Last Updated on January 21, 2026 by Home in the World
‘And the winner is… Sydney!’ For those unaware, these were the words uttered by the president of the International Olympic Committee, the late Juan Antonio Samaranch, in 1993 as he announced which city would be hosting the 2000 Olympics.
They became extremely iconic words for all Australians, and, for the rest of the 1990s, excitement and anticipation grew as the new millennium drew closer – and with it, our nation’s opportunity to host one of the world’s biggest sporting events for the first time since 1956.
The 2000 Olympics were arguably one of the best Games ever, and they were perhaps also one of the first major occasions to truly showcase Sydney, and Australia in general, to the outside world, for whom Down Under had previously often been something of an unknown – some faraway land at the bottom of the world where kangaroos hopped along the streets and people got eaten by sharks and crocodiles (some of these stereotypes are annoyingly still perpetuated to this day, but don’t get me started on that..).
Nowadays, with the world having got much smaller, many foreign travellers visit Australia every year. And if there’s one city they all visit, it’s Sydney – the nation’s largest and most iconic metropolis (but NOT, as is sometimes assumed, the capital city.
That would be Canberra). Of course it is also a popular domestic destination for Australians living in other parts of the country, and I myself have been there numerous times, both as a child and as an adult. This blog post features photos I have managed to salvage from some of my most recent trips.
This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this article, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Sydney. You can also read more about the GPSmyCity concept in this blog post.
Sydney Harbour (Harbour Bridge and Opera House)
The best-known sights are undoubtedly the Sydney Harbour Bridge (a.k.a. the ‘Coathanger’, and famed for its spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks display) and the Sydney Opera House, both of which are located in the heart of the city, at its main transportation hub known as Circular Quay.
It’s a bustling precinct flanked by water on one side and the downtown skyscrapers on the other – a place where scurrying Sydneysiders collide with throngs of tourists and daytrippers, often with a backdrop of Aboriginal didgeridoo-playing buskers and all manner of other street artists.
Sydney Harbour is arguably one of the world’s most beautiful natural harbours, and the steel arch bridge spanning it completed in 1932, connecting North Sydney with the central business district.
If you’re game, you can even climb to the top of it (which I have not done!). I have walked and driven across it though, and feeling like a tourist in my own country, I got a definite buzz from being ‘inside’ and travelling ‘through’ this iconic structure, as it were.
Walking along the pedestrian path of the bridge (at road level) still gives you some amazing views of the city and harbour, so don’t fret if you can’t manage to do the Bridge Climb. There is also the Pylon Lookout, which offers similar vistas, as well as information on the bridge’s history and construction process. I did not visit this, but the website is here.
The Opera House, in turn, was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and formally opened in 1973, though he did not attend this opening due to various controversies that arose during the construction process.
Nevertheless, the building is undoubtedly one of the most distinctive on the planet, its roof consisting of innovative shells covered in more than a million tiles. On special occasions, these shells are used as a canvas for projected motifs, patterns and messages – and this is taken to a whole new level during the Vivid Sydney light festival, held every year, usually around May.
The Opera House today continues to be used as a multi-purpose performing arts centre, and, despite having famously mediocre acoustics (apparently), it remains one of the nation’s most prestigious venues for a wide range of music, dance and drama events.
Ships of all sizes dock in Sydney Harbour, from global cruiseliners, to military vessels, to local commuter/tourist ferries. Water plays a big part in Sydney’s topography and appeal, and I recommend taking a short ferry cruise (there are a number of options available at Circular Quay, the most popular being Captain Cook Cruises) both by day and night to give you a different perspective of Sydney’s many bays and coves, not to mention an opportunity to sail right underneath the Harbour Bridge.
Museum of Contemporary Art
And before or after one of your ferry rides, I would recommend spending some time at the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is located right at Circular Quay. It’s a spacious, modern facility housed in an art-deco building, and on my trip in January 2014, it happened to be hosting a very interesting exhibition by Yoko Ono, which I went to see. The views from its rooftop café are not too shabby either.
