Viator Viator Travel Blog

So, I had one day in Sydney – what to do?

For starters I booked into a hotel in the middle of the city, the CBD. I figured that would be close to everything important – Opera House, the harbour, Darling Harbour etc. Of course, to be within budget, I had to find one at the dodgy end of town – up near Central Railway Station, away from the Harbour. (Once, I stayed in a hotel with a view of the harbour, the ferries coming and going from Circular Quay and the Opera House – definitely worth doing at least once in your life; the view is one of the world’s best and it’s not actually that expensive. But for this latest visit, the budget was tight, very tight.)

Sydney Harbour - How nice is that??

So, the Great Southern Hotel it was. And it was totally fine. Having to walk through the city you’re visiting to get to the main attractions is a great way to get to know a place. Especially seeing some of the less salubrious parts – but really, the area was not that bad. Gone are the days of Sydney’s really seedy dark side (in the CBD anyway) – although those of us from the rest of Australia will always refer to Sydney as Sin City.

Sydney: Things to see, to buy, to eat

Having stashed my bags, I headed out to explore this part of the city. Nearby is the famous Paddy’s Market so I headed there. It’s Australia’s oldest market so I had high hopes of an interesting experience. Is it just me, or do markets lose a certain something when they become corralled into an historic building and attached to a modern mall style shopping centre?

Anyway, Paddy’s Market had the usual array of souvenirs, cheap clothes, and gossiping vendors drinking coffee. I admit, I bought a couple of things and did while away a bit of time in there. But give me one of the weekend markets, like Balmain Market on Saturdays (Sydney’s third oldest market!), where you have things people have actually made, or my old favourite, Paddington Market, also Saturdays, where I’ve bought many a strange, directional piece of clothing made by the person selling it – a starting place for some of Australia’s known fashion designers. Sadly, on this trip I wasn’t in Sydney for a Saturday. No hard to wear but unique new clothes for me.

Paddy’s Markets, and my hotel, are both very close to Chinatown. I met a friend there for dinner – excellent food. I was glad she was with me with her local knowledge. The first place we tried was through an obscurely marked door, leading to an elevator, with only a picture of food to mark that a restaurant waited on an upper floor. We squeezed in with a couple of other people, ascended, and discovered the place was closed for a few days. So, next alternative.

Through another doorway, up some stairs and we debated whether to join the throng around the fishtank waiting for tables. Deciding that it was easier than wandering the streets without a plan, we waited. And it wasn’t too long, and the food was good.

Next stop: Sydney Harbour & some history

The next morning I awoke with a mission to see the harbour and maybe take a harbour cruise. I don’t know if people who live in Sydney get used to the sight of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House but I never will. They are incredible, beautiful. Iconic. No wonder they are so photographed that everyone in the world thinks of Australia as only Sydney Harbour, Uluru and Bondi Beach.

I find Sydney a bit of a concrete jungle. Tall buildings from an era of ugly brown and grey construction – not so good. The signage tends to be gaudy and the traffic horrible. Even the old, colonial era buildings surviving between the modern buildings are beige – Sydney sandstone. Pretty but usually compromised by gaudy signage declaring it to be the Oldest Pub, an Irish Pub, or a Backpacker’s Pub. There are a lot of pubs in Sydney.

Thanks to its colonial roots, Sydney has a lot of narrow windy streets and consequently a massively confusing one way system. It’s definitely easier to walk through than drive around, but even for pedestrians crossing intersections can be treacherous. And now there is a tram line, and of course the monorail shushing emptily above. Sydney is trying to add interest to its public transport system but it seems a little token. Stick to buses and trains, I say. Add to all this confusion the Australian national inability to wait for a green Walk sign – we are just a nation of rule-breakers and jaywalkers. Convicts… and proud of it.

Along the way, I dove into the historic Queen Victoria Building of 1898, and enjoyed the elegance of the dome, the arcading, and a bit of window shopping. An entire city block, it was built on the site of the original Sydney markets. Is Sydney all about markets, or what?

I also diverted through Martin Place, a lovely pedestrian square of historic buildings dating from 1891. This is the heart of business Sydney but also has the Lindt Chocolat Café so it’s not totally devoid of pleasure-seekers.

Finally, the water

Finally, I made it to the waterside. I’m always a little disappointed to reach the harbour and find the Cahill Expressway, an elevated road blocking the CBD from the water. But once you get under this road, there you have it. Circular Quay in all its glory. Ferries coming and going, buskers, commuters in a hurry, tourists in confused huddles. Magic. Walking around to the right, you head towards the Opera House. Or you can visit the Botanical Gardens which are huge and right onto the harbour. Now, this is a great place to take a picnic and watch the ships, ferries, yachts for hours.

If you head off to the left, you can explore The Rocks, an old district of Sydney, now full of shops and restaurants, and also walk under the Harbour Bridge. A much better option for those who get vertigo than doing the bridge climb which is spectacular if you have the stomach for it.

This time, however, I plunged right into Circular Quay and found the ferry for Darling Harbour. I’d never been to Darling Harbour although I’ve heard so much about it. And I’d been told the best way to get there was on the ferry. This way you crisscross the harbour actually on the water, and pass under the bridge which is always a bit of thrill. And the ferry ride was very nice. With a good view of the Opera House thrown in for good measure.

But Darling Harbour I have to say was majorly disappointing. It feels plastic. Yet another example of taking an old rundown docklands and turning it into an entertainment and tourist precinct and I’m not quite sure Sydney’s works. Perhaps when there is an event on, or on summer evenings or weekends. But for me it felt like a concrete and plastic vacuum. People wandering aimlessly. A few battleships and submarines to visit. Food courts. And the ubiquitous Sydney experience of a flyover highway cutting it in half. Perhaps if I’d visited the Aquarium it would have been more worthwhile… Ah well.

I’d heard the Chinese Gardens were nice so I wanted to see them. But finding them presented a small challenge. There were plenty of signs pointing to this and that around the place, but just why each attraction is not listed on every signpost is a mystery. I had to take huge leaps of faith in which direction I took. Anyway, I got there. And it was very beautiful. Calm and peaceful – apart from the traffic noise.

Sydney Airport: Back to the beginning

Of course, this is only a short walk from Chinatown and I was able to easily wander back to my hotel.

Then it was time to head back out to the airport. Sydney, bless it, has become one of the wise cities of the world to have a train which runs direct from the city centre to the airport. (Perhaps I am overly impressed because I come from a city, Melbourne, where getting to the airport is a challenge and often takes longer than the flight.) And staying so close to Central Station it was quick and easy.

So, a whirlwind visit to Sydney, where I fitted in a lot of the major sights and, as usual with this city, just came away wanting more – more time, more money, more ferry rides. Ah well, next time.

-Philippa Burne

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Sydney tours & things to do, from Sydney Harbour cruises to Sydney day trips.