Explore the best of Sydney, from sunrise to sunset  

Culture seeker, beach lover or active adventurer? Sydney has everything you could want in a city, from urban culture to natural splendour. The seaside stunner has something for all seasons and phases of the day too. Whether you’re an early bird, night owl or simply want to make the most of every moment you have in this spirited city, we have mapped out the perfect Sydney day and night… In fact, there’s so much to see and do, you’ll want to do it all over again and again, so make sure you stay for a few days at least.  

The day starts early in Sydney and for good reason. Join Sydneysiders as they make the most of their beautiful home before going about their day-to-day lives. Stroll down to any beach and you’ll see joggers, walkers, kayakers, surfers and yoga groups. Watching the city stir and the sunrise from the Pacific is pure magic – Bondi and Bronte are prime spots. Grab yourself a flat white (happily many cafés open early too) and settle on the sand to watch the show before slipping into an ocean pool for an invigorating dip.  Or paddle out on to the milk-blue harbour to watch daybreak over the city from a kayak. Go with Sydney by Kayak and they’ll bring the barista-made coffee for you to sip as you savour views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House.

You’ll have worked up an appetite – good job you’re in one of the best breakfast cities in the world. Signature Sydney bites you should try include the fluffy ricotta hotcakes and corn fritters at Bills (various), shakshuka at Shuk (various), sourdough croissants at Iggy’s (Bronte) and Bourke Street Bakery’s next-level avo toast or pastries (various). 

Continue the day by making the most of the city’s refreshing outdoors. Spectacular waterside walks abound with the cliff-hugging Bondi to Coogee route top of the list. There are plenty of pit stops if you’re keen for a swim or a fresh juice to cool off.  At the top of the list is the Spit Bridge to Manly hike, which follows the harbour, past coves, along headlands and through bushland tracks with rocks etched with Aboriginal art. It’s hard to fathom you’re in a bustling city. A dip in Manly’s Shelly Beach is your reward, this sheltered bay has sensational snorkelling.

Get a bird’s eye harbour view from on top of its iconic bridge – go for BridgeClimb’s Burrawa Aboriginal Climb Experience and you’ll be led by an Indigenous storyteller, who’ll share stories of the landscape from the lens of the Gadigal people. Another brilliant way to connect with the land and culture of the traditional owners is on a bush tucker tour of the Royal Botanic Garden, a beautiful green space that unfurls behind the Sydney Opera House. 

Where to go for lunch is a hot topic for Sydneysiders with the multicultural city dishing up a smorgasbord of offerings. If you’d like to dine with water views (and why not?) you could splash out on Aaron Ward’s lauded cuisine at the iconic Art Deco Bathers’ Pavillion on Balmoral Beach – it also has a laid-back bistro. Settle in for homely yet high-end cooking overlooking the endless blue ocean at Bondi institution Sean’s or catch a ferry to Watsons Bay. You can’t beat an alfresco lunch at Doyles on the Beach, which has been here since 1885, or get salt and pepper squid from its wharf takeaway and graze in the shade of a Moreton Bay fig tree.

The inner city has plenty of smart restaurants to pick from along with sensational cheap eats. Haymarket is home to Chinatown, with everything from sprawling yum cha restaurants to small hole-in-the-wall noodle houses. Can’t decide? Spice Alley in Chippendale, close to Central Station, is a hawker-style precinct where you can get Hong Kong dumplings, Singaporean roti canai, Thai pad see ew or Japanese okonomiyaki – it’s BYO to boot. Other famous eat streets are Crown and Bourke Streets in Surry Hills, which offer a different, more stylish atmosphere with an array of cuisine options from Middle Eastern and Italian to innovative Australian restaurants. 

Depending on how you spent your morning, you might want to chill beachside or take a boat tour to see Sydney’s sights from its gleaming harbour. You don’t need to splash out, however, with a ride on a Sydney Ferry a cheap way to zip around the waterway. Or mooch around shops, museums and galleries. Start at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Circular Quay, where guided tours are included in the ticket price and take place in the afternoon, then meander around the cobbled laneways of The Rocks.

Be sure to check out the Art Gallery of New South Wales, whose striking new wing houses the Yiribana Gallery, dedicated solely to art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Sydney’s diverse inner-city suburbs are the place to get a feel for local life. Chippendale has hip cafés and art venues like White Rabbit Gallery, while Newtown’s King Street is lined with eclectic stores selling books, vintage, vinyl and vegan eats. With its historic federation-style buildings, high-end boutiques, fancy food stores and characterful pubs, Paddington is a lovely place to potter. Go on Saturday when the markets set up, a quintessential Sydney weekend activity. 

Just like sunrise, pausing to mark the end of the day is part of the daily cycle. For sundowners with a harbour view you can’t beat the Opera Bar, tucked below the landmark. A special way to start the evening is by opting for cocktails and surf–gazing from Icebergs’ lofty terrace overlooking Bondi Beach. Alternatively, rooftop bars don’t get better than Smoke at Barangaroo House, soaring above Pyrmont Bay.

For dinner, stroll around inner-city hotspots to take your pick from neighbourhood favourites like Pellegrino 2000 (rustic Italian) or NOUR (an Aussie spin on Middle Eastern cooking) in Surry Hills. For a memorable seafood supper, book a table (well in advance) at Saint Peter in Paddington where Josh Niland has pioneered gill-to-fin cookery in a handsome old boozer. There’s always something cultural happening in the harbour city. In summer, cinema screens are set up in spectacular locations, including one at Mrs Macquaries Point where the twinkling harbour lights vie for your attention. Catch a show at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Dance Company, the State Theatre or Belvoir St Theatre, and enjoy local comedy and music gigs in pubs. 

Not ready to call it a night? Sydney’s bar scene is buzzing until late. Bondi, Paddington, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Potts Point are all good places to go for bijou speakeasy-style cocktail bars and cosy, tucked away wine bars.

Looking for thrills of another kind? Look to the skies. You don’t need to venture too far from the city bustle to see the celestial wonders of the southern skies. Palm Beach Headland in the Northern Beaches was named Australia’s first Urban Night Sky Place and the stargazing in UNESCO World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains is next level. The epic escarpments and forest-cloaked valleys of this sprawling wilderness lie just 90 minutes from central Sydney’s bright lights. Urban highlights ticked off, go for bushwalks and stick around when darkness descends for a star-spotting session. 

Sydney is peppered with cool and characterful places to stay, and Surry Hills has some gems. It makes sense that Ace Hotel made its southern hemisphere debut in this sceney suburb, opening in a handsome former brickwork building on the cusp of the CBD. Not only does it have the Ace’s signature modern elegance meets historic charm aesthetic, but it’s a dining hub too – with bars, an all-day diner and acclaimed rooftop restaurant, Kiln.

Another heritage beauty is  Crystalbrook Albion, set within a turn-of-the-century convent on Albion Street. Expect eclectic interiors (no two rooms are the same) and homely touches including an honesty bar and an urban oasis-like rooftop. In nearby Chippendale, new life has also been breathed into heritage-listed buildings with the Old Clare Hotel. Savour local seafood at its lauded Longshore, grab a schooner and snacks at Clare Bar or stroll out to explore Kensington Street’s eclectic eats.