The Rocks
Backing onto the south-western end of Circular Quay, in the shadows of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, is the city’s historic district known as The Rocks, which started out as a convict settlement in 1843.
It’s definitely worth a few hours strolling down its many cobblestone laneways, which are home to artisan markets, hole-in-the wall cafés, lively pubs, upscale restaurants, cute little shops, and boutique art galleries.
I have wandered around The Rocks on numerous occasions at all times of day and night, and the atmosphere is always an interesting fusion of colonial heritage, industrial chic, hipster flair, and contemporary urban entertainment.
Darling Harbour
After Circular Quay, the second biggest and most important harbour area in Sydney is one cove further west (approximately a 20-minute ferry ride away) in the form of Darling Harbour. In addition to being a working harbour, it’s a pumping entertainment district, filled with restaurants, cinemas, shops, hotels, museums and more. Some may consider it a little tacky, but it is a popular spot for families, tourists and pleasure-seekers in general.
Abbotsford
A longer ferry ride further west up the Parramatta River will take you to Abbotsford, a tranquil suburb in Sydney’s Inner West where the Watergrill at the Sydney Rowing Club is a great way to spend a casual afternoon in leafy, waterside surrounds.
Sydney city centre
I feel like I’ve talked a lot about harbours, coves and waterside precincts so far. To be fair, they are all very much part of the fabric of Sydney. But there are other elements too.
While a walk through the CBD (central business district) may not be one of the most iconic things you will do in Sydney (though you may want to go up the Sydney Tower for some panoramic views), it’s still a good way to get a feel for the city, admire some of its architecture, and browse some of its shops and arcades. Sundays in particular are a quieter time with less traffic, though some businesses are also shut.
Kirribilli
On the northern side of the harbour (so facing the CBD) is the leafy, affluent suburb of Kirribilli, most famous for Kirribilli House, the secondary official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia. Some of the homes are magnificent, with price tags and views to match. But even for those of us who can’t afford such a postcode, it’s still a pleasant place to walk or drive through.
Kirribilli is in fact one of several prestigious neighbourhoods surrounding Sydney’s harbour area. Others include Woolloomooloo (from where you can visit the Royal Botanic Gardens), Vaucluse, Rose Bay, Point Piper, Mosman and Balmain, to name just a few.
They are home to some of the most expensive properties in Australia. I have passed through many of these with friends, and they certainly make for an enjoyable drive.
But, in true Aussie style, even the well-heeled suburbs have a down-to-earth element to them. I enjoyed a good ol’ takeaway fish & chips in a cardboard tray from the popular Bottom of the Harbour seafood restaurant in Mosman. Delicious waterside dining without the price tag!
Bondi Beach
And while we’re talking about fish & chips, it would be remiss of me not to mention some of Sydney’s famed beaches. Because if there’s one thing Sydney (and Australia in general) is famous for beyond the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, it’s the beaches.
Contrary to popular belief, they are not awash with sharks. Yes, shark attacks do happen (especially on the west coast, where I live), but they are still isolated incidents. The number of foreigners I have met overseas who have said to me ‘I would love to visit Australia but I’m afraid of the sharks/crocodiles/spiders/snakes/[insert dangerous wildlife here]’ is incredible, and goes to show the distorted news people get fed.
But anyway, back to the beaches. In Sydney, you can take your pick. I must admit I am not a huge beach person myself, plus we have some pretty amazing ones in Perth which will be featured in this blog too.
So I have not spent a huge amount of time in Sydney’s coastal areas. I went to Bondi because it’s Australia’s ‘most famous’ beach (purely because it’s where the country’s first surf live-saving club was set up) and, if I’m honest, it was pretty overrated and quite pretentious.
