5 Day Guide to Sydney

Joe and I had arrived in Sydney after a long, and I mean 24 hour kind of long, journey from Pittsburgh. We had a little over five days in Sydney, which was broken up by our trip to Cairns. With so much to see in such little time, I scavenged the internet for the top things to do. Here is my own personal guide of what to do in Sydney. Essentially, these are the things I did and really enjoyed doing.

My Guide to Sydney

The Stay

West Hotel Sydney. This was our home base for the first three nights in Sydney. The West Hotel is a Curio Collection hotel, something Joe and I have decided is tailored toward the millennial crowd, that was located in Darling Harbor. It was marvelous. The breakfast was top-notch and I didn’t mind eating the exact same thing every day. Would you with this spread?



The Intercontinental. The last three nights we stayed at the Intercontinental right in Circular Quay. This was more of an old-school fancy hotel that was an awesome base due to its location. Joe and I must’ve walked the adjacent Botanic Garden at least five times before we left.

The Transportation

I quickly learned that Sydney’s MetroCard equivalent was called the Opal Card. We purchased that at a 7 Eleven and found it to be an extremely efficient way of paying for our transportation, especially when using Google Maps to tell us exactly what bus or train to get on. There’s also the option of purchasing single ride tickets. The plus of this is you don’t end up with extra money on your Opal Card at the end of your trip.

The Walks

Spit to Manly Walk

The Spit to Manly Walk was a pleasant 10 kilometer (6.2 mile) trail that featured dog-friendly waters, beautiful beaches and epic scenery. From the West Hotel, Joe and I took the bus about 30 minutes and found ourselves at the base of the Spit Bridge. We had naturally gotten up early and there were few people at the start, but I’ve read that it can get crowded. The walk took up the majority of the morning before we found ourselves right in Manly.







Coogee to Bondi Beach Walk

This was another walk that had caught my fancy during my research. We spent about 50 minutes on the bus form Circular Quay before we reached Coogee Beach. Joe grabbed a coffee and then we were on our way walking along the coastline toward Bondi Beach. It was a 6 kilometer (3.7 miles) walk that featured some smaller beaches and stellar coastline. I took a dip in one of the many pools that was really the ocean funneled in with man made walls. We continued on and made it to the famous Bondi Beach.





Royal Botanic Garden

As I mentioned before, this park was situated right next to the Intercontinental hotel. It was the most meticulously manicured garden/park I think I’ve seen. It was also gigantic and you could go a different way each time, which Joe and I did. We also enjoyed breakfast one morning in the cafe. Plus you can get some pretty awesome pictures of the Opera House and bridge from here.





BridgeClimb

And last, but certainly not least, was the Sydney BridgeClimb. You know, that famous one. After much donning of attire and gear, we were on our way to enjoy some history and beautiful sights of Sydney. I really enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone going to Sydney. The pictures speak for themselves.

The Beaches

Manly Beach

We had made the walk all the way from Spit and were interested in seeing what Manly Beach had to offer. But first, a snack! We hopped into Coles Supermarket and grabbed some drinks, cheese, and crackers. We found an empty bench overlooking Manly Beach and enjoyed our snack as we people-watched the surfers and beach-goers. After a stint of relaxation, we headed back to the ferry for the quick ride to Circular Quay.



Bondi Beach

While my understanding is this is the more famous beach, I preferred Manly. Though we did spend more time here. We ate lunch, rented chairs and an umbrella, and enjoyed a couple hours of Bondi Beach. It was a lovely day and the surfers were out in full swing. I would’ve liked to have taken a surf class, but Joe wasn’t terribly interested and it was $100 for a very short session. Maybe next time.



Watson’s Bay

Another quick ferry ride from Circular Quay was Watson’s Bay. The rest of the crew had flown out so it was up to Chelsea and I to explore the area. We started with some fish and chips from the takeaway at Watson's Bay Boutique Hotel and then took a walk to explore the small cove beaches. Unfortunately we didn’t have too much time as I was flying out that afternoon to my next destination.

The Food and Drinks

I won’t spend too much time on this as I think the food is pretty similar to ours in the US. But there were some pretty neat spots we sought out that are worth mentioning.

The Rook

This was sort of a hidden rooftop spot that was located in what seemed to be an office building. We jumped in the elevator and headed to the top floor. The food and drinks were good, but the dessert was phenomenal. Plus they opened the roof right as we arrived.



Pony Dining the Rocks

This was my first introduction to The Rocks area and I loved it. We headed back to this area several times on the weekend to see the market stalls selling all kinds of goods. We sat outside at this restaurant and the atmosphere was, as Google called it, “Buzzy”. I had the pumpkin ravioli and the service was surprisingly good, considering Australia didn’t seem to have the best table service.



Manly Wharf Hotel

Situated right on the wharf harbor in Manly, this was a cool spot where I was fortunate enough to meet up with my SAS friend, Colby, who had just moved to Manly. They had healthier food options and it was a great spot to catch up with her.

Opera Bar

This was one of the cooler spots Joe and I enjoyed a drink. It was right below the Opera House on the water and had drinks and snacks. But beware of the birds, who are savages.



The Rocks

This was a tropical spot that had some cool cocktail selections and snacks. It was an excellent stop to hit up right after our BridgeClimb.





360 Bar and Dining

I’ll mention this only because of how awesome the view was. While the food was average, the spinning view above the city trumped it all.

Overall Sydney

I absolutely loved Sydney and would move there in a heartbeat. It had a similar vibe to southern California and everyone was active. Considering it was a big city, everything was exceptionally clean and the people extremely friendly. I could walk around the Sydney Opera House forever and still love it. While I'm sure I'll get back to Sydney eventually, it's now time for some solo travel in Bali.

But before the next adventure, a HUGE thank you to Frank and Gerri for taking me on such an amazing vacation to the land down under!!