Sydney Opera House

One of the world’s great icons, the Sydney Opera House is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the star attraction on the glittering harbour. This graceful building, shaped like shells or billowing sails, perches on a finger of land surrounded by water. Snap a photo while gliding by on a harbor cruise, relax at one of the restaurants, stroll around its exterior, or take an organized tour of this magnificent structure, which encompasses theatres, studios, exhibition rooms, a concert hall, and cinema. Book a Sydney Opera House Guided Walking Tour to learn about the history and get a behind-the-scenes look at this famous building.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Sydney Harbour Bridge or ‘Coathanger,’ as locals call it, was the city’s best-known landmark prior to construction of the Sydney Opera House. Supported by massive double piers at each end, it was built in 1932 and remains the world’s largest steel arch bridge, connecting the harbour’s north and south shores in a single curve rising 134 meters above the water. Along its length run two railway lines and eight lanes for road traffic, the direction of which can be varied according to traffic flow. Pedestrians can stroll across on walkways or join a guided ascent through BridgeClimb for a breath-taking panorama of the city and harbour.

The Rocks

The Rocks historic area was once home to the Gadigal aboriginal people and later became the country’s first site of European settlement. The name of the Rocks comes from the rocky coast on the west side of Sydney Cove, where the convicts pitched their tents. Today, more than 100 heritage sites and buildings jostle along the narrow streets, including Sydney’s oldest surviving house, Cadman’s cottage, built in 1816.

Harbor Cruises from Circular Quay

Built by convict labour in Sydney Cove, bustling Circular Quay is now home to the city’s main ferry terminal. One of the most popular things to do here, and the best way to appreciate Sydney’s sparkling waterfront setting, is to hop aboard a harbour cruise, like the popular two-hour Sydney Harbour Coffee Cruise. Thousands of commuters flood the area at peak hours, cafés and restaurants line the waterfront, and street performers entertain locals and visitors along the sunny walkways.

You can easily walk from Circular Quay to other top attractions. Head south along the waterfront promenade to the Sydney Opera House and the Royal Botanic Gardens, and a short walk to the north leads to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Rocks historic area. To the west, the free Museum of Contemporary Art, housed in an Art Deco building, displays cutting-edge, and often controversial, exhibitions.

Darling Harbour

A hub for tourists and locals alike, Darling Harbour is a waterfront pedestrian precinct packed with shops, restaurants, museums, exhibitions, and entertainment venues. Families will love Madame Tussaud’s; the Sydney Zoo; and the Sydney Aquarium, which contains the world’s largest collection of Australian marine creatures. Powerhouse Museum offers interactive exhibits on science, technology, design, and history, while nautical-minded history buffs can board a replica of Captain Cook’s ship, Endeavour, at the Australian National Maritime Museum. Younger children will love the carousel, playground, and water park. Those seeking a tranquil patch of green amid all the excitement can slip into the Chinese Garden of Friendship and sip tea among the willows and koi ponds.

Queen Victoria Building

A high point of Sydney shopping is the Romanesque-style Queen Victoria Building, linked by underground arcades with Town Hall Station. Originally built as a market hall between 1893 and 1898, this elegant building is crowned by a high central dome surrounded by 20 smaller domes. More than 200 high-end shops line its light-filled galleries. It’s worth a visit, even for those who shun the shops, just to admire its successful restoration, as well as its beautiful stained glass windows and mosaic floors.

The Sydney Tower Eye

Soaring above the city skyline, the 309-meter-high Sydney Tower Eye is the city’s tallest building and one of its great landmarks. This golden spire-topped turret rises from the busy Centrepoint shopping mall. Express lifts whisk visitors to the observation deck at the top, or to SKYWALK, an alfresco glass-floor viewing platform, the perfect spot for sightseeing. While up there, you can enjoy panoramic views of Sydney and its surrounding suburbs or enjoy a bite to eat at one of the revolving restaurants or the café. Also on offer is a 4D cinema experience, which provides an overview of the city’s major icons.

Sydney Beaches

Sydney is famous for its fabulous beaches. Tucked around the harbor are many sheltered coves with calm water and sugary sands. Less than a 15-minute drive from the city, iconic Bondi Beach beckons with its great surf, café scene, and cosmopolitan vibe. For fantastic ocean views, take the coastal walk along the cliffs from Bondi to Coogee. Other ocean beaches include Cronulla (the only one easily accessible by train from the city), Bronte, Tamarama, and Maroubra.

Barangaroo Reserve

Barangaroo Reserve is an excellent example of a successful urban renewal project and a lovely spot for a walk along the harbor. Transformed from an unsightly container terminal, this 22-hectare waterfront precinct opened to the public in 2015 and is now home to more than 75,000 native trees and shrubs, walking and cycling tracks, shops, restaurants, and event and exhibition space. It is named after the influential female indigenous leader at the time of European colonisation.

Taronga Zoo

At Taronga Zoo, you can enjoy close-up encounters with iconic Aussie wildlife and other animals from around the world, plus superb views of the Sydney skyline. Nestled on a point along the north side of the harbor, the zoo inhabits prime Sydney real estate in the posh suburb of Mosman. Highlights include the Lemur Walk-Through, Koala Encounter, and Seal Show. From the city, buses to the zoo depart from Wynyard. Better still, hop aboard a ferry at Circular Quay. The zoo’s lively events calendar includes “Roar and Snore” overnight zoo stays and a summer concert series. You can purchase a Sydney Taronga Zoo Entry Ticket in advance, which includes a ride on the Sky Safari gondola.

George Street

The oldest street in Australia, George Street was once a nameless track trodden by convicts fetching supplies of water. Today, it’s one of the city’s major traffic arteries, where high-rise office blocks, shops, and historic buildings converge in an incongruous jumble. An architectural highlight is the elegant Romanesque-style Queen Victoria Building replete with graceful domes, stained glass windows, and high-end stores.

St. Mary’s Cathedral

Facing Hyde Park, St. Mary’s Cathedral (1868-82) is a symbol of the spiritual beginnings of the Catholic Church in Australia. This striking landmark, in neo-Gothic style, is the seat of the Archbishop of Sydney. Topped by twin spires, the building was modeled on Lincoln Cathedral, and its imposing façade reflects the design of Notre-Dame in Paris. Inside the cathedral, intricate stained glass windows cast beautiful patterns of light. Christmas is an especially evocative time to visit, when the cathedral is adorned with lights and decorations.

Macquarie Street

Stretching from Hyde Park in the south to the Sydney Opera House in the north, Macquarie Street was once Sydney’s most fashionable street. Governor Macquarie commissioned the construction of many of the colony’s grand public buildings along this strand, some designed by convict architect Francis Greenway. Impressive sandstone residences soon followed, with verandas to capture the beautiful views of the surrounding parklands and Sydney Harbour.

Chinatown

Inhale the fragrance of sizzling Szechuan spices, shop for Chinese specialty items, or feast on authentic Asian cuisine at Sydney’s Chinatown. Framed by lion gates at each end, this small district lies in the pedestrian zone of Dixon Street between Darling Harbour and Central Station. Yum cha is a popular pastime here, and the Friday night market is a feast for the senses with everything from dim sum and Vietnamese pho to teppanyaki.

Kings Cross

About two kilometers east of the CBD, Kings Cross or “The Cross,” as locals call it, is Sydney’s multi-faceted red light district with an intriguing, Bohemian past. The area was an artistic quarter around 1920, until it evolved into a popular haunt for beatniks during the 1950s and, later, hippies. Look for the large Coca-Cola billboard, at the intersection of William Street and Darlinghurst Road, which is often referred to as the “Gateway to The Cross.”