ways connecting CBD and North Sydney. If you drive from the north to the south, you have to pay AU$3–$4. However, if you drive the other way — from CBD to the north — it’s free.

Kirribilli neighborhood

Kirribilli is a quaint suburban neighborhood on the other end of the Bridge. Don’t be in too much hurry to get away though. Kirribilli neighborhood is one of the city’s hidden gems that are one hundred percent worth visiting.

What are the best things to do while you’re here? I can think of a few:

• Explore the Milson Park and take a break on its green lawns. It’s full of blooming jacaranda trees if you happen to visit this park in late October – mid November!
• Walk along the waterfront to the North Sydney Wharf and enjoy the amazing views of Sydney’s Downtown with the Opera House in front of it.
• Wander around the quiet streets and marvel (respectfully) at the wonderful houses that some lucky Aussies get to call their homes. While on a stroll, we didn’t get jealous, not even a little bit! Okay, that’s a porky (I love this Aussie word for a lie), some of the houses surely made their way on our manifestation boards!
• Pop into the Kirribilli Markets by the Harbour Bridge — one of the oldest markets of Sydney. Get yourself a couple of souvenirs, just remember about the overweight luggage fees that can put a downer on your trip back home.

Ferry to Circular Quay

If you’re short on time and not planning on going to Manly neighborhood (which requires a ferry ride), then catch the ferry back to Circular Quay from Kirribilli for the best Sydney sightseeing experience.

Do you agree that if the city has ferries, it immediately becomes one of the best places in the world?! No matter the cost (to a reasonable extent), I will take a chance to look at the city’s many attractions from the water.

The ferry ride to Circular Quay (the main Sydney port), which takes about five minutes to complete, surprisingly costs quite a lot: You’ll pay AU$7,13 ($4,5)! The good news is that you can just tap your banking card, and that’s it — no need to buy a special transport card.

If you’re used to traveling on the fancier side, consider booking a harbor cruise, which usually lasts around two to three hours and safely returns you to the starting point. I suggest mixing the pleasure of the cruise with even more pleasure of great food: get this Sydney Harbour Top Deck Lunch Cruise to satisfy your hunger for delicious meals and marvelous views!

Mrs Macquarie’s Chair

Now that your 3 days in Sydney are coming to an end, you need to find a good spot to wave adieu to the sun setting below the horizon. I have just the spot for this calming activity!

After you disembark at Circular Quay, take a short walk through the Royal Botanic Garden to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. It’s not an actual chair, more of a carved spot in the sand stone. The legend has it that one of the past Sydney’s governors ordered people to carve out a spot to commemorate his wife, Elizabeth. She loved to come to this place and watch the ships glide across the water.

This place is a dream at sunset: not only does it have a unique view of the Opera House sitting in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but it’s also so peaceful. Close your eyes and imagine the water splashing on the shore, ferries finishing up their last rides for the day, the sky over the buildings turning pink, then red, and finally getting darker and darker.

Opening hours: 24 hours, but the park closes at sunset, so will have to walk around

Day 4 — animals, stars, and waves

If you follow our guide, there’s zero chance that you are still wondering what to do for 7 days in Sydney. Day four will start easy and fun, with time spent in one of the best zoos in the world. After a short picnic in the park, you will head out on another gorgeous Sydney coastal walk. Don’t exert yourself too much, you will still need energy for the next days.

Taronga Zoo

The weird thing for the first timer in Australia is that you won’t see any well-known creatures hanging out in the streets! Not a single kangaroo or wombat or even a snake will cross your path in the cities.

That’s why Taronga Zoo is one of the best places in Sydney for wildlife watching. Taronga cares for more than 350 species of different animals, with around five thousand unique specimen calling the grounds their home. A huge chunk of the animals is native to Australian land: Koalas, kangaroos, platypuses, Tasmanian devils, most of the local bird species.

