Sydney – Iconic Views, Coastal Vibes, and Urban Adventures in Australia’s Harbour City

On today's episode of travel in 10, we're going to the other side of the world.

A city that is a perfect mix of urban sophistication, natural beauty, harbourfront attractions like the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, circular quay, a dynamic food scene, Michelin starred restaurants, coastal walks, and a deep connection to aboriginal history and historic sites.

Today we are going to Sydney, Australia.

And for those of you who are joining us for the first time, The Travel in 10 podcast is where we come to you weekly with tips on what to see, what to do, where to go in cities around the world.

And I'm joined as always by my co host, Tim Johnson.

Tim, do you want to tell people a little bit about yourself and how you got involved in the show?

Absolutely, absolutely.

Great to see you, David, as always.

So my name is Tim Johnson.

I am a travel writer by trade.

I've been writing about travel for more than 15 years and during that time I visited more than 150 countries.

I've been to all seven continents, some places I've been many times.

Antarctica, I've been seven times.

I've done about 40 different safaris in Africa.

And I love travel and I love writing and I'm always, you know, in search of a good story.

I've written for some of the biggest publications in the world, the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star here in Canada.

I've written for the New Yorker and National Geographic and others internationally and just really have been very excited to be a part of this podcast because I've joined up in the last year or so, the last couple seasons.

And David, thank you for inviting me to be the co host.

I know that you started this podcast many years ago and if there's one thing that I love almost as much as travel, it's talking travel.

And we've had the opportunity on many occasions here to talk to each other about some of our favorite cities in the world.

And I know you've done a ton of travel too, so tell us a bit about that.

I think by the end of this year I'll probably be up to about 55.

Just got back from a trip to India and going off to Jordan here in about a week.

So getting to do a lot of travel as part of working on the podcast.

And as we build out our Podcast network that Tim and I are working on as well, the Voy Escape Podcast Network.

And actually, Tim and I met in a trip in the area that we're going to talk about today on a trip that we both did to Australia a few years ago.

And Australia is somewhere where I've spent a lot of time.

I spent about a year living there when I first graduated from high school, working in Sydney with the Australian Woman Wilderness Society and traveling up and down the East Coast.

I've been back on some projects, working with Tourism Australia, including the one where Tim and I first met and got to spend some time traveling together.

And most recently, probably about a year and a half ago, on a spring break trip with my family, where we spent some time in Sydney as well.

Tim, you've been to Sydney a ton as well, haven't you?

I have, yeah.

I've probably been at least half a dozen times to Sydney.

Australia is one of my favorite countries in the whole world and have had the opportunity to go, I'm gonna say, maybe eight times to.

To Australia.

So I've done the Perth and.

And, you know, the.

The western side.

I've been up top and done cruises through the Kimberley.

I've taken the Indian Pacific across the country and done.

We did together.

I think we did Melbourne and Adelaide and Kangaroo island and.

And then also up through the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsundays and up to Cairns as well and Kakadu and the Northern Territory.

So really, all over the country.

And I think this is one of the few destinations, honestly, that we've covered.

You know, mostly we talk about cities that I visited and you visited, and then we talk about it.

I think that's one of the few places that we were there at the very same time.

And so I think that makes this episode extra, extra special.

Right?

So absolutely, yeah.

So why Sydney?

I mean, why would you say if somebody's planning a trip around the world, they're picking where to go for this spring break or another trip?

What do you think makes Sydney unique?

Well, I think the pure beauty of the city is something.

There are a few places that you can see.

So many icons.

I think by just, you know, just turning your head, you can keep your feet in place and just turn your head.

You've got the Sydney Harbour Bridge, you've got the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbor.

You mentioned Circular Quay.

I mean, there is just so many things of beauty, places of beauty that are packed into this one big dynamic city.

And I think the water makes a huge difference, you know, I think, you know, some cities have rivers and some cities have lakes and Sydney has this massive harbor that is, it's like a living, breathing thing, right?

You've got the ships going in and out, you've got cruise ships going in and out, ferries.

And I think it's just one of these cities that, that is every moment that you're there, it's, it's, it's, it's a different city.

It changes by the second.

