The content you're trying to view is for members eyes only. Please log in or apply for membership to view more. Questions? Check out our FAQ page.
Already a member? Log In
This popular beach and tourist destination is worth a visit! There is a colorful mural with the words “Bondi” to take photos at, and the beach area is quite expansive with plenty of space to lay around. You can also pay admission to the Iceberg's famous pools and sauna if you’d like to visit.
There are several swim and clothing boutiques across the street from Bondi Beach that carry cute beach and casual wear.
I stayed in this area, and if you’re visiting I would recommend it because it’s beautiful, and it’s easy to get to other parts of town via the Manly Ferry. Manly is one of Sydney’s Northern beaches, and has a lively town square area with shops and restaurants called Manly Marketplace. It’s fun to walk through and explore the shops, as well as relax on the sand or catch the sunrise on the shore.
There are lovely walking paths if you want to take a stroll along the shoreline with a route leads to a smaller beach called Shelly Beach. Wild turkeys run around this beach amongst the swimmers! (See photos of the one I saw above).
I loved eating at Blue Water Café and Whitewater Café across the street from Manly Beach. They offer gorgeous ocean views while you dine.
This iconic building is definitely worth a stop on your itinerary. It’s in an area known as Circular Quay – it’s easily accessible by ferry and is walking distance to other parts of the city I’ll mention below.
I scored an awesome deal on UGGs at the Opera Quays UGG store across from the Opera House. They were having a sale, and with the AUD to U.S. Dollar conversion on top of that, I got a nice pair for about $111 USD.
There are some great places to eat in this area as well. I had lunch at the Cruise Bar patio, with great views of the Opera House.
Girl’s Guide to Sydney Tip: You can snap some great photos of the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge on a ferry ride into the Harbour, as I did on my ride from the Manly Beach ferry into Circular Quay. Another great place to take photos is across the inlet on the sidewalk along Campbells Cove Lookout. You can take great shots of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House from here.
The area near the Opera House is called The Rocks, and if you continue up along George Street & Harrington Street they have some great dining and high end shops with unique offerings. I got some good chocolate bark at one of the specialty chocolate shops.
The Royal Botanic Garden is located right next to the Sydney Opera House, and has walking paths that lead to amazing views of the harbor and Sydney Opera House. There are ancient trees in the park that offer nice shade from the sun on a hot day. I saw a lot of families and kids playing here, so it’s a great place to relax with a lunch picnic or cozy up with a good book for the afternoon.
The wildlife in Australia is so interesting and different from the U.S. I got a ton of inspiration for my designs from the different kangaroos, wallabies and colorful birds I saw here.
This place is one of my favorite discoveries for the Girl’s Guide to Sydney! I took my first yoga class in 2006, and became a regular practitioner in 2015. I knew I had to drop in for an Aerial Yoga Stretch class once I found this place. I’ve only dabbled in aerial yoga on the silks at festivals in San Diego, so I was excited to try it again on the other side of the world.
The studio is located in an artsy part of town called Surry Hill, with a lot of cool cafes you can grab a bite at after class.
Even though I practice vinyasa yoga regularly, hanging on silks challenged me and made me stretch in different ways. This acitivity is one of my favorites in the girl’s guide to Sydney, and reasonably priced at about $30 USD.
Since I was on vacation, I knew I wanted to relax. I was staying in the Manly area for part of this trip, and after doing research I decided to book the Pure Bliss Package at The Garden Spa which is now called Aqua Vitae Day Spa.
It was heaven! The package includes a full body massage with a facial and scalp massage. The cost of the package was about $140 USD, which is cheaper than what I could book those services for in the U.S. due to the Australian Dollar to U.S. Dollar Conversion. So if you are spending USD and want to pamper yourself, it’s definitely worth the splurge in Australia.
Girl’s Guide to Sydney Cultural Note: My esthetician told me that it is not customary to leave a tip for spa services in Australia the same way we do in the U.S. She said that they are paid well and their salaries are regulated by their government, so it’s not obligatory to leave them one, but you can leave one at your discretion.
If you have the time to explore, head to Sydney Olympic Park and walk around. There are some great walking trails that line that water if you want to take a stroll or a run.
There are also some cute cafes within the village itself. I loved the Abbatoir Blues Café. It’s a family-run boutique diner hidden away in a 1900’s abbatoir (former slaughterhouse). Inside it’s very cozy, and the owners were friendly and welcoming every day I had breakfast there.
One of my favorite things to do when I travel is check out the metaphysical stores in the cities I’m visiting. I researched and visited a few different crystal stores in the Sydney area, and this one was one of my favorites.
They had a great selection to choose from. I ended up going home with a heart-shaped rainbow fluorite, and now every time I see it, I remember this crystal I got in Sydney and my special trip down under.
[spot-list]2390[/spot-list]
10. MALLS
I loved walking around the shopping malls in Australia! Most of the stores are ones you wouldn’t find in America, so it’s really interesting to browse through them.
Westfield Sydney Shopping Centre is walking distance to the Sydney Opera House. It’s a 10-minute walk from there and located near the Sydney Tower Eye.
Since I was there in their springtime (May) I scored some deals on clearance winter wear. I got a great pair of ankle boots from an Australian women’s wear store called Witchery.
Even though its an American brand, I’d recommend visiting the Target stores when you are in Australia. Their Australian stores offer different things than you would find in the U.S. I got some winter boots on clearance for $19 USD so I bought them in brown and black. If the AUD to USD conversion is good, you can score some great deals!
Originally Posted on Aliya's blog.
Find Aliya:
Twitter: @aliyabora
I'm a California based creative content producer + designer with 10 years of journalism experience under my belt. I love traveling the world to get inspiration for my designs & creative work. Some of my favorite things to look for when I travel are good chocolate, fancy tea, and unique independent shops (book shops, crystal shops, etc.) I love supporting local artists & craftsmen + discovering unique finds around the world. I’m also a former resident of New York City, Austin, TX and currently reside San Diego. Feel free to message me about my recs!
View All Posts
Join Our Community to See More
The content you're trying to view is for members eyes only. Please log in or apply for membership to view more. Questions? Check out our FAQ page .