3 Days in Sydney – The Ultimate Itinerary

Are you planning to spend 3 days in Sydney, Australia?

This ultimate itinerary for 3 days in Sydney will take you to all the highlights and even a few smaller gems. Sydney is a perfect first introduction to Australia. Think of bustling international city meets historic and traditional Australia.

I spent over a week in Sydney recently and would return in a heartbeat. I’m a big lover of cultural cities, and this one has just been added to my list of favorites.

What did I love most about Sydney?

• The “Welcome/Acknowledgement to Country”  statement that is mentioned and posted almost everywhere you go as an acknowledgement of gratitude for the land and its indigenous people.
• The beautiful and iconic spots along the harbor.
• The mixture of modern and colonial architecture.
• The very clean and safe city streets.
• The excellent and easy to access transportation systems.
• The super friendly and helpful people!

The only thing I didn’t love was that I kept looking the wrong way when crossing the streets! I come from a right side driving country and Australia is a left side driving country. We found that some drivers were not patient with people crossing the road. They tend to plow through an intersection as soon as the light changes! I was even yelled at by a driver saying “walk faster!”

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3 Days in Sydney Itinerary Locations

Your 3 Days in Sydney Itinerary

If you’re looking for a 3 days in Sydney itinerary that will give you a real taste of the city and some ideas for exploring outside of this great city, here are my top recs. You’ll wow at the iconic views of the harbor when you see the opera house and the bridge for the first time. You know the chills you get when you see something in person that you’ve only ever seen in photos and movies before?

Day One of 3 Days in Sydney:
Circular Quay, The Rocks, Harbor Bridge Walk, & Barangaroo

Morning:

My top breakfast rec is this really lovely spot known for its excellent coffee and delish breakfast! When I tell you it was the best decaf latte and gluten free avocado and toast I had in Australia – I’m not joking! The Grounds of the City – 12/500 George Street

Circular Quay

Address: Alfred Street & Sydney Harbor
The Circular Quay is the part of Sydney Harbor where most ferries launch from. It’s kind of the gateway to the Opera House and The Rocks and is the most popular part of Sydney. You can walk along the promenade by the water and see all the views of the bridge and the Opera House, find tons of restaurants and shops, and get a feel for the city on your first day. You’ll also have a choice of many tours leaving from here, like walking tours, boat cruises, and whale watching tours!

Sydney Opera House

Address: Bennelong Point
This truly iconic world heritage UNESCO site is famous for its brilliant architecture as well as for the magnificent performances that occur there. The construction began in 1959 and it took 14 years to build due to a whole host of problems. Ultimately, the costs soared far over the original budget. The “sails” that make up the unique structure of the building are actually parts of the same sphere and are cut into different sizes. They were inspired by images in nature according to the architect, Jorn Utzon. There are over one million tiles covering the sails. You can wander around the Opera House (some of the steps sections are under construction), take a tour of the inside of the Opera House, or go to a performance while you’re in town! 

Book this Highly Rated Guided Tour of the Sydney Opera House Here!

Afternoon: 

The Rocks

Address: From George Street & Hickson Road & Circular Quay
The Rocks turned out to be my favorite neighborhood in the city. I love the hills overlooking the harbor and the historic buildings. It reminded me of parts of Boston with the red brick and narrow streets. The oldest building in The Rocks is the Cadman’s Cottage built in 1816 and sits next to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). This is also the neighborhood where you access the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb. For a special treat, if you happen to be visiting in July, you’ll find the Christmas in July Festival all throughout the streets of The Rocks! Be sure to sit on the roof of the Glenmore Hotel for drinks and a bite!

Book A Great Walking Tour of Sydney & The Rocks Now!

Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk

Free Access Points: Cumberland Street
We all know that the Sydney Harbor Bridge, aka “The Coathanger” is the iconic bridge over the beautiful harbor featuring the Opera House. There are many perspectives and lookouts from which to experience the bridge. 

Free Option:
One of the easiest ways is to simply walk across it along the walkway for free. Take the stairs or elevator near Cumberland Street up to the walkway to enjoy the 30 minute walk or bike ride on the span which is 440 feet above the water.

Lookout & Museum Option:
Add to your free walk with a ticket to climb the 200 steps up to the Pylon Lookout and enjoy the historic museum and 360 overlook.

Book the Iconic Sydney BridgeClimb Today! You Won’t Be Sorry!

Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb

Address: 3 Cumberland Street
I have to admit that I agreed to do the BridgeClimb before I entirely knew what I was signing up for! SO glad I did however, as it was absolutely a highlight of my trip. There’s a lot of history that goes into the city allowing the climb to become a tourist attraction, but once they did, it has become one of Sydney’s most popular activities. Use the links below for more info and tickets, but here are my top reasons for doing it:

• Absolute best views of Sydney, and all the beauty of the harbor and its surrounding scenery.
• It’s not that physically challenging if you’re in decent shape, and can climb sets of stairs easily.
• It’s not scary because you are well prepared, have comfortable width to walk on, and are attached to a cable.
• You’ll learn a lot from the guide’s narration, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something very memorable!

Evening: 

Barangaroo

Address: Barangaroo Avenue
Barangaroo is the neighborhood in the southern tip of the Central Business District (CBD) in Sydney. This area was named for the First nation woman,Barangaroo, who facilitated conversations between the Cammeraygal people and Captain Arthur Phillip of the First Fleet in 1788. There is now the Barangaroo reserve and park, many waterfront picnic spots, and some colorful modern architecture overlooking the harbor.

This is a dinner rec that has excellent reviews. Callao Barangaroo – 2/100 Barangaroo Avenue

Day Two of 3 Days in Sydney
Royal Botanic Gardens, NSW Art Museum, & CBD

This will be your day to explore the magnificent Royal Botanical Gardens, the art museum, and parts of the Central Business District (CBD) such as the Sydney Tower and Queen Victoria Building.

Morning: 

Check out this famous Sydney bakery for breakfast – The Bourke Street Bakery – 633 Bourke Street, Surrey Hill

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

Address: Mrs. Macquaries Road
The Royal Botanic Gardens are in an area of about 75 acres in Sydney. These gardens overlook the harbor on some spots and wind through the urban setting of the Central Business District. It is known as “Australia’s natural masterpiece” and it is the oldest garden in the country. I literally spend hours wondering and relaxing on benches here. I saw so much in bloom in the winter of July, I can only imagine what’s growing in summer. And did I mention the wild exotic birds flying around and drinking from the fountains?

Mrs Macquarie’s Chair

Address: Mrs Macquaries Rd, (inside Botanic Gardens)
The wife of the Governor, Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, in 1810 – 1821, used to sit on the sandstone rock and watch the ships come and go in the harbor. The Governor had convicts who were populating the city carve a proper seat and steps for his wife to sit on when she enjoyed the activity of the harbor. Look for is at Mrs Macquarie’s Point when you’re in the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Art Gallery of New South Wales

Address: Art Gallery Rd, Sydney NSW 2000
Across the street from the Royal Botanic Garden gates is the pride of Sydney’s art community. I am obsessed with visiting art museums wherever I go and was so excited to see the depth of the collection and the beauty of this museum! The collection is very diverse and interesting. The museum primarily features Australian, Aboriginal, European, and Asian art and is free to the public! Enjoy the outdoor cafe as well for a little snack or lunch.

Afternoon:

Sydney Central Business District (CBD)

Address: Circular Quay, Central Station, Hyde Park, and Darling Harbour
The Central Business District or the CBD as it is called is the busy downtown of Sydney. While it’s the skyscraper and office building area, it is also very walkable, is close to The Rocks and the Harbor and has access to all the transportation choices. Not only does the CBD have modern buildings, hotels and plenty of restaurants and shops, but it is also home to some lovely historic architecture like The Town Hall, The Pitt Street Church, and the Queen Victoria Building.

Queen Victoria Building (QVB)

Address: 455 George Street
The Queen Victoria Building opened in 1898 to honor the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It housed a concert hall and shops. Over time the concert hall became the city library and eventually an art deco remodeling began in the 1930’s. Ongoing restoration has made this building one of the prettiest shopping malls I’ve ever been in! Even if you don’t want to do any shopping, you must go inside for a look at the clocks, the floors, and maybe have lunch and check out some opals at one of the many jewelry stores.

The World’s Largest Opal

Address: Altmann & Cherny 18 Pitt Street
In case you didn’t know, Australia is famous for its opal mines and you’ll find opals are sold everywhere you go. Head to Altmann & Cherny, a surprisingly small jewelry store in the CBD, which is home to the world’s largest opal, called the Olympic Australis. It was mined in1956 in the Eight Mile Opal Field in Cooper Pedy South Australia. The opal buyers John Altmann and Rudi Cherny decided not to cut it when they found it because it was so unique and so large. It weighs 7,000 carats and is 11 inches long and 4.5 inches high. It is on permanent display at the store. Feel free to shop for some opals while you’re there!

Pitt Street Mall Food Courts

Address: Pitt St between Market & King Streets
Pitt Street is one of Sydney’s main streets that runs through the CBD. A large section of it is a pedestrian only outdoor shopping and food court. You’ll find the popular big stores in this area as well as some great people watching!

