A central location was important to us, but we had one specific requirement: a swimming pool where our son could spend time burning off energy in between sightseeing and bedtime.

We chanced upon the  five-star Primus Hotel on Pitt Street, a restored Art Deco treasure on Pitt Street that was once the head office of the Sydney Water Board that only opened in 2015. Its rooftop swimming pool was the clincher for us, so we made our booking a few days before our visit.

We were buzzing with anticipation all week, but would it be as good as it looked on the website? Read on for our in-depth Primus Hotel Sydney review.

Location

One of the main factors in our choice of Sydney CBD hotel was the location of the Primus. It’s on Pitt Street, close to the junction with Bathurst Street, only three blocks from the pedestrianised shopping area near the Sydney Tower Eye.

The Primus Hotel is also less than ten minutes’ walk from the Australian Museum, which our little fellow was very keen to revisit, and a similar distance from Darling Harbour in the other direction.  Chinatown is also close by, and Koreatown, which has grown over the last ten years or so, is right on the Primus Hotel’s doorstep.

The nearest train station is Town Hall, a few minutes’ walk away. Circular Quay and the Opera House are two stops from there by train, otherwise it’s a 15 minute walk or a five minute bus ride.

Our Room

We stayed in room 324 which, unless I’m mistaken is the room displayed on the Accommodation page of the Primus Hotel website.

At the booking stage we had requested a fold-out bed for our three-year-old, and even when it was put up later, the room still felt very spacious.

Our king-size bed was wonderfully comfortable, with a firm memory foam mattress offering exactly the support needed. The standard pillows are feather, and as Faye is allergic to these we had to request memory foam pillows to replace them. It turned out that we cleaned them out of their spare stock. But this was an oversight on our part – we should have made this request at the booking stage.

The bathroom is separated from the bedroom by a frosted glass screen, and it’s every bit as luxurious, with a large walk-in shower, his and hers bath robes and a set of Appelles toiletries.

We also had a very substantial desk area where we could work from our laptops, which was very useful, especially after some productive photography shoots around the city.

Level Seven Bar and Rooftop Pool

The rooftop swimming pool was one of the main reasons we chose the Primus for our weekend in Sydney. We knew we would need some quiet time at the hotel with our little fellow, and the swimming pool was the place for him to expend whatever energy he had in the tank.

The rooftop is a great place to while away some time. It’s surprisingly quiet seven floors above Sydney, and the trickle of the water from the pool down to the fountain below adds to the soothing effect. Surrounded by skyscrapers, it’s a great place to relax, chill out or swim.

We spent several hours up in the pool with our little fellow, both in the warmth of the daytime and the cool of the evening. It is spectacular, one of the best we’ve seen anywhere in the world, and at night time, with the city lights twinkling all around, it is magical. What’s more, plenty of swimming normally means plenty of sleep.

The Wilmot Restaurant

We would have loved to have sat down for a three course feast at The Wilmot, the hotel’s restaurant next to the lobby. However, our little fellow would have been gripped by wanderlust and required ice cream bribery to sit still long enough for us to eat our food.  Our feast would have to wait until another stay.

However, we did have breakfast both mornings, and it gave us all a great start to the day. The choice of food is what you’d expect of a five-star hotel, with separate continental, cooked, cereal and fruit selections. The first two of these are set either side of the open plan kitchen, where you can watch your food being prepared and cooked.

We also ordered several other dishes, including an omelette, French toast and a pancake stack for our small fellow, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

The Art Deco Décor

Faye and I both love Art Deco styling, and were really looking forward to seeing the interior of the Hotel, but the exterior frontage is pretty special too. We had walked past the building many times before without looking up, but were really surprised – it’s a really beautiful façade, and I especially enjoyed the bas-reliefs above the entrance, with a quote from the ancient Greek poet Pindar: “The noblest of elements is water.”

The lobby area is sumptuous, prime Art Deco, with a mixture of straight lines and curved corners, beautifully restored red scagliola columns and a fine 1930s glass panelled ceiling. The reception desk takes up one side of the spacious hall, the Wilmot restaurant another, with the Lobby Bar opposite the reception.  The height gives a strong sense of grandeur, and it’s an amazing place to sit back with a drink for a while.

The fourth side of the lobby is taken up with the staircase to the mezzanine, which affords a great view over the lobby. Before this you pass beneath a gorgeous Art Deco-style chandelier.