And so I don't know, what do you think, why do, what do you love about Sydney?

I mean, I think, I think it's for sure one of the most livable cities anywhere in the world.

You know, it's a, it's a super modern, clean city.

Great shopping, great restaurants, tons of attractions, as, as you say, some really iconic, you know, well known things around the world.

And also I think one of the things that really makes Sydney special is it's just like a super lively, the people are so friendly.

For me, anytime I've been, doesn't matter what day of the week you're going out, there's something going on every night, right?

There's lots of live music, the pubs are pumping and the Australians are a lot of fun.

So it makes it a very fun city to go spend some time in the Sydney Opera House.

I know somewhere we'll both talk about probably one of the most iconic attractions.

What do you think?

Is the Opera House actually worth it?

Does it live up to the hype or worth going to spend some time at?

You know, it is.

And, and I will say I have not been to a performance at the Opera House.

You know, I've seen it obviously from the outside and I've seen it from the water.

And you know, I mean, it is one of these places and you know, you can probably count them on one or two hands that, that almost anyone in the world who's been exposed to media would recognize in a, in a second.

You know, you've got Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal, places like that.

So Sydney Opera House, you know, nobody's gonna go where is that?

You know, like every city, like it's just, it is, I mean it is an icon and so maybe diving into some of our categories.

Even though I haven't been there for a performance, so I can't comment on the, you know, the quality of the sound or anything like that.

I have had lunch there and I have had dinner there because there are restaurants that are within the Opera House and I think it's one of the best places that you can, if you're on a little bit of a budget.

The House canteen is a good way to get through the doors and.

And has a nice menu.

The food there is good.

If you want to treat yourself a little bit.

You really want to get a feel for the Opera House.

There's this restaurant called, called Bennelong and their theme is Australia on a Plate.

So the, the atmosphere alone is worth it because you can actually feel those famous, you know, they're almost like sails.

So from the inside you see those arches and then just a beautiful glass, you know, shaped window that looks out on the water.

And, you know, a bit of a focus on seafood.

Perfectly appropriate in the city, on the water.

So oysters, scallops, lobster.

So that, for me, would be my top place to dine in Sydney and a great way to get, you know, inside the Opera House, even if you're not into opera or into other types of theatrical performances.

What about you?

I know you have a few favorite places to dine.

Yeah.

And I'll just say on the Opera House, I have had a chance to go to a few performances there and it is very much worth it.

And you can get tickets often day of, you can, you know, they've got multiple different venues.

It's not just a single, you know, concert hall.

There's multiple different concert halls in the Opera House.

So lots of stuff going on there.

And it can be, you know, quite easy to get tickets depending on what's going on the day that you're there.

So that's definitely worth checking out or making advance plans for some of the more popular performances.

The other thing about that, that whole district is, you know, Circular Quay, where, where the Opera House is really is kind of the heart of Sydney.

It's where all the ferries come together.

If you want to go out to Manly beach, if you want to go to Bondi.

Well, not Bondi, but Manly beach for sure.

And.

And a number of other areas of the city that's really the kind of the main hub connecting the whole city together.

Stunning views of the.

The Harbor Bridge from there.

So that, that really is, you know, I think if it's your first time in Sydney you're going, it's a perfect starting point for beginning your exploitation of the city.

I understand you got to do something that I haven't done, but that looks super cool at the Harbour Bridge.

Do you want to talk a little bit about that?

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

So I did, on one of my trips to Sydney, I did the Sydney Bridge climb, which is really you know, it's a little bit terrifying, I'll be honest.

You know, if you can picture the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it's got this arch, you actually climb on top.

So you walk out, you're clipped in, it's very safe.

You're wearing a jumpsuit and you're tethered in and you're clipped in and you walk out kind of at the bottom.

And then you go all the way up the top of that arch and you go all the way to this, to the summit, to the apex of it.

And I mean, there are no views of Sydney that are, that will match at 360 degree views.

But I'll be honest, I mean, those first, especially at the start, once you kind of get used to it, the wind and the conditions and that you're so high up, the first few steps are a little bit of a leap of faith, but once you get going, I mean, it's really worth it.

And we got, you know, all the way to the top and got some pictures that, you know, that are, you know, unmatched.

