Travel Sydney - The Must See Places in the Harbour City

Sydney has a world famous bridge, harbour, opera house, beaches… as well as being the magnificent setting for the 2013 Real Insurance Sydney Harbour 10K race!

While the spotlight has been on Sydney, we’ve taken a look at the best places to visit in the harbour city.

With a fascinating history of convicts and the first fleet, combined with a vibrant modern culture rich with festivals, restaurants and music; you will have your pick of entertainment while in Sydney.

Sydney Harbour

Sydney’s Harbour has been an iconic symbol of Australia and is the location of the early settlement after the First Fleet landed in 1788. The harbour has 240km of shoreline and is dotted by amazing sights including the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Luna Park and Taronga Zoo.

The best way to see the harbour is by boat and there are plenty of options from private yacht to the humble ferry.

Ferry to Manly

Catch the ferry from Circular Quay over to the northern seaside suburb of Manly. The ride takes about 30 minutes and ferries leave from the wharf every half an hour. The ferry ride takes you out of Circular Quay and across the harbour, on a sunny day this is a really amazing sight with the city as the backdrop. Manly is also a great spot to check out with its long beach and laid back feel, and great strip of restaurants and bars along the main promenade.

Opera House

Designed in 1959 by Danish architect Jorn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House is home to 6 auditoriums for opera, orchestra, concerts, dance and theatre. Take a tour around the building or go backstage and get a behind the scenes view of a production at the opera house.

Alternatively you can take a tour through the building and visit the concert halls which are underneath the famous sails of the opera house.

Coastal Walk from Bondi to Coogee

This path follows the coastline and has views of the beaches of Bondi, Tamarama, Bronte, Clovelly and Coogee. Walk along the cliff tops and peer down at the incredible beaches, parks, bays and rock alcoves. Along the track you will see the very scenic Waverley Cemetery, as well as beautiful Gordon’s Bay, a cove that is completely surrounded by rocky cliffs. This walk is the perfect activity for a sunny day.

Something for the Kids

In Sydney there are many attractions for kids including visiting Taronga Zoo, the Aquarium, Darling Harbour Playground, Maritime Museum, Madame Tussauds, the Powerhouse Museum plus more.

Taronga Zoo is open every day of the year and features animals from around the world. Sydney Aquarium has sharks, sting rays, platypus, clown fish, dugongs plus more! Kids will be enthralled by the creatures of the sea, and is handily located in Darling Harbour. For the science loving child, the Powerhouse Museum has many temporary exhibitions as well as regular exhibits including Australian inventions, science experiments and the steam revolution.

If you’re looking for some outdoor sports to take part in, have a look at The best spots in Sydney for outdoor exercise.