Art Deco touches can be found all around the hotel. The marble lift lobby is exquisite, and all the signage in the hotel is in Art Deco lettering, so even the signs to the toilets have a touch of 1930s glamour about them.

The Service

One word sums up the service we received at the Primus Hotel: impeccable.

This was right across the board – concierge, front desk, room service and restaurant staff.

Service was always prompt, friendly and attentive. An honourable mention goes to the staff at the Wilmot, who were wonderfully accommodating with our little fellow when he wanted to sit at every table in one section of the restaurant.

Any Improvements?

At one point we tried to open our bedroom windows but didn’t succeed in doing so. We weren’t quite sure how they worked, or whether indeed they were meant to work. We didn’t follow it up, but it may be worth having instructions on how to open the windows – if, indeed, they are meant to open.

We used the thermostat a couple of times, and both thought that the temperature may have been two or three degrees cooler than stated on the screen.

Overall Rating

10/10

Would We Return?

In a heartbeat.

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I seem to shoot some Sydney Opera House photos every time I pass through the city, which is fairly frequently. It’s an amazing subject to photograph, way ahead of its time and still unique. Its white roof sails – or shells, or even fruit segments – are recognised the world over. It is one of the great icons of Australia, one of the great cultural centres of the country and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we felt it was time to publish an essay of Sydney Opera House photos, to show it off in all its glory and tempt you to explore some of the lesser known locations around the Harbour.

The beauty of photographing Sydney Opera House is that you always seem to find new angles.

It’s situated in a very prominent location in the Harbour, on a headland called Bennelong Point, which was named after an Aboriginal man who quickly learned English and acted as an interpreter for the British colonists, and had a hut built for him on the site. Prior to the construction of the Opera House, it was the site of a humble tram depot.

As you move around the Harbour, more and more compositions reveal themselves to you.

Mrs Macquarie’s Point

The ultimate classic view featuring in so many Sydney Opera House images is from around Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, which is at the end of the next headland to the east, the other side of Farm Cove. From here another great Sydney icon, the Harbour Bridge, conveniently comes into view behind it.

I’ve always loved the view through a long lens.

Sydney Opera House fireworks

Sydney Harbour is one of the greatest places to see a firework display in the world.  When growing up in the UK, every New Year’s Day newspaper I bought would have a shot of the fireworks in the Harbour with the classic view. Mrs Macquarie’s Chair is one of the most coveted spots to watch them from on New Year’s Eve, and you have to queue up and wait all day to get a spot.

You can still get a sense of the occasion at the Chinese New Year celebration, which takes place in late January to mid-February. For this, the Opera House and Harbour Bridge are lit up red, a traditionally auspicious colour, and you’re treated to a spectacular salvo of fireworks with much smaller crowds – probably only 200-300 people, as opposed to 14,000 for New Year’s.

Royal Botanic Garden

This view with flowers is from the Royal Botanic Garden, quite close to the Farm Cove shore.

Circular Quay

Many of the best Sydney Opera House pictures are shot from around Circular Quay. You can photograph it from one of the railway platforms at Circular Quay station, or go a bit higher to the Cahill Walk for this more elevated view.

This upright shot is also from the Cahill Walk.

As you move into winter, you can start shooting at sunrise from the Rocks side of the Quay.

One morning the sails seemed to glow as the sun burst its way through the clouds behind.

The Opera House also looks wonderful towards sunset, when the normally brilliant white sails turn orange for a few minutes, as it did for the lead shot of the essay.

During the afternoon, provided you station yourself on the correct side of the ferry with a prime close-up view of the roof sails as you move into or out of the Quay. You can have all sorts of fun trying out different abstract compositions, and you may get lucky and have the ferry stuck in a queue for a berth at a wharf.

Pylon Lookout, Harbour Bridge

This is a great vantage point over the whole Harbour, and is normally open until 5pm daily.

Blues Point

Blues Point Reserve is a great viewpoint at the right time of year for sunrise and twilight shots featuring the Harbour Bridge. It’s on the north side of the Harbour, and this twilight image is from there. This spot also gets very popular on New Year’s Eve.

Bradfield Park

This splendid park in Milsons Point has this view with the massive pylons of the Harbour Bridge framing the Opera House across the Harbour.