And so that was, that was really a truly exceptional experience.

And I will say the only other view, and it's another one of my favorite things to do in Sydney that maybe can maybe match that is doing a float plane ride.

There is a company that does seaplane float planes.

I know you're from Vancouver, you live in Vancouver, you're very familiar with seaplanes and float planes.

Great way to get out.

And they'll do little scenic trips where you can get up and fly over the city and get some great photos and then take your pictures and then get back on the water.

So, yeah.

Do you have any other favorite things to do in town?

Yeah, maybe one a bit more obscure one that we did on our last trip that I really enjoyed is the Royal Botanic Gardens is very central in kind of the heart of Sydney.

But they've got a really unique tour there.

Their Aboriginal Bush Tucker tour, which is with a Aboriginal Australian guide who takes you out to really explore kind of Aboriginal history, native bush foods, and takes you through the garden to basically show you all the things that are edible throughout the gardens and you can sample them as you go as well.

So I thought that was a great introduction to Aboriginal culture in Australia.

And you know, that's such an important part of the history of Sydney and the history of the country and a great way to get some exposure to that as well.

Lots of great art as well.

New South Wales Art Gallery was a favorite in terms of again a few.

If you really want to dig into Aboriginal art, that's a great spot to really get exposure to a world class art museum with some great iconic Australian art.

And a bit of a tip there is if you go on Wednesday nights, it's both their late night gallery event on Wednesday nights and it's free to get in as well.

I'm not sure if it's always free, but on Wednesday nights for sure it is.

So that's another great thing to do when you're there.

And then maybe one last one I'll call out is I think if you're in Sydney, it's a great sports town as well.

They've got, you know, rugby league games happening all the time, cricket games all the time.

Rugby league is like at Alliance Stadium there.

I think it's one of Australia's most beloved sports.

Great atmosphere.

We would highly recommend that if, if they've got any of the games going when you're in town as well.

Yeah, I agree.

I don't think there are any better sports fans in the world than Australians.

I mean, they love their sports.

I have done an AFL or I've done a rugby league game and I've also done an AFL game, Aussie Rules Football.

I mean that game is, it's a little bit baffling.

The field is like, I don't know, like 100 acres.

Like it's massive, massive, massive field.

But it's, it's worth it even if you don't know the rules, even if you're not into the sport, to see the passion of the people next to you and around you and how excited they are and cheering for their team.

I think sports is one of those great areas of culture that we can access when we're traveling and so.

Couldn't agree, couldn't agree more.

One more quick thing before we move on because I know we want to talk about some hotels and things like that.

We had a little discussion before we started recording Bondi versus Manly.

You know, the two main beaches that you're maybe going to visit when you're in Sydney.

I think we were in one accord on our thinking on this and so which one, which one for you?

They're both great, but.

Yeah, well, they're both, they're both worth visiting for sure.

And I mean especially if you're big in surfing and this is, I think one of the big attractions of Sydney is it's, you know, one of the few Cities in the world where you've got great surf beaches right in the city itself.

And both Bondi and Manly are great for that.

I know my kids did surfing lessons at Bondi, had a great time there and I've been surfing at Manly and had a great time there as well.

Bondi is definitely the more I think the better known of the two.

Right.

And it's, it's, it's the one that you see featured a lot.

I thought Manly beach was actually, well, a, a nicer beach and beach has been cooler area as well.

I, I thought in terms of restaurants and like the weekend market there was fantastic.

So if you're only going to go.

I would go to both.

But if you're only going to go to one, I would probably take Manly over Bondi.

But what did you think?

I'm on the same page.

I am.

I mean Bondi is beautiful and I agree that they're both worth it.

Bondi definitely is the one that gets the, the more of the ink and more of the press and more of the attention and, But Manly I liked.

I mean I'm sure there's other ways to get to Manly.

I took a, I was able to take a ferry.

Maybe this is part of it.

I took a bus to get to Bondi and I took a ferry to get to Manly.

So I definitely preferred Manly.

And it did feel a little bit more low key.

I felt a little bit, I don't know, I felt like a little beach town to me rather than this kind of, you know, I mean Bondi is beautiful but very much very developed and very glamorous in a way.

