# The best things to do in Sydney

Harbour icons, beaches and coastal walks: what Lonely Planet, Destination NSW and Sydney locals recommend most.

- 31 votes · 20 items
- Jan 12, 2026 · nomad_goldcoast
- https://even.best/en/l/119/the-best-things-to-do-in-sydney

## Top 15

1. **Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — 6 km clifftop walk past Tamarama, Bronte and Clovelly beaches and ocean pools.
2. **Sydney Opera House** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Jørn Utzon's sail-roofed masterpiece, opened in 1973 and a World Heritage Site; take a tour or see a show. <https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/>
3. **Royal Botanic Garden Sydney** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Harbourside garden founded in 1816, leading to Mrs Macquarie's Chair viewpoint. <https://www.botanicgardens.org.au/>
4. **Blue Mountains (day trip)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — World Heritage mountains two hours west, with the Three Sisters at Echo Point.
5. **Art Gallery of New South Wales** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Free gallery in the Domain, expanded in 2022 with the Sydney Modern building. <https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/>
6. **Bondi Beach** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Australia's most famous beach, with the Bondi Icebergs ocean pool at its southern end.
7. **Taronga Zoo** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Zoo on the harbour's north shore with koalas, platypus and views back to the city, reached by ferry. <https://taronga.org.au/>
8. **Darling Harbour** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Waterfront precinct with SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo.
9. **Spit Bridge to Manly Walk** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — 10 km bushland harbour walk with Aboriginal rock engravings and hidden beaches.
10. **The Rocks** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Sydney's oldest neighbourhood, with colonial pubs and a weekend market under the bridge.
11. **Sydney Harbour Bridge and BridgeClimb** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The 1932 'Coathanger'; climb its arch with BridgeClimb or walk across for free. <https://www.bridgeclimb.com/>
12. **Manly Ferry** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — 30-minute ferry from Circular Quay past the Opera House to Manly's beaches.
13. **Queen Victoria Building** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Romanesque Revival shopping arcade from 1898 covering a whole city block. <https://www.qvb.com.au/>
14. **Australian Museum** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Australia's oldest museum (1827), with natural history and First Nations collections. <https://australian.museum/>
15. **Watsons Bay** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Harbour village with fish and chips and The Gap clifftop lookout.
16. **Cockatoo Island** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — World Heritage former convict prison and shipyard in the harbour, with camping.
17. **Barangaroo Reserve** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Harbourside headland park built on a former container terminal, with walking paths and sandstone foreshore.
18. **Sydney Fish Market** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The largest seafood market in the Southern Hemisphere, in Pyrmont on Blackwattle Bay.
19. **Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Wildlife park in Doonside where you can see koalas, kangaroos and wombats up close.
20. **Palm Beach** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Northern Beaches suburb with a long surf beach and the Barrenjoey Lighthouse walk.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.