Did you know that Australia and the continental United States are about the same size? Most people don’t realize this because Australia is an island, and well, islands can’t be that big, right? Well, it is. Our here in Perth we are actually closer to the international space station when it flies over Australia than we are to our closest neighboring city. Sydney is about 4000 km (about 2500 mi) across a vast outback from our beautiful little home in Western Australia. It’s actually faster for us to fly to Bali than it is for us to fly to Australia’s east coast cities. Picture flying from LA/SF to DC, and that’s about what our trip is like from Perth to any other Australian city, save Adelaide. Sydney and Perth are quite distant relatives with completely different vibes. Perth is quiet, sleepy, and void of tourists. Sydney is a large city with a plethora of tourists throughout the year. In fact, 1 in 5 Australians lives in Sydney. There are myriad fun things to do in Sydney for couples and it is a great place for a romantic getaway.
In April we had the chance to spend 2 weeks in Sydney we had a date night virtually every night. As you might imagine, we discovered the best restaurants in Sydney and have a number of suggestions for your and your partner. Solo travelers, you’ll love these places as well. I returned to Sydney without Alex last week and went to eat at a number of places by myself.
Not going to lie here…the food in Sydney is good, but not great. For a price to quality ratio, it skews high on the price and lower on the quality. But, rather than sorting through Yelp or Trip Advisor, here are our recommendations on where to eat in Sydney:
The stretch between Bondi and Coggee beaches is one of the most gorgeous stretches of coastline in Sydney. We chose to Uber to Coogee and start our walk here. From this side, you’ll walk past the most gorgeous graveyard you have ever seen, Bronte Beach, a number of pools on the beach, and breathtaking cliffs. You can, of course, walk round trip, or do like we did and then Uber back. The walk isn’t arduous, but we spent a lot of time taking photos and enjoying the beaches, so we chose to just make it a one-way walk.
Our day in Royal National Park was by far the best part of our trip to Sydney. The park is only about an hour from the city center and is 100% a breath of fresh air from the city. In the park, you’ll certainly want to hike down to the Figure 8 Pools, explore the semi-private beaches, and just enjoy the natural beauty that makes you feel like you’re nowhere near a city.
From Circular Quay in the city, you can take a cheap ferry to Manly Beach where you can enjoy some time laying in the sun, hiking, surfing, or even just chilling and eating fish and chips at The Boathouse. We went out there for ANZAC Day and had an awesome time! The ferry is typically faster than driving from Sydney and is probably 5 times cheaper than taking an Uber. You’ll pass gorgeous coastline and enjoy a nice view of the city as well, so it’s worth the ride just for the views.
There’s something about bridges that people seem to love. Back in the 1990s I saw a Travel Channel show that was touring Sydney and the host went up and climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I always thought it would be so cool, but then I got to Sydney and Alex and I realized it costs a couple hundred dollars per person. Sooooo, yeah, maybe just walk over the bridge instead. We weren’t keen on paying that much.
One of the best spots in Sydney to get a panoramic view of the city, Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge all in one view. There is a botanic garden here that is super nice to walk through. We watched the sunset here and absolutely loved it. It does get a bit crowded as it’s one of the most popular places in the city to watch the sunset.
Hey, the opera house isn’t just meant for posting photos on your Instagram. Believe it or not, they actually have opera there! Get dressed up and go have a nice date night.
Comment below with other fun things to do in Sydney for couples!