And I thought Manley was a little bit more low key.

So, so I definitely preferred that.

And, and hold the thought on taking a ferry somewhere because that's, I'm going to work that into my camp miss a little bit later.

But before we do, our camp Mrs.

You've got some places that you like to stay.

I mean Sydney, Sydney is a city that really has some fantastic hotels.

I mean some, you know, some cities go okay, there's a couple great hotels.

Sydney is a place that has really a lot of great hotels.

And I know you've got a couple on your list.

That one that we both stayed at and at the same time and.

Yeah, well, as, as often I, I'm often on our travels around the world taking advantage of my, my points.

Marriott Bombay points.

So the two places that I stayed both part of that chain won the four points by Sheraton and Sydney Central, which is kind of Their mid range hotel.

But I thought actually one of the nicer four points that I've stayed at there and very reasonable price.

But what I also liked about it is it's great access to quite a cool neighborhood, the Surrey Hills neighborhood which had a lot of cool restaurants, you know, good shopping, stuff like that in that, in that district as well.

And kind of a cool outdoor multi restaurant, almost like food truck type type place that we both went to called Spice Alley, which was just a short trip from the hotel as well.

So that was a bonus there.

And then on the most recent trip I was there, we stayed at the Sydney Harbour Marriott which is a little, I would say a little worn.

But the great part about it, it is super centrally located.

Like you are probably less than a two minute walk from Circular Quay.

You're right near the Rocks, the oldest part of Sydney, which has got some great bars and restaurants and stuff as well.

You can see the Sydney Hopper House for most of the rooms and they've got a great executive lounge as well.

So.

But both good solid options.

And I understand you've got a couple of great places, you've stayed there as well.

Yeah, I mean two, two of my favorite hotels really almost in the world are there.

Langham in Sydney is fantastic.

I mean a true beautiful five star hotel.

I mean and it's got all those amenities that make a beautiful hotel, a beautiful hotel.

Beautiful big suites, you know, great concierge service.

For me, what really set it apart was, was the personalized service.

You know, you would come in through those doors, you know, and you'd be tired, you've had a big day, whatever, and you'd be welcome by name.

People would remember your preferences, you know, if you'd mentioned the day before, you know, that, I don't know, you'd love a bowl of soup or something.

They'd, oh well, we got French onion soup tonight at the restaurant.

Like they would remember.

They remembered and it was that personal touch and it did not feel in any way artificial.

Like it really felt.

I mean, and maybe this goes along with the city and the country, you know, being, you know, a very friendly place.

It felt like, you know, a friend remembering your birthday or something.

I don't know, it was fantastic.

And then I wrote an article a few years ago, quite a few years ago now for CNN Travel.

As you know, David, and maybe some of our listeners know, I am a man who enjoys a bath and I wrote an article in a deep soaker tub.

I love a deep soaker.

It's almost one of the first things I look for when I get into a room, you know, is there going to be a deep soaker tub?

And I wrote an article for CNN Travel ranking the best hotel deep soaker bathtubs in the world with a view.

And number one on that list was Sofitel Sydney at Darling Harbor.

And it is literally, you can slide into that tub, you know, run the water slide into that tub, and the whole city is right there out the windows, you know, beautiful, beautiful views.

So.

And everything else about the hotel is fantastic as well.

But if you're a person who enjoys a bath with a view, that's that in my opinion, after staying in thousands of hotels, that's probably, that's probably number one on my list for best view.

And one last thing I'll say about hotels, if I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure that Langhams are an Australian chain that started in Australia.

I know I've stayed at one of their hotels in LA and elsewhere, but I'm virtually sure they, they originated out of Australia.

And Australia has got some great chains as well.

Ovolo.

I know we've talked about in our, I think in our episode about Melbourne, they've got a Sydney property that's quite nice as well.

There's a couple of different cool Australian hotel chains.

So I would really, you know, try and seek those out if, if you're spending some time in Sydney as well.

Yeah, completely agree, completely agree.

Because there are brands for sure.

I'm pr.

I think you're absolutely right on that, that Langham started there.

I've stayed there and also in Auckland and then a couple, I think in New York and a couple other places.

