Sydney City Attractions

Watching the sun set on the harbour from the cockpit of a yacht or atop the Harbour Bridge, taking in a show, enjoying great food and wine, getting your feet sandy or just enjoying the scenery. Don’t miss these quintessential Sydney experiences.

Climb Sydney Harbour Bridge

Conquer Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge as you climb 134 metres to its apex for unmatchable views of the city and harbour. The Bridge Climb takes you around the outer rim while the Discovery Climb takes you through the heart of the structure. The Express climb is the fastest way to the top. Whether a dawn, dusk or daytime tour, this is an experience not to miss.

Discover Sydney Opera House

Take a photo on the steps of the Opera House before exploring inside with a multimedia Essentials Tour or Backstage Tour under the famous sails. Enjoy fine dining in Guillaume at Bennelong or an alfresco cocktail at Opera Bar before taking in a ballet, opera, symphony or another breathtaking performance in one of Sydney Opera House’s distinctive theatres.

Sail on Sydney Harbour

Aboard a luxury yacht, explore Sydney Harbour under sail for a stunning harbour experience. Whether hauling sails or relaxing with a drink in a skippered charter, this is the best way to enjoy the harbour like a local and get a closer look at the little bays and islands that make up its beautiful foreshore.

Discover surf culture at a famous Sydney beach

Ride the waves at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach. Let’s Go Surfing offers surfing lessons for all skill levels so you can learn the basics before you get wet. You can also combine a surfing lesson with a Discover Bondi tour, for an insight into Bondi’s colourful history, surf lifesaving, beach culture and more.

Take a scenic flight

On one of Sydney’s many beautiful days there is nothing better than to take to the skies above the twinkling harbour for a bird’s eye view of the city’s most famous icons. Take off from the water in a seaplane or soar up in a helicopter. Fly over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, and discover Sydney’s pristine beaches and vast national parks from above.

Meet native Australian animals

Get up close to native Australian animals, including the koala, kangaroo, wombat, platypus and emu. Taronga Zoo, overlooking Sydney Harbour, is home to all of these as well as mammals, reptiles and invertebrates from around the world. Take a ferry from Circular Quay for a scenic journey and ride the Sky Safari gondola up to the top.

At Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour visitors can see over 12,000 animals including a great collection of Australian marine life like huge sharks and rays, platypus, seals, fairy penguins, crocodiles and much more. Next door to the Sydney Aquarium is Sydney Wildlife World. Experience a real Australian adventure, without having to travel around Australia with habitats including a butterfly enclosure, flight canyon, rooftop encounters, reptiles, nocturnal animals, rainforest, invertebrates, semi-arid grasslands, wallaby cliffs and koala sanctuary.

Visit a Harbour island

Many Sydney Harbour islands, including Fort Denison and Shark, Clark, Rodd, Cockatoo and Goat islands, have cultural and historical significance. Some of the sites resonate with Aboriginal history, while others reflect a European past with convict-built structures and old forts. Sydney Ferries operate daily services to many of the islands and Matilda Cruises operates a Fort Denison ferry service, where visitors can take a tour of the historic fort. Cockatoo Island offers guided and audio tours of the former shipyards and convict prison and visitors can stay overnight by the harbourside in the island camp site or cottages. Shark Island is a great spot for picnics, see passing yachts sailing on the harbour and watch seaplanes take off and land.

Catch the Manly Ferry

A visit to Manly by ferry is a quintessential Sydney experience. The half-hour journey from Circular Quay takes in many of Sydney Harbour’s most beautiful sights. Nestled between a tranquil harbour beach on one side and a surf beach on the other, Manly combines a laid-back attitude with a sophisticated dining and stylish boutiques. The palm-tree lined Corso leads onto the beachside, where visitors walk, roller-blade or cycle along the ocean front, or enjoy a swim or surf in the ocean.

Walk the Sydney coastline

Take to your feet in Sydney and you can follow tracks winding along the harbour shoreline through native bushland, walk the rocky cliffs between glamorous urban surf beaches and headlands, discover millionaires’ houses and explore the delights of Sydney’s precincts. Mapped walks include the Harbour Circle, Spit to Manly walk, Harbour to Great North walk, Cook Park Trail and Clovelly to Cronulla walk.