Ever since I watched Our Lips Are Sealed with Mary Kate and Ashley, Sydney has been high on my list of must-visit cities!  It was my childhood dream to go and see the Sydney Harbor Bridge as they did, and fate would have it ended up being the perfect first stop on my Australian Adventure. For context around my journey, I flew into Sydney on a Sunday around approximately 7 AM,  and I left at 7 PM the following Wednesday so I had a lot of time to explore! Word to the wise: this is not a child’s play jet lag going from one U.S. timezone to another! I tried my hardest to fight it, but on most days I turned in for the night before 7 PM and was up by 5 AM the next morning.

Day 1:

Right after my flight landed in Sydney, I hopped on the airport link train after grabbing my Opal Card (this is the most important thing you will need for cheap transportation). This is the T8 train, and while it is more expensive, the cost is worth obtaining the convenience and ease of use. After a short trip, I then hopped off at Central Station and checked into my hostel, Wake Up! Sydney hostel, where I lodged for all 3 nights of my trip. It was very affordable with plenty of amenities, and I can see why the hostel has such great reviews. They even let me check into my room early at 8 AM!

Walk from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach:  

Right after I checked into my hostel and freshened up, I headed out on my first and most highly recommended adventure, walking from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach! My sweet friend Kalley said this was one of her favorite things she did in Sydney. If you have been following me throughout quarantine, you know that long walks are one of my favorite things to pass the time. For starters, I took the 374 bus to Coogee Beach. Always screenshot your route on Google Maps before you walk out of wifi so you know exactly what route, bus number, and end stop to get off at! I do the same thing for the return trip as well before I leave. If you want to have an exact map of the trail, check this great blog post here. 

The walk took me around 2 hours to complete, with the total distance being a little less than 4 miles or 6 kilometers. The path is mixed, with some paved sections and some gravel/dirt parts. Most of the walk you stay nestled up to the ocean with stunning views of beaches, tide pools, gorgeous houses, and of course at the end of the walk, large crowds of surfers on Bondi. I felt like every turn I took, there was another breathtaking view just waiting to be soaked in. I sat at Bondi beach for 20-30 minutes just taking it all in – here were so many locals out enjoying a picnic with friends, families going on walks in the sunshine, and surfers trying to catch that perfect wave. All in all, Coogee and Bondi were a great start to my journey.

Lunch at The Clock:

After hopping on the 333 bus back to the hostel, I realized I was incredibly famished and hadn’t eaten yet. I wasn’t quite sure where to go but after some quick google mapping, I found this quaint restaurant called The Clock. The walk in the neighborhood to the restaurant was so lovely. Many of the apartments and homes here had fencing and architecture that provides a subtle vibe reminiscent of New Orleans!

The Clock was a perfect transition into the afternoon, providing some delicious wine and a fantastically well-cooked burger. They have this lovely upper patio to sit on and spacious indoor dining as well. Even though I was traveling alone, there was a surprise 30th birthday party happening across the restaurant that was so fun to watch! This is clearly a locals spot and had the ambiance and atmosphere to match.

Sunset on Manly Ferry:

After my late lunch, I hopped back on the B train and headed towards Circular Quay (the city center). I walked around the area wanting to see the Sydney Opera House in person and even picked up a few souvenirs. Since I was traveling to Australia in the winter, the sunset was very early. I took the F1 5 PM ferry so that I could see the sunset on the harbor headed to Manly Island. The best part about having the Opal card is that the max you can spend on Sundays is $2.70. My ferry ride was also free, even though it normally costs $9.10 for a ticket! It was a gorgeous ride heading out of the Sydney Harbor and I couldn’t stop taking in the stunning sunset.

I came back to the hostel and passed out before 7 PM. Due to this poor decision on my end, I woke up at 4:30 AM the next morning – try and fight it longer so that you don’t end up like me! If you are going to ride the ferry, feel free to check out the timetable HERE.

Day 2:

Due to rising early this morning, I had to wait for breakfast places to open up. Moral of the story – make sure you pack some spare snacks for those weird hours where Australia will understandably not open everything up to serve tourists! 

Breakfast at InCafe Restaurant:

Right as this place opened at 7 am I was at the door ready to eat. I got the most delicious ricotta pancakes and hot chocolate to start off my morning. Even though I packed for the cold weather, I always needed something each morning to warm me up and hot chocolate happened every day.

Downtown Walking Tour:

Since I awoke so early, not many of the tourist attractions were open, but that gave me the opportunity to explore the city on foot. I knew I wanted to end up at the Sydney Botanical Gardens so I took the scenic route. I stopped to see the Anzac Memorial from the outside since it wasn’t open yet. It looked beautiful from the outside and it is free to visit during normal business hours. I then kept walking through Hyde Park, and onto St. Mary’s Cathedral. The cathedral was stunning and a perfect stopping spot on my chilly morning walk. I did want to go visit the Art Gallery of New South Wales, but this too wasn’t open yet. This museum is free except for specific exhibits, so make sure you try and visit while you are there!

Royal Botanical Garden of Sydney:

This was one of my favorite attractions to visit in downtown Sydney. The grounds are mesmerizing and filled with tons of information about the history of the gardens, the city of Sydney, plants, and wildlife of the area. I love that it educates you about how to keep our planet safe and water issues many countries deal with as well. When I came into the gardens, I turned right and weaved my way all the way towards Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair which offers stunning views of the opera house and the bridge.

I then headed down the trail on the edge of the water passing by the Government House. You can go inside and visit this stunning house and their personal gardens, but they are only open for tours Friday-Sunday and you will need to leave the receptionist a photo ID. Right now with COVID they are closed, but they do offer a virtual tour of the house if you are interested in diving into some of Sydney’s history from the comforts of your own home!

