Best Sydney Hotels for New Years Eve Fireworks with Harbour Views. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved. Four Seasons, Sydney.

Best Sydney Hotels for New Years Eve Fireworks – Hotels with Harbour Views

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The best Sydney hotels for New Years Eve fireworks are hotels with harbour views. A hotel room with harbour vistas is your best bet for watching the Sydney New Years Eve fireworks with so many of the best spots on the harbour foreshore and in waterfront parks already sold out.

For many Sydneysiders, watching the spectacular Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks by the harbourside with loved-ones is an annual ritual. I’m Sydney-born and bred and when we used to live in Sydney we’d make a beeline for the waterfront every year.

As inner-city Sydney residents for many years, we used to think we were the luckiest people on earth come New Year’s Eve as we could simply stroll down to a city foreshore park to watch the Sydney New Years Eve fireworks.

These days, Sydney-siders need to get online to book ticketed viewing spots on the foreshore or waterfront parks. Many of the best vantage points where alcohol is allowed are already sold out, and who doesn’t want to see in the New Year with a glass of bubbly in hand?

That means that this year, more than ever before, it makes sense to book one of the best Sydney hotels for New Years Eve fireworks, however, you will need to book fast. Rooms with views are quickly disappearing and the situation was changing even while we were updating this post.

Best Sydney Hotels for New Years Eve Fireworks – Hotels with Harbour Views

The best Sydney hotels for New Years Eve fireworks with harbour views don’t come cheap at any time of year, but especially on New Years Eve, which makes booking a few rooms with family or close friends and sharing the cost a brilliant idea.

You could book a more expensive harbour view suite for your cocktails, in-room dining and bubbly during the fireworks, and some more affordable rooms for sleeping. Split the total bill and toss on who gets to bunk down in the harbour view suite.

If the harbour view rooms are beyond your budget then book a hotel with Sydney harbour views from the rooftop bar, restaurant or rooftop pool. However, note that if the hotel is holding New Years Eve events at those venues you’ll most likely have an additional expense that may make the harbour view room more affordable – especially if you self-cater!

These are the best Sydney hotels for New Years Eve fireworks with harbour views that still have availability at the time of publishing this post on Tuesday afternoon.

Best Sydney Hotels for New Years Eve Fireworks

The Park Hyatt Sydney was fully booked at the time of publication so we’ve excluded it from the list, however, the rest of the best Sydney hotels for New Years Eve fireworks with harbour views below still had availability at the time of updating this guide. We’ve listed hotels from the most expensive to most affordable, however, obviously the price correlates to the views and level of luxury and service.

Four Seasons Hotel Sydney

Located on George Street, Circular Quay, Sydney’s opulent Four Seasons Hotel is easily the best of the best Sydney hotels for New Years Eve fireworks with harbour views. The breathtaking vista of Sydney harbour, above, overlooking Circular Quay, the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, was taken from our One-Bedroom Opera Suite at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney on one of our last work trips home.

It ended up as the opening double-page spread for one of the magazine stories on Sydney that we did. As you’d expect, rooms with views like those are selling very fast from the look of things, however, they are not cheap. To get that view or something similar you’ll need to book one of the Full Harbour Rooms or Suites (the pick of the bunch), Opera Suites or Rooms, or Harbour Room, Harbour View, or even Partial Harbour room categories.

You will not have that vista or anything close to it in a City View room. As you’d expect from a Four Seasons, rooms are plush and spacious, and superbly equipped; there’s a lobby, spa and swimming pool; and staff are outstanding. Note, however, that the executive lounge, where we had cocktails and canapés each evening, did not have great views. Book Four Seasons Hotel Sydney with our booking partner.

Shangri-La Hotel Sydney

Situated nearby in The Rocks area, the sophisticated Shangri-La Hotel Sydney is another of the best Sydney hotels for New Years Eve fireworks with harbour views – and it has spectacular views to rival that of the Four Seasons Sydney.

Of the categories currently available, the Executive Sydney Harbour suite has the most jaw-dropping vistas with 270-degree views across all rooms (including the bathroom and bath!) of Sydney Harbour, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. The Horizon Opera House also has similarly stunning views.

The Executive Opera House views focus more on Circular Quay and the Opera House. The Executive Darling Harbour rooms look over Walsh Bay, Balmain Bay, Pyrmont Bay, and Darling Harbour so you will be disappointed if you want to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge itself, however, as Sydney’s fireworks also illuminate the Western Sydney of the harbour, you’ll still get to see a great show from the comfort of your room.

Plus the Shangri-La Hotel also has a restaurant, bar and club lounge with stupendous harbour views so it’s worth finding out what New Years Eve events they have planned. Book Shangri-La Hotel Sydney with our booking partner.

Pier One Sydney Harbour

Located beside Sydney Harbour Bridge on Hickson Road in The Rocks, Pier One Sydney Harbour is another of the best Sydney hotels for New Years Eve fireworks with harbour views. It’s a special location, too, right on the water in an historic wharf, with unique views – at times you will feel that the fireworks are showering down upon you. This is about as close as it gets!

