Sydney’s climate is at its most forgiving during spring – October is the month with the lowest rainfall and average daytime temperatures are a balmy 22°C.
For a taste of the city, visit the Australian Beer Festival (October 18 to 20) at the Australian Hotel, 100 Cumberland Street, The Rocks (australianheritagehotel.com). There are 24 stalls showcasing the best Australian beers and ciders.
Alternatively, Sculpture by the Sea (sculpturebythesea.com October 24 to November10) is a collection of sculptures along the Coogee-to-Bondi coastal path.
Or you could celebrate the 40th birthday of the Opera House at a special concert on October 27, featuring the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Opera Australia and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs; tickets cost from A$40 (R372) (sydneyoperahouse.com).
It’s just 11km from Sydney’s airport to the city centre. For solo travellers, the A$15.90 Airportlink train is a handy way to transfer to Circular Quay station by the harbour, or there is a hotel-drop shuttle-bus at A$14 per person. Alternatively, a cab to the city and harbour will cost about A$50.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge links the north and south sides of the city, with the Circular Quay ferry wharves and the Opera House located just east of the southern bridge pylon. The CBD is also located there, the main features of which are a procession of clothes and luxury-goods stores, and the glorious green spaces of Hyde Park and the Botanic Gardens. Before you do anything else, though, pop into The Rocks visitor centre, on the corner of Argyle and Playfair streets (sydney.com; open 9.30am-5.30pm daily).
The City Circle railway line provides handy links between Central Station, the town hall and Circular Quay. Buy tickets at railway stations, ferry wharves and on buses. The best value is the MyMulti DayPass – A$22, which is valid for the whole transport network, including ferries.
At the Shangri-La, 176 Cumberland Street, The Rocks (shangri-la.com) all 563 rooms have harbour views. The hotel’s Blu Bar on 36 (36levelsabove.com.au) also offers top-notch cocktails. Doubles start at A$320, room only.
Alternatively, head to 1888 Hotel at 139 Murray Street, Pyrmont (1888hotel.com. au) which opened in July in a 19th-century wool store just a few minutes’ walk from Darling Harbour. Creative use has been made of the building’s original beams and brick. Doubles start at A$219, room only.
Backpackers need look no further than the Sydney Harbour YHA at 110 Cumberland Street, The Rocks (yha.com.au). A hostel shouldn’t have million-dollar views from its rooftop but this one does. Doubles from A$158, dorm beds A$49.
If your accommodation doesn’t come with a view of the bridge, head to Sydney Tower Eye, atop the Westfield building at the corner of Pitt and Market streets. At 309m, this is the city’s tallest building; the 360° view reveals how far the harbour extends both east and west, and there’s the option to try the giddying open-air Skywalk (sydneytowereye. com.au). Booking in advance saves 30 percent on the A$26 walk-up price. Open daily from 9am to 10.30pm.
The 6km cliff-top path that links Coogee Bay with Bondi Beach (take the 372 or 373 bus from Circular Quay to Coogee and start by the north end of the beach) is the most popular walking trail in Sydney. You pass two other surf beaches (Bronte and Tamarama) and two narrow coves (Gordon’s Bay and Clovelly). There are drinking fountains along the way, so just bring a towel for a (slightly chilly) swim on a warm spring day.
Steep sets of stairs mean this route is not wheelchair accessible, but the same path south from Coogee has no stairs; following this route for 800m affords its own stellar views of the cliffs towards Bondi (bonditocoogeewalk.com.au.)
The Bucket List on Bondi Beach is just the place to land after you’ve tackled the Coogee-Bondi path. Grilled fish, fish’n’chips, pinot gris and riesling, and exceptional boutique beers such as White Rabbit Dark Ale are on offer. Expect to pay A$19 for a John Dory fish burger.
Halfway between Bondi and the city, Paddington’s The Intersection is a collection of clothing stores that represent some of Australia’s most renowned fashion designers. The likes of Ellery Boutique, Ginger & Smart and Zimmerman can be found at 16 Glenmore Road.
Bulletin Place, upstairs at 10 to 14 Bulletin Place, opened last year but is already Sydney’s benchmark for cocktails. The mixologists work with seasonal fresh produce. To give you an idea, it’s A$19 for a Pearly a Quincidence (fresh pears, quince syrup, soda and whisky). Open 4pm to midnight, closed Sunday.
Café Sydney in Customs House, 31 Alfred Street, is next to the harbour and has an outstanding roster of wines and cocktails to go with expensive mod-Oz cuisine. A main course of Cone Bay barramundi costs A$39.
A cheap-and-cheerful dining option is Frankie’s Pizza, which opened last year at 50 Hunter Street. Always packed, it serves traditional pizza pies as well as slices (A$5).
That Sydney’s great brunch tradition is “Yum Cha” (dim sum) is a reflection of the quality of the restaurants and delis that make up the Chinatown neighbourhood. Try it at Marigold in the Citymark Building at 683 George Street (marigold.com.au) but book well ahead on weekends. The Yum Cha degustation menu costs A$30.
The Royal Botanic Gardens are small enough to mean that you’re never far from the harbour and also have interesting wildlife, including flocks of white sulphur-crested cockatoos. Open daily, it’s less than a mile from the gardens to Hyde Park, where possums bound around at dusk as if they own the place.
Every guidebook lists riding the Manly Ferry as Sydney’s must-do day trip, but an alternative with a bit more muscle is rumbling around on the back of a Harley-Davidson. Blue Thunder Downunder (bluethunderdownunder.com. au) will pick you up for a one-hour tour of harbour bays and beaches. One bike plus guide (who drives it with you as passenger) for one hour costs A$130.
The Museum of Contemporary Art or MCA, at 140 George Street, features everything from works by Chinese dissidents to Aboriginal artists who present alternative views of colonial Australia through painting, photography or film. Open daily and entry is free.
Since its launch in 1998, Bridgeclimb (bridgeclimb.com) has led almost 3 million people, mostly foreign tourists, up the 1 439 steps of the south arch of Sydney Harbour Bridge for an unobstructed view of the harbour. Groups have a maximum of 14 people and the climb takes three-and-a-half hours. Prices vary according to the time of day, from A$198 to A$308. – The Independent