Sydney in 4 Days

Sydney is a beautiful city on the East Coast of Australia and is the perfect place to start any Australia trip. You can easily spend either as much or as little time here as you like. However, I recommend 4 days as the perfect amount of time to experience the best that Sydney has to offer. Whatever you decide, be sure to explore its famous beaches while you are here!

Itinerary

DAY 1

Bondi

To kick start the Sydney adventure, head out for a day of beach hopping. Firstly, take a bus to Coogee Pavilion where you will find the start of the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk. This is a 5.9km paved path that follows the coastline past some of the nicest Sydney beaches.

Take a backpack with your beach gear and spend an hour at each beach as you pass through. I recommend starting the walk in Coogee, as you will get the best view of Bondi Beach at the end of the trail.

The path finishes at Bondi Icebergs to the south end of Bondi Beach. Spend the afternoon laying on the beach and exploring both the shops and cafes along the waterfront.

For an amazing sunset, grab some snacks from the supermarket and walk up to North Bondi Lookout. Have a picnic dinner whilst the sun sets over one of the world’s most famous beaches.

DAY 2

Sydney Harbour

This morning, head into Circular Quay to see some of Australia’s most famous sights. As you exit Circular Quay Station, walk along the water towards the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Just below the bridge sits the historic Rocks neighbourhood. This area is filled with cafes serving famous Aussie brunch.

A must-do experience in Sydney is the Bridge Climb. Head to the Bridge Climb Center to get suited up and start climbing to the top of the Harbour Bridge. This is an experience that needs to be booked in advance, via the Bridge Climb website for around AUD$300*. Note that the whole experience takes around three hours, so fuel up prior to climbing.

Once your adrenaline levels have recovered, head to the other side of Circular Quay. Here you can see the unique architecture of the Sydney Opera House up close. You will also be able to see the whole bridge (that you just climbed!!) from this side of the harbour.

But, for even better views continue walking through the Royal Botanic Gardens to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. Bring food for a picnic, watching the sun set over the entire harbour.

DAY 3

Day Trip

Head out of the city today to the lush Blue Mountains for day trip. Blue Mountains National Park is located just West of Sydney, about a 2-hour drive from the city centre. The easiest way to explore this area is to take a NSW TrainkLink train on the Blue Mountains Line (BMT), making sure to get off at Katoomba Station. These trains depart from Central Station in Sydney every hour, so be sure to plan ahead.

Once in Katoomba, the easiest way to get around is via the public bus (line 686G) which stops on Katoomba Street just opposite the station every 20 minutes. To see the highlights, hop off at Blue Mountains Tourist Park to walk up to Eagle Hawk Lookout for amazing views, Katoomba Falls Road to see Katoomba Falls and to start the Prince Henry Cliff Walk to the Three Sisters.

There are plenty of food options in both Katoomba and Leura for an early dinner before taking the train back into Sydney, but I recommend packing a picnic lunch and lots of snacks to stay fuelled throughout the day. Transport NSW has a great tool to help plan train and bus journeys for the day.

DAY 4

Manly

For the last day in Sydney, take a ferry from Circular Quay to Manly for the day. Make sure to wear walking shoes, as you cannot miss the 9.5km North Head Circuit bushwalk starting from Little Manly Beach. Stop at Fairfax Lookout along the way for a great view over the Sydney skyline.

If you would prefer not to walk so far, a great alternative is to hire a kayak or stand up paddle board to explore more of the hidden beaches around this part of the coast. Manly Kayak Centre is a great place to hire equipment at around AUD$50* for 3 hours, and is located right beside Manly Wharf. This is something worth booking in advance, as it will get busy on a sunny day.

For any last-minute shopping, check out the Corso pedestrian area on the way back to Manly Wharf. This is a great spot to for shopping and has so many restaurants to choose from for an early dinner, including favourites The Pantry, El Camino Cantina and Daniel San.