1.5 days in Sydney

I'll be cruising on the Volendam on Jan. 16 and have a day and a half pre-cruise (an afternoon and a full day before embarkation day). I've never been to Sydney and am staying in 'The Rocks' area (Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel).

If you were me, what would you do?

If you are reasonably fit and have a good head for heights then do the Bridge Climb. It's right next to the Rocks so very easy to get to.

http://www.bridgeclimb.com/

Your hotel is also very near to Circular Quay where all the harbour ferries operate from. Take the Manly ferry for the best and cheapest view of the harbour. If you want a more detailed tour take a Captain Cook tour, again from Circular Quay.

http://www.captaincook.com.au/home.asp?pageid=1661F5DD27C61DDC&destinationid=4D0FA70C163BD880

You can also take a ferry from Circular Quay to the excellent Taronga Zoo on the other side of the harbour.

http://www.taronga.org.au/

Or if you want to go a little further afield then look at a day trip to the Blue Mountains. There are numerous tour operators offering a wide variety of options. Start here

http://www.visitbluemountains.com.au/

If you want to do some surfing there are several great surf beaches, eg, Bondi, Manly, Coogee are the closest to the city. Remember to swim between the flags!

The best thing to do in Sydney in your time frame..

wander down to Circular Quay,

take the Manly Ferry,

and enjoy.

We've got 2 days pre-cruise in Sydney in December. After a lot of research, we've decided to do the following:

- take the monorail to the Fish Market and have a great lunch by the water (Doyles and Peter's have been mentioned favorably)

- take the ferry over to Manly

- do the free 3-hour walking tour (there are 2 that are rated highly on Trip Advisor)

- eat at some of the delicious Asian restaurants

- check out the Queen Victoria Building

- do a little shopping at Paddy's Markets

- walk across Harbour Bridge (for free)

- use our 1-day monorail and light-rail pass, and the free CBD shuttle, to have a look around

- and of course, eat a meat pie at Harry's Cafe de Wheels

Thanks. I wanted to do the 'bridge walk'... until I found out the price. Depending on the time of day it averages about $200. With single supplement, I don't pay that much for a day on the ship!

I'll definitely take the ferry over to Manley.

Thx, succeed 2,

They look like great suggestions.... I'll be in Sydney next Tuesday!!

Thanks. I wanted to do the 'bridge walk'... until I found out the price. Depending on the time of day it averages about $200.

No, don't be confused - the bridge WALK is free, it's the bridge CLIMB that costs so much money.

You can walk across the bridge for free - here's some more info about it:

http://goaustralia.about.com/od/sydneyaustralia/a/bridgewalk.htm

I meant 'bridge climb' but typed 'bridge walk'. I think what I'll do is check-in to the hotel, wander through Observatory Park over to Circular Quay and the Sidney Visitor's Centre to plan the next day.

succeed (and others), the monorail doesn't go to the fish markets. It does go to Darling Harbour. To get to the fish market, you can take the light rail/tram that goes past there.

I would do Bondi in the afternoon, and do Manly ferry to Manly the next day. An alternative to Manly would be Taronga Zoo as this still gives you a harbour cruise and a chance for the all important HERO shot of the Bridge and Opera House

Depends how hot you like it, but January's the peak of Summer and the beach in the afternoon can be a real scorcher. If you want to go to Bondi then, I'd suggest morning is better (sunrise if you can make it).

A more reasonable way to 'climb' the bridge is to go to the Pylon Lookout Museum. Views are just as good and it's a lot cheaper!!

http://www.pylonlookout.com.au

A more reasonable way to 'climb' the bridge is to go to the Pylon Lookout Museum. Views are just as good and it's a lot cheaper!!

http://www.pylonlookout.com.au

The Pylon Lookout looks great... I think I'll go up there. Thanks for the tip - it's not well advertised. Perhaps it's 'suppressed' by the bridge climb people? I still can't get over the price 'shock' for that... $200 + to 'climb' a bridge is outrageous! I can afford it, but I won't pay it!

It seems there is a lot to do in just The Rocks/Circular Quay area.

I hear that walking across the bridge gives you wonderful views and is great for pictures. That's what I plan to do.

You should consider The Rocks Markets by Moonlight. We went last year and had a good time. It was an outdoor market with many vendors. More info at this site:

http://www.therocks.com/sydney-Things_To_Do-Markets_by_Moonlight.htm

From there we walked down to the Lord Nelson Brewery and had a beer. Full of local folks. Just what we were looking for! Looks like a neat area to stay in. Please report back on it if you have a chance.