A weekend in Sydney — Ubiquitous.

My idea of Sydney was far removed from reality. I expected a hyper-modern city with a forest of glass-walled buildings surrounding a harbour dominated by the iconic Opera House — the kind of place that would intimidate you, just as when you first arrive in Manhattan and feel swallowed up by an immense, chaotic, vertical city. However, Sydney surprised me with the laid-back vibe of a seaside town. You can lie on the grass and watch the sunset, or enjoy an aperitif on the steps of the Opera House while Caribbean music plays in the background and the sun paints the harbour.

The city wakes up late and goes to sleep early. The winding alleys are packed with Asian restaurants and Victorian arcades covered by ornate stained-glass windows where you can sip High Tea with scones.

Sydney is a patchwork of architectural styles, from Victorian and Art Deco to contemporary and 1970s Brutalism. These styles blend together more or less harmoniously along the winding streets that climb the hills and descend to the sea. Large parks teeming with bats, immense botanical gardens and two harbours soften the city’s austere appearance with a lively bustle of people.

Sydney isn’t too big to explore; you can get around the main areas by tram and then explore the neighbourhoods on foot. We found it to be an extremely safe and peaceful city, especially for families with young children, even for an evening stroll.

Here are our favourite spots for a weekend in Australia's most famous city.

The Central Business District and the elegant shopping arcades

Sydney’s CBD is a bustling commercial district filled with shops and people walking along streets lined with tall buildings made of glass, sandstone and concrete that slope down towards Darling Harbour on one side and the Botanical Gardens on the other.

Walking along George Street from Town Hall to Circular Quay Wharf takes you right through the heart of Sydney. On this street, which is reserved for trams running from one end of the city to the other, you can occasionally branch off onto the partially pedestrianised Pitt Street. Here, you will find beautiful 19th-century shopping arcades such as the Strand Arcade, which are filled with Victorian-style cafés and shops featuring large leaded glass windows, wrought-iron balustrades and a cascade of light streaming through skylights supported by slender, floral-patterned steel columns.

Equally beautiful is the famous Queen Victoria Building and its elegant arcades, with Byzantine domes rising against the imposing sandstone structure.

Here you’ll find wonderful cafés to choose from for breakfast, brunch, or a delicious takeaway. We chose Café Babette for a quintessentially Australian avocado toast.

On the edge of the CBD lies the tranquil Hyde Park, a large green space dominated by towering trees that, at sunset, are filled with eerie flying foxes silently gliding across the Sydney sky. Passing monumental fountains and the imposing St. Mary’s Cathedral, you arrive at Hyde Park Barracks, a truly fascinating historical monument.

These buildings housed thousands of prisoners sent to the colonies from Great Britain in the 1800s and feature an engaging historical exhibition inside. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this monument offers free admission.

The Harbour from side to side

Sydney Harbour needs no introduction, with the world-famous Opera House towering above it, with its iconic white concrete sails. You might, however, be interested to know the best places to observe it.

Dawes Point Battery, located beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge, offers a beautiful view of both landmarks. From here, you can also see the smiling face of the Luna Park entrance across the harbour — a great impromptu photo opportunity!

Continue walking along the harbour to Squires Lookout, where the Opera House is always in your view.

To see the Opera House from a different perspective, take a seat on one of the benches along Mrs Macquarie's Road in the Botanic Gardens. From here, you can admire the sail-shaped building framed by the trusses of the imposing bridge behind it.

Another magnificent view of the bridge, the bay and the Opera House can be enjoyed from the opposite riverbank. Don’t miss the chance to take one of the ferries departing from Circular Quay Wharf and arriving at Milsons Point Wharf in 10 minutes. Go and watch the sunset from Copes Lookout, where the harbour turns red in the silence of the evening and the city slowly fades into the darkness. This leaves the stage — if it wasn't already theirs — to the sails of the Opera House, which stand out with their pure white colour and clean lines.

Of course, don’t forget to check out the Opera House from its most unusual vantage point: sitting on the steps in the shade of the sails. From here, you’ll notice details you’ve never seen before, such as the interplay of light created by the matte and glossy ceramic tiles, the transparency of the sails offering a glimpse of the interior, and the concrete substructure opening up like a fan beneath them.

