It’s not easy to select top 3 things to see (and/or experience) in Sydney. The city offers so much, but if you’re visiting for just few days, here are few things you shouldn’t miss.
Sydney Opera House
The most-famous building in whole of Australia was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2007. It is considered as one of the 20th century’s most distinctive buildings and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world. Almost every tourist who comes to Sydney wants to experience the Opera House.
And it’s not just about Opera with the building housing multiple performance venues, making it one of the busiest performing arts centres in the world. There are more than 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people.
The Opera House has the following performance venues:
- Concert Hall, with 2,679 seats, is the home of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
- Opera Theatre, a proscenium theatre with 1,507 seats, is the Sydney home of Opera Australia and The Australian Ballet.
- Drama Theatre, a proscenium theatre with 544 seats, is used by the Sydney Theatre Company and other dance and theatrical presenters.
- Playhouse, an end-stage theatre with 398 seats.
- Studio, with a maximum capacity of 400 people, depending on configuration.
- Utzon Room, a small multi-purpose venue, seating up to 210.
- Forecourt, a flexible open-air venue with a wide range of configuration options.
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Another icon of Sydney, nicknamed “The Coathanger“, is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour. It carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore.
The bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long and Co Ltd of Middlesbrough and opened in 1932. Its design was influenced by the Hell Gate Bridge in New York and according to the Guinness World Records, it is the world’s widest long-span bridge. Moreover, it’s also the fifth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world, and it is the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 metres (440 ft) from top to water level.
If you want to be up close and personal with the bridge, you can climb it, which is an adventure that costs between AU$180 to AU$300 depending on the day and type of climb. The view on top is one of best views you can have in Sydney.
The Rocks Area
The famous urban locality and historic area of Sydney’s city centre is something every tourist must experience. It is located on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, next to Circular Quay on Sydney Cove, the site of Australia’s first European settlement in 1788.
Here you’ll find buildings, Museum of Contemporary Art, boutique shops, galleries as well as a number of restaurants and bars. Moreover, on Friday nights, The Rocks hosts the Foodies Market and on weekends – there’s The Rocks Market, both of which have plenty to offer…