Milsons Point

This view through an archway is on the foreshore walk which leads below the Harbour Bridge.

Kirribilli

Kirribilli is the suburb immediately across the Harbour from the Opera House and you can get some fantastic images from here – there are a couple of jetties on the waterfront, as well as a small park and walkway close to the Harbour Bridge. I saw a ferry pass through the gap between the apartment blocks, with the Opera House behind, and waited until the next one came along.

Cremorne Point

This is another great spot on the North Shore – from here, the high rises and skyscrapers of the CBD form a formidable backdrop. The view improves as you walk up the hill from the ferry wharf.

 Getting to Sydney Opera House

The Opera House is a short walk from Circular Quay train station and ferry wharves.  Trains and ferries arrive every few minutes. Circular Quay train station is a stop on the City Circle line, and also on many journeys to the suburbs. Circular Quay is also the hub of the Sydney Harbour Ferries network. For further information, check the Transport NSW website.

Sydney Opera House Tours

The Opera House is mightily impressive from the outside, and the interior is also a must-see. The Sydney Opera House site has information on guided tours here.

Sydney Opera House Concerts

The Opera House is home to six venues inside, and one outside, the Forecourt, where an old favourite of ours, The National, are playing a week after this post goes live.

Hotels near the Sydney Opera House

There is a great selection of accommodation near Sydney Opera House – around Circular Quay, in some of the high rise hotels of the CBD and in the historic Rocks district. There are also plenty of hotels with harbour views, Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge included.

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Walk across the Harbour Bridge 

The walk across Sydney Harbour Bridge is amazing at any time of day. The walkway is along  the east side of the Bridge with views of the Opera House and Harbour. The first time I ever walked across it was about an hour before sunrise, with the sky glowing and a grandstand view of the Opera House and Harbour behind. Unforgettable.

Bondi to Coogee walk 

Bondi to Coogee is the classic Sydney coast walk, starting at iconic Bondi Beach and passing four other beaches, several rock pools, one of Australia’s best-known historic cemeteries and some great cafes in the 6km – around 4 miles – that wind down to lovely Coogee beach.

Art Gallery of NSW

The Art Gallery of NSW is one of the best-known art galleries in Australia, and entry to the museum and its permanent exhibitions is free. Some temporary exhibitions are ticketed, including the current Rembrandt retrospective. It’s also home to the Archibald Prize, Australia’s leading portrait competition, which is held annually.

Museum of Contemporary Art 

The Art Deco façade of the MCA is a familiar sight to visitors to Circular Quay, and we’ve always loved to visit, both to see the permanent collections and take our son there for kids’ art classes. All of this is free – you only pay for entry to certain visiting exhibitions.

Free guided walk in the Royal Botanic Gardens 

The Royal Botanic Gardens are Sydney’s green lung, immediately to the east of Circular Quay and the skyscrapers of the CBD.  You could wander on your own for hours, or go on a free guided tour, taking in things from the ‘dinosaur tree’, the Wollemi Pine to Cadi Jam Ora, a re-creation of Australia’s first vegetable garden.

Go snorkelling in Gordons Bay

Gordons Bay is a tiny beach a few minutes’ walk from Coogee beach, one of the last staging posts on the aforementioned Bondi to Coogee walk. The beautiful clear water on the south side of the bay is ideal for snorkelling – one of the best in Sydney.

The Rocks Discovery Museum 

The Rocks is the oldest built part of Sydney, with buildings dating from the early 19^th century onwards. It’s a fascinating area to explore, particularly its narrow lanes and alleyways which harbour many a secret. The Rocks Discovery Museum, a few steps from the tourist information centre, is well worth a visit – the interactive exhibits bring the place to life, and the exhibition on the area before British colonization in 1788 is a must-see.

Take a picnic and watch the sunset at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair with a magnificent view

Mrs Macquarie’s Chair has the best view in Sydney, across Farm Cove to the Opera House with the Harbour Bridge as backdrop. It’s a 15- to 20 minute walk up through the Domain from the nearest train station, St James, and once you’re there, you have plenty of places to sit down and enjoy your picnic, watch the light fall, the shadows lengthen and the sky glow.

