Where We Be
If you follow the walking tour below, this will be the first of many
amazing views of Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge
A Walking Tour of Sydney, Australia
Our 7-week trip to Australia started out with ten
full days in Sydney -- and what a great way to
get over jet lag and settle in to really enjoy this
world-class city. We stayed put the entire time
at an Airbnb in the Potts Point neighborhood
and explored from there, using the top-notch
public transport system and our own legs to
get around. Potts Point made for a great base:
leafy streets, cheap eats, and a short walk to
Kings Cross station. We could also walk to the
Opera House and Circular Quay in half an hour.

After a good night's sleep we felt ready to start
exploring. Our first walk was about four hours
long and took us to Sydney's key sights: the
Opera House, Circular Quay, the neighborhood
known as "The Rocks," and across the Harbour
Bridge to the far side. If you do only one walk in
Sydney this should be it: you'll get the most
amazing harbor views all along the way. Do it
on a sunny day and you're guaranteed to love it.

A longer stay lets you shorten your walks and
explore in more depth, taking in museums and
historic sights along the way, but with a little
gumption you could do the entire walk shown
below in one day. Besides the obvious sights,
you'll see the CBD with its historic buildings,
Hyde Park with its memorials and museums,
and Royal Botanic Gardens with its giant trees
and vistas. Don't forget to pop out after dark at
least once to see Sydney Harbour lit up at night.
So let's assume you've had some lunch in the CBD and are now continuing on to Hyde Park. This
is the Anzac Memorial, dedicated to the Aussies who died in World War I and subsequent wars.
Hyde Park is like a mini Central Park at the heart of the city
Just north of Hyde Park is Hyde Park Barracks, which once housed thousands of immigrants --
convict men at first, later destitute women and children who surived the Irish potato famine.
Continuing north from Hyde Park you'll reach the State Library of
New South Wales (NSW). It's worth popping inside for a free visit.
Your first blockbuster view comes as you round the peninsula
At the tip of the peninsula is Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, offering fine harbor views.
Just around the corner from here is where the real views of Sydney begin.
You'll want to slow down here and soak it all in, because
these are some of the best views in all of Sydney
Looking left of the Opera House you'll see the skyscrapers of downtown Sydney. From
here you'll follow around a lovely bend in the harbor until you reach the Opera House itself.
Ta-da! Just like that you've reached THE landmark sight in Sydney, the famous Opera House.
If you're like us you'll want to spend some time here exploring it from different angles.
If you have the time you can do a one-hour tour of the inside of the Opera
House for about $25 US (we saved the inside tour for a rainier day)
There are two ways across the Harbour Bridge: the hard way
(shown above) and the easy way. We chose the easy way!
The Rocks is where it all started in terms of European settlement in Australia.
Cadman's Cottage (1816) is the second oldest surviving residential building in Sydney.
This sign offers an interesting picture
of what Sydney looked like in its early days
The easy way is a mostly level walk (once you climb up to
the bridge) -- but the views are fantastic. Don't miss this!
You'll see the Opera House and the harbor from varying angles as you cross the bridge
Ferries and sailboats crisscross the busy harbor
From the far side of the bridge you can see all of downtown Sydney at a glance. See where the cruise ship is
docked? That's Circular Quay, the beating heart of Sydney Harbour. Ferries constantly pull in and out of here.
The scenery is quieter on the far side of the Harbour Bridge, but check out the walking path
following along the water. This is a great place to get photos looking back at Sydney proper.
If you like taking photos and can't get enough of the Opera House,
then make it to the far side of the Harbour Bridge for views like these
Nearby is Luna Park, which, over the years, has become a Sydney landmark -- sort of like Coney Island in New York.
A poster near the entrance shows the varying (and sometimes frightening) faces of the park entrance over the years.
From Luna Park you get views like these of the Opera House nestled under the Harbour Bridge
On a Friday night we decided to see Sydney Harbour all lit up and hopping with action. So
we took the train to Circular Quay and snapped a few photos of the Harbour Bridge at night.
From there we walked to the Opera House and enjoyed getting to see all the people
dressed up at the Opera Bar and having a fun night out on the town. Highly recommended!
Head up the stairs and you'll get a good view of the library proper from the balcony
But more importantly, upstairs you'll see an exhibit called the UNESCO Six – six historic documents that helped
define Australia. These include Captain Bligh's journals and the journals of the First Fleet (the first fleet of
convicts to arrive in Australia). Also a series of fantastic photographs of Sydney in its early days.
The Central Business District (CBD) is a bit off the beaten tourist path but offers
many fine historic buildings while also giving you a taste of modern Sydney life
The Strand and the Queen Victoria Building both offer high-end shopping
This is the Queen Victoria Building from the outside. It uses Sydney sandstone, which was characteristic
of Sydney's first major building boom in the late 1890's. Nearby is another such building, the Town Hall.
We think the tour is well worth it, and you may even luck out
like we did and hear the Sydney Symphony Orchestra rehearsing
You'll get fine views of the harbor from inside the Opera House
We got to peek inside the Joan Sutherland Theatre
and appreciate the iconic architecture up close
We broke this walk up into several pieces since we had
multiple days, but it could also be done in one long day
So let's begin our walking tour. From Potts Point we walked north along
leafy Victoria Street before heading down the steep McElhone Stairs.
We passed the interestingly named Wooloomooloo
Wharf with its numerous restaurants and shops
There are some fun statues at Wooloomooloo Wharf. From
here it's just a short walk to the Royal Botanic Gardens.
But instead of turning into the gardens we hugged the water, continuing
around the peninsula. Eventually we reached Andrew Charlton Pool.
The one-hour tour may even inspire you to take in an evening performance
We also paid a quick visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art.
It's free so you can pop in and explore any time you want.
The Rocks was once a rough-and-tumble dockyards filled
with pubs and whorehouses. That was then, this is now!
We paid a short visit to The Rocks Discovery Museum
where you can learn more about the history of the area
Cross back over the Harbour Bridge (or take a ferry if you want a break from walking),
then take some time to explore the interesting neighborhood known as "The Rocks"
The Rocks is a popular tourist hub. We considered staying
in this area but decided we liked Potts Point even better.
From the Opera House you can see your next goal: the famous Harbour Bridge
There are some truly outstanding trees here that you'll want to walk right up and say hello to
Finish up your walking tour in the Royal Botanic Gardens. Here
you can take a deep breath and relax from all the sightseeing.
And Government House is impressive too. It's a castle-like
structure on a huge green lawn overlooking Sydney Harbour.
At the heart of the Royal Botanic Gardens is The Calyx. When
we visited it was hosting a special exhibit called "Plants With Bite!"
Inside was a "mural" of live plants, and in front of the
mural a fun (and free) exhibit on carnivorous plants
The Fernery was another personal favorite at the gardens
We did a quick spin through this huge museum, which houses lots of paintings
by Australians. Our favorite part was the aboriginal art on the bottom floor.
Potts Point to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair
To Sydney Opera House
Across Sydney Harbour Bridge
Exploring "The Rocks"
Sydney CBD
Royal Botanic Gardens
Sydney At Night
Hyde Park & State Library of NSW
We loved our little Airbnb home at 114 Victoria St in Potts Point. It had everything we
needed and the location was great too, only a 4-minute walk to Kings Cross Station.
This is El-Alamein Fountain near Kings Cross. All around here are
ethnic eateries where you can pick up cheap but tasty takeaway food.
Still got some energy? Pop into the nearby (and free) Art Gallery of NSW.