I ended my garden tour by seeing the famous Sydney Opera House. They do offer tours when they are open (similar to the Government House they are closed for COVID), but the cost is $42 which seems to be a bit pricey for a tourist attraction. I did enjoy the views from the outside and recommend stopping by at least to take in the architecture.

Lunch in Chinatown:

Since it was still early in the morning, I headed back to my hostel to freshen up and see what tours they were offering for the day. Wake Up! Sydney offers daily walking tours so visitors can get to know the area. The first tour started at 10:45 AM so I thought I would join! I quickly realized that they were about to do the exact walking tour I just completed. At the beginning of the tour, she mentioned they were going to eat in Chinatown for lunch. Since I had such an early breakfast, this seemed like an appropriate time to ditch the tour, research some lunch spots and chow down.

I found Gumshara was highly rated on Google and I was craving some delicious ramen. It was a little difficult to find. If you head west on Goulburn Street towards Harbour Street, you will see a door on the left of what appears to be an office building. Inside the basement of this office building is a huge food court with multiple restaurant options for you to choose from. I was excited to order and eat, but when I arrived I discovered they only take cash! That could have changed now due to COVID, but I would recommend you make sure you have some cash handy as a precaution. I ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen Noodle with two soft boiled eggs and dumplings. It was delicious, super filling and one of the creamiest ramen I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting.

Museum of Contemporary Art:

After refueling on ramen at lunch, I decided to head downtown to visit more tourist attractions. I’m not really big into art, but modern art does intrigue me to some degree and I always think art museums are worth exploring. The Museum of Contemporary Art, my next step, is free to visit for certain exhibits and made the decision that much easier. I spent approximately 30 – 40 minutes exploring the free-to-see exhibits while also checking some great rooftop views of the city.

Watson’s Bay:

After some time in the city, I was craving nature again! Hopping on the F4 Ferry at 2:12 PM, I arrived at Watson’s Bay around 2:45 PM to continue my journey along the water. At Watson’s Bay, there is the Federation Cliff Walk which offers stunning views in this quaint town. I walked south to the lighthouse reserve then doubled back towards the ferry. This walk should take you around 45 minutes to complete. I grabbed some refreshing ice cream and hopped on the 4:19 PM ferry back into the city. Note, this ferry is the last one to leave the island. Make sure you read the schedules and plan sight-seeing accordingly.   I would classify this as a beautiful seaside spot that you should consider if there is enough time behind other items higher on your list.

Day 3:

Breakfast at Roy’s Cafe:

Right inside/next to my hostel was this great affordable restaurant, Roy’s Cafe. I honestly had the majority of my meals in Sydney at this place. On this chilly morning, I grabbed a delicious hot chocolate (of course) and an avocado toast before heading out on my hike.

Getting to the Blue Mountains:

Today was my most anticipated part of the trip to Sydney because I love the outdoors and I love hiking! It took me a while to figure out the exact way to get to the Blue Mountains. I want to help you guys as I did not find local instructions fairly helpful for navigating. I started off at Central Station and I hopped on the T1 train that turns into the BMT train. Don’t rely on Google Maps; I would really use the NSW transportation website as your guide! My train left at 7:24 AM and arrived at Katoomba Station around 9:30 AM. I would arrive at the train station around 7:15 AM to go to the ticket line to make sure you have enough on your Opal card (it costs $4.43) and to find the correct platform for the trip. It was about a 25-minute walk from the Katoomba Station to the visitor’s information center of the Blue Mountains. Look up the directions of the walk on Google Maps before you leave and take a screenshot for reference!

The Blue Mountains Day Hike:

The Blue Mountains has an incredible amount of trails you can hike along for day use. You actually have to buy any map they have on-site. Through some discussion with the ranger, I figured out the perfect trails to tackle. I started off at Echo Point and took the Prince Henry Cliff Walk all the way to Leura Cascades. When you get down the Leura Cascades trail, it turns into the Federal Pass. You will go down a significant amount of stairs. It pays to plan your route out appropriately so you aren’t heading up those stairs to start.

Once the trail flattens out, you will enter a fantastic forest area! The Leura Forest area is beautiful and if you want to stop for a snack/lunch break. This would be a perfect point since there are some picnic tables available for use. Right at the end of the forest, the trail divides – I chose to take the Dardenelles Pass. You’ll take that all the way to the Giant Stairway, which is in fact an accurate name. It says that it is 900 steps and it’ll take 2 hours. The trek only took me about 40 minutes to go up with several stops. At the top, you’ll get to go inside the 3 Sisters and that is the end of the trail! Overall it was approximately a 5-mile hike. The full journey taking me around 3 hours factoring in ample time for pictures.

At the end of my hike, I decided to grab a small snack/lunch before I headed back on the train. I stopped at the Echo Point Plaza which has a few restaurants and is reminiscent of a small food court. After my snack, I walked around Katoomba before heading back to the train station. It is a quaint little town with lots of cute shops, murals, and restaurants. I hopped on the 3:45 PM train back to Sydney and I was back at my hostel before 6 PM!

Whether you have more or less time to hike, I highly recommend going to this website here to look at your options. For transportation timetables and costs to plan your trip, click here.

Overall Sydney Thoughts:

I could easily have spent more than 3 days in Sydney if my trip had allowed it! When I travel, I love a mixture of city life and nature; thus, these activities were the perfect blend for me. I hope this guide gives you some ideas on how to make the best of your time in Sydney! After my 3 days in Sydney, I headed to the airport to fly to Cairnes, the next stop on my Australian Adventure! Stay tuned for that blog post to come!

Budget: