Sydney Travel Guide
Stay in Sydney
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Where to Stay in Sydney – Rooms With a View, Breathtaking Harbour Views
Where to stay in Sydney, a destination with a stupendous harbour and stunning skyline matters if you want a room with a view, a jawdropping harbour view. There are some cities…
Where to Stay in Sydney — Best Sydney Apartment Rentals and Serviced Apartments
Where to stay in Sydney? Well, just like Melbourne, Sydney has plenty of choices when it comes to somewhere to check in — boutique hotels, flashy five stars, backpacker hostels,…
Accomodation
Insurance
Eat in Sydney
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Multicultural Australia, Where to Taste Australia’s Culinary Diversity
Multicultural Australia is where you can get a taste of Australia’s rich culinary diversity – in the suburbs of every city, and in towns across the Australia. This is a…
Australian Food Trends We Love
While no-booking policies, done-to-death dude food, and massive ‘shared plates’ drove us crazy when recently dining out in Australia, the food scene in Australia has never been more exciting. Here are some…
Drink in Sydney
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High Coffee in Sydney at the InterContinental Hotel — A Heady Alternative to Afternoon Tea
High Coffee in Sydney makes for a heady alternative to afternoon tea. It also makes sense if you’ve been hiking the hilly streets of Sydney seeing the sights all day…
Explore Sydney
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Best Beaches in Sydney to Spread Out Your Towel, from Bondi to Palm Beach
Best beaches in Sydney range from lovely Manly, which feels like a sleepy holiday town, and breathtaking Bondi Beach, a first stop for most visitors to Sydney, to northern beaches…
A Self Guided Stroll Around Sydney
A self guided stroll around Sydney is something you should do the first day you arrive – and by around, we mean around the city’s perimeter. The city of Sydney may…
Experience Sydney
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Whale Watching in Sydney
We had brilliant success spotting the Big Five on Kenya safaris, we’ve seen abundant wildlife in Australia’s outback when others claimed to have seen little at all, and we never have…
Monday Memories: Instagram iPhone Snapshot from a Seaplane
While I never need to hear “you have the best job in the world” ever again, we do get to go to some cool places and do some interesting things. Then…
Book Sydney Tours
Absorb Sydney
Shop Sydney
Sydney Festivals & Events
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Enjoying the Campsie Food Festival, Sydney
If further proof than Haymarket’s Chinatown or ‘Little Asia’ was needed to attest to Sydney’s multiculturalism and reign as an ethnic foodie capital, Campsie Food Festival offered it. I hadn’t been…
Vivid Sydney, a Festival of Light, Music and Ideas
Vivid Sydney was never a more appropriate name for a festival. A festival of light, music and ideas, Vivid Sydney sees the city’s already dazzling waterfront area spectacularly illuminated by…
Sydney Local Knowledge
Sydney Resources
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Monday Memories: Capturing the Illuminated City at Vivid Sydney
Capturing the illuminated city at Vivid Sydney, a festival of light, sound and ideas was a great excuse to visit my old hometown of Sydney. The city is just as beautiful…
Sydney, It Only Took A Second
It only took a second to fall in love with Sydney all over again. Just a glimpse of the glittering harbour and the Sydney Opera House sails through the train…
Sydney Essentials
WHEN TO GO
Dec-Feb Mid-Dec to the beginning Feb are the busiest months with summer school holidays. Beaches are packed and the water is warm.
Mar-May Autumn has the best walking weather, getting crisper as winter approaches and whale watching season begins. Note Vivid Festival may start in May.
Jun-Aug Wet and cold (for Sydney), this is low season for tourism, but the ski season gets fully underway in July.
Sep-Nov Weather warms up but without the humidity of summer, making it a great time to visit.
HEALTH
Sydney has a very good healthcare system, but of course always buy comprehensive insurance. Despite Australia’s reputation for dangerous creatures, you won’t find many of these in urban areas, but if you’re planning to hit the beach (and you should) pay attention to the lifesavers flags and wear sunscreen. Recommended Vaccinations
VISAS
Only New Zealanders do not need a visa for Australia. There are myriad classes of visas, but if you’re coming for a holiday (depending which passport you have) and you are staying for less than three months, apply for an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) with a cost of UAD$20. For other visas visit the visa finder page of the Australian Government.
LOCAL TIME
Time in Sydney:Sydney’s Time Zone is (GMT+11) Sydney’s daylight saving (one hour forward) generally starts in October and finishes in April.
WEATHER
CURRENT SYDNEY WEATHER
TRANSPORTATION
AIR/LAND/SEA
Sydney’s main airport (SYD), might be just 8km from the Sydney CBD, but it can be a frustrating journey. There’s a train, however it’s not a dedicated airport line. Take an Uber or a Taxi (about US$35) to the CBD. To get around it’s best to buy an Opal Card which works for Sydney’s embarrasingly ragtag selection of train, bus, ferry and light rail services.
Sydney Daily Costs
BUDGET
Daily Budget Up To:
US$150
- Hostel dorm bed: US$25–60
- Fast food, pizzas, meat pies: US$5-17
- Short bus/tram/train ride: US$3
MID RANGE
Daily Budget From:
US$200–350
- Double room in a Motel/Hotel: US$120–250
- Good cafe lunch: US$20+
- Greyhound Bus (Bris-Syd): US$100
LUXURY
Daily Budget From:
US$350+
- Boutique hotel or resort: US$250+
- Negroni Cocktail: US$20+
- Domestic Flight (Bris-Syd): US$100+