You can easily spend the whole day exploring the expansive area of the zoo, but remember that we have a couple more activities planned! The tickets to the zoo are pretty expensive, but the prices are justifiable when you learn about the Zoo’s prolific conservation efforts that require substantial funding to continue working. Say goodbye to the elephants and giraffes and let’s keep going!

Tickets to the zoo >>

Opening hours: 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Fee: AU$47,70 for an adult and AU$27,90 a child

Bondi to Watson’s Bay Walk

Be vigilant about your stretching routine, because our 7 days in Sydney itinerary is about to have you do lots and lots of walking — don’t worry, it’s all worth it!

• Despite the name, I suggest starting this beautiful coastal walk from Diamond Bay Reserve (just because the path from Bondi to this point leads you through some mundane-looking residential streets).

Bondi to Watson’s Bay Walk differs pretty drastically from sun-filled and cheery Bondi to Coogee Walk: The colors are more muted and even dark. There are less beaches, more cliffs, and the overall vibe feels more Northern; not like anything you’d expect from a bright Aussie coast.

Overall, the hike is quite easy, with low elevation gain; and if you choose to start from the middle point, it will take you less than two hours to complete (this accounts for the customary stops to take in the view).

Our favorite stops along the way are the following:

• Diamond Bay Reserve — an absolute ripper of a starting place; the views from the cliff tops are outstanding: Huge waves clash onto the shore, and monumental rocks grow tall withstanding the force of the water. You used to be able to sit right at the cliff edge and look down onto the waves, but now there’re new safety measures put in place, and that includes a fence. The rocks are too unstable and there were accounts of people falling from the before-unregulated area.
• Macquarie Lighthouse — one of the oldest lighthouses in Sydney, this one is a unique photo op: A bright white building sitting on the green grass bed.
• Watson’s Bay — Australian’s oldest fishing village that in recent years got turned into a harborside Sydney suburb for the wealthy. Located on the other side opposite the Gap, it’s supposed to be the end of your walk. But I encourage you to do a little more hiking (like a kilometer or so) and see three more places down the road.
• Camp Cove Beach — a little beach that is tucked away by a residential area; it’s perfect for a little family getaway! The sand is super soft and the waters calm; so you can let the little ones explore without second thoughts. Get yourself a cooling drink from a beach kiosk and continue the walk.
• Lady Bay Beach — a nudist beach a little ways off Camp Cove. Lose your bathers and your budgy smugglers and enjoy the view of the harbor. The beach is smaller and more rugged than its predecessor, but still comfortable and safe for swimming.
• Hornby Lighthouse — the actual end of your walk. Congrats, you’ve reached the tip of South Head, which you can spot by a giant red and white lighthouse sitting on the cliff edge. The view of Manly across the harbor lets you take a peak at what’s to come tomorrow, as another walk that brings you there is in the books for you.

Go back to Watson Bay Wharf to catch a ferry either to Manly or to Circular Quay.

Day 5 — free museums all day long

One of the top things to do in Sydney on a budget is paying a visit to a few of the more prominent city’s museums. Sydney is famous for having most (if not all) of its archive buildings be free for visitors, and it would be a real shame not to take this amazing opportunity! After all, what better way to spend a few hours on a rainy day can you think of?

No matter the weather, day five of our Sydney itinerary gets you a little bit closer to fine art. You will explore three different museums and galleries, and then end the night with a pint of local ale, to help you gather your thoughts on the things you saw throughout the day.

Australian Museum

📍To start off our day full of knowledge and facts, you first need to get some coffee in your system. The coffeeshop Single O Surry Hills on Reservoir St is just the place for getting your caffeine fix asap!

Our first stop of the day is Australian Museum — in my opinion, the most interesting out of all the other museums in Sydney. This multi-level mind palace is home to dozens uniquely themed exhibitions, but you know what the best part is? It is free to enter! I love a museum that makes learning accessible to everyone. Note that some special exhibitions, like Sharks, requires you to purchase a ticket. But the general admission is still free, so that’s fine.

