Sydney, Australia

There is no doubt that Sydney, Australia is a fun, vibrant, and beautiful city with things to do for all ages. We stayed outside of Sydney in Bondi Beach in an Air BNB for a week. While we were there, we had two days with rainy weather. Many of the activities on our list were outdoor which was hard to do with the weather. We still got a lot of great experiences in, and now we have a list for our next trip of over 20 activities to see and do! Here are a list of our favorite things to do from this visit to Sydney and if you are traveling with your little one, be sure to read our tips for traveling with a baby and our baby travel essentials.

Bondi Beach

This is the area we decided to stay in for the duration of our trip. One of our friends who lives in New South Wales recommended Bondi Beach as a great place to stay. This area is absolutely beautiful. It is easy to see why it is one of the country’s most famous beaches. You could easily stay in this area and spend a week here experiencing the beach, restaurants, pools, walking paths, and shops. There were also options for outdoor yoga classes, surf lessons, and skateboard lessons.

The entire area is extremely walkable. I was able to walk from our Air BNB to the main part of the town in about 10 minutes. The area felt very safe and there were sidewalks and crosswalks everywhere. I took my son on my walk one morning and we were able to window shop, check out what was happening at the beach, and stop for a smoothie.

Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk

One of my favorite parts about this area was the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk. We were able to quickly get onto this 3.73 mile path from our Air BNB and walk on top of the cliffs along the coast. This scenic path offers views of the nearby beaches, parks, rock pools, cliffs, and bays. We used the coastal walk to walk from Bondi Beach to Tamarama Beach, another small beautiful beach to surf or sunbathe. This beach is more secluded than Bondi Beach. My only complaint about the coastal walk is that it isn’t stroller friendly. There are lots of people, stairs, and uneven terrain. We were able to leave our infant behind, but I would advise bringing a baby wrap or carrier.

Bondi Icebergs Pool

Another famous Bondi icon is the Bondi Icebergs Pool. There was a painting of the pool hanging in the living room of our Air BNB which prompted us to look up this pool that boasts views over the beach and Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, by the time we looked into the club and its hours, we found out that the pool was closed on Thursdays and we were out of time. However, we were able to walk by it on our last day and get a few pictures. Next time, we plan to swim in the pool and grab a bite to eat!

Sydney Opera House

This iconic performing arts center is a must see when visiting the area. Located on the shores of the Sydney Harbor in New South Wales, this  complex is made up of multiple performance venues. The Sydney Opera House offers multiple types of performing arts shows including opera, music, dance, and more.

We did a guided tour offered daily. Tours are offered in multiple languages. The tour took about one hour and had over 300 steps with no access to an elevator. I would recommend booking your tickets in advance as our tour sold out and two adults in our party had to sit this tour out. Our infant’s admission was free, but they did require a ticket for him. (We ended up leaving him in the stroller with the two other adults in our party. The stroller definitely would have been an issue on this tour, and we would have had to carry him or use a front pack to get him around.)

This tour was perfect in order to see the venue and hear the history behind the spectacular building. Next time, I want to experience a show! We booked the basic tour, but there are plenty of other options including a backstage tour, a view of the sunset, dinner, and drinks.

Sydney Fish Market

This *might* have been my favorite experience in Sydney. One of the perks for our family to staying in an Air BNB is having access to a full kitchen. During this stage of life, we love being able to cook dinner and put our baby to bed and still be able to visit with our fellow travelers. The fish market is a great place to grab seafood that is already cooked or grab something that you can cook yourself.

My biggest piece of advice is to double check the hours and get to the fish market early. While open every day, it closes at 4 pm on the dot. Additionally, the traffic around Sydney can be absolutely brutal so plan ahead and be early! Both times we visited the fish market, we were cutting it close and didn’t get a full amount of time to fully shop. We purchased fresh fruit once and fully cooked prawns two nights. On our second trip, we tried to purchase a lobster that they will prepare and cook for you, but we arrived to close to closing time. The Sydney Fish Market is a must-see even if you don’t buy anything!

Palm Beach

We took a day trip to visit Palm Beach, about an hour’s drive north of Bondi Beach. The attraction to visit Palm Beach was the Barrenjoey Lighthouse. Before visiting the lighthouse, we stopped to have lunch at Dunes Palm Beach. The restaurant is white-washed, open, laid back, and friendly. The staff was very professional and kind. After eating our yummy lunch, we drove our car a little closer to the lighthouse.

We walked on the beach to get to the path that heads straight to the lighthouse. We had the stroller with us, so while there was a more direct option to get to the top, we had to take the paved path. I will say that we were a little underprepared as we didn’t know exactly what we were getting ourselves into. It was a very hot day, so I would advise checking the weather first and pack accordingly. We visited the lighthouse during the week, but check it out on a Sunday in order to go inside! We didn’t know at the time, but we watched the movie Anyone but You starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell a few days later and were pleasantly surprised when we saw Palm Beach and the Barrenjoey Lighthouse in the movie!

Taronga Zoo

One of our first days in Sydney we tried to go to the zoo. We made it to the entrance before the thunder and lightning started. This was something that I was really interested in experiencing so a few days later, we tried again and were successful. We were on a bit of a time crunch because we had evening plans, so I would expect to spend a whole day here. We got to see almost all of the animals, but we had to move quickly. I personally enjoyed the koalas and the tigers. You can pay extra to have an experience with the koalas if you choose. The staff was very friendly and professional, the zoo was clean, and there were plenty of options to grab something to eat and drink after a long day in the hot sun.

Additional Activities & Experiences

Here are some additional highly recommended experiences that we simply ran out of time for. Shoutout to our resident Sydney expert for sharing this list with us!

1. See a show at the Sydney Opera House
2. Chinese Friendship Gardens
3. Manly Beach (take the ferry!)
4. Hop on / Hop Off Bus Tour
5. Afternoon Tea at Gunners Barracks or The Langhiem Hotel
6. Carriage Works
7. Drinks at The Establishment Bar
8. Newtown
9. Spa day at Darling Spa or The Crown
10. Royal National Park
11. Yoga in Coogee at The Living Room
12. Botanical Gardens
13. Walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge
14. Visit Wendy’s Secret Garden
15. Hyde Park
16. NSW Library Art Exhibit
17. Art Gallery of New South Wales
18. Museum of Contemporary Art
19. Fireworks at Darling Harbour
20. Day trip to Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley