Sydney Cruise Port: One Day Sydney Itinerary
Now Go See It is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
With many centrally located attractions, it’s easy to see a lot of Sydney in one day.
One Day In Sydney Australia: (Jump To)
Our 15.25-hour direct flight from Los Angeles to Sydney on American Airlines went surprisingly quickly. My plan to stay up all night the day prior made it really easy for me to sleep for the majority of the journey. I woke up refreshed about an hour before touching down in Sydney at 9 am local time.
It’s a good thing I got plenty of sleep because we had a full day planned exploring the Central Business District (CBD) of Sydney. Locals call the main harbor area the CBD. That’s where the majority of tourist destinations are located in the city.
How To Get Around Sydney
After getting off the plane and quickly making our way through customs, we stopped at the ticket window in the subway station to buy an Opal Card. The card is for use on the subway, busses, and ferries around town. We loaded each card with AUS$50. The subway system in Sydney charges by the ride but maxes out so you will never pay more than AUS$16.10 per day, or $50 per week (Monday-Sunday).
We left the airport on the train and were at central station in under 15 minutes. We picked a hotel, the Rydges Sydney Central, nearby so we could easily come and go from the central station. The hotel ended up being perfectly located. We barely spent any time there, so it served all our needs perfectly. We arrived almost four hours before check-in time. We were planning to leave our bags and explore, but they were able to give us a room right away. Amazing.
One Day Sydney Itinerary
Stop 1: Queen Victoria Building
We showered up and were ready to start exploring by 11:30 AM. Our first stop was the Queen Victoria Building. The building was constructed in the late 1800s and fills an entire city block. The beautifully designed Romanesque building has had many reincarnations over the years. Currently, it stands as a high-end shopping mall with small shops. It is well worth passing through if only to see the massive stained-glass dome.
Nearby is the Sydney Town Hall and St. Andrew's Cathedral, both were closed when we walked by so we admired the exteriors and walked about two blocks to the pedestrian bridge that crosses Darling Harbour.
Stop 2: Darling Harbour
The harbor is lined with a pedestrian walkway that passes all the attractions in the area. The Australian National Maritime Museum is here, along with the Star Casino, and the Sydney SEA LIFE Aquarium. We grabbed a quick lunch at Oporto, a local Portuguese chicken fast-food chain inside the Harbourside shopping mall. Taking in some Australian sunshine, we walked the harbor, skipping the museums in favor of being outdoors.
At the northern tip of the harbor near Kings Wharf, we took a staircase up and under the highway and walked to nearby Observatory Hill. We topped the hill and took our first view of the crown jewel; Sydney harbor flanked by the massive Sydney Harbour Bridge and the world-famous Sydney Opera House. It was as awe-inspiring as you think it would be.
Stop 3: Observatory Hill
Observatory Hill is home to its namesake Sydney Observatory. The Observatory is free to explore. Inside you’ll find a small museum about the building’s history of astronomical and meteorological observation. Don’t miss the spiral staircase inside the dome to see a 150-year-old telescope.
Stop 4: The Rocks And Circular Quay
From there we walked downhill to The Rocks, a tourist district on the west side of Sydney Harbour. There are plenty of shops and restaurants to explore here. I fueled up with a Golden Gaytime ice cream from a convenience store. Don’t miss this wonderful ice cream delight.
We followed the harbor through the busy Circular Quay. This is a spot we will come back to many times during our visit. It is where the majority of passenger ferries come and go.
Stop 5: Royal Botanic Garden
From there we walked to the entrance of the Royal Botanic Garden near the Rose Garden.
The garden is open every day and free to enter. The massive park is home to many botanical attractions including a rose garden, a lotus lake, a fern house, and an oriental garden. It’s a wonderful place to take a stroll. The botanical attractions are great, but they can never live up to the view of the harbor and iconic opera house.
Stop 6: Sydney Opera House
We aimlessly wandered the park spotting colorful birds in the trees before being drawn to the Opera House. Being able to get up close and personal with one of the most famous buildings in the world is something I will always treasure. Selfie time.
Stop 7: Sydney Harbour Bridge
Not to be outdone, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was also calling out to us. We decided, probably in a jet-lag malaise, that we needed to cross the bridge on foot. We returned to The Rocks and climbed up the bridge stairs off Argyle Street. I’m so glad we took this walk. It turned out to be a very easy and relaxing walk and it was way shorter than it looks. Walking, it only took us about 15 minutes to cross the entire bridge.
There is a wide pedestrian way along both sides of the bridge. While there you can pay a few dollars to climb to the top of the stone pylon for an even higher view. There are some great views of the harbor and the opera house from the bridge, so getting any higher didn't seem like a worthwhile venture. The active waterway below is filled with constant boat traffic to watch as well.
Stop 8: Luna Park
At the other end, we climbed down the bridge and visited Luna Park. Luna Park is a small amusement park originally built in the 1930s. It’s free to enter with tickets sold for rides. The park has a rollercoaster and quite a few small rides to enjoy. It’s a fun place to walk though because of the park’s old-timey charm. We loved entering through the world-famous clown mouth entrance (which must terrify at least half of the children who enter).
We climbed back up the bridge to the Milson’s Point train station returning to our hotel via subway. We relaxed and got ourselves organized for the week at our hotel before taking a short walk through the Darlinghurst neighborhood near our hotel.
Stop 9: Darlinghurst Nightlife
Darlinghurst is a popular place to live in Sydney for the younger population and is home to many LGBTQ+ bars, shops, and nightlife. We walked along Oxford Street, the main thoroughfare, deciding on some delicious burgers from Grill'd Darlinghurst for dinner.
We continued our walking loop through Darlinghurst. We picked a few local alcoholic bottled treats from the corner store and returned to the hotel just as it started to get dark. We needed to get some well-earned zzz's. We planned an early morning day trip to The Blue Mountains.
