Sydney Travel Guide

When to visit Sydney: December to February is Sydney's summer, warm and sunny, ideal for the harbour, beaches and outdoor festivals

When is the best time to visit Sydney?

Avg Temp

18–26°C

Rainfall

Moderate, ~90mm/month

Best Time

December to February is Sydney's summer, warm and sunny, ideal for the harbour, beaches and outdoor festivals

Packing Tips (3)

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Local currency: AUD

Quay
Modern Australian · $$$$
A fine-dining restaurant at Circular Quay with sweeping views of the Opera House and innovative modern Australian tasting menus.
Mr. Wong
Cantonese · $$$
A glamorous multi-level Cantonese restaurant in the CBD known for Peking duck and a lively atmosphere.
Bourke Street Bakery
Bakery · $
A Surry Hills bakery famous for its ginger brûlée tart and sourdough, with queues most mornings.
Icebergs Dining Room
Italian/seafood · $$$$
A restaurant overlooking the famous Bondi Icebergs ocean pool, serving Italian-influenced seafood dishes.
Chat Thai
Thai · $$
A long-running, reliably good Thai restaurant chain with its flagship in Sydney's Thaitown on Campbell Street.
Fish Butchery Bistro by Josh Niland
Seafood · $$$
A butchery-restaurant hybrid from acclaimed chef Josh Niland championing whole-fish cookery.
Opera Bar
Bar
A waterside bar right beneath the Sydney Opera House with live music and harbour views at sunset.
The Baxter Inn
Whisky bar
A hidden whisky bar down a CBD laneway with one of the largest whisky selections in the Southern Hemisphere.
Marquee Sydney
Nightclub
A large nightclub at The Star casino complex known for international DJs.

Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art
One of Australia's premier art museums, holding Aboriginal art, colonial works and a new underground Naala Badu wing.
Australian Museum
Natural history
Australia's first museum, with major natural history and Indigenous cultural collections in the CBD.
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
Contemporary art
A harbourside museum at Circular Quay dedicated to contemporary Australian and international art.
Sydney Opera House
Architecture & performance
The Jørn Utzon-designed UNESCO World Heritage icon, offering guided architecture tours and performances.
Dendy Newtown
An independent cinema in Newtown known for arthouse and international film programming.
State Theatre
A grand 1929 movie palace in the CBD, home to the Sydney Film Festival and occasional classic screenings.
Sydney Festival
January
A major arts festival held every January across venues citywide with theatre, music and outdoor events.
Vivid Sydney
May–June
A festival of light, music and ideas that transforms the harbour and Opera House with large-scale light projections.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
February–March
One of the world's largest LGBTQ+ parades and festivals, culminating in a huge parade down Oxford Street.

Bondi Beach
Surf beach · 7 km
Australia's most famous beach, backed by cafes and the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk, popular with surfers and swimmers.
Manly Beach
Surf beach · 17 km (by ferry)
A harbour-side surf beach reached by ferry from Circular Quay, with a lively esplanade of shops and restaurants.
Coogee Beach
Beach · 9 km
A family-friendly beach south of Bondi with a netted ocean swimming area and coastal walking track.
Wentworth Falls
100 km
A dramatic multi-tiered waterfall in the Blue Mountains, a popular day trip from the city.
Blue Mountains
80 km
A UNESCO-listed sandstone plateau with the iconic Three Sisters rock formation, eucalyptus forests and cliff walks.

Fitness First Sydney CBD
A large, well-equipped gym in the heart of the CBD with extensive classes.
Bondi Icebergs Pool
Ocean pool · 7 km
An iconic ocean pool carved into the rocks at the southern end of Bondi Beach, with waves washing over the edge.
Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool
Outdoor pool · 2 km
An outdoor harbourside pool in the Domain, popular with locals for lap swimming with skyline views.
Luna Park Sydney
Amusement park
A historic harbourside amusement park beneath the Harbour Bridge, with its iconic laughing-face entrance since 1935.