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Choosing Australia as your travel destination is wise; making it Sydney is the smartest. Why do I say that? Because I’m telling you from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. You don’t get that everywhere anymore. No one is telling you what you’d TRULY find in these locations, both the surprises and everything to avoid.
So, I decided to divide these pristine locations into two groups; the paid and free. That way, you can explore Sydney while balancing your budget.
Let’s start with the free ones! (Who likes spending unnecessarily in this economy, anyway?)
1. Stroll through the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Who doesn’t like strolling in a garden? Royal Botanic Garden isn’t just a garden, though. The perfectly balanced botanical and architectural wonder has been attracting a crowd into the town. The garden spans about 30 acres of land and has been nothing but a delight since 1816. That’s just a glimpse of what you’re walking into. So, what can you do in the garden?
For starters, you can experience the finest botanical wonders as you stroll, maybe with a guided tour. But I absolutely LOVED the man-made exhibits scattered all over the garden. They’re so perfectly integrated into the setting that you feel they are part of nature.
No one will tell you this except for a person who visited the garden. It’s about timing; you should always try your best to avoid noon and go as early as 7 in the morning or an hour or two earlier than the closing time, which is 6:30 PM.
2. Experience Bondi Beach (and its waters!)
Sydney is blessed with a coastline straight out of movie scenes. The spacious beach area is perfect for you to have your privacy while enjoying the company of other people as well. I still remember how soothing the sand felt on my feet; it’s the Sydney special!
If you’re a fan of surfing, I’ve got the BEST news for you. There are little surfboard and wetsuit rental companies at Bondi beach. I came across a 2-hour package; the price varies (however, the beach is free! Duh!).
If surfing isn’t enough, you can perfectly go swimming. However, make sure to avoid the southern end of the beach. I clearly felt a difference in the tide, as some told me about it earlier. Luckily, I came back to the beach faster.
When you’re done, you should probably take a walk along the coastline; you’ll know what I mean when you see the scene in the evening.
3. Immerse yours in art at the Art Gallery of NSW
I’m not a person to be that interested in museum art, but the Art Gallery of NSW is truly something else. Of course, I visited the location since it’s free. But in my head, all I saw was a mountain of dollars.
The art gallery has been categorized into around eight categories. For example, you get to see aboriginal art from indigenous artists, and you don’t see art like that ANYWHERE else in the world. There are Asian exhibits as well; the 1879 ceramic collection makes you remember how artistic Japan is. Then there’s contemporary art focusing on expressionism, pop art, and screen culture. Did I mention how this art gallery has one of the rarest New Guinea Highlands art in the WORLD?
Amongst the other categories, such as photography, and western art, I immediately fell in love with Australian art; people need to see artworks such as Bailed Up (1895) and On The Wallaby Track (1896) before they leave Sydney.
4. Take that free town tour
It was about 11 in the morning when I met the group of guides. They were at the Town Hall Square. They’re from a company named I’m Free and live up to expectations. Although I was told that you could join the group, it wasn’t so. I was lucky that I looked it up online. All you need to do is go to their website and get yourself a slot.
Afterward, the guides will walk you around town with breaks in the middle. To be honest, I ended up leaving a donation since the tour was that good. I wasn’t bored for one second. This tour works like magic if this is the first you’re in the town; you can get to know all the routes and what you won’t find online after one tour.
To me, that was once in a lifetime experience that’s valuable for a lifetime.
5. Let yourself reset at the Shelly Beach
I was going to tell you about the Manly beach, but then I remembered a better option. Both the Bondi and Manly beaches are of the same type; a bit crowded and loud of sorts. However, it’s a whole new world out there when you experience the serene quietness at Shelly beach.
Situated at the north of Syndey, Shelly beach is surrounded by aesthetic nature. Because you need to take a 20-minute walk from Manly away from the city, that isolated vibe is irreplaceable.
But that’s not all; Shelly beach is the ONLY beach along the Sydney coast that faces west. So, this is the absolute best (and only) place to picture a memorable Australian sunset.
