What if you only had only two days to tour Sydney? Over the years, Sydney has evolved to include harbors, museums and gardens. It is a big deal being in Sydney but sometimes time is not on your side. With a maximum of 48 hours to tour the city, here is a rough idea of what and where you should be touring;
A climb of Sydney Bridge
This is an unforgettable experience that will take an estimated 4 hours to accomplish. This exercise is a bit costly ($298 AUD) so many people will be forgiven for opting out. An equally exciting activity is a tour of Darling Harbor. At this location, visitors can explore the Chinese Gardens of Friendship, the Powerhouse Museum, Maritime Museum and Aquarium. If you are up for an adrenaline rush, how about you join in Jet Boat Ride and Harbour Cruise? The harbor houses several restaurants, cafes and bars so you can tour with your energy levels up.
Exploring the rocks
When you are through climbing the bridge, it is a good idea to explore the area of the rocks. This is an area within Sydney whose history is quite exciting. It is believe that the first settlement in Sydney was at this location. Visitors just cannot get enough of cobblestone streets and old buildings, not to mention that it is a great destination for those who are keen on buying souvenirs from local markets. There is no need make travel arrangements to the Rocks if you are at the bridge – it is only a 10-minutes’ walk away.
The Contemporary Art Museum
Now that you are within its vicinity, visitors can take advantage of the fact that the Museum of Contemporary Art is another great destination to visit. It is also a walking distance from the rocks so there can be as much back and forth movement as needed. Moving to the Opera House from this location just requires that one moves through the ferry terminal.
Royal Botanic Gardens
It can take some time before the tour of the Opera House begins depending on what time you arrive at the location. Visitors who are at the location early can take a walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens. Make sure to stop at Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair – this is a bench carved out of sandstone and by hand. Its location on the peninsula makes it a great view point of the harbor. It is going to take around 25 minutes to walk to the Royal Botanic Gardens from the Opera House and the same duration of time to walk back.
By the time you are done with touring the above locations, it is probably too late to tour the city center. You still have a whole day remaining to tour contemporary Sydney so plan to have an early start of the day. The Sydney town hall is opened as early as 8 am and is a great place to start the day. Spend an hour here then proceed on to Queen Victoria Building (QVB) to be in time for opening at 9 am. There is quite a lot to do here including eating and shopping so there is no need to rush.
Cockatoo Island
Right at the center of Sydney Harbor is Cockatoo Island – it is a tourist attraction based on its history as a dockyard where ships were built; it is a former penal location for convicts. Before the island was opened to the public in 2007, it had remained inactive for about a decade. Tourists have an opportunity to experience glamping on the island as well as take part in ghost tours when night falls.
Manly
Getting to Manly is made easy by the ferry trips which happen every 20 minutes for those who are at Circular Quay. The ferry ride lasts for approximately 40 minutes but what lays in wait on the other side is worth the wait. Apart from touring the Manly art gallery and beach, visitors are treated to a spectacular experience at the Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club.
Still have some time to spare? Spend this at the Alexandria Grounds, the vibe of Enmore & Newtown, Wollongong, Hunter Valley and popular Bondi Beach.
Well, 2 days can be quite a long time if you have your itinerary well organized. Clearly, you do not have to be in Australia for a long time to enjoy all the destinations discussed above. Did you know that you can apply for a transit visa? This is eligible to those who are passing through Australia but just as a route to other destinations. More information on this visa can be obtained from https://www.australiaonlinevisa.org/