You’ll want to book a Bridge View Room or Water View King Room but note that as it’s a heritage building, windows vary dramatically in size – from floor to ceiling to very small – so read the details carefully and look at the room photos online before you make a booking. Note that the Heritage Rooms only offer city views, however, this might suit you if you’re planning to spend the evening at the restaurant, bar and lounge, which have water views.

There’s also a function room with views beneath the bridge that may play host to a New Year’s Eve event; best to check with the hotel as to what New Years Eve events are scheduled. Room rates are about a third to half that of the Shangri-La Hotel and Four Seasons, however, you don’t have the high panoramic vistas that those hotels boast. Book Pier One Sydney Harbour with our booking partner.

The Langham Sydney

Also located in the historic Rocks precinct on the Western Sydney of the harbour, The Langham is easily another of the best Sydney hotels for New Years Eve fireworks with harbour views, however, those views vary remarkably from room to room. Any of the rooms with ‘Harbour View’ in their title boast water views – the elegant Langham Suite with Harbour View is the pick of the bunch – but the views are of the Western Harbour.

So while you’ll still get to see a spectacular show, you won’t get to see the Sydney Opera House or Circular Quay. Some rooms overlook the charming historic terraces in The Rocks and The Observatory on the grassy hill and these have sweeping views of the sky from their balcony and will offer gobsmacking views of Sydney’s fireworks.

There’s a stunning indoor pool and tennis courts, and you can take a leisurely (socially-distanced!) stroll around waterfront Barangaroo Reserve the next day. Book The Langham Sydney with our booking partner.

Ovolo Woolloomooloo

We first experienced the Ovolo Woolloomooloo way back when it was a W hotel and then a Taj and it’s been a favourite since our first stay. It’s located on Woolloomooloo’s wonderfully restored, old wooden finger-wharves, overlooking boats bobbing in the water, across to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

You’ll need to book a Cityvoo Luxury Loft Room or Cityvoo Luxury Twin or King Room for views across to the Gardens and city skyline. The Ultraroo Ultra Suite Loft, a stylish 90 metre squared apartment with a rock’n’roll theme and circular cocktail bar and lounge, also has views from its comfy sofa.

Note that there are no harbour views from the hotel public spaces, however, the restaurants along the finger wharf, including Otto, have fabulous sky views. Make sure to book well ahead for dinner or lunch at Otto on the wharf. There are few better spots for lunch in the sun in Sydney. Book Ovolo Woolloomooloo with our booking partner.

Sydney Harbour YHA

The Sydney Harbour YHA probably has the most breathtaking views of any youth hostel in the world from its sprawling rooftop terrace, which gets it on this list of the best Sydney hotels for New Years Eve fireworks with harbour views. Overlooking The Rocks and Circular Quay, the sweeping rooftop vistas stretch from the city across the Quay to the Sydney Opera House and over to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

There would be few better spots to watch the fireworks, however, the views from the rooms, while good if you get an Opera House view, are not nearly as impressive. Plus, this is still a hostel after all, with very basic rooms – which is why I’m finding the New Year’s Eve rates, which are on par with the luxury hotels above, just as breathtaking as the Four Seasons and Shangri-La views. Perhaps keep this as a back-up in case you can’t get a room elsewhere. Book Sydney Harbour YHA with our booking partner.

The Darling at The Star

The glamorous hotel, The Darling at The Star is a chic property with clean contemporary lines, sexy curves, and quirky touches. We were lucky to get a swish Jewel Suite, when we last stayed, which has jaw-dropping city skyline views that stretch as far as Sydney Harbour Bridge, and that’s the room category you should book, too, however, there were only a couple of rooms left when we updated this post. Book The Darling at The Star with our booking partner.

Where to Watch Sydney New Year’s Eve Fireworks If You Don’t Stay in a Hotel

By far the best places to watch the Sydney New Years Eve fireworks with the most breathtaking views are Circular Quay, Royal Botanic Gardens, The Rocks, Millers Point, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, Pyrmont, East Balmain, Birchgrove, and then on the north side, Kirribilli, Milsons Point, Lavender Bay, McMahons Point, parts of North Sydney, Kurraba Point, and Cremorne Point.

Not only is it proving to be a challenge for many to find a great location in a public park or elsewhere on the harbourside foreshore for New Years Eve 2021, but most of the spots cost, which is tough for families on a budget.

There are bookable spots in some free parks still available, but alcohol is prohibited and there’s no BYO in many, however, those parks will definitely have more of a relaxed family vibe if that’s what you’re looking for. More details about booking spots for viewing the fireworks on the Sydney City Council website.

If you’re planning on watching the Sydney fireworks from a hotel we’d love to know what you think are the best Sydney hotels for New Years Eve fireworks views.

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A travel and food writer who has experienced over 70 countries and written for The Guardian, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Feast, Delicious, National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, DestinAsian, TIME, CNN, The Independent, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, AFAR, Wanderlust, International Traveller, Get Lost, Four Seasons Magazine, Fah Thai, Sawasdee, and more, as well as authored more than 40 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, DK, Footprint, Rough Guides, Fodors, Thomas Cook, and AA Guides.

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