The first exhibition you’re met with is instantaneously entertaining and wildly fascinating: It’s called 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum and it shows plenty of unique gems, like the first Australian bank note dating all the way back to 1817, the gold nugget from the very first gold mining site in New South Wales, as well as dozens of native Australian animal specimens.

During our visit, I absolutely loved these two exhibitions:

• Who’s in your backyard — a great way to learn all the creatures that live super close to Aussies: Animals, birds, frogs, insects and the like.
• Surviving Australia — if you’re adamant on traveling to Australia because of your fear of its supposedly dangerous and scary flora and fauna, this space is for you! Learn about snakes, spiders, gators, and even their already extinct predecessors.

Opening hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Sunday; 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Wednesdays
Fee: free

Art Gallery of NSW

If you only have time for one gallery in Sydney, we suggest you to check out the Art Gallery of New South Wales. With the latest addition of a super modern-looking North Building, the Gallery seems to have new energy and vigor to impress its visitors.

The grandiose South Building (the one with big columns by the entrance) has received a few nice touch-ups itself; but don’t even get us started on the way the North Building looks! A stunning piece of modern architecture, it’s incredibly light, airy and futuristic.

The Art Gallery is home to thousands of works by Australian artists, both contemporary and of the past; as well as plenty of pieces by Aboriginal people; and a few paintings and pictures of huge international names (I lucked out on seeing some of Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings in person)! The gallery’s general admission is free, and the stuff offers free daily tours of the premises.

Opening hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Sunday; 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Wednesdays
Fee: free

Museum of Contemporary Art

I hope that you still feel amped about humanities-forward entertainment, because you’re up for a visit of the last museum on your third day itinerary — Museum of Contemporary Art.

The Museum’s goal is to make modern art accessible to everyone: Hence the free admission and the wide array of art forms. Diverse exhibitions bring together photography, painting, interactive installations, sculptures and everything in-between. Works of art by Aboriginal people are featured front and center, and are a great way to get deeper into your understanding of the native Australian communities through their self-expression.

As you get full on modern art genius, head to the top of the Museum of Contemporary Art — here you can find a small terrace café with a million dollar view of the harbor.

Opening hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Sunday; closed on Tuesdays; 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Fridays
Fee: free

Day 6 — all-time favorite Manly

This day will have you spending tons of time outside in the sun, so lather that sunscreen as thick as you can! Manly Beach and the area surrounding it is on the agenda, so put on your bathers and sunnies and get ready for a fun day on the beach!

Manly Beach

From Circular Quay, take a 30-minute ferry ride to Manly Wharf, which is a short walk away from Manly Beach — one of my favorite north beaches and just Sydney beaches in general. Truthfully, the beach deserves more of your time than a mere couple of hours; and we’re the proof: Our stay in the area was a 2-week long!

Lots of tourists compare Manly to Bondi, as they’re both prime surfing Sydney destinations, with plenty of sand space and all the usual developed infrastructure. My opinion is that Manly is more family-friendly and cozy neighborhood. Manly’s coastal promenade is perfect for running and walking your dog (on leash only); and the volleyball nets are like magnets for young people who like to have fun. There is also a small triangular rock pool (Fairy Bower Sea Pool) further towards the Manly Beach south side.

A long stretch of the beach is lined with large pine trees that provide plenty of shade to hide from the sun. There are lots of places to seat and relax, but I suggest you combine “business” with pleasure and head to one of the many Manly eateries.

📍I hope you aren’t allergic to gluten (or, got forbid, lactose intolerant), because you absolutely MUST try the pastry either from Rollers Bakehouse or Butter Boy — world-renowned bakeries on Manly Beach. Of course, you’ll need some coffee to go with the pastries, and Little Legends around the corner is a perfect spot. That’s my favorite combo to start the morning in Manly!

If you’re on a healthy food train and don’t want to get off any time soon, there’s a place for you on Manly Beach: Banana Blossom — a café that serves yummy bowls and salads. For lunch, go to the place that we were really impressed by — The Boathouse: it’s worth the walk further south from Manly to the much smaller Shelly Beach. Hurry up to snag a seat outside, as they say the view of the water supports easy digestion.