Discover Cockatoo Island 

Cockatoo Island is a fascinating site, with history going back to 1839 when it was first used as a convict prison. The convicts built the first of the two dry docks, and long after their forced labour was no longer demanded, it became one of Australia’s most important shipyards. The island is easily reached by ferry from Circular Quay every half hour.

Sydney’s beaches

From Palm Beach in the far north to Cronulla in the south, and all around the harbour, Sydney’s beaches are all free: from world-famous Bondi and Manly to undiscovered gems like Milk Beach and Parsley Bay, none of them will cost you a cent.

Not quite free – go ferry hopping for the day on the $2.50 ticket 

Yes, it’s not quite free, but it’s the next best thing. On Sundays you pay $2.50 to travel all day on Sydney’s public transport network. We love to ferry-hop around the Harbour, going back and forth on the Manly ferry (which usually costs over twice the day fare, one way), and exploring some of the other routes, including the likes of Watsons Bay, Milsons Point (for Luna Park), Darling Harbour and Balmain.

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The Bouddi Coastal Walk is the outstanding feature of the Bouddi National Park, a stunning wilderness at the southern end of the Central Coast, just across the water from Barrenjoey Head and Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

It is thanks to Marie Byles, a conservationist (and also NSW’s first female solicitor) that this amazing landscape has been preserved and protected from the encroachment of suburbia. The Lookout named after her on The Scenic Road, overlooking Putty Beach, Broken Bay, Barrenjoey, Pittwater and her home area in the far north of Sydney is a fitting tribute to her work, and a great starting point for exploration of the Park.

The Bouddi Coastal Walk runs 8 km from the east end of Putty Beach to MacMasters Beach, but it feels considerably longer. And that’s a good thing. This is a coast walk for connoisseurs, with some of the finest scenery you’ll find anywhere along the Tasman Sea, with pristine beaches almost to yourself, plenty of steep climbs and descents, and puddles lingering a week after the last rain.  It’s one of the best day hikes near Sydney, along with some in the Blue Mountains and the Royal National Park. It’s also one of the best Central Coast bush walks, and well worth a day of your time, even if it’s your first trip to Australia. It is that good.

Rock Features and Bullimah Beach

As we had to double back, we opted to start and finish at Putty Beach, which is at the east end of Killcare NSW beach. After passing a tiny lagoon we walked the last 200 metres of the beach before climbing a series of wooden stairs which take you out onto coastal heathland. Soon afterwards we reach an incredible array of rock formations carved by Nature over millions of years. These range from the square checkerboard tessellated pavement adjacent to the path to the liesegang rings, concentric circular and oval patterns etched into the rocks. These provided the foreground to views across to the other section of the National Park and Box Head, and across Broken Bay to Pittwater and the Northern Beaches. And then there was Bullimah Beach, a perfect little curve of sand to which we would have to return.

Gerrin Point

From here it’s a short, steady ascent to the Gerrin Point Lookout, which gives the first distant sighting of Maitland Bay, the destination of choice for many visitors to Bouddi. A perfect crescent of sand some distance along the undulating track through the bush.

We get further tantalising glimpses of the beach through trees on our right, and we are eventually joined by walkers taking the short downhill route from the Maitland Bay Centre, reaching our first goal a few minutes later.

Maitland Bay

The crowds – alright, about 15 people – had started to thin out after the rock formations next to Bullimah Beach, and now six of us had Maitland Bay to ourselves. This was on a late summer day, 26°, with a cooling breeze, near perfect hiking weather.  We decided to stop to savour this corner of paradise, and found two rocks perfect for doubling as recliners to lie back, cool down in the shade of a tree, and listen to the sound of the waves rhythmically splashing onto the beach and washing back.

Before leaving the beach behind, I went back across to look at the rock patterns at the end of the beach, which at first glance were as striking as those near the beginning of the walk. I climbed to the top of the rocks to peer around the corner across Broken Bay, to find an almost perfect set-piece photograph, with a liesegang-ringed rock in the foreground, a line of cliffs, a cormorant perched imperiously on an outcrop of rock, and a white sailing boat leaving the next cove with Sydney’s Northern Beaches in the distance. You just couldn’t make it up.

We could have happily stayed all afternoon, but we still weren’t even halfway through the outward leg of our hike.

