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10 Best Things to Do in Sydney, Australia for First-Time Visitors
Planning your first trip to Sydney? Here are 10 of the best things to do in Sydney, Australia, from the Opera House and Bondi Beach to the Blue Mountains, wildlife, Taronga Zoo and more.
Updated August 2026
Sydney is one of those cities that has a little bit of everything: beautiful beaches, incredible coastal walks, Australian wildlife, iconic landmarks, great food and one seriously gorgeous harbor.
We spent five days exploring Sydney and packed A LOT into our trip. From touring the Sydney Opera House and walking from Bondi to Coogee to meeting koalas and kangaroos, these were the experiences that stood out the most.
If you're visiting Sydney for the first time, here are 10 of the best things to do in Sydney, Australia—plus a couple of bonus stops we loved!
Planning a longer trip? Check out my 5-Day Sydney, Australia Itinerary for exactly how we fit many of these Sydney attractions into one trip.
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Best Things to Do in Sydney at a Glance
Tour the Sydney Opera House
Walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach
See the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Ride a ferry across Sydney Harbour
Get up close with Australian wildlife at Featherdale
Take a day trip to the Blue Mountains and Scenic World
Visit Taronga Zoo
Explore SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium
Play at Luna Park Sydney
Eat gelato—obviously!
1. Take a Tour of the Sydney Opera House
You can't go to Sydney for the first time without seeing the Sydney Opera House, but I highly recommend doing more than just taking a picture of it from the outside.
We took a tour and loved getting to see the building up close and learning more about its history and architecture.
One thing that surprised me was the roof. From a distance, the sails look almost perfectly white, but once you're close you can actually see the individual tiles and the chevron-like pattern they create.
The inside is just as impressive. The Opera House contains multiple performance spaces, including the Concert Hall and its incredible Grand Organ, which has more than 10,200 pipes and is considered the largest known mechanical-action pipe organ in the world.
Even if you don't have time to see a performance, I think taking a tour is one of the best ways to experience this Sydney icon.
2. Get up close with Australian Wildlife at Featherdale
I LOVE animals, so Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park was probably one of my favorite stops of the entire trip.
This is where you can see so many of Australia's animals in one place, including koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and more.
When we visited, one koala in particular completely stole my heart. I loved him so much that I actually had my mom paint him from one of the photos I took so I could keep looking at that adorable face after we got home!
Featherdale currently offers opportunities to pat a koala and hand-feed kangaroos, wallabies and pademelons.
If seeing Australian wildlife is high on your bucket list, I would absolutely make time for this.
The easiest way to visit Featherdale from Sydney
Rather than visiting Featherdale by itself, you can combine it with a Blue Mountains day trip, which is essentially what we did. Our tour picked us up, took us out to the mountains and Scenic World, included the wildlife park and handled the transportation for us.
If you're only in Sydney for a few days, combining these attractions makes SO much sense.
🐨 BOOK IT:Blue Mountains, Scenic World + Featherdale Wildlife Park Tour
3. Walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach
This was easily one of the most beautiful things we did in Sydney.
The Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk stretches about 6 kilometers, or 3.7 miles, along Sydney's coastline and takes roughly two to three hours if you're walking at a leisurely pace.
Along the way you'll pass Bondi Beach, Tamarama Beach, Bronte Beach, Clovelly and eventually Coogee Beach, with ocean views pretty much the entire way.
Just don't underestimate it!
There are stairs, hills and very little escape from the sun in certain sections. We did the walk during summer and, even though we reapplied sunscreen, we still got burned. The Australian sun felt so much stronger than what we were used to in California.
Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, a hat and something to cover your shoulders—especially if you're doing the walk in the middle of summer.
Pro Tip: You don't have to walk the entire route. If you're short on time, even doing part of the walk around Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte will give you some gorgeous coastal views.
Here’s a guided tour: Bondi and coastal walking tours.
4. See the Sydney Harbor Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is another Sydney landmark that you really can't miss—literally. It's right across the harbor from the Opera House and somehow looks different depending on where you see it from.
You can walk across it, sail underneath it, admire it from Circular Quay or, if you're much braver than I am, climb it.
We were also lucky enough to see the bridge during New Year's Eve, when fireworks were shooting off of it. It was an unforgettable way to ring in the New Year!
If you're not visiting for New Year's Eve, don't worry. The Opera House and Harbour Bridge together are still one of the prettiest views in the city.
For a first trip, I'd make sure you see them during both the day and at night.
Want to see the harbor from the water? A Sydney Harbour sightseeing cruise is an easy way to get views of both the Harbour Bridge and Opera House without committing to a longer dinner cruise.
🚢 BOOK IT: Sydney Harbour Sightseeing Cruise
Under the Sydney Harbor Bridge
You have to check it out on New Years Eve!
Sydney Harbor Bridge Fireworks on New Years Eve
5. Explore SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium
If you're visiting Sydney with kids—or you're a big kid like me—SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is another fun stop.
We visited after scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef, so admittedly we had already been spoiled by seeing some pretty incredible marine life in the wild!
But the aquarium still gave us a chance to see creatures we hadn't spotted while diving, and I loved walking through the underwater tunnels with sharks and rays swimming around us.
Today, SEA LIFE Sydney is home to a huge variety of marine life, including multiple shark species, a rescued dugong and a penguin exhibit with king and gentoo penguins.
I probably wouldn't put the aquarium ahead of the Opera House or Bondi if you only have one or two days in Sydney, but it's a great addition if you have more time, are visiting with kids or need an indoor activity.
6. Visit the Blue Mountains and Scenic World
If you have enough time to take one day trip from Sydney, put the Blue Mountains high on your list.
