What to do in Sydney, Australia in 48 hours
Yes, sometimes you have a limited time to visit the city. And you have to see best of it. So what to do in Sydney, Australia in 48 hours?
We stayed in Park St. Sydney, which is just a walking distance to Queen Victoria Building. We left the hotel around 9:00am and went straight to Sydney Opera House. It’s good to be early to have the place “people free” for picture. We just took our time to take some pictures and noticed the bars around or under the Opera House which opens maybe around 4:00pm
There’s also entrance to the Botanical Garden which is besides the Opera House. But for Botanical Garden you might need more time to explore it.
There’s two popular beaches in Sydney, the Manly and the Bondi Beach. You can take the Ferry going to Manly Beach for 25 Mins one way. Or you can take a bus or an uber to go to Bondi Beach.
You can see the Harbour Bridge from the Opera House. But it also have a good view from under the Bridge, in Dawes point, Hickson Road. Photographers go here for wedding pictorials too.
Then drop by The Rocks, so you can have lunch or snacks, after the long walk from Opera House to Harbour Bridge. Where you can find some Kangaroo burger or Crocodile burger, if you want to try some exotic food.
Hyde Park and St. Mary’s Cathedral is just on the opposite side of each other, which is a convenient walk. And there’s also another entrance to Botanical Garden, just besides St. Mary’s Cathedral.
If you’re a fan of arts, you can drop by the Art Gallery, also just a 5-10 minute-walk from the entrance of Botanical Garden.
Try to see Opera House and Harbour Bridge at night, be sure to have some jacket during chilly nights, since it’s surrounded by water ?
Next day, visit some wildlife in the city. There are parks where you can see them, the more closest is the Taronga zoo, which is just 10-15 mins from Circular Quay by ferry.
You can see the Sydney skyline by riding ferry, and even in Taronga zoo.
Last but not the least, shop around QVB (Queen Victoria Building), buy some souvenirs, and eat some dinner.
If you’re one of the countries that need tourist visa to visit Australia, here’s the step on How to Apply for Australia Tourist Visa.
Read also some tips/takeaways on how to go around Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, What to do in Sydney in 48 hours, A Day Trip in the Great Ocean Road or Meet and see the Wildlife in Philip Island, Free Things to do in Melbourne.
I really would love to visit Bondi beach just because there’s a reality show I’ve watched about the life savers/guards on the beach! Sydney harbour bridge and the Opera House – I would want to see it lit up at night as you’ve suggested!
I would love to watch an opera at Sydney’s Opera House – it’s just one of those things that has been on my bucket list for so long. Loved reading this post and the photographs are stunning. The Queen Victoria Building looks incredible – souvenir shopping there sounds like a great idea. Thanks for sharing this informative post – will refer back to it as we plan our trip.
I have never been to Australia but I have always wanted to see Sydney. The opera house and the harbor bridge would definitely be on my itinerary. I love how the city combines the old with the new architecture, with the church of St. Mary and the Art Gallery which resembles the National Gallery in London.
Australia is in my list and Sydney is certainly a must visit when we are there. Thanks for sharing as this will prove a very useful guide for my planning. Gear job!
Your post gave me the inspiration to visit Sydney. I will definitely include opera house and bondi beach in my itinerary. You explained it so nicely. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us.
Last year, we stopped by Sydney for a quick one day layover and didn’t have enough time to explore. We would love to go back to do the Bondi to Coogie Walk. The ocean views look incredible.
oh Australia is super high in my bucket list!! And I know that Sydney is fun of nice cafes and nice landscapes too. Can’t wait to go to Bondi Beach and swim in the pool with those great views. Saving this post for the future 😉
Sydney is very big city and you have covered lots of things in 2 days. I lived here for a month then also I feel that I have not visited many places. Bondi beach is beautiful and becomes very crowded in summer. Darling Harbour is my favorite spot in Sydney.
This would have been so helpful to have when we got stuck (unexpectedly) for a day in Sydney a few years back! We didn’t know what to do, so we just visited the Opera house and then napped. Missed opportunity! How convenient to have all of these awesome things to do so close to each other.
I lived in Sydney for a couple of years but it good to see all the tourist things that you never seem to get around to doing when you live in a place. That burger looks great too!
Hi,
Great post! Sydney is still on my list of places to visit. I know that one day I will cross it off my list. The Opera House and Harbor Bridge look absolutely amazing at night! Great photography too!
Thank you for shaing.
You seem t have covered a lot of ground in 48 hours! And though there are so many great landmarks on your trail, my mind’s on that delicious-looking burger O_O However, if I get to visit Sydney, I’ll try to work on my priorities :))
It’s been too long since my last visit to Sydney. Your guide is really great, covering the must-see in the city. I’m sure will use this if 48 hours is the only time I have in the city.
I’ve never been to Australia – and I must say that your pictures of Sidney are probably the best and most inviting I’ve ever seen; now I want to go. However, I doubt that 48 hours might be enough – especially since I’ll spend already 36 on Bondi beach 😉
I’m so glad I came across this post! I’m planning to visit Sydney in December and I got a lot of useful information from this article! I’m even more excited about my trip now!
I will bet that you need more than 48 hours to visit this stunning city. I’ve never been, but at least, I will be there for more, one week or 10 days. Your guide looks nice, and I love slow travel, so I will use your suggestion more slowly enjoying my trip.
This is a great comprehensive guide for people that want to visit Sydney in 2 days. I stayed in Sydney for a couple of weeks last year and I have to say, I think you covered everything one can cover in less than 48 hours. I think everyone should read this before visiting Sydney, keep up the great work
Loved reading this post!! I’m hoping to take my boys down under in the next year or so. Bondi Beach is deffo high on the bucket list. I’m book marking this post for when we go
Laura x
This is an ideal comprehensive guide for one day trip around Sydney. I usually got 1-2 days to explore particular place so this post is quite helpful to extract the best of Sydney.