From Hyde Park to the Harbour Bridge & Everywhere in Between
Sydney is a beautiful city with plenty of things to see and do. I visited the city over Christmas and New Year 2016 - at the height of the Australian summer - and it was just perfect. Scroll down to read more about what you can do and see in this harbour-side city.
I went to Sydney for Christmas and New Year 2016. I landed in the city a couple of days before Christmas and having grown up in the UK, walking around the streets of Sydney in late December wearing flip flops and shorts, was a welcome change.
The first couple of days I suffered terribly from jet lag. My journey to Sydney from Cairo had involved two nights on a plane so I was super tired when I arrived. Nonetheless, I was set on getting out and exploring the city I once called home and hadn't visited since 2009.
I stayed in Wyndham Hotel which was a stone's throw away from Darling Harbour and around a kilometre's walk from Circular Quay. Being so close to Christmas and the main attractions, I was so pleased the price of £60 for two nights.
My first few days involved exploring the Botanical Gardens, climbing to the top of the pylon on Sydney Harbour Bridge and falling asleep in Hyde Park. The sunshine, the jet lag and overeating all of the amazing Australian cuisine seemed to put me in an extended sloth-like state!
Australia is very big on doing food and drinks at an extremely high standard. Whether you're looking for fresh seafood or quirky salads, there is something to tempt every palette. The closer you go to Circular Quay, the higher the prices become. However, this is not always true with the quality of food.
Despite travelling to Sydney for Christmas and New Year and experiencing the higher than usual prices, one of the definite highlights was seeing the fireworks over Sydney Harbour. I setup camp at Dudley Page Reserve, just north of Bondi. It was a short walk from Bondi itself to get to the viewpoint but close enough that I didn't need to get caught up with the thousands of people waiting for public transport after the main event. The views were spectacular and I was fortunate to see the fireworks going off from Sydney and Darling Harbour. Those Australians sure know how to put on a good show!