The Waterfront: from Darling Harbour to Barangaroo

Darling Harbour may not be as well known as Sydney Harbour, but it’s a charming place nonetheless. Tumbalong Park, surrounded by modern buildings, lively bars and restaurants, features a beautiful water play area for children. We spent a lot of time there during our days in Sydney. From there, a delightful walk along the harbour, The Promenade, takes you past shops and bars that capture the essence of a seaside atmosphere. Continuing on foot, you will reach the Barangaroo district. Part of this area is an ultra-modern neighbourhood with imposing glass skyscrapers, while another part is still under development with open construction sites and newly planted green spaces.

From Barangaroo Reserve, you can take Argyle Street and admire its beautiful terraced houses as you descend into The Cut, a canyon carved out to create a passageway between the two neighbourhoods, all the way to the Rocks district.

The Rocks

The Rocks is a distinctive neighbourhood characterised by red-brick industrial buildings with imposing sandstone bases, low-rise stone townhouses and streets lined with tall buildings reminiscent of British department stores, all set amid lush greenery that evokes subtropical Asia. It is extremely lively, full of bars and restaurants, and has a sprawling market stretching from under the Harbour Bridge to Hickson Road Park at the foot of the bridge's pylon. This offers beautiful views of the bay and glimpses of the Opera House.

The Rocks is also a great neighborhood for finding a delicious place to eat. For example, we had some unforgettable sandwiches at North Sandwiches & Burger Bar.

The Botanic Gardens

Sydney’s largest park deserves a special mention. The Royal Botanic Garden is a diverse green oasis featuring many lush, themed gardens where you can find cool relief on sweltering summer days. Its elevated position offers stunning views of the city and its landmarks. Walking down to the sea along the well-maintained waterfront will take you to the square in front of the Opera House.

What didn’t we like?

During our visit to Sydney, we also explored the Haymarket and Chinatown neighbourhoods, which didn’t particularly impress us. We intentionally left the coastal area out of our Sydney itinerary since we were planning a road trip along the entire southern Australian coast after that weekend. However, we did want to spend an afternoon at the famous Bondi Beach, which is fairly easy to reach by bus in half an hour from Hyde Park.

Aside from the lively atmosphere in the city centre, we weren’t impressed by the beach itself, which is extremely crowded and practically impossible to swim at. It is mostly dedicated to daredevil surfers and has a picturesque but not exceptional setting. Not worth the trip for us.

On the other hand, we were really excited about the day trip we took outside the city to the famous Blue Mountains. If you’re interested in going on a beautiful hike through nature not far from Sydney, read this article.

A day trip out of town

While Sydney’s famous coastline didn’t particularly impress us, it’s well worth spending a day in the Blue Mountains.

This protected forest is home to so many species of eucalyptus that they give the landscape a distinctive bluish hue. The landscape is striking for its vastness, with trees stretching as far as the eye can see, and the train journey through the mountain villages is also very picturesque.

The journey from Sydney Central Station to Katoomba Station takes about two hours. From there, a bus will take you to Scenic World, where you can take a cable car through the mountains to the start of a short hike. This hike offers breathtaking views of the eucalyptus and mangrove forests.

As well as this trek, the theme park features a child-friendly trail through the forest complete with giant dinosaurs, which rangers can show to little ones. While the prehistoric giants may not be of much interest to adults, the wooden walkway through the forest is nonetheless very picturesque, nestled amongst the towering trees of an ancient rainforest.

The glass-bottomed Skyway, suspended above a eucalyptus forest stretching as far as the eye can see, is also impressive. Once you arrive at the eastern terminus of the funicular railway, you can begin the trek along the Prince Harry Cliff Walk, which leads to the Queen Elizabeth Lookout viewpoint. From here, you can admire the Three Sisters rock formation rising above the forest.

The trek isn't particularly demanding, but the scorching heat makes it tiring nonetheless. The walk is 1.2 km one way and takes just under an hour in total. There is an elevation gain of around 250 m uphill and 300 m downhill. If you just want to enjoy the view from the lookout point, there is a regular bus service that stops along the route.