Spit to Manly Walk

There seems to be as many great Sydney walks as there are individual hairs on a young man’s head. The most impressive one is the grandiose multi-day Manly to Bondi Walk, which runs on an astounding 80 kilometers path!

Spit to Manly Walk that you will be doing today is a much shorter coastal walk, covering around 10 kilometers and being home to quite a few of Sydney’s Northern beaches. If you already spent some time relaxing on Manly, it seems logical you are going to be doing the walk in reverse (the direction really has no importance).

The trail is extremely diverse: you will be crossing bridges, going into lush green forests, coming onto the sands and weathering the steps.

• The whole walk can be done in around four hours, but who are we kidding? It’s day six and you ain’t about to hike for hours if the most fun and picturesque stretch of the path is only around two kilometers!

Consider this a gift to your poor leg muscles: The best part of the walk is the coastal path from Dirty Haul Beach to Manly Wharf (or vice versa). And I know what I’m talking about: During stay in Manly we took this path religiously EVERY DAY, without fail.

It’s out-of-this-world amazing. And what’s surprising about it is that it’s not the place the tourists crowd all the time, like in the case of Bondi. This trail is used by locals as a normal part of their day-to-day activities: They leave their houses and go straight to the walkway to walk their dogs, run, swim, do yoga, whatever their heart desires!

Aside from people-watching, look out onto the water from time to time. There’s a good chance for you to catch a penguin sighting. We weren’t as lucky, all we saw were giant cockatoos (which were still very impressive).

After you finish the hike, get back to your hotel and get a good rest for the last day of our guide to 7 days in Sydney!

Day 7 — hazy blue vastness

You will start your last day in Sydney with a little trip to one of the most beautiful places on earth — Blue Mountains. To continue your journey of deep nature appreciation, you will end your day in the company of native Australian animals. Tell a wallaby about the color of the Blue Mountains valley and confide in a kangaroo your newly found appreciation for life. If they start to answer back, it’s time to get back to the hotel.

Blue Mountains

Blue Mountains National Park is one of the best day trips from Sydney. It’s free and also quite busy, as getting here on public transport is quite easy and relatively cheap. You will pay around AU$8 for a smooth and fast two hour long train ride. The trains leave the Sydney’s Central Station almost every hour, and you arrive to the little city with a funny name — Katoomba.

• Plus, there are lots of full-day tours from Sydney to Blue Mountains — it’s one of the most popular activities outside the city.

From the Katoomba Station, you can take a bus to our first Blue Mountains spot right away, or, alternatively, you can take a walk through the town’s main street — Lurline Street — and compare its charming allure to Sydney’s robust energy.

📍Speaking of energy, pop into Cassiopeia Coffee for your much-needed morning cup of Joe (or Joey, to be truly Australian for a second). While great tasting beverages were secured quite easily, we didn’t have same luck with food, so we had to make do with some plain old Coles snacks.

Blue Mountains National Park can take a whole week to explore in full, but if you only have one day, you’ll be fine with these spots:

• Echo Point Lookout — a fantastic viewpoint with panoramas of Blue Mountains. Fun fact, the mountains look blue because of the haze from the thick carpet of eucalyptus trees growing over the entire valley. The views are often compared to those of the Grand Canyon, just covered with greenery. From this point, you can easily make out Three Sisters: three tall sandstone cliffs that got eroded by wind.
• Three Sisters Walk — you can actually take a set of pretty steep stairs down to the base of the Sister closest to the main mountain. The descent is quite difficult on your knees, plus, you will have to climb these same stairs back up. Because of this, we bailed on the idea half way and went up to explore park’s other sights.
• Katoomba Cascades that turn into one giant Katoomba Waterfall. The cascades are impressive, but mild compared to the grand tourist attraction of the Katoomba Waterfall. The water drops from a super high point, hits multiple tiers along the way and then descends into the lush green forest.