Caves Bay

Instead, we climbed the steps at the end of the beach, gradually leaving Maitland Bay behind and reaching another high point along the top of a ridge, passing the first of several side trips, the uphill trail to Mount Bouddi Lookout, which we left for another day. We weren’t on level ground for long, as the view opened out and the path descended to the windswept rock platforms of Caves Bay. Whereas the sea back at Maitland Bay – not much more than 1 km away – was like a millpond, here it was in a foaming white rage, crashing onto the rocks.  The wooden footbridge at the bottom gave us a close view of the drama below.

Still the track made us work for our rewards, next two steep ascents and descents, the first a series of muddy pools, one above the other, that we would have to take our three-year-old back to one day for some serious splashing. Eventually we plateau at Bombi Moor, a series of elevated dunes high above the ocean.

Little Beach

We then made our way down from the heathland, through the rainforest to meet up with the fire management trail linking the car park at the end of Grahame Drive with Little Beach, 300 metres down the hill on our right.

Immediately we knew we would have to bring Little Man back here. There is a tiny campsite with six pitches, next to a creek only metres form the beach. The beach, not much more than 100 metres across, is a little paradise, a narrow, sheltered strip of sand at the end of a deep cove, with rainforest leaning right over the crumpled cliffs below to the edge of the ocean. Either side there are hundreds of flat rocks perfect for playing stepping stones, guarding lots of rock pools to explore.

Back up the hill, we turned right across the wooden bridge over the creek to continue our trek, soon pulling up the hill for one last climb to join the Mourawaring Moors Fire Trail. From here it was only a short walk to Beachview Esplanade and suburbia, continuing down to MacMasters Beach Surf Club, and the end of the Coastal Walk.

Return

We had it all to do again, this time predominantly facing the afternoon sun. Now that it was familiar terrain, it all seemed quicker than our outward journey. Except for Maitland Bay, where we took advantage of the favourable low tidal conditions to take a look at the remains of the wreck of the SS Maitland, after which the Bay was named. We also returned to the rocky viewpoint at the other end of the beach, to find the same cormorant on the same rock letting the light wind ruffle its wings, still surveying the scene. A fine way to spend the afternoon, we agreed.

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION

Getting there

If you’re driving from Sydney, the quickest way is to take the M1 northwards, turning off near Gosford to take the A49 Central Coast Highway. Shortly after leaving Gosford, turn right onto Avoca Drive, continuing as far as Kincumber, where you take another right onto Empire Bay Drive.

Continue along Empire Bay Drive, passing through the suburb of Bensville before taking a left onto Wards Hill Road, which climbs a steep hill before joining The Scenic Road. Turn right at the junction, staying on The Scenic Road before taking the second left turn onto Putty Beach Drive.  The car park and start of the walk are at the end of the road.

Parking

There is an $8 fee (correct coins or card) payable at machines at the car park at the end of Putty Beach Drive which covers entry to the National Park.

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Sydney is one of the world’s must-see cities, and has a huge range of accommodation available in some very different areas across the city. It can be confusing to work out which is the best area to stay in Sydney, there are so many great places.  It’s possible to stay in a suite in a skyscraper overlooking the magnificent harbour, or in a tent on an island a mile or two upstream. Or there are hip inner city suburbs with great nightlife, or further out, beaches looking out onto the southern Pacific Ocean with magnificent ocean pools where you can take an early morning dip for free before hanging out at one of the many local cafes.

In this article  we will give you an overview of the best areas to stay in Sydney to help you plan a great trip. It includes information on each of the main areas in Sydney with accommodation, looking at possible pros and cons for each, rather than focusing on any individual establishments. We’ll be following up this article with features on individual suburbs to give you further detailed information.

Ultimately it all depends on your own circumstances, budget, your interests and what you’d like to experience as to what will be the best area for you to stay in Sydney.

If you wish to harbour-hop on the ferries or run and around and see all the big sights or museums, somewhere in or close to the centre is best for you. If you want a taste of beachside living, swimming in the ocean and dining in cafes by the sea then maybe you could pick somewhere like Bondi or Coogee.

The centre (the Rocks district, Circular Quay and the CBD (city centre / downtown) has a great range of options, as do some inner city suburbs – Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and Surry Hills to the east, Glebe and Newtown to the west – and some of the beachside suburbs.

Staying in the Rocks and Circular Quay

Circular Quay is the obvious starting point for a visit to Sydney and it is also one of the best areas to stay in Sydney.  It’s the hub of the city’s harbour ferry service, and Sydney’s two world-famous icons, the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, are right next to it.

