Sydney Travel Attractions Guide and Recommended Hotels

Part A (To part B Click Here )

In my opinion, Sydney is the most beautiful city in Australia. However, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra are also charming cities. Sydney is a vibrant city with a very colorful population. The following is a description of this special city, its beaches and its main attractions, accompanied by pictures, and also a list of recommended hotels located in the city centre.

Day 1 – City Centre Visit

Sydney's airport is located south of the city, and upon the approach from the north, the plane flew over the city, providing an excellent view of the long bay and the city along it.
It is not necessary to rent a car for the visit. It is easy to get around by the public transportation that includes also ferries, which are an excellent way to watch the beautiful panorama. This way you will also save expensive parking fees for the rented car. Without a rented car, it is highly recommended to stay as near as possible to the city centre.

Hide Park is a large park in the heart of the city; in the park is the memorial monument for the Australians fallen in battle, to the north is a nice fountain and on the east, Saint Mary's large cathedral. From here, continue in the direction of Sydney Tower so you can get an impression from above of the wonderful city and get a general orientation of the location of other attractions.

This Tower is the tallest in Sydney with a panoramic view of the entire city.

Now, take the subway to Circular Quay, the ferryboats pier. Continue by foot in the direction of Sydney's Harbour Bridge.
Go onto the bridge and climb to the top of the bridge tower by stairs (about two hundred!). From here, the beautiful view includes the Opera House, the city centre and the bridge itself.

Descent from the tower and continue crossing the bridge by foot and then go under it in the direction of the amusement park adjacent to the bridge. This is an old amusement park in a style of old time fairs with classical rides. From here, take a ferry back to Circular Quay. The ferry goes under the impressive huge bridge. From the pier, Continue by foot in the direction of the Opera House on a promenade, with a continuous line of water front restaurants. Most restaurants have seating tables on the outside, and on cold days and nights, gas heaters are operated for the dinners.

Recomended Hotels in Sydney:

5 Star Hotels

Sheraton on the Park
Located in Sydney Central Business District (CBD), 5 minutes’ walk from Town Hall Railway Station, the State Theatre and Pitt St Mall. Restaurant, bar and a 24-hour rooftop fitness centre. Indoor pool. Complimentary Wi-Fi in all public areas.

QT Sydney
Located in Sydney CBD 2 minutes’ walk from Hyde Park and Pitt Street Mall. Restaurant, bar, cafe and day spa. Free WiFi.

Park Hyatt Sydney
Located 6 minutes' walk to The Rocks and 10 minutes’ walk from Circular Quay.

Hheated pool, spa and wellness centre, fitness centre. Free WiFi.

Swissotel Sydney
Located in Sydney CBD 50 metres from Pitt St Mall. Onsite day spa, 2 swimming pools, a bar and a restaurant, fitness centre.

3 - 4 Star Hotels

Russell Hotel In The Rocks
Located 2-minute walk to Sydney Harbour. Free WiFi.

Travelodge Phillip Street
Lo cated Just 15 minutes’ walk from Sydney Opera House. Offers a kitchenette. 2 restaurants. Guests receive 100MBs of free WiFi per 24 hours.

Apartment Rentals

Broadway Serviced Apartments
Located in Sydney City Centre 5 minutes' walk from Central Train Station.

Each apartment offers a fully equipped kitchen, a dining setting and a lounge area.
Free WiFi. Restaurant and free breakfast.

Darling Harbour Getaway
Located within 10 minutes’ walk of Star Casino, Sydney Convention Centre and the Australian Maritime Museum. Fully equipped kitchen and 2 bathrooms, a dining setting and a lounge area with a sofa.Free Wi-Fi and an indoor pool, a fitness centre, a day spa and free secure parking.

Meriton Serviced Apartments
World Tower
Located in Sydney’s landmark World Tower on floor 61 and above, 10 minutes’ walk from Hyde Park, Chinatown and the Queen Victoria Building. Luxurious suites feature floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic city views. laundry facilities and a gourmet kitchen. Indoor pool, a hot tub, a fitness centre and a sauna. 1 GB of free WiFi per 24 hours.

Meriton Serviced Apartments
Campbell Street
The 40-level apartment complex is located in the Haymarket district, a 15-minute walk from Darling Harbour. Cooking and laundry facilities.Indoor heated lap pool, a hot tub, sauna and fitness centre. 1 GB of free WiFi per 24 hours.

Day 2 – Opera House and Manly

Start your day at the botanical gardens. From the promenade on the water in the gardens, continue to an excellent observation point by the name "Mrs. Macquarie's Chair" offering the nice view of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Opera House

From the "lady's" chair, continue on the promenade along the water all the way to the Opera House. Buy tickets for a guided tour in the Opera House. Do not miss! This is an impressive excellent tour.

A visit to Manly

During the second half of the day, you can visit the beach of Manly city which is on the other side of the bay. Manly is located on a narrow peninsula which on the edge of it are the North Head Cliffs. From the Opera House continue on the promenade in the direction of nearby ferries pier and take the ferry to manly. The ferry goes by the Opera House you have visited.

During the sail, you will get a wonderful view of the suburbs along the bay.
Manly has an excellent sand beach, and on the way to it you will pass many shops and restaurants.
There is also a shop that rent bicycles; another good way to become acquainted with the place, while doing some exercise.

You can walk alongside the river and the beach to an observation point, and then continue in a steep up-hill walk to North Head, a national park with a view on Sydney and its surrounding and have walking or bicycle riding tracks.

After you return the bicycle, return to Circular Quay in the centre of Sydney. The customs house is located next to the ferry pier, visit it. Under its glass floor on which you can stand, there is a reduced size model of the city.

Day 3 – Paddy's Market and Darling Harbour

Paddy's Market is near China Town. This is a covered colorful large market with inexpensive product prices, compared with Australia. This is the place to buy souvenirs from Australia at reasonable prices.

From here, continue to China Town's main street.
Visit the various shops, experience Chinese food and mini Chinese pastries.

Continue to Darling Harbour. This is a vibrant tourist area with many attractions, near the water, with a large shopping mall named Harbour Side, an aquarium, a covered Australian animal garden, museums, Chinese gardens and docks with ships for harbor cruises and its area and for whale watching.

Visit the Chinese Gardens; take a tour of the nice gardens, plants, sculptures and ornaments.
From here, take a walking tour of vibrant Darling Harbour, enter the Visitors' Centre and ask for the touring and entertainment possibilities in the city. An IMAX movie theater with the largest screen in the world is here. Check the movies and show times, get a ticket to one of the movies. This is a special experience.

Take a tour of the large shopping mall, continue to the large and brilliant Star City Casino nearby, you don't have to gamble, just peep to get an impression. You can have a beer at the nearby pub and play some Billiards if you like the game. From there, cross the Downtown centre by foot and enter the shopping mall in the impressive Victoria building.

This is Sydney Part A (To part B Click Here )