If you only have time to do one thing in the Blue Mountains Park, let it be going to the Echo Point Lookout. You can’t possibly imagine how this vastness of space in front of you makes all of your stress and worries seem miniscule and terribly insignificant.

Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park

Take another train back to Sydney and finish off your stay in the city strong and fun, by visiting Featherdale Wildlife Park. The park’s focus is on native Australian animals, so here you will see countless koalas, kangaroos, dingos, wombats, and the like.

The area of the park is smaller compared to the Taronga Zoo I’ve covered earlier, giving you plenty more time to get to know the animals and not just constantly worry about walking from one area to another.

Featherdale is famous for having their animal encounters, where both children and adults can feed a roo, walk through the Rainbow Lorikeet aviary, or hang out with cute farm animals. If you have money to spare, book yourself a quokka (AU$250 per person) or a koala (AU$35 per person) private encounter where you’ll get to meet the animals up close and even feed them under the guidance of their keeper.

Featherdale Park is considered to be the best Aussie animals experience in Sydney; and on this high note I’m ending this seven days in Sydney itinerary. Go to the next part for some additional places you might want to check out if you have more time in the city!

Opening hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Fee (general admission): AU$44 for an adult and AU$28 for a child

Some places to add to your itinerary in Sydney

You get to spend more than a week in Sydney? Oh, you lucky (dingo) dog! Don’t you worry, there are plenty more places to check out in the city and its immediate surroundings that will make you want to move here permanently. After all, it’s one of the coolest cities in the world!

• Explore more Sydney neighborhoods (let’s face it, it’s just an excuse to try new coffee shops and bakeries) — like prime foodie destination of Surry Hills, hipster Darlinghurst, and affluent Mosman.
• Pre-plan your own events for Sydney itinerary online by googling the Australian tours of your favorite artists. Not every celeb gets as far as to Australia, however we were lucky to snag a ticket for 21 Pilots and Red Hot Chili Peppers show. Check all concerts-related things to do in Sydney in 2025 on Ticketmaster.
• Embark on a small number of best day trips from Sydney: Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park (with the Aboriginal rock engravings) and Royal National Park. Get your much-needed dose of nature exposure after running around Sydney’s CBD.
• Get crazy with some adrenaline-inducing Sydney activities: From seeing the Sydney Harbour from the helicopter to jet boating on the waters of that very same harbor you just saw from above.

Food in Sydney

During our stay in the city, I couldn’t believe simply how many places to eat in Sydney there are! From small-scale hole-in-the-wall eateries, to fine dining options. And as I consider ourselves to be passionate coffeecionados (coffee aficionados), we checked out countless of cafes and coffeeshops while in the Land Down Under. A classic flat white is a must-try when in Sydney, guaranteed to be great at each and any establishment.

Our 7 day Sydney itinerary is already peppered throughout with food places that are worth starting or ending your day with. However, we have a few more that are worth your attention if you happen to be in a certain neighborhood:

☕️ Mecca Coffee (Alexandria and Paddington) — get yourself a cold brew and don’t forget to pick up a couple of freshly roasted House Blends to bring your friends as souvenirs.

🥐 Rollers Bakehouse or Baker Bleu (Manly and Double Bay) — my favorite pastry shops in Sydney. Try a stuffed croissant in the first one and a sourdough croissant in the second — and don’t have any regrets!

🔹 Chapter E (Darlinghurst) — lovely place that serves predominantly Middle Eastern cuisine: It’s most commonly referred to as the “best falafel in town”. My go to place every time I’m in the neighborhood (especially around 2:30pm when there’s 50% discount for sandwiches).

🔹 Brazilian Flame (Dee Why, Maroubra and Zetland) — a great unpretentious spot for all things meat and chips.

☕️ Primary Coffee (Potts Point) — a coffeeshop that introduced me to the best Australian flat white… One of the super early morning options for coffee!