Immediately adjacent to Circular Quay, the Rocks is the oldest, most atmospheric part of the city, with many buildings dating from the 19th century, through to the early 20th. The area is located on a hillside, with several streets linked by steps and alleyways, and is home to some of the city’s oldest pubs, not to mention a wide range of restaurants and clubs. You’re never more than ten minutes away from the city’s ferry hub, Circular Quay, with its adjacent train station and bus stops.

If you intend using the ferries to hop around the Harbour, the Rocks and Circular Quay are ideal places to stay. There’s also a great weekend market selling lots of handicrafts along atmospheric Playfair Street.

The area is also very close to two great walk locations. To the west there is the new Barangaroo Reserve with outstanding views over the Harbour on a landscaped area formerly occupied by the city’s gas works. In the opposite direction, the beautiful green space of the Royal Botanic Garden is a few minutes’ walk to the east of Circular Quay.

As for places to stay, there are choices from some of the big chains around Circular Quay and at the southern end of the district with amazing harbour views to small hotels and pubs and a youth hostel. These often come at a premium, but for being at the heart of things, the Rocks is a great choice.

Staying in the CBD (Central Business District)

The CBD (city centre to the British, downtown to Americans) is the area between Circular Quay and Central Station, the concrete corridors of skyscrapers where big business, luxury hotels and some of the best shopping and eating in Australia can all be found. Much of the accommodation is high end and high-rise, with some spectacular views – just remember that the further from the harbour you go, the less you’ll see of it, and the more you’ll see of other high rises. If you want to see the harbour from your room, you need to look for somewhere in the northern end of the CBD, towards the Rocks. You’re very close to everything in the CBD, including ferry and bus connections and the sights around Circular Quay. Ideal for a weekend away being pampered or for a shopping expedition at the QVB and nearby Pitt Street.

Staying near Central Station Sydney  

The area around a major city’s main train station is often among its least salubrious, and this is true of Sydney. The area is great for backpackers looking to save while having excellent public transport connections and easy access to all of the city’s sights, plus the range of

wonderful food in Chinatown. It’s also a great place to stay if you need to catch an early morning train or bus.

Staying in Darling Harbour

Darling Harbour is the busy, popular waterfront area on the western edge of the CBD, and the area is full of attractions from museums to the biggest playground in the city, not to mention a huge range of restaurants (including many chains) and the fantastic view of the city lights at dusk. There are plenty of accommodation options, especially chains, and popular with families, and you can pick up some surprisingly good bargains in this part of town.

The only drawback with Darling Harbour is that it seems a bit out on a limb as far as public transport is concerned. There are regular ferries from Circular Quay, and the light rail also passes close by, but there always seems to be a fairly long walk or two involved – fine for me, but not for everyone

Staying in Kings Cross and Potts Point

Kings Cross, Sydney’s main red light district, is a very small area – essentially a large junction and a street leading off it for a few blocks – but it has always had a murky reputation. Having stayed close to it recently, it didn’t strike me as very threatening, but with a few overflowing bars and seedy strip joints it has more than a whiff of the underbelly about it. However, the backpacking scene continues to flourish, with lots of options in the streets off Darlinghurst Road and Macleay Street.

Potts Point is the Cross’ northern neighbour, very different in character with tranquil tree-lined residential streets, beautiful verandaed Victorian houses and views over the harbour to the city. There are also lots of cafes and small restaurants along main routes such as Victoria Street.

Transport connections are very good, with Kings Cross station at the end of Victoria Street, and Darlinghurst Road busy with buses linking the city in one direction and the beaches in the other.

Staying in Darlinghurst and Surry Hills

These neighbouring suburbs, which between them cover the ground from Kings Cross in the north to Central station and Redfern to the south-west – also make great bases to explore Sydney. Both these areas have a great deal going for them, especially when it comes to nightlife, with an abundance of places to eat out and drink. Darlinghurst, immediately to the south of Kings Cross, has so many great options, and if you’re in the northern part of the suburb transport links are a bit quicker than elsewhere, with the train at Kings Cross. Darlinghurst and neighbouring Paddington are at the heart of Sydney’s gay scene, and the annual Mardi Gras parade passes along Oxford and Flinders Street in the heart of Darlinghurst.