Bondi (and even Manly) beaches provide you with surfing opportunities. But Shelly beach lets to both snorkel and scuba dive. The underwater aquatic life is entirely different from what you find at Bondi beach. That’s why visitors have a special love for Shelly beach.
So, those are my 5 top free-of-charge locations in Sydney.
But they are supposed to bring value when things come at a price. In Sydney, you won’t waste money sightseeing. However, wouldn’t it be nice to know where your money is given a true worth?
6. Are you really going to miss the Opera house?
You can see the Opera house as you walk in the Botanical gardens. So, naturally, that was my next plan for the day. Since the early 1970s, the Syndey Opera house has been the icon of not just Sydney but of all of Australia as well. So, what do you get to see here?
Usually, the entry fee for adults is around $40, half for children. But price-per-head can drop to around $30 if you’re going with a group. This tour usually doesn’t last more than 15-20 minutes. But trust me, that time is more than enough to immerse yourself in this architectural wonder. However, there are plans whose tour durations exceed the 2-hour mark as well.
Then there are unique types of cuisine at the in-house Opera Kitchen. The diversity is so incredible that you could have an expensive Asian dish under the same roof where you can enjoy a scrumptious burger. So, don’t miss the Opera House!
7. Catch the view at the Sydney Tower Eye
Views from highly high elevations are a treat to the eyes. Sydney Eye Tower is one unique building standing 250m above the Sydney streets that serve that purpose. You do NOT want to miss this location under any circumstance.
My choice of time to visit was right after 6 PM since I wanted to catch the sunset; it was literally out of a renaissance oil painting. You can stay there longer since the tower stays open until 8 in the evening.
The skywalk is phenomenal and SAFE. I managed to save 20% of the entree fee since I had experience with the zoo, which was just $24.80. But in addition, some passes from the tower let you visit other places in the CBD. So, be sure to look out for them as well.
8. Look out at the ocean at the Barrenjoey Lighthouse
Lighthouses have always had a special place in my heart. But not always you get to come across perfectly maintained and visitor-worthy lighthouses. Barrenjoey lighthouse is so much more than that. Build in 1881, this location is around a 1 to 15 mins drive from Sydney; but to me, it was worth the drive.
It was a Sunday I visited there, so there was a guided tour as well. Since it’s situated in the Ku-Ring-Fain Chase national park, it’s just not the lighthouse you get to see. The lighthouse is technically free of charge. But it’s the guided tour inside the lighthouse that makes a difference. My prime advice is always to visit the location in perfect weather because you’ll get the opportunity to experience both the lighthouse and the walk to it.
There are two paths: the landscape walks along the Barrenjoey track for about 1 km. The other path is a bit hilly and requires some fitness, although it takes only half an hour.
9. Visit the animals at the Taronga Zoo
I just wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to visit a zoo in close vicinity. It’s just a 20-minute or less drive from Royal Botanic Garden. The adult entrance fee was around $50, $30 for children and $40 for concessions. While infants get to go in free, the online prices are about $3-5 less; but I bought the tickets at the gate. What did I find in the zoo?
Words can’t express how badly I wanted to see cageless koala bears from the moment I heard about their existence. But I wasn’t lucky until for an hour or two. I realized the problem was because I entered around noon; my best recommendation is to go as early as possible, not on a Sunday. You might as well start your day at the zoo and move to the Botanic garden from there.
The zoo is filled with Meerkats, Lions, Giraffes, Asian elephants, Sumatran tigers, Koala bears, red and tree kangaroos, and so on.
In Conclusion
Of course, I managed to explore the entire city during my stay. Including all tiny details about these marvellous places in one web article is borderline impossible. But I’m SURE you know what a newbie Sydney traveller should know. You can rely on them since you heard them from a person who explored the city.
So, be sure to experience this beautiful city, and make memories as you go, leaving the city with nothing but pure self-satisfaction!
Featured Image Credit: Adwo
