Two Days in Sydney

Sydney, Australia is simply amazing. I managed to squeeze in almost two days here on my way to Melbourne. Despite having little to no time I tried to make the most of it. Here’s a breakdown of things to do in Sydney and places to eat in Sydney when you are limited on time. 

Sydney Bus Tour

In order to see as much as I could, I decided to do a bus tour. I went with the Big Bus Tour Sydney classic ticket. If you book it online it is slightly cheaper, but you have to be able to print off  at code that they will need to scan. I stayed at the Sydney Marriott and the concierge printed it off for me.

The bus runs two routes and you can do both easily in a day. I know, because I did both. The buses paths cross at certain points, so it’s fairly easy to make the switch.

Two things to keep in mind before doing your bus tour. 1) It’s super sunny in Australia, which means you will need sunglasses and sunscreen. 2) There’s an audio tour, so bring some earbuds that can be plugged in. They give you a pair, but they are not that great and you will wish you had your own.

At one point I jumped off the bus for some lunch. I headed over to the Society Cafe, where I had the beans with toast and sausage shown below. It may not sound like much, but it was so good. 

One of the bus routes heads out to Bondi beach, Sydney’s most iconic beach. There you can hit up one of the cafes and have a drink. I got a Mojito at one of the restaurants on the beach for $17. An added bonus of buying a drink here was getting to use the bathroom. There are tons of shops located here, so if you have time to shop you will love it. If I ever get back here, this is where I would want to stay. 

The bus tour took me by the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour bridge. There are stops so you can get off and get photos. You can even climb the bridge if you are brave enough! I thought about doing this, but the day I had available it was too windy. Plus, I am a huge baby about heights. I tend to only do this stuff if the kids are with me. 

I did want to tour the Opera House but waited too late in the day to buy tickets. Try to buy them in advance or get there early in the morning. 

Other sites I saw on the bus tour were:

Darling Harbour – Darling Harbour is the harbor adjacent to Sydney’s city center of Sydney. It is a large recreational and pedestrian area.

Luna Park – Luna Park is Sydney’s iconic amusement park.

Center Point Tower, also known as Sydney Tower, is Sydney’s tallest structure and the second tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere.

The next day, I had some extra time, so I indulged in a late breakfast at Guilghans Cafe near the Opera house. I had their chocolate mochiatto and the avocado toast. My food and drink were both outstanding.

Afterwards, I walked through the lovely Royal Gardens. These are free to stroll through and they are stunning. If I had more time, I would have spent several hours here. 

Where to Eat in Sydney

Lazy Panda

For a beautiful meal, head to the Lazy Panda Cafe. It’s located at 4/127 Forest Rd, Hurstville NSW 2220, Australia.

How to Get Around in Sydney

Sydney has Uber. You can use my Uber invite code, meagans343ue, and get a free ride up to $15. Uber is typically much cheaper than a cab.

Where to Stay in Sydney

At this point I’ve only stayed in Sydney twice so this list is going to be brief!

Sydney Marriott – I liked the Sydney Marriott and would recommend staying there. The location was great, just a short walk to many of the touristy things to see. I checked in super early and they sent me to a lounge where I was able to freshen up from my overnight flight. This was much better than having to sit in the lobby!

Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour – I didn’t like our room that much here, but it wasn’t bad and we had an incredible view of Darling Harbour. The main reason we stayed here is that they allow four people in a room. Apparently many of the hotels do not have this option. The lobby was gorgeous. It’s a beautiful hotel and if I had more time to properly explore I am guessing that the hotel offers way more than just a room.

Day Trips from Sydney

If you have more time in Sydney than I did, you might want to venture out and see more sights. I got lucky on my flight and had some Sydney locals give me a list of things to do the next time I visit. This was their list!

Bronte Beach – Bronte beach is located 7 kilometers east of the Sydney central business district.

Blue Mountains – The Blue Mountains are two hours away from Sydney and packed with tall forests, sandstone cliffs, canyons and waterfalls.

Kiama – Kiama is a coastal town south of Sydney. It’s known for the Kiama blow-hole and Little blow-hole, 2 cliffside caverns where sea water shoots into the air.

Port Stevens – Port Stephens is two hours north of Sydney and is a naturally beautiful area, worth visiting any time of the year.

Gold Coast, Queensland – Okay, this is not a day trip, but worth jumping on a plane and heading north. Beach hop down the Gold Coast and enjoy some of the best beaches in the entire world.

Have you been to Sydney, Australia? Did you find an epic place to eat or something cool to do? I would love to hear about it in the comments below!