After living in Sydney for a few months I find myself qualified to make some recommendations to prospective visitors. First thing to note about Sydney, it is absolutely beautiful in the Summer. To anyone, thinking about travelling to Sydney or Australia in general I encourage you to go during their Summer season. The weather was consistently in the 70s and 80s with average humidity.
Perhaps the best thing about Sydney is the beaches, and you can’t fully enjoy them unless you are there during good weather and when the water temperatures are ideal for swimming. That being said, the best beach I visited was 7 mile beach which is about an hour outside of Sydney. The waves were perfect for surfing and nearly void of any human life. The main beaches in Sydney are crowded but still amazing. I prefer Bondi, but Manly is a very close second and are both must visits when in Sydney. I learned how to surf while in Sydney and urge anyone who hasn’t tried it to do the same. It is a lot easier than I thought and as fun as advertised.
The must see places in Sydney starts with the Sydney Opera House of course. This is obviously a tourist hot spot but it you have to see it. The Darling Harbour and the Rocks neighbohoods are definitely my favorites in the Sydney and places everybody should spend a lot of time in. Other places that are notable are Newtown and Surry Hills.
There is a lot to do in Sydney aside from the beaches and nightlife, but I have trimmed it down to the essentials. The Bondi to Coogee walk is first on the list. It is incredible especially at sunset and their are a lot of great seafood restaurants at either end. One of my favorite activities was a harbour dinner cruise and this is something I highly recommend. The views of the city from the boat are amazing, and the food was great as well. Lastly, I think a trip to the Blue Mountains is a must. The views were breath taking and it was nice to get a break from the city lifestyle.
The food in Sydney was a lot better than I had expected. The Asian influence on cuisine is very strong and there are endless numbers of great places from several countries in Southeast Asia. When in Australia, burgers and steaks are a must. They take their beef very seriously and I had some of the best burgers in my life at local joints. Perhaps my favorite aspect of Australian cuisine was the humble meat pie. They may not sound or look that appetizing but you can’t fake taste and the price is very affordable.
My biggest pieces of advice for anyone travelling to Australia is to give yourself a lot of time and make sure you have a lot of money to spend. There are many places in Australia I wanted to see but was unable to for financial and logistical issues. Australia is very big and you have to fly pretty much everywhere you travel so that is something to keep in mind.