Sydney Questions

Hello friends,

We will be in Sydney for two days prior to our cruise on the Regatta in January, 2018. I am hoping you all can give us some advice on things to see and places to eat in the city. Our hotel is pretty close to the port. Thank you in advance!

Start with The Rocks, Darling Harbour, the Opera House or the Botanical Gardens. All within walking distance. Not to mention a harbour cruise. A ride on a ferry to Manly or the Zoo might be good. The choice is yours.

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High end dining or cheap eats?

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Climb the bridge, walk thru the gardens,Saturday market if there. Tour the opera house, get tickets for. A show. Been to three shows in Sydney.

Sydney well known for great Asian and Italien food.

Which hotel? Shangai.la has a great bar up top with a mind blowing view.

Start with a HOHO bus to get an overview and then re-visit the places you liked best.

Great food in Chinatown.

Sydney is fantastic - do your homework before you go to get the most for the time you have.

It’d help to know your interests, there are a few long threads on the Australia and New Zealand Cruisers section.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=712

Here’s one

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1375767

everything mentioned above. Go to Frommers.com and there is a walking tour of the Rocks, see what is playing at the Opera House, and HOHO is a good idea. Take the city bus to Bondi and walk. http://www.bonditocoogeewalk.com/

there is lots of stuff on the web --easy to spend a day wading through all the material. Sydney is one of my fave cities.

We usually do not do HOHO buses preferring to walk but Sydney is a good place to do one the first day to get oriented. You can then walk to places you want to visit if near the port (many good restaurants at all levels near the port and in The Rocks). There is a HOHO route that takes you to Bondi Beach too. There is even more than you can do in 2 days not counting the out-of-town stuff like the Blue Mountains. Read the suggested threads. The Beach walk was great.

Take the ferry to Manley and if you have time take a tour to the Blue Mountains.

We're doing the Blue Mts again in December. Taking the train from Sydney to Katoomba station and then the Blue Mt Explorer, a HOHO type bus.

We have printed a whole bunch of walks, itineraries, histories and restaurants of the area.

We were there a few years ago but on a tour. This time we're doing it on our own and can't wait.

Which port is your hotel close to? There are two ports in Sydney the cruise ships use. When we there embarking on Marina they were at the one not close to the Rocks area. I think it's White something or another.

We were staying at the Marriott, walked down to the pier area and took a ferry to where our ship was ported. It was much cheaper than a taxi.

If you haven't yet try to find out for sure where you ship is leaving from.

If you like pastries bourke street bakery (purposely lower case) is fab. Lovely light breakfast there that lingers in my memories. We walked there from our hotel in Kings Cross. Not fancy or huge but fabulous. They just released their second cookbook.

Mo

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Regatta leaves from White Bay

And be sure to have the seafood, the prawn cutlets are outstanding.

And be sure to have the seafood, the prawn cutlets are outstanding.

Never heard of prawn cutlets - tell me more.

We’ll be in Sydney next year.

potterhill--

thanks for the bourke street bakery rec'd! Immediately gone into the Sydney section of The Notebook."

This is what ccritic does best!!!

Never used a bus in Sydney walked everywhere.

In the blue mts I stayed. One time lovely weather but cool nights. Next time damp rainy days. No hiking but a massage and shopping.

I would not chance the weather

There is a free walking tour that starts in the CBD and works its way down to the harbour and the Rocks area. We did it in May/16 and it was great. while it is free, tips are very appreciated as that is the only pay the guide gets. There are also free tours in the Botanical garden.

Food wise, not to be missed is going to the Sidney Fish Market and have lunch. Incredible fresh fresh, especially all the oysters to choose from. Multiple eating establishments there, so walk around and pick the one that best suits you.

You will not get a better seafood meal aboard ship than you will get at the market. They have extremely reasonable prices likewise.

Just a word of warning re the HOHO bus. At the moment Sydney has a massive light rail project occurring in the CBD, slowing down traffic enormously. From memory, it won't be finished for some time so HOHO might be very slow moving.

With regards restaurants, two that are on my list every time I am in Sydney (usually a few times each year) are Cafe Sydney ( https://cafesydney.com/home ) and Fish At The Rocks ( http://www.fishattherocks.com.au/ ).

Just a word of warning re the HOHO bus. At the moment Sydney has a massive light rail project occurring in the CBD, slowing down traffic enormously. From memory, it won't be finished for some time so HOHO might be very slow moving.

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When we were there recently this was not a problem for HOHO as HOHO by-passes George Street. We used the HOHO without any trouble. It’s more of a problem that the free bus that used to run up and down George street is no more because of that construction.

Take the ferry to Manly and if you have time take a tour to the Blue Mountains.

Sydney has a fabulous harbour, and the Manly ferry is an excellent (and cheap) way to see it. Manly itself is on a neck between the harbour and the Pacific, where there's an excellent surf beach. Walk the Corso between the two. A bit touristy, but well, you know.

Used to live nearby and I'd take the ferry into town. Loved it. All the locals would sit inside and read - or sleep - but I'd race upstairs to the front sit outside and take in the view.

Circular Quay - near the cruise terminal - is always bustling. Walk around to the Opera House, and if you have time, keep on going. The Botanic Gardens is on your right and the harbour to your left. The next point of land is Mrs Macquarie's Chair. Excellent views of the harbour and the Garden Island naval base beyond. Popular spot for weddings. Picture postcard views back to the Opera House.

Here's a shot from my Instagram account I look last Sunday.

everything mentioned above. Go to Frommers.com and there is a walking tour of the Rocks, see what is playing at the Opera House, and HOHO is a good idea. Take the city bus to Bondi and walk. http://www.bonditocoogeewalk.com/

 

there is lots of stuff on the web --easy to spend a day wading through all the material. Sydney is one of my fave cities.

There's a convention/visitors bureau website that has all sorts of walking tours and maps. Park Hyatt is a fabulous hotel and the Quay restaurant is within walking distance.

Skyring what a beautiful photo