Manly
There is also Manly, accessed via ferry from Sydney Harbour. As it sticks out on a peninsula of sorts, you have the beach on one side and the sheltered Manly Cove on the other.
Connecting the two is The Corso, an eclectic semi-pedestrian mall lined with surf shops, restaurants, and other retail outlets. There’s no shortage of street art and entertainment either.
There’s a casual, surfie, slightly seedy but quintessentially Australian vibe, and if you like your seafood, I can recommend the Manly Fish Café, where I enjoyed another delicious meal of fish & chips.
Brighton-le-Sands
And if you like your beaches with a dash of aviation, look no further than Brighton-le-Sands in Sydney’s south. The beach itself is nothing spectacular, but the fact that you can watch the many landings and take-offs at nearby Sydney airport as you sunbake makes it quite unique.
Palm Beach
At the complete other end of the city, in Sydney’s prestigious Northern Beaches region is the exotically named Palm Beach. It’s nearly an hour’s drive from downtown, but it’s a scenic one, and when you get there, you really do feel like you have traded the big smoke for the yellow sands and sparkling waters of a lush oasis.
Much of the iconic Australian drama series Home and Away is filmed here, where it is renamed ‘Summer Bay’. And, as you stroll along the shores soaking in the ozone and sun’s rays, don’t forget to also look up at some of the amazing, if somewhat precariously perched, homes. This is, unsurprisingly, another very wealthy area of greater Sydney.
Day trip to Katoomba
And finally, if you really want to get out of the city for a day, a 2-hour train ride west from Sydney’s Central Station will take you to Katoomba, the main town in the Blue Mountains region.
Its population is barely 8,000, but it’s a popular place for tourists wanting to experience a bit of Australia’s nature and admire the sweeping views. The Blue Mountains get their name from the mist of eucalyptus oil that’s released from the eucalyptus trees (in Australia also known as ‘gum trees’) in the sun.
The mist creates a blueish tinge in the air as it refracts the light. The primary attraction here is the Three Sisters rock formation at Echo Point. I found the whole place truly spectacular. So peaceful, with stunning panoramic views. A highly recommended day-trip while you’re in Sydney!
Final thoughts on what to see in Sydney
So while there is definitely the stereotypical side to Sydney – the one of harbour icons, surfies and sandy beaches -, it does have other aspects to its personality as well. Very few of the cities I have visited around the world have such a stunning and interesting natural setting of waterside coves and winding roads.
As an Australian, it still gives me a thrill whenever I catch a glimpse of the Harbour Bridge or Opera House – like being in the postcard we send out to the world. Rightly or wrongly, for many foreigners, Australia is Sydney, and in a sense it does encapsulate a lot of what constitutes the Australian lifestyle – the great outdoors, multiculturalism, colonial history, Indigenous heritage, a vibrant arts & entertainment, modern architecture, sandy beaches, big blue skies and friendly people.
It might seem like a long way to travel for some people, depending on where you live, but it really is worth it. And you definitely don’t need to worry about the sharks or crocodiles!
** This post, like everything else on this website, has been written entirely by me. No ChatGPT or any other AI tool has been used. It takes longer to create, but I value 100% human-generated content and I hope you do too! **
Trip facts
When I visited: October 2007, August 2010, September 2012, March 2013 and January 2014
Weather: I have generally been pretty lucky with all my visits to Sydney. I have visited in every season and have enjoyed pleasant, clear days for the most part. Winter is June-September (daytime temperatures around 18°/64°F) and summer is December-March (daytime temperatures can sometimes reach 40°C/100°F). Sydney is prone to rain and humidity regardless of season, but also gets a fair amount of sun. It is basically a year-round destination.
Where I stayed: Sebel Pier One (now Pier One Sydney Harbour) in 2007, for the rest of the trips, I stayed at Stamford Plaza Sydney Airport Hotel, as it is close to our family friends, provides convenient access to the airport, and is still only a short train ride into the city.
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