Just because you can’t (or don’t want to) visit your family on Christmas or do something similar, doesn’t mean that you should sit alone in your home and do nothing. Christmas time is perfect for traveling and is there any better place than sunny Sydney? Believe it or not, travelling alone is one really satisfying and relaxing experience, and you have endless possibilities to do whatever you want to and also meet a bunch of new people.
Why Sydney?
First of all, Sydney is a must-see place if you are visiting Australia, it’s almost a rule of some kind. Sydney has a beautiful and huge harbor, mind blowing beaches, fantastic restaurants and great cafes and pubs. Not to mention all the shopping malls, festivals and culture mixes. Add a great Sydney weather to all of that and you get one fabulous place worth visiting.
Where to stay
Sydney is filled with hotels, motels, hostels etc. Where you are staying depends on your budget and interests. Speaking of the budget, there are lots of fabulous art hotels in Sydney. If you’re not familiar with the term, art hotels are small but yet luxurious hotels (with maximum of 50 rooms) which started appearing in the 80s in big cities like New York, San Francisco etc. and became extremely popular. This basically means that you will get a 5-star service for a lower price than in some chain hotel.
What to see
If you’re into arts, make sure that you visit the Art Gallery of NSW, which is one of the largest and most important art museums in Australia.
Animal lovers should check Taronga Zoo in Sydney harbour with a huge variety of different animal species from all over the world.
Of course, there’s no need to mention that you should definitely check the Sydney beaches, parks, Opera house and other things Sydney is famous for.
What to do
If you like to explore, there are a lot of walking tours everywhere with a lot of experienced guides. Hyde park, Bondi to Coogee, free walking tours to see some of the historical sights in Sydney, Hyde Park tours where you can visit St Mary’s cathedral and other monuments etc.
You can learn to surf at Bondi beach since it’s perfect for beginners because the waves are not that big.
You can climb or walk across the Harbour Bridge.
Make sure that you visit Royal botanic gardens since there you have the best view of the Opera house and a great opportunity to have a picnic lunch.
There are a lot of small private cruises through the harbour. Basically the ship has a capacity of maximum 12 to 15 people, so you can mingle and feel like you’re on a cruise with a bunch of friends.
For all the adventurous types out there, you can go and experience kayaking through the middle harbour or helicopter tours.
Last, but not least, if you don’t have the energy for all these crazy activities, you can always hit the beach. Try visiting Palm beach, Freshwater, Dee Why, Balmoral, Bronte, Coogee and Queenscliff.
Events and festivals
Sydney is famous for its incredible festivals and events. We picked the top 5:
- New Year’s Eve – you will see the greatest light shows and fireworks ever
- Sydney Mardi Gras – The biggest LGBT pride parade in the world. The highlight of this event would be the Mardi Gras Parade where thousands of people are walking through Oxford and Flinders St on colourful floats.
- Vivid Sydney – this is a festival which last for a whole month and the whole city turns into a spectacular light and music show.
- The Sydney festival – it happens in January and there you will see a lot of visual arts, dance and theatre events. Definitely worth seeing.
- Carols in the Domain – Free Christmas concert where 100,000 people gather to listen to beautiful music.
Shopping
In George street you will find a Queen Victoria Building with the best fashion boutiques, great restaurants, cafes and many more things. A Pitt Street Mall has 7 levels of stores and fancy dining places.
When it comes to shopping streets, you must check the Oxford Street, which is the most popular shopping street filled with famous brands, gift shops and other kinds of boutiques. Also, make sure you visit Paddington (or Paddo for the locals) and Newton’s King street. You won’t regret it.
We hope you will have a great time in Sydney and we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
About the author
Marie Nieves, student of economics who loves unusual trips and have a plan to travel the whole world. She is an avid lover of photography. As she always loved to travel, she really loves to talk about her experiences. On her journeys she likes to read poetry and prose and loves to surf the Internet.