bluemooseband

hi, we are spending 5 nights in Sydney in Oct 2024, (between cruises), and will be planning day trips (Harbour tour, Blue Mountains etc). I'm looking for some direction, suggestions, insight into other ideas to tour while we're there..... Also, we were thinking of renting a condo in the heart of Sydney, and wonder where the best areas might be ? Circular Quay, Darling Harbour, The Rocks, elsewhere ? any info is very much appreciated !

Bokhara2

Hi & welcome to the Australian Forum,

You're in luck. Sydney is very well serviced by purpose built self-catering apartment hotels, which many of us prefer to traditional hotel rooms. There's a few around Circular Quay & The Rocks at various price points - and a good selection throughout the city.

Have a look at www.booking.com. with "Sydney CBD" as your search area. CBD = Central Business District

If you give us an idea of your interests, whether you might rent a car for out-of-town day trips, we may be able to make some suggestions. I'm not a fan of the idea of "must do's" - but will make an exception here .... Sydney Ferries! Take a ferry - just about any ferry - from Circular Quay. It's quintessentially "Sydney" and we locals love them whether it's transport to & from work, or just visiting Manly, Watsons Bay - Mosman or any of the other inner harbour suburbs.

This map should be useful in orientating yourself & also for finding restaurants, places of interest, etc.,
I've also attached the link to Sydney tourism.Sydney map:

https://goo.gl/maps/PFmeA45BAKXruh4F8

Visit Sydney: https://www.sydney.com/

cathies

A walk across the Harbour Bridge is worthwhile. Catch a train from Town Hall or Circular Quay (pronounced key) to Milsons Point on the north side of the harbour. You can then make your way to the road level of the bridge and walk across it back to the city, there is a dedicated and very safe pedestrian path. You will end up at Circular Quay and quite close to the Sydney Opera House where there lots of places to eat at all budgets.

Of course if the budget allows you can also walk over the top of the harbour bridge. 👍

https://www.bridgeclimb.com/?msclkid...dge%20-%20Walk

KayF

If you like walking, there's a path from Bondi to Coogee that has wonderful views. You can walk the whole length or just part of it. We had fish and chips in Coogee at the end and caught a bus back to central Sydney. Take hats and sunscreen, also swimsuit if you want a dip along the way.

https://sydneyuncovered.com/coastal-walks-sydney/

The QVB building is historic and beautiful, with about 4 floors of shops and cafes (Queen Victoria Building).

Bokhara2

Kay F is right - we have some wonderful harbour walks in & around Sydney.
Harbour Walks - https://sydneyvisitorguide.com.au/sydney-harbour-walks/

Sydney – Sculpture by the Sea - https://sculpturebythesea.com/bondi

If your dates align with the Sculpture By the Sea next year (It's generally around the same dates each year), that would be a great walk to do. Just try to do it on a week day, weekends are super busy.

I like to start the Bondi – Coogee Walk - https://www.bonditocoogeewalk.com/ at Coogee & end up at Bondi Beach.
The Bondi Icebergs Club .... footsteps from where the walk ends ... welcomes visitors and has a good range of food & drinks at very reasonable prices. Take ID (NSW Liquor Licensing Laws require you to sign in & show your ID. A Driver's Licence will do.)
Fabulous views of the famous beach.

If you end the walk at Bondi Beach, you can then take a bus to Watsons Bay ... maybe have a meal/coffee/drink at the Watsons Bay Hotel ... and then take the ferry back to Circular Quay. Show-stopping views of the iconic Bridge, Opera House & Luna Park straight down the harbour. Time it right and you may even get a sunset backdrop.

northie

Theres also the smaller walk from Manly after getting off the ferry -goes to a lovely family beach area..
On eof my favs is Paddington Market -crafts abd eating places.Just near a bustsop

bluemooseband

some great ideas and advice, thanks !!! is there any areas in the CBD to avoid ? ideally, we're thinking condo near Circulation Quay, but if it's easy to get around via public transit, maybe there's some condos better / cheaper outside the area ? BTW we really like the idea of the ferries and walks !

margo_oz

Of course, the areas around Circular Quay are tourist central, and accordingly priced.

A bit back from the Quay you may find something at a respectable price. Skye Suites are well reviewed. Still well within walking distancer from most sites, etc.

KayF

We've stayed further away from Circular Quay and found it was fine. There are trams, buses and trains in Sydney and public transport seems to work well. You need an Opal card, though possibly you can use a credit card now instead. Check online. The Hyde Park Inn was fine, small basic kitchenette and nice views from the top floor. Another stay was at Meriton Suites, I think the Kent St one. There are a few in Sydney. They have studio rooms, one bedroom, etc, all with kitchenette and laundry.

northie

we stayed in Hyde Park Inn with our American friends-the train from the airport takes you straight to the nearby station.

bluemooseband

I just checked the ferries info .... seniors, max $2.50 a day ? wow.... it says there are 5 wharfs going to 37 different points.... I wonder if there's some good areas to rent a condo at some of these stops, away from the CBD, and we can ferry to where we want to go ?

Bokhara2

Hi Bluemooseband,
Good idea - here's the Ferry info: https://transportnsw.info/travel-inf...around/ferry#/
You can use the Sydney map I posted earlier to incorporate the ferry routes & see where you might like to stay.https://goo.gl/maps/PFmeA45BAKXruh4F8

Have a look at Booking.com and Airbnb for the inner harbour suburbs.

Note: the $2.50 Seniors' fare is for Australian Seniors with the appropriate card. The usual daily/weekly Opal fare capping will apply for your ferry trips, though.

KayF

Before you book somewhere away from the CBD I'd check on Google Maps for the locations of anything you are keen to see, like the Opera House, Botanic Gardens, the bridge, shops, galleries etc. You may not want to add on travel time and cost each day to get where you are going. For example Manly seemed a nice place when we visited by ferry, lovely beach, lots of places to eat etc but if you have to add on the time for a ferry trip every day, it may not make sense.

Bokhara2

That's certainly a good point, KayF. The travelling time from places like Mosman Bay, Cremorne Point, Kirribilli, Milsons Point, McMahons Point, Balmain, Rose Bay is generally less than the 25 mins or so from Manly (depending on what other places are on the inner-harbour schedules), but it's not quite the same as being able to walk back to a CBD hotel.

On the other hand, realistically, how often do we go back to our hotels during the day? Not often in my case. Once I'm out, I'm out for the day - or until I need to go home & change for an evening event. If I were a first-time visitor with two blocks of time in Sydney bookending a cruise or some such, I think I'd probably stay in the CBD on the first and somewhere else the 2nd.
OP, you might also look at Potts Point/Elizabeth Bay which is a cosmopolitan residential area close to but with an entirely different feeling to the CBD.