Top Things to Do In Sydney
I call Sydney the city of opportunities. Forget the ‘American Dream’ – the ‘Australian Dream’ is the real deal! There is a million reasons why I love Sydney, Australia. First of all, it’s always warm (at least compared to Denmark). Secondly, there’s literally endless amounts of things to do so you’ll never be bored! There are heaps of beaches to go to and heaps walking/ hiking trails. It has amazing food and coffee, and so many parks and markets to explore. Only a few hours away are the beautiful Blue Mountains! You will love Sydney because no matter what kind of lifestyle you like – hippie, high-class, surfing, you name it – Sydney has it. On top of, that you can also experience everything you want to super easily because the public transportation system is well functioning, you can get everywhere without struggling.
When to go:
If you love the heat and loads of sunshine the best time to go visit Sydney, or Australia in general, is definitely in January or February. Beware that it is the wet season (from October to March), but from personal experiences it’s not as bad as it sounds. January and February, however, are the warmest months and the city is full of life and tourists. People enjoy their days at outdoor cafes and have delicious food or coffee. Australia is really famous for their coffees and avo toast (avocado), there is nothing like grabbing a coffee and avo toast and enjoying them under the sunshine. Also, during these months all the beautiful flowers are in full bloom. If you really want to avoid rainy days completely, it can still be fairly warm in March as well. When I was there it was around 20 degrees Celsius and still there was so much to do. There’s always something going on in this big city, so I promise you, you won’t be bored! 
What to do:
I could probably write books about what to do in Sydney, but I won’t (at least not for now, haha). Instead I’d like to share my favourite activities to do in Sydney with you.
Beaches are a must! Sydney is famous for its beautiful beaches. Bondi, Tamarama, Coogee, Manly, Shark Bay, and Palm Beach are just a few. The first three ones you can see by doing the famous Bondi to Coogee walk where you’ll also encounter the famous Bondi Iceberg and the famous Waverley Cemetery. You will definitely find a lot of surfers, and maybe a few spiders (don’t worry, they rarely hurt people). If you go fo a swim you might get to see some cute fishes or even a shark!
There are a lot of National parks in Sydney. Take a day out of your calendar and go to the Blue Mountains or the Royal National Park where you can see the Figure 8 Pools. Both are roughly two hours away by train and half an hour walk from the train station, so bring a lot of food and water and be sure to wear comfortable shoes. Make sure you check out the train times before you go. If you go to the Figure 8 Pools, promise me that you’ll only go when it’s low tide since it can be pretty dangerous out there during high tide, trust me, I know from experience. PS. If you’re living on a budget, get an Opal Card and go on Sundays. It’s only $2.60 for transport the entire day with this card – and it can be used in most parts of New South Wales.
Markets are something Sydney is also really famous for. Glebe Market is my personal favourite but there are a lot of good ones such as The Rocks Market, Chinatown Night Market, Paddy’s Market and many more.
Be sure to check out Sydney’s night clubs. Sydney is famous for its nightlife and is home to a ton of unique bars and clubs. You can honestly walk around and find a random bars or clubs all night long. I recommend heading to Kings Cross, it has some great nightlife. Queen Street as comes alive at night, with a fun range of gay and straight bars.
If you’re into a chill atmosphere, great pizza, and good beers, Frankie’s Pizza is the place you should go. It’s a local favorite and I promise you, you won’t be leaving early. Ivy, which is a super high-class night club with a rooftop pool. Definitely do not miss out on Ivy. I’ve heard it’s best on Thursday because they have free entrance! 😉
Lastly, if you are a true backpacker you don’t want to miss out on Scary Canary. This is one of the most famous backpacker bars in Sydney and it’s connected to the Base Hostel. Good fun and affordable drinks!
Pro tip: be aware of the lockout they have. This means that no one can enter the bar after 1.30 am and that no drinks will be served after 3.00 am.
What to eat and where to eat
When you go to Australia, there are a few things that you have to try. One of things is coffee, as Australians are amazing at brewing a hot cup of joe. Do yourself a favour and order yourself a Flat White, it is an Australian native espresso based drink. One place I can recommend is my old workplace which is called Mecca Espresso, they have a few locations around the city.
Avo toasts are Australians’ favourite and you need to eat this at least once a day because it’s so yummy! One place you can get this is at ‘noOk Urban Fresh Bar on Hunter Street. If you don’t like avo toasts you should still go here because I can guarantee you that this places serves the the best food I’ve had while traveling! They have some delicious vegan options as well!
And of course you should try the classic Australian favourite, Vegemite. Most people think that it tastes like tar but Aussies actually love it (and so do I). It’s worth a try!
A last place I’ll recommend is the famous ice cream store called Gelato Messina. They make amazing ice cream with various options and usually around 5 special flavours of the week. They hold the title for best ice cream in Australia. So delicious!
This post was written by the fabulous Josefine. Follow her travels on Instagram!
I’m Josefine and I’m a Danish girl who has been working and traveling in both New Zealand and Australia for the past two years. My biggest passion is traveling and I’m currently trying to make that my everyday life. I hope you will follow me on my travels and my journey to becoming a digital nomad!