80+ Things To See and Do in Sydney

Laps with a view! Sydney is blessed with an abundance of harborside swimming pools. We recommend grabbing your “togs” and heading to the North Sydney Olympic Pool in Milsons Point for spectacular views of the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. The Boy Charlton Pool, on the edge of the Royal Botanic Gardens, is another favorite for its lovely views of the gardens and navy warships of Woolloomooloo Wharf.

This pretty pocket of Paddington—on the corner of Oxford Street and Glenmore Road—has quickly become one of Sydney’s prime shopping destinations. With some of Australia’s best designer brands in one cosy corner, it makes for an easy shopping adventure. Brands such as Dion Lee, Zimmerman, Scanlan and Theodore, Bassike and Magali Pascal line its leafy streets. After hitting the shops, grab a juice or raw treat from Orchard St. or head across the road to longtime Paddington favorite, Jackie’s Café, for a sashimi salad, a glass of wine, and some seriously good people watching.

Hubert is a relative newcomer to the Sydney dining scene and one that is sure to blow your mind. This is French bistro done right. An underground, candle-lit, cavernous, cosy space for all your French favorites, this spot couples a spectacular menu with vintage cocktails and exceptional service.

Messina. It would be remiss to not mention this ice cream king again (as also featured in our guide to Melbourne) as Sydney is where it all began. The original store in Darlinghurst still exists– and there you will find the same unique gelato flavors and bespoke gelato cakes inspired by the owner’s Sicilian heritage. Taste as many flavors as you like before making a decision (we all know how hard these decisions can be sometimes).

Another icy treat worth hunting down in Sydney is the black sesame ice cream sandwich from Kakawa (you don’t need to go there for any other reason but this), also in Darlinghurst.

Start your morning with coffee and one of Sydney’s best breakfasts (or lunches) at Four Ate Five– it's super friendly, has local vibes and is always packed. From there, stroll along Crown Street and check out the cute boutiques nearby; we recommend The Standard Store (for its extensive collection of international and local brands), Paper2 (for a beautifully-curated collection of cards), and Collector Store (for their impressive lineup of Australian and international designers). If you are starting to feel a bit peckish again, wind around the corner to Surry Hills mainstay, Bourke Street Bakery and grab one of the best lamb sausage rolls you will ever experience (plus another fantastic coffee), before popping into the former home and studio of Australian painter, Brett Whiteley.

This delightfully light-filled salon in the heart of Sydney’s leafy Double Bay is the perfect place for a bit of post-flight pampering. Renowned as one of the best facialists in Sydney (with an outpost in Melbourne as well), Melanie Grant and her team in Double Bay will ensure you leave feeling luxuriously rejuvenated. We recommend their Custom Skin Health Facial, (ask for Clare), a specialized treatment personalized to your needs focusing on hydration, rejuvenation and brightening. After a good dose of cleansing, microdermabrasion, a gentle peel, dermal boosters, a nourishing mask and some LED light therapy and a face massage, expect your skin to be the perfect picture of health.

Coupled with its ocean rock pools and spectacular coastal walks, Sydney’s harbor-side walking trails are a serious highlight of this picturesque town. Here, there are endless beautiful walks to choose from. We recommend the Bradley’s Head walk to Chowder Bay—finish with lunch at Ripples at Chowder Bay before jumping in a water taxi home. Another favorite is the Watson’s Bay Walk around South Head with its impressive views of Sydney Harbor, the city skyline, the Pacific Ocean and the North Head of Manly. Or, try the Spit to Manly Walk (taking you past some incredible harbor-side homes and hidden beaches).

Charmingly-placed at the foot of the Harbour Bridge and overlooking the Opera House, the Rocks is a tourist-heavy part of town and an area we would otherwise avoid—if it weren't for a few gems still worth discovering. Check out the Museum of Contemporary Art, overlooking Sydney Harbour; the art gallery of iconic Australian artist Ken Done; and Japanese restaurant SAKE for a great lunch or dinner. If you want to sleep in the area (the views are pretty hard to beat), we can recommend Pier One, or the recently renovated Park Hyatt, right on the edge of the water.