But I'm pretty.

They do Langham.

Right.

As well.

And there are, there are some great other Australian brands as well.

So what's your.

What's your can't miss?

So what's your, you know, don't leave.

Sydney without probably my, my can't miss is.

And this is one that maybe, maybe a lot of people wouldn't think of when you first think of Sydney is, you know, we've talked about it being a great, great destination for snorkeling or, sorry, for surfing.

But another thing that you can do is snorkeling there as well, which is quite, quite, I think, unique for a city of that size in the capital city that you can actually find beaches that you can jump in the water and find coral, find tropical fish.

You know, some of the best ones that I did were in that sort of manly, manly beach area, trying to remember the names.

There was a Shelly beach, you know, a secluded sort of tranquil beach, great snorkeling and diving there.

Another area quite close to there called Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve, which is a protected marine sanctuary.

Great place for spotting, spotting marine life.

So I always like getting out in the water.

And to have a capital city like that and such a big dynamic city that you can go both surfing and snorkeling in the same day, I think makes it pretty unique and pretty special.

So that would be a can't miss for me.

How about you?

What's your can't miss?

Absolutely.

And I think I asked everyone earlier to hang on to that thought about ferries.

And I think that that is one of my favorite things to do in Sydney.

If I get up in the morning and I don't have a plan and I don't have any obligations, I'll just go down to Circular Quay and hop on a ferry.

And it's a great cheap way to see the city.

You're on there with the commuters, but you're seeing, so you're seeing the city, the real heartbeat of the city.

And you're going past marinas and beaches and there's one that goes out to a place called Camp Cove and you can get there.

I can't remember if it's a half an hour or 45 minutes.

I don't think it's certainly not more than that.

And I don't know, two, three bucks on the ferry or something like that.

You get out there and it's this beautiful little crescent of beach, great little restaurant right on the water and you can go, you can swim, sunbathe.

And I think the coolest part is that you feel like you are in a beach town somewhere, but you can actually look back across the water and you can see that glassy, you know, iconic skyline of Sydney.

So, you know, you can see the city and you can feel bad for all those suckers sitting in offices there while you're sitting on the beach and, you know, going for a swim.

So I think that's, that's, that's one of the, the unique and true pleasures of, of being in Sydney is that, you know, hop on a ferry and you can be in a whole other world in 30, 40 minutes.

So, yeah, yeah, you see so many, so many people there going out of Circular Quay on, on these sort of like dinner cruises and, and, you know, cruises, city cruises that they're paying 150, $200 for to go out for a city cruise where a lot of times you're getting as good or a better view from those ferries, right?

As you say, it's like two $3 ferries went over to Manly, you get a phenomenal view of the Opera House.

Some of the best pictures you're going to get at the Opera House or taking that ferry.

Lots, lots of great ferries there.

La Last tip I would add would just be a couple of ones around places to eat.

I know we talked about a couple earlier in the episode, but a couple I missed.

One is the Sydney Fish Market.

Great place for some of the freshest seafood in Australia.

Historic Waterfront market.

Again it's like a short ferry ride from from Circular Quay gets you over there.

So a great place for lunch or dinner.

And then I also find that throughout Australia it's got great sort of Pan Asian restaurants all around Australia.

We talked about a couple of Melbourne in our Melbourne episode.

Probably my favorite that I was at in Sydney was a place called Longchimp, which I think is a Michelin starred or Michelin Bib Gourmand.

Authentic Thai street food flavors, really lively setting, super cool place as well.

So just a couple of last ones I would add as well.

Absolutely no great place to eat, great place to stay and definitely heartily recommend this city.

What an amazing place and have enjoyed revisiting it with you David.

And hopefully maybe someday soon we'll both be back down there again together.

But always fun to chat about it.

So thanks so much for this excellent discussion of this beautiful city.

Thanks Tim.

Look forward to catching up next week.

And as always we would really appreciate if people could take the time to drop us a review or a rating on Spotify on Apple Podcast, wherever you happen to listen to us.

And check out some of the other podcasts that we partnered together with on the Voyagecape Podcast Network with travel podcasts from all around the world that you can find@voyescape.com thanks so much David.

Thanks Tim.