If you ever find yourself short on time and have just a little time to spare in one of the most amazing cities in Australia (although spending just a couple of days here is way too short), this is the perfect guide for you! Let's break it down.
Friday, Just Landed
You arrive on a Friday afternoon just before dinner time and you find yourself feeling hungry. After checking in to where you’re staying you should head into the city and grab some grub at one of these cool (affordable) places near central station:
The Soda Factory, 16 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Image thanks to Thingdoer
We’ve recommended this before, but it’s so nice we had to tell you twice. The Soda Factory is a bar hidden behind Bobby’s Boss Dogs (which is a great hot dog place in it’s own right). Just open up the coke machine on the right and walk in. The Soda Factory serves great cocktails paired with classic American Diner food making a great place to hang out and eat, and with it open until 3:30am every weekend, it’s also a great place to party all night long.
Fogo, Central Park Mall, 28 Broadway, Chippendale NSW 2008
Image thanks to TripAdvisor
Named after the brazillian word for fire, Fogo bring the heat with flame to table meat that’s juicier Biggie Smalls classic hit single. The place serves up everything from flame grilled sliced meat to delicious burgers. Not much of a meat eater? They’ve got some pretty great greens if you prefer a salad to a steak.
Spice Alley, Kensington Street, Chippendale NSW 2008
Image thanks to Time Out
Spice Alley is a hawker hall full of wonderful asian delights. This open air area is full of a wide variety of different stalls that serve all sorts of food. The stalls change pretty often so there’s always variety, but what you should come here for is the four mainstays. Alex Lee Kitchen who pumps out some of Sydney’s best Laksa, Old Jim Kee who keeps it cosy and comfy with Malaysian Milk Tea and array of fried snacks, Bang Luck who slingin Thai noodle soups alongside loads of green curry’s and finally Hong Kong Dinner who’s congee is the best comfort food around. It’s BYO drinks so grab a six pack or a bottle of wine and dig in.
What’s Next
After your meal you can either explore the city or just chill out in your hostel and meet new friends! If you’re feeling like a night out hit up one of the local bars and clubs (we suggest Marquee, The Junction, Frankie’s Pizza or going for a walk around The Rocks and just picking somewhere).
Saturday
After a night out, or a quiet night in at the hostel, take a quick breakfast at a local coffee shop! There are lots around they’re almost always amazing! We recommend, Little Lord, a pastel wonderland serving simple food done well. After breaky you can do a whole host of different things. Here’s a few options depending on what your interests are.
The Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk
Image thanks to Sydney Coast Walks
When taking the bus towards Bondi Beach (one of the most renowned beaches of Sydney), you can choose to walk all the way to Coogee on a track along the coast. On that walk you’ll see all the different beaches, huge rock formations and awesome scenery along the way! You can choose to chill at each beach, continue your walk along the coast or just pick a beach you like, stay there and take the bus back to Central.
The White Rabbit Gallery
Image thanks to TripAdvisor
The White Rabbit Gallery is one of the world’s largest and most significant collections of Chinese contemporary art. Because the gallery is so small it can only hold a fraction of the collection at a time, resulting in two new exhibitions each year. This means that every year the gallery is completely different and always worth going to even if you’ve already been.
Museum of Contemporary Art
Image thanks to the Museum of Contemporary Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art is Australia’s premier contemporary art gallery. The museum has a focus on Australian and Indigenous art, hosting over 4000 local works, but also features great works from international artists. They say a picture tells a thousand words, so instead of writing all those words to convince you to go, check out some of the stuff they’ve got on display.
Luna Park
Image thanks to National HR Summit
Luna Park is Sydney’s version of the famous Melbourne Luna park. Feel like you’re being devoured while you walk through the very definitely super not creepy at all mouth and enter a classic art deco amusement park. They’ve got rides for all kinds of people, from rollercoasters to haunted houses to mirror mazes. There’s even a 40 meter high ferris wheel, which is great because Luna park is near the Opera House and Harbour Bridge making for some of the best views in the city.
Harbour Bridge Walk / Opera House
Image thanks to Sam Valadi
Of course one of the must sees and does in Sydney is to see the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. While it’s not free, you can climb the Harbour Bridge during day or night. It’s almost worth doing it twice because both give off completely different vibes!
After your bridge climb head down to the Sydney Opera house, probably Australia’s biggest icon. You can head inside and look around the entrance but we recommend doing a tour. A tour is expensive, but apart from being an on-stage act, it’s the only way you can get backstage.
After an active day walking around Bondi and seeing some sights along Sydney you’re gonna grab some food and prepare yourself to go out (or stay in and gather your strength for the day after).
On a Saturday night you can choose wherever you would like to go! You could go to Candy’s (Kings Cross), Scubar (central), Sidebar (central), The Argyle (the Rocks), or just anywhere that takes your fancy.
After a night of a few (or many) drinks, you’ll wake up feeling energetic and ready to go for another day full of activities.
Sunday, The End of the Road
It’s your last day in Sydney. Sad, I know. The upside is that public transport on Sundays is $2.80 all day. Because it’s so cheap today is the best to catch up on what you missed. Take the Ferry towards Manly, do another coastal walk and chill at the beach, take the train towards the Royal National Park and take a hike towards the figure 8 pool (a natural rock formation pool). This is your last chance, so if you want to do anything then go out there and do it!
After a packed day of catching up on what you missed, grab some dinner. it’s your last day so maybe head down to The Rocks and grab something nice. Now it’s time for your last night out and the only place to go is S.A.S.H. Bring in the Monday morning at this Sydney institution. The place is packed most nights pumping out good tunes for some good times. Just don’t stay out too late, you’ll need to pack before you leave Sydney on Monday.