A new 22-hectare, $6+ billion waterfront development along the western part of Sydney Harbor's foreshore, the Barangaroo site was once unused but is now home to beautiful public spaces including an outdoor art site, a 2km waterfront walking trail, and plenty of green spaces. The southern precinct is also home to a range of new eateries including authentic Chinese fine dining and rooftop bars.

It is not just the quality of the performances at the Sydney Theatre Company (STC), but its spectacular wharf location as well (perched right on the edge of the Sydney Harbor) that makes catching a show here an incredible night out. Grab a drink at The Theatre Bar at the end of the Wharf, overlooking Luna Park and the bridge. Here, the wait staff are budding actors and actresses, and you might even sneak a glimpse of Cate Blanchett or Hugo Weaving rehearsing their lines. For a smaller (yet still very acclaimed) theatre experience, we also recommend the Belvoir St Theatre in Surry Hills.

Sydney boasts a solid selection of live music venues but if we had to pick one it would definitely be the intimate and cosy Oxford Art Factory, a stalwart of Sydney’s music circuit. Harper’s BAZAAR Australia’s “30 Days of Fashion” was one of the first events ever to be staged at OAF back in 2007.

Other venues worth checking out include the Enmore Theatre in Newtown, the Soda Factory in Surry Hills and Frankie’s Pizza in the city.

If you don’t mind no-frills, then Paddington Nails is the place for you. You’ll be hard pressed to find a seat at this low-key nail spa on a Saturday morning (when half of Paddington converge for their weekly nail fix), but try your luck. There are plenty of boutiques and cute coffee shop corners nearby to check out while you wait. We also love Jocelyn Petroni, whose beautiful space is tucked away down the pretty tree-lined streets of nearby Woollahra. This is where you go if no-frills is NOT your thing and you are in need of something more high-brow. Petroni was officially named CHANEL’s nail expert in Australia in 2015.

There are plenty of luxe hotels to choose from in Sydney, but if you are wanting something with a bit more charisma, we suggest checking out QT Hotels. With a city offering (QT Sydney) and a more beachy version in Bondi, QT has something for everyone. QT Sydney is dark and dramatic, and housed inside the historic Gowings and State Theatre Building in the centre of the city. Here, the accommodations retain many of the building’s most distinctive features, including hints of the Gothic, Art Deco, and Italianate influenced architecture that form the dazzling exterior. By far, the best part of the QT Sydney experience is the day spa. SpaQ has an impressive line-up of treatments on offer and the industrial-style of the space makes for the most perfect setting. But, we must admit: QT Bondi–a lighter, brighter, more laid-back property– is our top pick of the bunch.

If you like jazz, this is where you go. Venue 505 is a space that was first launched as as an underground performance venue for locally-based artists, music and theatre, held in a rundown warehouse in the backstreets of Sydney’s Surry Hills. In 2011, 505 moved into a newer, bigger and more public space and has since become known as Sydney’s only 100 percent performance-focused, artist-run, live music venue. If you're a music lover and in town, this is the place to support local and emerging artists and performers.

Broth Bar & Larder is the first dedicated broth bar in Sydney, located in the backstreets of beachside Bronte, and is considered to be an extension of the kitchen of one of Sydney’s leading naturopaths, Soulla Chamberlain. Soulla, who grew up in Queensland to Greek-Cypriot migrant parents, is passionate about creating and promoting home-made, nourishing and completely unprocessed foods. Broth Bar & Larder is stocked full of products made by Soulla that are traditionally-prepared, and made with the highest quality of ethically-sourced ingredients. “A place which represents the fusion of two worlds: old world wisdoms, traditions and artisan crafts with a slick contemporary edge”, says Soulla. Try Soulla’s bone broths, broth-based soups, and activated nuts. Your gut will thank you.