Sydney Harbour — Port Jackson, the drowned river valley that the First Fleet entered in January 1788 and Governor Phillip described as "the finest harbour in the world, in which a thousand sail of the line may ride in the most perfect security", 55km of navigable waterway from the Heads (the sandstone cliffs at the ocean entrance) to the upper reaches of the Parramatta River, its foreshore of coves, beaches and headlands supporting a city of 5 million people whose relationship to their harbour is closer and more intimate than perhaps any other city on Earth — is one of the most beautiful urban settings in the world. Its two defining structures, the Sydney Opera House (1973, designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, its interlocking white sail-shell roofs curving over Bennelong Point at the harbour's edge one of the most photographed buildings on Earth and arguably the finest single work of architecture built in the 20th century) and the Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932, the world's largest steel arch bridge, spanning 503 metres across the harbour at 59 metres above the water, its arch offering the harbour's finest panoramic view to the 2 million people who climb it annually) — together constitute an urban landmark of extraordinary power and visual coherence, the two structures framing the Circular Quay waterfront in a composition that remains as striking after a thousand viewings as it was the first time.
Sydney is consistently ranked among the world's most liveable cities and most visited: the city's combination of world-class culture (the Opera House's 1,800 annual performances of opera, symphony, theatre, comedy and popular music), extraordinary natural settings (Bondi Beach, Manly Beach, and 70 beaches within the greater city), outstanding food (the Sydney seafood restaurants and the Central Market hall of the Sydney Fish Market, the second-largest fish market in the world), and the general Australian openness and ease of life produce an experience that most first-time visitors find more immediately pleasant than any other major city they have visited.
The Opera House & Circular Quay
The Sydney Opera House — on Bennelong Point, a short walk east from the Circular Quay ferry terminals and rail station — is best experienced in three ways: from the outside (the forecourt and the boardwalk around the base of the building, free and open 24 hours, the building's scale and the extraordinary geometry of the shell roofs at close range best appreciated in the morning when the forecourt is quieter), from inside on a guided tour (the standard 1-hour tour approximately AUD 43, the backstage tour AUD 165 including the loading dock and the performers' areas — book at sydneyoperahouse.com), and as an audience member at a performance (Opera Australia, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and visiting international performers; tickets from approximately AUD 50 for the concert hall — the cheapest and most accessible performances are the Sydney Symphony evening concerts and the shorter Opera Talks lunchtime events). The exterior of the building is at its finest at dusk (when the tiles, made from two types of Swedish ceramic — matt and gloss — in alternating patterns create a visual shimmer in the long light), and at Vivid Sydney (the annual winter light festival, held May–June, when the Opera House is illuminated with extraordinary projected artworks each night).
Harbour Bridge Climb & the Rocks
The Sydney Harbour Bridge BridgeClimb — a 3.5-hour guided climb up the arch of the Harbour Bridge to its summit at 134 metres, offering a 360-degree view of Sydney Harbour, the Heads, the CBD and the Blue Mountains on the western horizon (approximately AUD 174–388 depending on time of day and tour type; book at bridgeclimb.com weeks ahead in peak season) — is consistently rated the finest structured sightseeing experience in Australia: the combination of the engineering achievement (the arch, constructed 1932, was the world's longest single-arch bridge for 40 years), the physical engagement of the climb, and the view from the summit (the city spread out below, the harbour dotted with ferries and yachts, the Opera House visible directly across from above) is memorable in a way that passive sightseeing is not. The Rocks — the historic precinct beneath the Harbour Bridge on the CBD side, the site of Sydney's first European settlement in 1788 and now a combination of preserved sandstone colonial buildings, weekend markets (Saturdays and Sundays, excellent food and artisan goods), galleries and restaurants — is the finest walking neighbourhood in central Sydney: the Rocks Discovery Museum (free, in a 1844 warehouse), the S.H. Ervin Gallery, and the convict-built Argyle Cut (a tunnel carved by convict labour with hand tools through solid sandstone, still the main pedestrian link between the Rocks and Millers Point) are the historical highlights.
Getting Around Sydney & the Ferries
The Sydney ferry network — operated by Transport NSW, using the Opal card (reloadable transit card, available from Circular Quay newsagents and station kiosks) — is both the most practical and the most pleasurable way to move around Sydney's harbour: the Manly Ferry (a 30-minute open-water crossing from Circular Quay to Manly Beach, one of Sydney's finest ocean beaches; AUD 8.40 using Opal) is the finest public transport journey in Australia, the approach to the Heads and the ocean views compensating for any price premium over the bus; the Parramatta River ferry (to the historic first European settlement and the excellent Old Government House museum) is the finest full-day excursion from the city by water. Sydney's CBD hotels, particularly around the Rocks and Circular Quay, put the Opera House and the Bridge within walking distance; the Surry Hills and Darlinghurst neighbourhoods (15 minutes south of the CBD by foot, the city's finest restaurant strip) are the best base for food-oriented visitors. From the UK, Sydney is 21–23 hours flying time (usually via Dubai, Singapore or Hong Kong), a journey best broken with a stopover of 1–2 nights.
