Guide to Sydney
Sydney, the capital New South Wales is the most populated of all the states of Australia. Sydney is located on the west-east coast of Australia on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The city center is located in a bay known as Botany Bay. The harbor part, formerly called Port Jackson, today forms the main wharf of Sydney Harbor with an area of 500 km2, which makes it the largest natural harbor in the world.
Accommodation in Sydney
If you are going to spend most of your time on the beach in Sydney, you should definitely stay near Bondi or Manly Beach. If, on the other hand, you want to explore the main attractions of Sydney, you will certainly choose from a wide range of accommodation in the very heart of the city. From here you will have all the main attractions of Sydney such as Darling Harbour, Harbor Bridge, Opera or Circular Quay within a stone's throw. We offer the cheapest accommodation in Sydney in hostels (backpacker). Prices here range from 20 Australian dollars per person per night. Prices in two- to three-star hotels start at $100 for a double room. If you are a lover of hotel chains, you will surely be pleased to know that they are represented in Sydney by, for example, Four Seasons Hotel, Swissôtel Sydney, Novotel Manly Pacific Sydney, Ibis Darling Harbor Sydney, Novotel Sydney Darling Harbour, Rydges Sydney Airport, InterContinental Sydney, Hilton Hotel Sydney, Sydney Harbor Marriott and many more.
History of Sydney
Sydney is the oldest British colony in Australia. For more than 40,000 years, the Australian territories belonged to its original inhabitants, the Aborigines. For the rest of the world, Australia was only discovered in 1770 by the famous navigator James Cook. Already 8 years later, a fleet of 11 ships led by Captain Arthur Phillip arrived in Port Jackson Bay with the aim of establishing a British penal colony here. In the first half of the 19th century, more and more immigrants from Great Britain and Ireland came to Sydney to find (start) a new life. In 1842, Sydney was declared the first city of Australia. The city experienced a major expansion at the beginning of the 20th century, when the city had more than a million inhabitants. At the end of the 20th century, modern skyscrapers were built in central Sydney, and in 2000 Sydney hosted the Summer Olympics.
Transport to and from Sydney
Sydney Airport is located just 9km south of the city centre. You can get from the airport to the center by train (Airport Link), which connects all three airport terminals (international, domestic and Qantas terminal) and the city center. You can arrange transportation by the so-called shuttle bus, which will take you directly to your hotel. The price is around 18 dollars. If you book this service in advance, it costs around $12. The main train station, which is the central hub for all train connections, is located near the center (Central business district). All bus services also depart from here, which is the cheapest option for transportation around Australia. Public transport in Sydney consists of buses, trains and ferries. With these means of transport, you can easily move around Sydney and its suburbs. The transportation attraction of the center is the Monorail, which is a monorail that runs in the center of the city. It has eight stops and runs every 3-5 minutes.
Weather in Sydney
Sydney has a mild subtropical climate with warm summers and mild winters. Because it is located in the southern hemisphere, the season here is different than here in the Czech Republic. The summer period, when temperatures hover around 30 °C, is from December to February. The warmest month of the year is then January. Winter reigns in Sydney from June to August, but it's not too cold even in these months. The average temperature reaches 16 °C.
Sights, attractions and activities in Sydney
If you have decided to visit Sydney, believe me that a one-day visit to this beautiful city is not enough. Among the biggest attractions that are right next to each other are The Harbor Bridge and the famous Opera House. The bridge connects the two oldest parts of Sydney The Rocks and the water transport hub Circular Quay. If you really want to see Sydney from a height, you can walk along one of the arch bridges at a height of over 100. Of course, these tours are conducted with all safety measures and a guide. Even so, there is a lot of interest in them, so it is better to always order them in advance. The Sydney Opera House is probably the most visited attraction in the entire city. A very beautiful view of it from the adjacent Royal Botanic Garden, which covers 30 hectares in the middle of the city center. On the other west side of central Sydney is Darling Harbour. In this culturally social part of the city you will find the National Maritime Museum, the Sydney Aquarium and the fish market. There are also many restaurants and shops in the vicinity.
Beaches in Sydney
When visiting Sydney, you should visit the famous Bondi Beach. This beautiful beach with white sand attracts surfers from all over the world. If you would like to swim here, you can use the pool on the edge of the beach with sea water. The Coastal Walk also starts from here, taking you through breathtaking coastal scenery to the next Coogee Beach. Another famous beach is Manly in the northern part of the bay.
Trips around Sydney
If you have a free day, don't miss a day trip to the Blue Mountains, located about 50 km from Sydney. This sandstone area is densely covered with eucalyptus forests, which gave the whole area its name. The blue color of the mountains was given by the oil that evaporates from the eucalyptus leaves. This natural park was registered on the Unesco list.