Twenty-Four Hours in Sydney

Darling, we're going to Sydney. Put on your most comfortable shoes and let me whisk you away!

The best parts of the day in Sydney happen while you're getting from one place to another. We can start with coffee on a quiet street, walk towards the harbour, catch a ferry, spend the afternoon by the ocean and end the night eating dinner with the glamorous Opera House in the distance, magical fireworks, and a late night stroll.

It's 7:30am and we are starting in Surry Hills.

Early in the morning, the neighbourhood feels completely different from how it does later in the day. The streets are quiet, the cafés are just opening and the terraces are still mostly empty. We'll find a small café and order a flat white and something simple for breakfast.

We'll sit outside to enjoy a crisp Sydney morning. The air feels cooler, the light is soft and you can hear the city waking up. Someone is walking their dog, a runner passes by, and a café worker carries a stack of chairs onto the pavement.

We'll take our time sipping our coffee and really enjoying our brekky.

After breakfast, we'll walk towards the harbour going through the streets around Woolloomooloo and eventually make our way towards the Royal Botanic Garden.

This is one of the things I like most about Sydney. You can be surrounded by apartment buildings and traffic, and then suddenly you're walking beneath enormous gum trees with the harbour right in front of you.

We'll wander through the gardens noticing native plants and flowers such as yellow magnolia, range bloodwood, and orchids. We'll lose ourselves in the maze of gardens and eventually make our way towards Mrs Macquarie's Chair.

The Opera House is on one side. The Harbour Bridge is on the other. The water is right in front of us.

It is one of those views that's familiar because it's "Sydney" in many postcards and photographs.

We'll take a photo (or several) and continue our journey.

We'll walk towards Circular Quay and into The Rocks and pretend to be tourists.

We'll walk down old streets, past sandstone buildings, and allow ourselves to feel the texture. We'll wander through little lanes and check out the markets with handmade soaps, scarves, and antiques. We'll pop into the psychic store and give the local cat a pat.

Sydney has plenty of beautiful old buildings, but what I like about The Rocks is the contrast. You can be standing on a street that's hundreds of years old, and turn around and see the Harbour Bridge, ferries, cruise ships, and sky scrapers.

It is modern-day Sydney in one view.

I'm glad you wore your comfy shoes because we are going to walk across the harbour bridge! There are more dramatic ways to experience the bridge, such as climbing it, but I like walking across it.

You'll get the traffic noise, the trains going past and the wind coming off the harbour, and every few minutes the view changes.

We'll stop around the middle and look at the view. We'll see the Opera House, ferries, and the glimmering harbour.

Once we've reached the other side, we'll head into Kirribilli for some lunch.

We'll find somewhere casual, preferably with outdoor seating, and order something filling like surf and turf (seafood and steak) or a chicken roll. After that, we'll stop by Gelatissimo and get ourselves some delicious gelato.

After lunch, we'll wander around the neighbourhood for a bit. The quiet streets and old houses feel removed from the city, even though the skyline is still right there.

We'll walk down to Luna Park and catch a ferry to Circular Quay. As the boat moves across the harbour, the city keeps changing. The Opera House gets smaller behind us. The bridge shifts into a different angle. Houses climb the hills along the water and the harbour opens up again.

As we enter late afternoon, we will head towards Bondi. Bondi is crowded because everyone knows about it. We'll still go. Let's catch a train from Circular Quay.

We'll walk along the beach and then start part of the coastal walk towards Coogee. We'll stop at one of the lookouts and watch the surfers, the waves, and the sun setting in the distance.

The sky changes colour for a long time. Gold becomes orange, then pink, and then purple. The water gets darker and the lights along the coast begin to come on.

We will sit in silence and breath it all in.

Perhaps we'll get an uber back into the city for some dinner. Let's go somewhere relaxed and lively and order a few things to share. Something fresh. Something grilled. Maybe something we haven't tried before.

Sydney has a pretty casual food culture, and I think that suits the city.

Good food, good company, a cold drink and a view of the city at night is everything.

By now, our feet will definitely be aching and I'll consider that a successful day.

We are lucky it's a Saturday night and one that has fireworks on the harbour. We'll find a vantage point and watch as the harbour lights up with sound and sparkles. The water reflects the sparks, and the buildings catch the lights. It's truly magical.

Feeling energized, we'll go somewhere for a late dessert or coffee. Pancakes on The Rocks is open 24/7 and nothing beats the relaxed walk afterwards.

What a day in Sydney!

Where will we go next?