Sydney & the Blue Mountains

Sydney's harbour does most of the work, and the city knows it: half the population seems to be swimming, running or catching a ferry across it at any given moment. The famous pair of landmarks are worth the fuss, but the better days here are cheap ones — a coastal walk, an ocean pool, a ferry at dusk. Two hours west, the sandstone country of the Blue Mountains is close enough to be a day trip and good enough to deserve longer.

Getting Around

• Tap on and off with a contactless card across trains, buses, ferries and light rail; there are daily and Sunday caps
• The Manly ferry is the best value sightseeing in Australia — a full harbour crossing for the price of a bus fare
• Trains from the airport are quick but carry a steep station access fee; a bus to a nearby station avoids it
• Central station serves the Blue Mountains line, about two hours to Katoomba
• The eastern beaches are reached by bus from the city in 30-40 minutes

Sydney

• The Opera House — worth the tour, and free to walk around; the steps at dusk are the photograph
• Harbour Bridge — the BridgeClimb is expensive, the Pylon Lookout is cheap, and walking across it is free
• Bondi to Coogee coastal walk — 6km of clifftop path past beaches and ocean pools, about two hours
• Bondi Icebergs — the ocean pool at the end of the beach, open to anyone for a few dollars
• Royal Botanic Garden and Mrs Macquarie's Chair, for the classic view of both landmarks together
• Watsons Bay and the Gap — ferry out, cliffs and fish and chips
• Newtown and Surry Hills — where the city eats and drinks away from the harbour

The Blue Mountains

The mountains are really a sandstone plateau cut by deep valleys, and the blue haze that names them comes from eucalyptus oil in the air. Katoomba is the base, reachable by train from Central without a car, which makes this one of the easiest big day trips anywhere. It's also several degrees cooler than the coast and can be wet when Sydney is clear, so pack accordingly.

• Three Sisters at Echo Point — the view everyone comes for, free and a short walk from Katoomba
• Giant Stairway — around 900 steps down into the Jamison Valley, knees permitting
• Scenic World — the steepest passenger railway in the world, plus a cable car, for getting back up
• Wentworth Falls and the National Pass — the finest walk in the mountains, cut into the cliff face
• Blackheath and Govetts Leap — quieter lookouts with equally big views
• Leura — a village of tea rooms and gardens, ten minutes from Katoomba
• Check the NSW National Parks site for track closures and fire danger before you go

Where to Eat and Stay

• Brunch is taken seriously, and the coffee is as good as Melbourne's whatever either city claims
• Sydney Fish Market for seafood, and the Asian food in Chinatown, Cabramatta and Eastwood is excellent
• Surry Hills and Newtown for dinner; Bondi for a beach day that turns into an evening
• Stay in Surry Hills or Newtown for value and food, Bondi for the beach, the CBD for transport
• Katoomba has hostels and old guesthouses if you'd rather stay in the mountains than day-trip

Take the Manly ferry at sunset. It costs the same as a bus ride, passes the Opera House and the bridge, and beats every paid harbour cruise in the city.