The immaculate and unstructured silhouette of its UNESCO World Heritage Opera House has earned its architect, Danish architect Jorn Utzon, the highest distinction in his profession. Recognized by all as one of the most iconic buildings of the 20th century, Sydney Opera House is one of the h3est symbols of Australia in the world.
The elegant building is located on Circular Quay, the lively pedestrian docks of downtown Sydney: snacks, bars and cafés are crowded along the quays to welcome locals and tourists who come to enjoy the beautiful weather, the sea breeze and the view of Sydney Harbour's blue waters. Circular Quay is also a veritable hub of the city: metro, bus and ferries converge here, while the enormous and massive humpbacked silhouette of Harbour Bridge joins the south and north shores. Just over a kilometre long, Harbour Bridge is Sydney's other architectural icon: one of the tallest, longest and widest superlative bridges in the world. A veritable monument that supports road, rail, bicycle and pedestrian traffic, giving a sovereign and unobstructed view of the port, which it overlooks with panache.
On the other side of the opera house is the green and carefully maintained botanical gardens. At the entrance, a simple sign welcomes visitors with a warm welcome. Visitors are cordially invited to walk on the lawn, bring a picnic, hug the trees and talk to the birds.
In the heart of Australia's largest city's most beautiful park, tourists, workers and schoolchildren can come to relax and have lunch in the grass, including a panoramic view of the opera, in a serene and friendly atmosphere. Further exploration of the gardens reveals in turn basins, palms, rose gardens and endemic vegetation, and makes it possible to make its first encounters with the Australian fauna: cockatoos and dogfish visit the garden trees en masse, where they love to feed on nuts and nectar. At their southern end, the gardens lead to the "Domain", a vast lawn that hosts a wide variety of concerts and outdoor events year-round, as well as the Art Gallery of NSW, one of the most important galleries in the country: works from Australia and the Asia-Pacific region are numerous, ranging from traditional Aboriginal art to contemporary art, from painting to photography and sculpture.
At the other end of Circular Quay, on the west side in the shadow of Harbour Bridge, the city's cultural tour also takes place on the ground in the Rocks area. Established at the birth of the city in 1788, the district still has many historic buildings built in sandstone, a warm coloured stone that was abundantly available in the area when the first settlers arrived.
The picturesque character of this unspoilt neighborhood makes it a magnet for tourists and the shopkeepers have understood it well: here you can find Sydney's oldest pubs, but also fine art galleries and souvenir shops selling opals and akubras (the Australian version of the cowboy hat).
More affordable, the Rocks markets are held every weekend in the streets, and the shaded stands under canvases stretched from right to left offer crafts to gogo. From the Rocks, it is easy to reach the City on foot along avenues where Victorian architecture meets the modern skyscrapers of glass and steel.
The highest tower of all, the Sky Tower (also known as the AMP Tower or Centerpoint Tower), is open to the public. At 250m from the ground, an observation platform offers panoramic views of the City. Even higher, the SkyWalk makes it possible to climb the roof of the tower, open to the four winds, at a height similar to that of the Eiffel Tower. A dizzying experience that can also be experienced by ascending Harbour Bridge, day and night.
Although half as high as the SkyWalk, the bridge has the advantage of offering a perfect view of the opera house, whose silhouette is largely concealed by the buildings from the Sky Tower point of view.
To the south-west of the centre, accessible on foot via Chinatown or by ferry from Circular Quay, Darling Harbour is another great entertainment centre: all around a protected marina where beautiful sailboats are moored a walk full of bars and restaurants. There are also entertainment facilities such as a casino, an IMAX movie theater, Sydney's huge aquarium and even a zoo, the Wildlife World.
The latter is devoted solely to the Australian fauna: kangaroos, koalas, wombats, snakes, kangaroos and less well-known nocturnal animals such as bilbies or quolls are the stars of installations taking up the various environments (arides, tropics...) of the country. An approach different from that of the Taronga zoo,
the largest and most famous, situated on 21 hectares of the north shore of Sydney Harbour welcomes animals from all over the world, all outdoors and with a view of the opera house. As for the aquarium, it honours the inhabitants of rivers and oceans, from turtles to sharks, crocodiles and ornithorynchs!
After this very urbanized visit of Sydney, it will be high time to change course and visit the beaches: white sand, crystal clear water, surfing waves, the suburbs of Bondi and Manly are sites to be seen... to sunbathe, swim, surf, see and be seen.... Here, the myth of Australian quality of life takes on its full meaning: the opportunity to work in Australia's largest metropolis, come jogging along the beachside during lunch break and spend the weekend on the surfboard, on the swell, before finishing the evening with a barbecue.
Sydney's temperate climate, with long, warm summers and mild winters and moderate rainfall throughout the year, lends itself to this appealing daily routine. All around the bay and along the coast, beaches and shores follow one another: to the south, Watsons Bay, its cliffs, its lighthouse and its legendary fish' n' chips restaurant. To the north, beyond Manly, lie the Northern Beaches and the Barrenjoey Peninsula, overlooking a fine isthmus bordered by two beaches, river and ocean side.
Proximity destinations that can be easily discovered in a weekend or a day, and allow you to stretch your legs in a semi-natural, semi-urban setting: for example by taking the paths that connect Bondi to Coogee via the beaches of Bronte and Tamarama, or by exploring the wooded paths from Manly to The Spit via Sydney Harbour National Park.
Sydney's beautiful natural setting in which Sydney lies does not stop there: if the city is bordered to the east by the Pacific Ocean, it is also surrounded on land by a collection of national parks brimming with vegetation and possibilities. To the south, near Cronulla, the Royal National Park which preserves an idyllic coast of beaches and cliffs. To the north is the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, which includes wooded hills where the Hawkesbury River and its many tributaries snake. To the west, the foggy and bewitching relief of the Blue Mountains sandstone ranges.
Three distinct environments, rich in hiking trails and picnic and camping areas, where, at the bend of a path, you can have the chance to stumble across a kangaroo, wallaby or varan, and observe a myriad of colourful birds twirling from bud to bud in the bushes. Accessible by public transport and accessible in one day from the heart of Sydney, these three national parks remind us that in Australia, nature is never far away.
Sydney International Airport is home to almost all of the airlines serving France: Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Qantas, Air France, Cathay Pacific, Korean Airlines and Malaysia Airlines all land here. Reunion Islanders will also appreciate the direct service provided by Air Austral since the beginning of 2009: from Sydney, domestic airlines, including the low-cost JetStar and Virgin Blue, are able to reach all the state capitals and many provincial cities (Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Alice Springs, Mackay, etc.) as well as many destinations in Asia and New Zealand. From the airport, it's very easy to reach downtown by train - count $18.50/person for about 13 minutes.
If you are already in Australia, you can also come and go from Sydney by train. CountryLink flies to Melbourne (about 11H), Brisbane (about 14H) and Canberra (4H30), while Indian Pacific flies to Adelaide (about 24H) and Perth (3 days).
Sydney Central YHA charges $38/person/night in dormitory 6. In areas such as Kings Cross or Balmain, youth hostels can be found from $16 to $19/night/person in dormitories of 8,10 or 12. Don't hesitate to check the HostelWorld price comparison and reservation website to find the best deals!
The best time to visit Sydney is the summer, especially in January and February. In addition to the warm temperatures and sunny skies, these are the most festive months: the spectacular fireworks display on New Year's Eve, the Chinese New Year, the Sydney