Sydney Tower

Address: 108 Market Street
The Sydney Tower is the famous observation tower and telecommunications building in Sydney. It is the tallest building in Sydney and the second tallest in the entire southern hemisphere! The tower is over 1000 feet tall and has elevators ( that only fit 8 people at a time) that take you up to the 82nd floor in 45 seconds! There are choices for experiencing the Tower – The Sydney Eye is the observation deck, the Skywalk is the outdoor guided walk, and the SkyFeast is the revolving restaurant with an enormous buffet. All of these sections offer you the 360 degree stellar views of Sydney day or night. 

Pro Tip: I would pass on the buffet dining experience at SkyFeast. The food was fine, but there’s no way to try most of it as it’s an overwhelming spread. The revolving floor moves very slowly, but it is moving in a circle, which can cause some motion discomfort being up that high and spinning while eating! I would stick with the lower priced observation deck, and pass on the outdoor SkyWalk. If you are doing the BridgeWalk, I would skip the tower completely.

Evening:  

If you choose not to have dinner at SkyFeast, then consider this restaurant with great reviews. Catalina Restaurant – Rose Bay Lyne Park, New South Head Road

Day Three of 3 Days in Sydney:
Bondi Beach, the Coastal Walk, Taronga Zoo, & Sunset Cruise

Morning:

Start your day with breakfast near Bondi Beach at the Porch & Parlor – 17-18/110 Ramsgate Ave, North Bondi.

Bondi Beach

Address: Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach
Bondi Beach, on the east side of Sydney, is famous for having some of the best surfing waves around. Bondi also has a long and wide stretch of soft, white sand for sunbathing. There are shops and restaurants along the beach too, so swimming is not the only reason to go. Bondi has an interesting set of fun facts from being the site of “Black Sunday” in 1938 when five people drowned and hundreds were rescued during a dangerous set of waves crashing the shores, to being the site of the first protests against restrictions on bathing suit costumes. Bondi has been known to become overcrowded in the Australian summer, but I found July to be perfect!

Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk

Address: Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach
One of the most popular things to do at Bondi is to take the Coastal Walk. This walk begins at the tip of Bondi and continues for 6kilometers one way. You’lll pass the Iceberg swimming complex, gorgeous rock formations, Aboriginal rock carvings, a famous cemetery, overlooks, some lovely homes, and parks. You’ll walk beyond Bondi to Tamarama Beach, Bronte Beach, Clovelly Beach, and finally Coogee Beach. Feel free to turn around at any point. It’s a pretty mild path with some sections of stairs, but nothing too strenuous. 

Afternoon: 

Taronga Zoo

Address: Bradleys Head Rd, Mosman
Pro Tip: I want to preface my comments here by saying that if you plan on taking the Day Trip to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains and then stopping at the Featherdale Wildlife Park on the way back, then you can pass on the Taronga Zoo. Or do both as I did. Especially if you have kids with you!

Pro Tip: Note that if you take the ferry to the zoo, it lets you off at the bottom of the hill which means that exploring the whole zoo will require climbing up during your visit. If you drive or are dropped off at the top entrance, then you’ll be walking down during your entire visit.

Get Tickets for the Taronga Zoo and the Ferry Return Right Here!

Taronga is a beautiful and large zoo sitting on a hill above the harbor. It’s laid out perfectly for you to start at the top entrance and work your way down to the ferry stop at the bottom of the zoo. You’ll find all your favorite animals and Australian wildlife like kangaroos, koalas, dingos, and Tasmanian Devils. However, if you’re short on time and are planning on seeing Featherdale, then let this go. Featherdale has more of a close up experience and the animals are in a more open and natural setting. Don’t get me wrong, Taronga is great, but if you only have time for one, then I would choose Featherdale.

Evening:

Consider getting reservations for dinner at the very special Altitude Restaurant in the Shangri La Hotel 176 Cumberland Street.

Sydney Harbour Cruise

Address (departure point): Circular Quay Wharf 6 or King Street Wharf, Darling Harbour
Getting out on the water in Sydney harbor is very delightful, especially on a clear and sunny day! There are a myriad of cruises to choose from, such as daytime, sunset, narrated, or themed. 

Pro Tip: If, however, you are planning to ferry back from the zoo, or are doing the day trip to the Blue Mountains which has you take the ferry back to the harbor, then I would not necessarily recommend taking an additional harbor cruise. Only do this if you’re not going to have another opportunity to be on the water.

Book a Top rated Sunset Harbor Cruise Here!

Add On to your 3 Day itinerary in Sydney – Blue Mountains, Katoomba, & Featherdale

You may have an extra day or two for some more fun. If, so, fit this in!!!