Surry Hills, immediately to the east of Central station, covers a wide area and is very well-connected with buses – you might have to change at Central to get to a lot of the sights, but that seldom takes long. 

Staying in Kirribilli & North Sydney

Hilly Kirribilli is directly across the water from the Opera House, and sits in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge, and some waterfront apartments with these outstanding views are available for rental. There are also a couple of good budget options a ten-minute walk away from transport. There are three relatively quick ways to get to Kirribilli – the train to Milsons Point station, very close to the ‘village’, and ferries either to Kirribilli wharf (at the bottom of some steps on the east side of the suburb) on the Neutral Bay route, which run every 30 minutes, or Milsons Point wharf outside Luna Park fairground, which is a 15-minute walk away.

The adjoining suburb of North Sydney has a few chain hotels – some with amazing views across the Harbour – and pubs with accommodation, and the North Sydney train station is ideal for some of these. The only drawback with this area is that it is rather lacking in character.

Beyond here, options are pretty sparse as you head east along the North Shore.

Staying in Manly

We’ve used Manly as a base for exploring Sydney several times, and we heartily recommend doing so. You feel a world away from the CBD when walking along Manly Beach at sunrise, where you’ll invariably be joined by runners, surfers and cross-training groups. This is the sunny outdoor Aussie lifestyle many imagine before actually visiting – I certainly did.

So apart from one of the most enjoyable public transport journeys in the world – the F1 ferry – to get there and back, and several beautiful beaches, does Manly have anything else going for it?

There’s a good range of accommodation, often a little less than you’d pay for something comparable in the city, and most places are only a short walk from the ferry wharf. There is good coffee aplenty, lots of food options around the main street, the pedestrianised Corso, and shops where you can stock up on food if you’re self-catering.

STAYING IN BONDI

Staying near one of the beaches can be a great way to spend your time in Sydney and to get a real taste of Sydney beachside living, to many this is a taste of living the quintessential Australian dream. . At Bondi – the most famous in the city, if not the country – you’re very close to the city (25-30 minutes on frequent buses to Central and Circular Quay) but with a very different feel to the centre. Seeing the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean is a w.onderful way to start the day, and you can surf in the sea or swim in the spectacular Icebergs pool at the southern end of the beach, or take the popular path down the coast to Coogee. Breakfast by the beach is a popular Sydney past time and Bondi is full of cafes where you will find people having a meal at all hours of the day after a dip in the ocean.

Bondi has a huge range of accommodation, from dorm beds in hostels to exclusive hotels and apartments along and just behind the beach strip, Campbell Parade

Staying in Coogee

Coogee, at the other end of the famous coastal walk from Bondi, is quieter and lower key than its neighbour to the north, but it makes an equally good base from which you can explore Sydney. It has a great beach, not to mention some of the best rock pools and baths in the city. It’s around 25-30 minutes on the bus from the city, has plenty of good places to eat and has accommodation options from backpacker hostels to boutique hotels and apartments

Staying in Newtown

Newtown has long had a reputation of being one of the most bohemian of Sydney’s suburbs. It is a couple of miles south-west of Central Station, and centred around main thoroughfare King Street, to the south of the university. The backstreets have some of the best street art in the city, and are always a pleasure to explore, while King Street and its side streets have a huge range of cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants. There are plenty of hotels, and it’s worth considering if you’re looking to rent for a few weeks or so. Also great as a base if you’re staying down for a gig at the nearby Enmore or Annandale. University halls in nearby Camperdown are also opened up as accommodation outside term time. Transport connections – buses every few minutes, trains just four stops from Central – make Newtown a very convenient option.

Staying in Glebe

Glebe is a suburb in the city’s inner south-west that has a great choice of pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants to while away a few hours and a good mix of accommodation to boot. It’s very close to the city, well-served by both the light rail and buses. The former connects Glebe with the attractions of Darling Harbour, while it’s only a short hop on the bus along Broadway to Central. Apart from some nice quirky cafes and shops along Glebe Point Road, there are also lovely walks to Blackwattle Park, for views of the landmark Anzac Bridge, and the University, just to the south in Camperdown. On Saturdays the area gets busier as people from all over the city flock to Glebe Markets, in search of all kinds of treasures old and new, not to mention some great food. A good choice.

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