24 hours in Sydney
There are many times where I have visited a city only for a day. I have visited a city because of transit or lack of time. In spite of having very little time, I have stepped out to explore the city. In such scenarios, I have wanted someone to let me know the top sightseeing places that I can visit in a day. In this post, I have tried to list down the top sightseeing places that one can visit if they just had 24 hours in Sydney.
Let’s just admit that Sydney offers a lot and 24 hours in Sydney is very little time to explore the beautiful city.
About Sydney…
Sydney is the capital city of New South Wales (NSW) and is the largest city in Australia. It is famous for its Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The best time to visit this amazing city is in Spring (September till November) and Autumn (March till May) seasons. These months are pleasant and are not too hot or cold. And Sydney is covered with pretty flowers during Spring and fall colours during Autumn.
Note: Sydney is an expensive city and it is expensive to travel around as well. I suggest walking around the Central Business District (CBD) and soaking into the vibes of Sydney.
If you would like to know about the free things to do in Sydney, then refer the section – FREE THINGS TO DO IN SYDNEY.
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Local transportation in Sydney
Buy an Opal transportation card as soon as you come out of the airport. This is the card that you can use to travel around public transport. Opal card must be tapped in when boarding and tapped out when offboarding the transport.
Note: We can also use our credit or debit cards to tap in and out of the public transport. However, Opal cards provide discounts on the fares.
Transportation within Sydney
There are four modes of transportation in Sydney city:
- Trains
- Buses
- Ferries
- Light Rails
The main train station is Central train station.
Taronga Zoo
I would definitely start my tour in Sydney, by taking a ferry from Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo. It is definitely a must-do. Taronga Zoo has a huge variety of animals and the encounters with the animals are definitely worth the visit. They also have educational talk shows at various animal enclosures and these are really good.
- There are frequent trains and light rails from Sydney Central station to Circular Quay via Wynyard. The cost of the fare is between AUD 3 to 4.
- Take a ferry from Circular Quay.
- Ferry ticket is around AUD 7.5. One can pay using either Opal transportation or Credit/Debit cards. However, the Opal card provides discounts on the fare.
- More information can be found on the Transport for NSW website.
- The cost of the zoo ticket for an adult is AUD 49. However, the tickets are cheaper if bought online.
Ensure to do the ‘Feed the giraffe’ animal encounter. This is really awesome as the giraffes come really up close.
Circular Quay
I would take the ferry back to Circular Quay from Taronga Zoo wharf. Circular Quay is a harbour in Sydney. The views of the famous Sydney Opera House on the right and the Sydney Harbour Bridge on the left are something to die for – especially on a warm sunny day. A stroll along the Circular Quay is a must.
- Ferry ticket is around AUD 7.5. One can pay using either Opal transportation or Credit/Debit cards. However, the Opal card provides discounts on the fare.
- More information can be found on the Transport NSW website.
The Rocks
A short walk from Circular Quay leads to The Rocks. The Rocks is a suburb hosting the historic laneways next to Circular Quay. The area features many restaurants and craft shops, some of them that are really old.
- Short walk from the Circular Quay station.
The Rocks Market is a local artisan market that operate on every weekend, with around 100 shops.
Darling Harbour
After The Rocks, I would head to Darling Harbour and witness the vibrant and colourful part of Sydney. Most often Darling Harbour has some festival celebration or the other. If not, not to worry, as Darling Harbour has some amazing pubs and bars. I would suggest ending the day at Darling Harbour.
- Take a train or light rail from Circular Quay to Town Hall. Walk to Darling Harbour.
- The cost is between AUD 2 to AUD 3.
- One can pay using either Opal transportation or Credit/Debit cards. However, the Opal card provides discounts on the fare.
- More up-to-date information can be found on the Transport NSW website.
Take a ride on the Giant Wheel on Darling Harbour. The cost of taking a ride for an adult is just AUD 8.
Is it safe for solo female travelers?
Sydney is relatively very safe for solo female travelers. I have been here in this city for around 8 years and I have not found any major issues here. However, like any other place, I would be cautious while traveling alone, especially at night, and will always trust my instinct.
Carrying of pepper spray in Australia is illegal. I know this is something that female travelers carry when they are traveling alone but it is not allowed in Australia.
Conclusion
As I mentioned earlier in the post, the places in Sydney cannot be covered completely in 24 hours. These are only a few things that can be done in a day. Sydney has many more things to do and places to see. I would recommend at least staying in Sydney for 4 to 5 days to enjoy the city and its culture. I am in love with this city and it is one city that caters to all kinds of travelers and tourists.
Are you in Sydney during the winter season? Then read my post things to do in Sydney winters to find all the cool things you can do in this beautiful city.
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Beautiful photos & writeup
Sydney is one of the beautiful place in the world. As our planned already cancelled this year to visit Australia due to this pandemic. Hopefully we are going next year. And I am bookmarking this article for future reference. Thanks for suggesting some amazing things to do in Sydney which we missed earlier
Sydney is definitely a Lovely place to be in. Though I haven’t been there ever, but have heard a lot about Opera House n obviously the zoo there 🙂
Sydney is indeed so beautiful ,love to visit this place with my family. So detail information that surely help.
Envious of all your travels and the 24 hour stopover and u managed to get this great collection there too..this is super and such a treat to read all the tips as usual
If I had it my way, I would’ve jumped on a plane and head straight to Sydney. My bestie lives there and I miss him terribly. Whenever I’m there I would visit the places mentioned in this post.
Wow! So much to do in 24hrs.
Thanks for the itinerary, it will help the travellers a lot.
I wish to visit Sydney some day and will explore the places u have mentioned.
Hope Covid19 ends soon.
Sydney is too big to be explored in 24 hours. However you have shared an excellent guide! I envy you that you are a resident of this stunning city.
Great information on how to get around Sydney. It sounds like taking the ferry at Circular Quay is an affordable way to see the Opera House and the Bridge from the water. That would be a highlight of any amount of time spent in Sydney!
That’s an impressive guide on Sydney, the Circular Quay does seem to be a fun place to catch the best of views of the Harbour. I’d love to check out the Rocks market too, the artisans market sounds interesting. The ferry wheel ride at an affordable deal would have been a great bet at the darling harbour! There is so much to see in Australia!
Sydney is such a beautiful city. There’s so much to explore. And you have listed the best places. The Taronga zoo definitely comes first. I liked the idea of using an opal card. Saves time and so convenient to use.
This is such a interesting and informative post! i am dreaming to visit Sydney one day ! its good to know to easy to travel around and you can just use your credit card to tap in and out. And wow i was not expecting to see the train station looking like this, more in European style.
We were supposed to visit Sydney this year for a return visit. We did find it easy to get and use an Opal card to get around. Loved that we could use it on the ferries. We definitely planned to visit the zoo the next time. Good to know the tickets are cheaper online.
I’ve been to Sydney a couple of times and it was loong time ago. Hope to revisit the city again with my family. It’s just one of the cities in the world that you must try to visit at least once. Since when the cruise ship can dock in the quay? It really destroy the view.
I lived in Sydney for couple of months and never thought that it can be done in 24 hours. You have really covered so much in this huge city in 24 hours. Darling Harbour is my favorite as it is very vibrant part of the city. Taronga Zoo is amazing too as the view of whole city from top is mind blowing. Thanks for sharing a wonderful itinerary with so many things in 1 day.
It is a perfect itinerary, very informative, and help plan for a trip. Australia is on my bucket list. I would love to visit Sydney. Darling Harbour, The Rocks, and Zoo I add to my list.