Sydney 2 nights

First time in Sydney. Arriving early morning and have 2 nights. Is it better to just stay in the city and explore or is it worth spending a day doing the Blue Mountains? Are the Blue Mountains like the national parks in America? Any feedback will be much appreciated- thanks

There is lots to do for 2 days in Sydney. Hop on hop off boat and bus. Zoo. Darling Harbor. Tons of walking.

We will also have 2 nights in Sydney. We are planning on doing the Blue Mountains, as we will then have an escorted tour around Sydney the following day

It really depend on what you like and are interested in.

Personally I'd do a Bridge Climb, Ferry to zoo, tour of Opera House, Botanic Gardens, Hyde Park Barracks, or even just a wander around the city rather than Blue Mts if I only had 2 days.

You will loose nearly half a day just traveling to and from the Mts.

For two days I would most definitely stay in the city. There is so much to see and do right there.

Keith

IMHO, you wouldn't want to think of heading out to the Blue Mountains unless you were spending a week or more in Sydney. There is so much to see and do in the city without spending all that time travelling so far.

Don't forget that the current edition of the CC guide to things to do in Sydney is here.

Karen,

Lots to see in Sydney. Joe and I did the Bridge Climb it was fun. Also did a day tour to the Blue Mountains. The area was very pretty but can not compare to the National Parks in the US but maybe I'm partial.:)

Pat

During the time we lived in Australia, we went to Sydney many times. There are so many things to see and do in Sydney that if I only had 2 days, I would spend both of them in the city. The Blue Mountains make for a nice day trip if you are in Sydney for 4 days or more. The Blue Mountains are scenic, but not as unique as the city of Sydney itself is.

(Yes, I know things cannot be "more or less unique", but you know what I'm trying to say! :))

Hi Karen,

I live in Katoomba in the Blue mountains and it is stunning, the only problem is if you have a rainy day, generally speaking the mist rolls in and you can't see a thing!!! If you are on the organised tour, they show you Echo Point and the scenic railway and on the way back you go to Featherdale wildlife park and it includes lunch. Most people I see that are on the tour enjoy it especially if you like seeing the wildlife like Kangaroos and Koalas, but you can see these at Taronga Zoo in the city.

If you had longer to visit, I would definitely recommend, but with limited time and if the weather is rainy I would suggest something in the city.

Thank you all for your helpful replies. Shall now have more info to plan our 2 days !

Thank you all for your helpful replies. Shall now have more info to plan our 2 days !

please come back and tell us what you did and tell us what you think of Slydley

Agree with the above posters. Two days is just not enough to see Sydney and the surrounding areas. Would love to go back, some days.

+1 for staying in Sydney. The harbour itself is fabulous. Get a ticket for the Ferries and wander around on the water. Head out to Manly for a few hours. Grab some lunch at Watsons Bay. So much to do.

Are the Blue Mountains like the national parks in America? Any feedback will be much appreciated- thanks

Not really, there are small towns and farms in the Blue Mountains. With only 2 days, I would explore Sydney. For example, we took the ferry to Manly Beach and walked around the head and back to Manly across the hill.

With all these options, I think we might try for 3 or 4 days.

Thanks for all the info.

There is a LOT to do in Sydney. During our recent stop there we recorded some of our more memorable experiences and put them in short video slideshows.

Sydney Bridge Climb and Harbor View (time lapse)

[YOUTUBE]Q0K9PxrV_kE[/YOUTUBE]

Bondi Beach to Coogee Cliff Walk

[YOUTUBE]-aJ-jWhhnvc[/YOUTUBE]

Wildlife Zoo, Aquarium, and Madame Tussaud's

[YOUTUBE]2Ech7w46pa8[/YOUTUBE]

Taronga Zoo

[YOUTUBE]H2V8eCpPr48[/YOUTUBE]

Sydney Free Walking Tour

[YOUTUBE]lWGEFNLN21M[/YOUTUBE]

First time in Sydney. Arriving early morning and have 2 nights. Is it better to just stay in the city and explore or is it worth spending a day doing the Blue Mountains? Are the Blue Mountains like the national parks in America? Any feedback will be much appreciated- thanks

You need more days in Sydney. We loved the Blue Mountains, but with only two days, I suggest enjoying the city. The Blue Mountain trip is a long day and if you just arrived with jet lag, it might be tiring for you to go there.

My husband and I will be in Sydney for 7 days between two cruises in April, 2017 - one to New Zealand and then the TP from Sydney to Hawaii.

I can't tell you how grateful I am for this information. It would appear we will have time to go the Blue Mountains. Is it easy to set up this tour ahead of time or through a hotel?

How hard is the bridge climb? By 2017 I will be 70:( but am in good health :).

Any suggestions about hotels???

Thanks so much,

Lucy

There are tour companies which offer tours to the Blue Mountains and you can find them online. If your hotel has a concierge, they can book this for you but if you are staying at a more modest Sydney hotel, they may not offer this service.

You can also easily get to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains on your own via train. (That's how we did it the first time we went there.) Once you get to Katoomba, you can walk around on your own or take the HO/HO bus.

The advantage to the organized tours is that many of them take you to Featherdale Wildlife Park on the way to Katoomba. The disadvantage to the organized tours is that you have to sightsee on THEIR schedule (which might not mesh with what you'd do on your own.)

There are tour companies which offer tours to the Blue Mountains and you can find them online. If your hotel has a concierge, they can book this for you but if you are staying at a more modest Sydney hotel, they may not offer this service.

You can also easily get to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains on your own via train. (That's how we did it the first time we went there.) Once you get to Katoomba, you can walk around on your own or take the HO/HO bus.

The advantage to the organized tours is that many of them take you to Featherdale Wildlife Park on the way to Katoomba. The disadvantage to the organized tours is that you have to sightsee on THEIR schedule (which might not mesh with what you'd do on your own.)

Without knowing your budget, it's hard to recommend a hotel. But I would recommend staying around Circular Quay/The Rocks. My second choice would be a hotel in the CBD (downtown) and my third choice would be Darling Harbour. (I"ve stay in all 3 areas in a variety of hotels.)

Hi Lucy,

Here is the company that a lot of people use, I see them come to my golf club for lunch and most of those people do the $125 tour http://www.bluemountainstoursydney.com.au/

GradUT-thank you - I am not sure what my budget is but now you have given me areas to find hotels and figure that out.

Golfinchick-thank you for the link. As our trip gets closer I will check it out.

Lucy

Suggest like any big metropolitan city that you look into getting a 2 day city pass to all the attractions in the city. We did this a few years ago and the saving where significant.

Suggest like any big metropolitan city that you look into getting a 2 day city pass to all the attractions in the city. We did this a few years ago and the saving where significant.

Hi All,

We will be in Sydney during Easter - 3 days post cruise. Will this pass work during this time - Friday and / or Sunday?. Where can we get this pass?.

Thanks

Just google Sydney city pass. Viator is the big player.

You can get with and without transportation. (We never needed it.)

You can pick the amount of adventures a day or more if you like.