Sydney Zoo. Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjt195/105783812/
This is my third and last article about Sydney. Previously I wrote about the best bars in Sydney and the best restaurants in Sydney.
Sydney impressed me when I first saw it. Somehow, I had the feeling I was in many cities at the same time. Barcelona, San Francisco, Los Angeles, … It is the perfect city: amazing beaches, great sightseeings, good weather, healthy and cosmopolitan lifestyle, intense nightlife, … what else can you ask for!! I have been to many great places but, again, my good friends Lucía, Gonzalo and Sue helped me to complete this list of the best things to do when you visit Sydney:
- Sydney Opera House: A top class opera house that offer multiple options such as “The Playhouse“, a cheaper ($30 a show) and more intimate option to enjoy great music.
- Spit Bridge to Manly walk: long walk but worth it, with many secluded beaches along the way.
- Bondi to Coogee Walk: walk along the cliffs with a view to the Pacific. You can spot the migrating whales in October/November.
- Farmers’ Markets at the Carriageworks: Amazing selection of fresh food, cheeses, etc. A traditional weekly undercover farmers’ market in the renovated market space at Eveleigh Railyards.
- Balmain: great neighborhood to walk around. 10 min from the city. Old docks still there, loads of cafes and restaurants and pubs. A “real” experience of a Sydney neighborhood.
- For booklovers: the best second-hand bookshops are in Glebe, along Glebe Point Road.
- The Rocks: the oldest part of Sydney, just in the City center, near Circular Quay. Many boutique shops, bars and restaurants, design hotels and art and photography galleries. Every weekend there are artisanal markets, gastronomy fairs, street concerts…
- Swimming pool at Victoria’s Park: it is possible to enjoy a bath a sunbathing just in the city center. In Victoria’s park, there is a big public outdoor pool with fitness centre, to which you can have access for only $2.
- Surry Hills: in the south-east of Sydney. A bohemian suburb in which you can find small coffee shops and organic restaurants, new designers retail shops, and curious book shops or furniture stores.
- Picnic at Botanical Gardens: an habitual plan among Aussie people. A huge park surrounding Circular Quay and the Opera House, where you can enjoy a picnic with the typical “sushi rolls”, imported from the many Asian inhabitants living in Sydney.
- Captain Cook Harbour Cruise: see some of the harbour’s most spectacular sights
- Taronga Zoo: perfect plan for kids. One of the major tourist attractions in Sydney. Great place to see Australian wildlife and enjoy great views of the city.
- Visit to Watsons Bay: taking the ferry from Circular quay, you will arrive to Watsons bay where you can find the most beautiful bays and coves from which you will admire awesome views of the Opera House and Sydney. One of the best beaches is the nudist Lady beach.
Your opinion about this list of the best places in Sydney
Is there a place that should definitely be listed in this post? Have you got any suggestion to improve this blog? If so, please place a comment
Update:
Nathan posted an interesting comment were he suggests visiting “The Rocks“. Thank you Nathan!
Opera Bar - Sydney
Following my article about the best restaurants in Sydney and the best places to visit in Sydney, in this post I want to share with you the best places in Sydney to have a drink and listen to good music. I would like to thank again my good friends Lucía, Gonzalo and Sue for their great tips.
- Kings Cross: An eastern suburb of Sydney plenty of cafes and bars. Good for a backpacker, sydneysiders or someone wanting to go out to clubs for an all-nighter.
I recommend having dinner at Hugo’s Pizza Bar and then cross to “The World’s bar“, where you will enjoy the first cocktail of the night served in a “teapot” while you listen to the best indie bands and club jams. One of the best daytime in Darlinghurst (5 minutes walk from Kings Cross) is upstairs at the Darlo Bar, a community lounge room perfect to relax and have a beer. Also in Darlinghurst you will find a great selection of Australian and International Beers at The Local Taphouse. - Newtown: Newtown is the real thing -bohemian without pretentiousness and the edge- anything goes. Great night and daytime pubs. For a great beer garden go to The Courthouse. Also visit Corridor, that recently won best small bar in Sydney.
- The Rocks: In Sydney’s historic old town you will find some of the best pubs:
– Lord Nelson, the oldest pub in Sydney, they brew their own beer: “Three Sheets”, hoppy & spicy. It has won many awards.
– Also visit Opera Bar (next to the Opera House), a must-do on sunny weekend afternoons.
– For a special celebration: cocktails at the the Horizon Bar (Shangri-La Hotel), where you will enjoy a view over the whole city. Very expensive but very tasty cocktails.
– If you are looking for an open air disco in Darling Harbour, go to Cargo Bar. It has an upstairs balcony overlooking the harbour and a terrace. You can enjoy the dancefloor with the best live DJ’s in Sydney, mixing House music with live violonists’ or percussionists’ sounds. It opens every day and until late night.
– If you like Salsa, visit La Cita: A Salsa Club visited by the Latin immigrants in Sydney. It also runs salsa lessons during some afternoons.
– For live music, visit The Basement. Other live music bars but not in The Rocks: The Vanguard, Annandale Hotel, Oxford Arts Factory.
Your opinion about this list of the best bars in Sydney
Is there a place that should definitely be listed in this post? Have you got any suggestion to improve this blog? If so, please place a comment
Australian Heritage Hotel
After graduating from Law School in Madrid I spent a week in Sydney after visiting Australia for 3 weeks. I had the chance to eat in great restaurants, most of them recommended by my local friends.
My idea with this blog is to recommend the places that I’ve been to. However, in this case I’ve done an exception asking my friends Lucía (who lived there for 9 months) and Gonzalo and Sue, who both live in Sydney and whose opinion I totally trust, to help me prepare this list of the most recommended restaurants in Sydney. For further information, visit my article of the best bars in Sydney and the best places to visit in Sydney:
- Italian: Pendolino or go to Bill & Toni’s, (a Sydney institution) for classic and affordable schnitzel.
- Thai: For the best Thai food go to Thairrific
- Ribs: Hurricane’s in Darling Harbour or Bondi Beach
- Pizza: The Australian Heritage Hotel in the Rocks. They have kangaroo, crocodile and emu pizza, and over 100 beers. Another recommended Pizza place is Hugo’s Bar Pizza, considered in 2006 the best pizza in Australia. It is located in King Cross. An elegant setting for a perfect dinner. Normal prices of pizzas are $18, quite expensive. However, Sundays and Thursdays, you can take advantage of the $5 pizzas deal!
- Brasilian: Braza, the best Brazilian churrasqueria in the antipodes
- Indian: Darbar in Glebe Point Road, in an converted church, old bricks and windows still there, amazing food and quiet intimate atmosphere
- Egyptian: Radio Cairo in Cremorne
- Mexican: Baja Cantina or Flying Fajita Sistas in Glebe
- Vegetarian: Govinda’s in Darlinghurst, have a meal and then go upstairs for a movie on beanbags!
- Degustation: Tetsuya’s in the city, one of the best (and most expensive) restaurants in the world; more affordable options: Oscillate Wildly in Newtown or Atelier in Glebe
- Lebanese: Arabella. Lebanese cuisine in Newtown. There is a cushion room for those who really want to live a Lebanese experience. With belly dancers on weekends. Amazing dips, falafel, tabouli and very recommended the kafta skewers (lamb).
Your opinion about this list of the best restaurants in Sydney
Is there a place that should definitely be listed in this post? Have you got any suggestion to improve this blog? If so, please place a comment