🔹 Boon Café (Haymarket) — one of the best Thai restaurants in Sydney; we especially loved their Thai coffee (the one with caramelized milk) and crab congee! Pad Thai is the real deal here, prepared exactly as it should.

☕️ Kingswood Coffee (CBD and Circular Quay) — one of the best to-go coffee places in Sydney. Definitely worth standing in line for.

🔹 Kabul Social (CBD) — an amazing Afghan cuisine restaurant that supports a great cause: Every meal purchased here sees two meals donated to those in need, both in Afghanistan and in Australia.

🔹 Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese Cheesecake (CBD) — they serve the yummiest fluffy Japanese cheesecakes; and the little cheese tarts taste like little bites of heaven!

🔹 Fishbowl (everywhere) — for when you want to have a heartier, but still healthy, meal. The O.G. bowl with salmon will keep you full for the rest of your day.

Things you need to know before visiting Sydney

Now that you have your plan of action ready to go right as you land, let us lift the veil on everything you need to know before visiting Sydney, Australia. First, we encourage you to consult with our article on 20 things to know before traveling to Australia in 2025 where we cover all the main info.

What is the best time to visit Sydney? Truthfully, the city is awesome year-round, as all the urban attractions don’t really rely much on the weather. But if you can’t be inside for more than an hour and need to get out into the sun, than you need appropriate weather conditions to get the best experience. So, we feel that the best time to visit Sydney is the summer months, December through February. Remember though that sunny days attract thousands of city’s guests, like moths to a beautiful urban flame. Expect higher prices and pre-book everything!

Is Sydney worth visiting? Are you seriously asking this question, mate? Don’t be a piker, you’ve just read the ginormous list of spectacularly amazing things to see in Sydney and you’re still debating on whether to go or not? Do better! On a serious note though, yes, Sydney is the place you absolutely must visit at least once in your life.

Where to stay in Sydney?

From our personal experience, we think that you can divide your stay into two parts, just like we did. The first 1,5 weeks we chose to stay within walking distance of Sydney’s CBD (good areas for this are Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Haymarket, and, at least to some extent, Kirribilli). The second part of our stay was spent by the Manly Beach, and we can confidently say these two parts of Sydney are like night and day. Manly is a whole ‘nother Sydney; it’s calmer, more affluent, and flawless like a classical painting.

When we were searching where to stay in Sydney, we made a conscious decision to avoid the area surrounding Bondi Beach — it’s too touristy for our liking. Plus, we didn’t look for hotels, the prices for hotel rooms in Sydney can get astronomical. Airbnb it was, and we lucked out on our studio in the city center that we got for US$100 a night, and our room in the house on Manly Beach for US$60 a night. There are lots of great Airbnb options in Sydney, you just have to put in time to find the one that suits you best.

How to get around Sydney

As long as you have a contactless banking card, you’re golden. You can use it for paying for all the different kinds of public transportation. You tap it on the electronic reader at the beginning AND at the end of your trip, and the system counts the fare. For example, the bus fare is from AU$2,24 to AU$5,60 depending on the time and distance. We love ourselves a ferry ride, but they’re expensive, around AU$7 ($4,5) for a short ride and AU$9 ($5,5) for longer ones.

• One thing we absolutely adore about using public transport in Sydney is the daily cap. It means that you will not pay more than AU$18,70 ($11,50) on a weekday, no matter how many trips you take.

But wait, it gets better: The Fridays and weekends are even cheaper (not more than AU$9,35), so use this time to make some long-distance commutes to the suburban parks or ride the ferries!

We found metro in Sydney to be a little more reliable and convenient than the bus system; with one exception: The trains don’t get you to beaches, so a bus it is (thank god almost all of them are air-conditioned)!

If you’re still here to witness the end of our ultimate checklist of the best things to do in Sydney, then kudos to you, mate, you’re a beast (a cute one, like a Tasmanian devil)! We think we’ve managed to cover everything you need to know to make this 7 days in Sydney itinerary your own, but if you still have questions, shoot them in the comments below!