I knew I wanted to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Blue Mountains as soon as I saw pictures of the rock formations and blue haze that glows in the air from the oils of the eucalyptus forests. I am a sucker for any national park and am so glad we took the day for this tour.

Yes, you could drive yourself, but being on the small tour bus allowed us to take in the views and not worry about renting a car and driving on the left side of the road! Our tour guide gave excellent commentary and took us to all the significant sites.

It would have been nice to have more hiking time, but then we wouldn’t have seen as much. Two more big highlights were the stops on the way back to Sydney at the Featherdale Wildlife Reserve and the ferry at sunset back into Sydney Harbor.

You Can Book the Blue Mountain & Featherdale Small Group Tour Here!!!

I took the Andersons small group day tour, which I highly recommend, but there are other companies which do this tour as well. Here’s a summary of the day which included  Katoomba, the Scenic Railway and Sky Way, Featherdale Wildlife Park, and the ferry ride. It’s a long day, but it was really worth it! And we were back in Sydney by dinner time.

• The mini bus picked us up at our hotel at 6:45 AM because we happened to be staying at a hotel on their pick up route!
• We drove about an hour and a half to the Scenic World park, stopping for coffee and a bathroom break at a cute town along the way.

Scenic World & Katoomba Walks

• We took the Skyway across the forest gorge and then the steepest railway in the world down into the Scenic World rainforest trails for a beautiful walk.
• We stopped at all the best viewing spots like the iconic Three Sisters lookout and Echo Point. We had plenty of time for strolling and photos before taking a gondola back up.
• We drove to a charming family owned restaurant in an historic home for lunch and saw wild cockatoos flying and hanging out in a park.

Featherdale Wildlife Park

• After lunch we drove to the charming Featherdale Wildlife Park which I liked better than the Taronga Zoo because we got to feed kangaroos, touch a koala, and see up close the wallabies, wombats, emus, crocs and so many birds! Its a really low key park with all rescued animals, many of whom are in more open settings and enclosures.

Return to Sydney by Ferry

• After our visit at Featherdale, our mini bus dropped us off at a ferry stop along the Parramatta River which heads into Sydney Harbor. The lighting was perfect as we cruised past the colorful buildings of barangaroo and into the evening lights of the Harbor.
• We were back at Circular Quay by 5 ish.

Where to stay in Sydney

The Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park
I was lucky enough to stay at the Sheraton for a week. It is a luxury hotel in a great location across from Hyde Park and very close to all the main sites in Sydney. The breakfast buffet is amazing and the staff were awesome. I loved the spa facilities too!

The Four Seasons Hotel Sydney I was also fortunate enough to have a couple of nights at The Four Seasons. The room was smaller than the Sheraton, but it is right along the harbor and the views were great.

The Rydges Sydney Central This hotel has great reviews and is in a very central location.

How to get around in Sydney

Sydney has a pretty great system of public transportation choices, depending on where you want to go. Check this website for more deets: Sydney transportation. And of course ride share apps work here, such as Uber.

Trains
The Sydney Trains cover most of the city with frequent service, and has stations throughout the city.
The New South Wales TrainLink is a train system for many trips outside of the city. 

Buses
The bus system runs  24/7 all around the city center and Eastern Suburbs.

Trams or Light Rail
The cute Tram system runs on tracks in the CBD and they’re easy to find.

Inner West Line: From Central Station to Dulwich Hill.
CBD and South East Line: Connects Circular Quay to Randwick and Kingsford via the city center.

Ferries
The Ferries are a great way to see the harbor and get where you want to go! They depart mainly from Circular Quay, and go to Manly Beach, Taronga Zoo, and Parramatta.

Metro
The Metro is Sydney’s newest and driverless transportation system.

Sydney Metro Northwest: A driverless metro line from Tallawong to Chatswood and Sydenham is now open. This includes stops at Crows Nest, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Gadigal, and Waterloo.

The Opal Card
Sydney’s version of a smart card is called The Opal. It provides contactless smartcard used across trains, buses, ferries, and light rail. Daily/weekly fare caps help limit how much you spend.

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In a nutshell…

Whether it’s your first time in Australia or not, Sydney is a city that will keep you inspired and leave you wanting more. Sydney will impress you with stunning harbor views, rich cultural history, walkable neighborhoods, and easy public transportation. You can experience so much in just three days. From climbing iconic bridges to strolling through world-class gardens and soaking in beachside sunsets, every moment here feels like a highlight.

I hope this itinerary helps you make the most of your time—and like me, I have a feeling you’ll be planning your return before you even leave. Safe travels!

xx,
Carrie