I have been here in Sydney for about one month and I am absolutely in love with this marvelous city.*
My mom came to drop me off and spent about five days here. She helped me move in and shop, and of course we did a lot of sightseeing as well! In this post, I’m going to talk about the highlights of her visit here and all the things we did together. Scroll to the bottom for a bullet-point list! Of course, you could cram a lot more activities into six days in Sydney if you weren’t setting up a dorm room, so I’ll write some additional recommendations at the end of the post. But I also wouldn’t rush around—Sydney is a living, laid-back city, and in my opinion one of the best places to wander around and just get lost.
If you’re planning to head to Sydney to study abroad in the future, this post could give you some inspiration for where to take your friends or parents if they visit. And being a tourist in your own city is fun – sometimes it gives you a completely fresh perspective on a place, especially after you begin to settle in.
Day 1: USYD, Broadway, Circular Quay
On our first day here, we attended an orientation session and explored the University of Sydney campus and my dorm building. The University of Sydney is gorgeous, and the “Great Hall” building is often likened to Hogwarts! It’s a large campus close to the city, with plenty of green spaces, cafes, and cute study spots. We had a little photo shoot inside the Great Hall Quad. 🙂
In the afternoon, we headed to Broadway Mall to get some shopping done. I got most of my dorm and kitchen stuff from K-Mart and my bedding from Target. We ate at Merchants of Ultimo, a marketplace-style restaurant on the first floor. They have the most adorable desserts. The second level of the mall houses most of the eateries, so we couldn’t resist getting… second dessert. That’s a real meal, right?
After shopping, we caught a bus down to Circular Quay to check out the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge! These are the landmarks of Sydney, and definite must-sees when you visit. Now that I’ve been here for a few weeks, I pass by the Opera House all the time – it’s funny how a wonder of the world can start to seem so commonplace. (It’s always beautiful, though). We took a lot of photos and wandered around Circular Quay until sunset, when we hopped on a harbour cruise.
It was Valentine’s Day, so the mood was romantic, especially when we were all handed glasses of champagne as we boarded the boat. (Still getting used to being able to drink here!) We sailed around the Opera House, around the bend to Darling Harbour, and back. As we came back into Circular Quay, the sun was setting and it was breathtaking to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge silhouetted with all the colours of the sunset behind them.
At night, we stumbled across one of my favourite Thai places in Sydney, Chat Thai, and some of the best gelato as well, Messina! (The salted coconut and mango is to die for.)
Day 2: Koala Park
On our second day in Sydney, we visited the Koala Park Sanctuary out in Pennant Hills. Although it’s further from the city than Taronga Zoo, this park hosts only native Australian animals and plants. We took the train, feeling like locals, and had an amazing time there getting to meet koalas, kangaroos, wallabys, lambs, snakes, cassowaries, emus, and more!
If you have less time, Taronga would be a great option as well, especially since you get to take a scenic ferry ride to get there. The zoo itself is a great activity that takes up about half the day, and since it’s on a hill right on the harbour, the views are amazing.
Day 3: Victoria Park, Central/Broadway, Spice Alley
On Sunday, we passed through Victoria Park on our walk to the mall and ended up in the midst of a huge festival! The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardis Gras takes places in February, and it turned out that Sunday was fair day. The park was crammed with stalls, people, and tons of rainbow flags, glitter, and decorations. It was a very fun way to spend the morning!
We spent the afternoon at the mall again, then attended a welcome barbecue at my dorm. In the evening, we went to Spice Alley, a hidden, coveted area off Kensington Street in Central. It holds open air seating surrounded by small restaurants and kiosks selling Southeast Asian street food. It was the most amazing meal. You can’t order anything bad there. I’d go back every day if I could!
Day 4: Darling Harbour
The following day, I had a campus tour and orientation session for most of the day. In the evening, we walked over to Darling Harbour. We walked down the wharf, got a drink in front of the ferris wheel, crossed the bridge, waded through fountains, and even rode a tiny zipline at a kids’ park. At night, we walked to The Rocks, the oldest historic area of Sydney, for dinner. We saw the Opera House, all lit up at night. And of course, we finished the night off with some gelato from Messina!
Day 5: Darling Harbour
We wanted to see Darling Harbour in the daytime, so when the next day dawned bright and sunny we walked over again. After exploring Market City in Haymarket, we also visited the Chinese Garden of Friendship. This quiet, lovely garden in Darling Harbour was one of my favourite spots – it was planned with such intention, and created a beautiful experience for anyone visiting. We grabbed lunch and dessert at The Exchange, colloquially known as the “bird’s nest” building because of its resemblance to… well, a bird’s nest. (We also got Messina again… oops.)
As clouds started to roll in, we went back to campus and walked around to find all the buildings that would house my classes the following week. We got dinner at Spice Alley again (no regrets) and in the evening, I went to a welcome party at Manning Bar on campus, hosted by the USyd Student Union!
That wraps it up, and my mom headed home the following day. We had a great few days here together, but if we had more time:
More Recommendations
Bondi, Coogee, or Manly Beach. I could write a whole post about this, but Bondi is amazing, and the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk is most definitely worth doing.
More time in Haymarket/Chinatown area. The Asian food in Sydney is so good and this area is really fun. Grab some yum cha and bubble tea and you can’t go wrong.
Markets: Carriageworks Farmer’s Market, Glebe Markets, Paddington Market, the list goes on. Most of these are on Saturdays only, and they feature lots of local goods and food. Carriageworks is a site for frequent celebrity chef sightings as well!
Royal Botanic Garden: This incredibly large, gorgeous green space is located next to the Opera House, right on the harbour. It’s truly a haven in the middle of the city and features lots of cool plants, along with fun photo ops like Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair. If you’re short on time, I’d recommend taking the Choo Choo Express for $5 – a train ride that leaves from the gate next to the Opera House. It takes you around the whole garden and you can hop on and off.
So to sum up my favourite “touristy” things to do in Sydney:
- Circular Quay: Opera House, Harbour Bridge, harbour cruise
- The Rocks
- Darling Harbour, Exchange, and Chinese Garden
- Koala Sanctuary or Taronga Zoo
- Spice Alley/Chinatown
- Beach
- Markets
- Botanic Gardens
*I have posted a version of this article with photos on my personal blog here!
