Now that you've done a fair bit of sightseeing, it's time to head off somewhere else and enjoy Sydney's best asset - its harbour. The best and cheapest way to do the eastern side of the Harbour is to catch the Ferry to Manly in the far east of the Harbour on its northern side, and a popular destination for Sydneysiders and tourists alike.
Walk around the Opera House through to Circular Quay, admiring the view of the Harbour Bridge from Bennelong Point on the way. Circular Quay is a busy interchange at the harbour end of the CBD, and is the terminus for ferries and buses and a busy railway station. Look up and admire the skyscrapers, especially the shorter AMP Centre (the short one), which was Australia's first skyscraper, which now looks rather short compared to the buildings next to and behind it.
Head to Wharf 3 for the ferry to Manly . If you don't have a MyMulti, tickets are $6.60 each way for an adult. If it's not raining or too cold, sit outside, and be prepared to take some spectacular photos of the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, and the CBD from the Harbour, and then take in the sights and sounds of the Harbour. Sydney's Ferries are more than just a means of transport, they are iconic to Sydney and go hand in hand with its harbour. The Manly trip is the most popular.
On your ferry trip you might notice a few things:
As you pull out of Circular Quay, if you're not too busy taking photos, look ahead towards the north. You might see a white building on the opposite side of the Harbour with lots of columns. This is Admiralty House and is the Sydney residence of Australia's Governor-General. Behind this, with a green gabled roof, is Kirribilli House, the Sydney residence of Australia's Prime Minister.
You will also notice the fort in the middle of the Harbour as you pull out from Circular Quay. This is Fort Denison which was built to defend Australia in the Crimean War.
Further on and to your right you will see Garden Island, Sydney's naval base.
Shortly after this on your left you might see Taronga Zoo on your left if you look hard.
On your right is the top of Sydney's eastern suburbs. Admire many of the big harbourside mansions.
You will cross Sydney's Heads, South Head on your right, Middle Head on the left, and North Head on your right shortly afterwards. The old buildings on North Head are the original quarantine station where immigrants to Sydney were taken. In a big storm this area can get pretty choppy, but is spectacular in fine weather.
You will arrive at Manly shortly after you pass the Heads. Alight at the wharf (the ferry goes back to Circular Quay and you will be asked to get off anyway) and cross the road. Head up The Corso, Manly's restaurant and entertainment area. We'll come back here later for dinner but it's time to do other things. When you get to the end of the Corso, cross the road and head to Manly Beach. Manly Beach is actually two beaches, North Steyne and South Steyne, but it's a beach that many Sydneysiders come to and it's a little less packed with tourists than Bondi. Enjoy the water, the sand, or whatever you'd like to do. If beaches aren't your thing, or if you're here at the wrong time of year, Manly Oceanworld ($18.50 adult, $9.95 child, under 4s free) is open from 9am-5:30pm and is a popular aquarium and oceanarium; alternatively there's also plenty of shops in and around Manly for you to explore in the relaxed beachside suburb.
After an exhausting day, dine at one of the restaurants in and around Manly. There's plenty to choose from. If you feel like a drink, there's plenty of bars around too to satisfy your thirst.
When you're done for the night, head back to the wharf and catch the ferry back to Circular Quay. After 8pm the ferry runs approximately every 40-45 minutes, the last ferry is at 12:20am Mon-Thur, 12:55am on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11:40pm on Sunday nights. On Friday and Saturday nights the 151 bus operates approximately every thirty minutes from the bus interchange next to the wharf and heads back to the City (Railway Square, near Central Station) and runs until 5am.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about One week in Sydney
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in One week in Sydney - updated Apr 2024
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One week in Sydney Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
