What I LOVE About Sydney!

Be sure you walk the city as parking spaces are difficult to find and the city is designed to

be walkable. George St. is the main street and has great shopping opportunities ranging
from Lululemon, an Ugg boutique and an Apple store. Beside George is Pitt St. with
equally great shopping!

Grab some sushi at Asagaya on Pitt St. before continuing to walk towards the harbour,

grabbing some Starbucks before heading towards The Rocks. If you’re there on the
weekend, there is the Rocks market for souvenirs. The restaurants along The Rocks have
great views but are expensive.

Walk along the harbour, past the Opera House to the Royal Botanical Gardens, making
your way to the end for sunset. Beautiful views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Oh you have to be sure to take a tour of the Opera House! If something decent is playing,
go see a show there, or concert (it has plays, concerts and operas), but otherwise the only
way to see the inside is to take a tour. You’ll never be able to see every theatre on the
tour because there is always a play or opera going on that requires one to be closed to the
public but you can usually see the two biggest ones. Not that expensive – maybe $30/
person. Best shots of the Opera House on land are by The Rocks, day or night.

If money isn’t that tight, climb the Harbour Bridge. It takes about 2 hours and has
amazing views of the city as well as the Opera House. Do it at dawn or sunset to get the
best views, but it’s about $50-$100 more than during the day. Costs about $170/person
but wow… the view from the top is amazing! Would do it again in a heartbeat!

If you’re shopping in Sydney for souvenirs, don’t buy everything at the first store you go
to, as there are many and they all have roughly the same things at roughly the same price,
but there are subtle differences and worth shopping around for. I recommend stuffed
animals in a can for $10 each (like a kangaroo, wombat, koala, etc).

Be sure to visit St. Mary’s Cathedral as it is free to enter and spectacular on the inside.
The crypt is a little creepy but I love that kind of thing! It’s well worth it if you want to
pay a little to see a sight most people don’t get to see in a normal church.

I walked the Royal Botanical Gardens and sat on the hillside to people watch and soak
in the harbour front. Staying until dark to see the city lights come to life was such an
amazing picture opportunities and just a great way to end the day:)

Finally, be sure to visit Darling Harbour on the other side of George St. for a nice walk
and maybe visit the Chinese Friendship Garden. Not as memorable as the Opera House
side but is very nicely lit up at night!

Image by NickiMM Under Creative Common License.