The scenery is completely different from Sydney, and it makes a great break from the city.
One of the most famous viewpoints is the Three Sisters, but my favorite part of the day was Scenic World.
We rode over the eucalyptus forest on the Scenic Skyway, which travels between the cliffs high above the valley. Today, Scenic World's Skyway travels about 270 meters above the ravine, with views toward the Three Sisters, Katoomba Falls and Jamison Valley.
Scenic World also has the Scenic Cableway and the Scenic Railway—the latter is billed as the world's steepest passenger railway.
This is one of those places where I really appreciated being on a tour. We didn't have to worry about driving, parking or figuring out how to fit all of the different stops into one day.
Is a Blue Mountains tour from Sydney worth it?
For us, yes.
If you're comfortable renting a car and want complete flexibility, you can certainly visit independently. But for a first trip to Australia, I loved being able to get picked up in Sydney and let someone else take care of the logistics.
And if you want to visit Featherdale too, a combination tour lets you knock out two of my favorite Sydney-area experiences in one day.
🐨 BOOK IT: Blue Mountains, Scenic World + Featherdale Wildlife Park Tour
7. Visit the Taronga Zoo and Take in the Views!
Yes, there is another animal stop on this list. I told you I love animals!
But Taronga Zoo is completely different from Featherdale.
The zoo is built into the hillside overlooking Sydney Harbour, so you get beautiful views of the city while walking through the zoo. It makes for some pretty amazing photo opportunities.
Taronga is home to both Australian wildlife and animals from around the world, but I think the location is what makes it especially memorable.
And getting there is part of the fun.
You can take a ferry from Circular Quay across the harbor to the zoo, which means this attraction can double as your Sydney Harbour ferry experience.
Pro Tip: Taronga is built on a hill, so plan accordingly when deciding which direction you want to explore the zoo!
8. Visit Olympic Park
The park hosted the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and you can still see pieces of that history today, including the Olympic Cauldron and memorials honoring the athletes who competed.
I wouldn't necessarily prioritize it on a very first visit if you only have a few days in Sydney, which is why I've moved it into the bonus section.
But if you remember watching the Sydney Olympics, it's really fun to see everything in person. They had the torch, the Olympic Cauldron that looks like a spaceship which was where the flame was lit the duration of the games, markers that noted how high someone jumped, who won each sport, and name of everyone who participated.
9. Find the Speakeasy, the Baxter Inn
If you're visiting Sydney without kids and love finding hidden bars, we had so much fun tracking down The Baxter Inn.
Part of the experience is finding it.
We headed down a nondescript alley off Clarence Street, through an unmarked entrance and downstairs into a dark basement bar that felt like we'd stepped into a completely different world.
It's known for its enormous whisky selection, but even if you're not a big whisky drinker, the atmosphere alone made it a memorable stop for us.
This is definitely more of a fun extra than a Sydney must-do, but I loved how completely different it felt from everything else we did during the trip.
Baxter Inn Speakeasy - Sydney, Australia
10. Play at Luna Park
After spending the day sightseeing, we cleaned up and took the ferry over to Luna Park Sydney.
You really can't miss the giant smiling face at the entrance!
Luna Park is an amusement park right on Sydney Harbour, with rides ranging from family-friendly attractions to roller coasters.
But want to know what our highlight was?
The slides in the fun house.
Josh and I raced each other over and over again for probably 30 minutes. We were DEFINITELY the biggest kids in there.
That fun house, Coney Island, is still part of Luna Park today and is actually a heritage-listed attraction. The park also now has newer rides including the Big Dipper roller coaster.
If you have kids, love amusement parks or just want to do something completely different after a day of traditional sightseeing, Luna Park is such a fun addition to a Sydney itinerary.
Plus, those Harbour Bridge views aren't bad either!
Buy tickets ahead of time here through Google Maps: Luna Park Tickets
Eat Gelato in Sydney!
It wouldn't be The Sweetest Escapes if I didn't tell you where to find something sweet.
And in Sydney, that means GELATO.
One of my favorites was Gelato Messina. They have tons of flavors and fun rotating specials, and yes, I think trying it should officially count as sightseeing.
We also loved Gelatissimo.
Did we need multiple gelato stops while we were in Sydney?
Of course we did.
After walking all those hills, coastal trails and zoo paths, I think we earned it!
If you see a Messina while you're exploring Sydney, do yourself a favor and stop.
Messina Ice Cream is my favorite!
Gelato from Gelatissimo is sooo good!
How Many Days Do You Need in Sydney?
I would give yourself at least four to five days in Sydney if you want to experience the city without rushing.
You can see many of the major Sydney attractions in three days, but adding a fourth or fifth day gives you time for the Bondi to Coogee walk, Taronga Zoo and a full-day trip to the Blue Mountains.
We spent five days in Sydney, and I loved having enough time to mix sightseeing with beaches, animals, food and a few completely ridiculous fun stops along the way.
For help putting everything together, head over to my 5-Day Sydney Itinerary next.
What Should You Not Miss on Your First Trip to Sydney?
If I had to narrow this entire list down, my five must-do Sydney experiences would be:
Tour the Sydney Opera House
See the Opera House and Harbour Bridge from the water
Walk at least part of the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk
Take a day trip to the Blue Mountains
See Australian wildlife up close
And yes, I would still find room for gelato.
Is Sydney Worth Visiting?
Absolutely!
Sydney gave us such a fun mix of city sightseeing, beaches, wildlife and outdoor adventure. I loved that one day we could be touring the Opera House and the next we could be hiking along the coast or hanging out with kangaroos.
Whether you're visiting Australia for the first time or adding Sydney to a bigger Australia itinerary, there is SO much to see and do here.
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