Sydney, with a population
of almost 4 million, and covering almost 1120 square kilometres (700 square
miles), is a remarkably easy city to move around in. An excellent train, bus
and ferry service covers all points of the greater metropolitan area. Roadways,
although congested in peak hour times, are generally well planned and driving
is not too harrowing an experience.
Unless visitors to Sydney are
specifically seeking out friends in outlying areas, most will have no real need
to travel too far away from the central city area and the harbour. Most Sydney
tourist attractions are either within the central business district, close to
the CBD, or at points around the harbour. The exceptions are Bondi and Manly -
surf beach suburbs situated south and north of Sydney Heads.
If you've only got a week or a few
days in Sydney, your time would be best spent by taking a walk around the wider
CBD area, visiting The Rocks or spending time on the harbour. The harbour is
Sydney and on a warm day, with a clear blue sky, there is no better place on
earth.
Taking a City Circle train, the
Monorail or walking is the best way of seeing city attractions, while buses and
ferries represent the best way to visit points and attractions around the
harbour. The government-run Explorer Buses and Sydney Pass service represent an
ideal and inexpensive way to see most of the main tourist points around the
city and out to Bondi. Sydney Ferries, which are also government run, provide
an inexpensive way of seeing the most beautiful harbour in the world. (See map
of ferry cruises around Sydney Harbour.) For excursions around the harbour,
private operators offer a myriad of harbour cruises that promise more than a
just a simple ferry ride. If you're wanting to take a bus around the broader
Sydney area, try Sydney Buses and Sydney Ferries' excellent Tripfinder, an
automated search facility that gives route and timetable details.
Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport
is located in Mascot near Botany Bay, about 10 km southwest of the Central
Business District and Sydney Harbour. Allow 30 minutes if you're traveling to
the City or Kings Cross by taxi, and 1 hour if traveling by bus.
