Today I am going to share a guide to Sydney suburbs for travellers. If you are not sure where to stay in Sydney, read this quick accommodation guide for travellers and exchange students.
Did you know Sydney is made up of 658 suburbs and residents of Sydney are known as “Sydney Siders”?
Sydney was my first international travel from Nepal back in 2006 and I loved it here so much I didn’t leave till 2015! (that is when I quit everything and left to travel the world solo) During those 9 years, I moved multiple times from one suburb to another and have experienced living pretty much in all directions. I never thought this knowledge would come in handy! Well, not until now!
Sydney suburbs for travellers
everything you need to know before you come to Sydney
(visa, see, eat, do and more travel tips to sydney, australia)
Sydney CBD (Central Business District)
If you are like convenience, you would find staying in Sydney CBD handy and worry-free. Although CBD would be busy during the office hours, whichever direction you want to explore, it is easier from here. Whether it be Bondi in the east or national parks in the North or south and west. Just get the Opal card from one of the convenience stores and use public transportation for budget trips.
There are also many sites to visit that are within walking distance of the CBD. Check this Sydney bucketlist blog post for ideas.
Recommend to book your hostel or hotel prices through trusted Agoda, or Booking.com
The following suburbs are in 10-20 mins walking distance from the CBD depending on which end of the city you are in – Circular Quay station area, The Rocks, Pyrmont, Haymarket, Townhall station area, Surry Hills, China Town, and Darling Harbour.
Eastern Suburbs
Vaucluse, Rose Bay, Darling Point, Dover Heights, Double Bay, Point Piper, Woollahra, Edgecliff, Woolloomooloo, Watsons Bay, Potts Point, Rushcutters Bay, Elizabeth Bay, Bellevue Hill, Bondi Junction, Bondi, Bronte, Tamarama, Queens Park, Waverley, Clovelly, Coogee, Maroubra, Kingsford, and Randwick are some great choices in the eastern suburbs.
If you dream about living on the beach, going for walk by the ocean or surfing right after you wake up, the eastern suburbs got you covered. There is public transportation available and would take about 35 mins to and from the city so, you are still pretty close to the main attractions and landmarks. You can have the ocean view apartment, hotels or an Airbnb with a million-dollar location.
Inner-west Suburbs
Now if you like to experience the hip lifestyle, cool cafes, bars and gratifies then the inner-west area is for you. Such as Newtown, Strathfield, Burwood, Marrickville, and Canada Bay. Strathfield and Burwood you can find a lot of Korean and Lebanese restaurants respectively and Marrickville and Newtown have some cool and LGBT friendly restaurants and bars. Although you won’t find 5-star hotels in inner-west suburbs if you are looking to stay somewhere close to hip vibes then this is it.
Northern Suburbs
Some people say Northern Sydney is where real Aussies live! Though I don’t fully agree with those statements, I will leave it to you to find out! Milsons Point, Neutral Bay, North Sydney, Chatswood, Manly (Sydney ferry ride) are great suburbs in the north to stay. Close to water, transport and the city. So, you can still visit all the most instagrammable places in Sydney.
Southern Suburbs
Brighton-Le-Sands (close to the beach and airport), Hurstville, Mascot, Wolli Creek, Cronulla (beach/sand dunes) and Ramsgate Beach are great options in the South. These suburbs are a train ride away from the city too so, not really that far. The taxi fare to the airport would be cheaper from the south as well as it falls in the direction of the international airport. There are some hotels you can find in these suburbs but I suggest looking at Airbnb if you are on a budget. Use my Airbnb link below to save $76.
I hope this article gave you some ideas about Sydney suburbs for travellers.
Camera kits I used to take these photos:
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II Digital Camera
This has been my favorite Camera so far. I love how my pictures come out crisp and colorful. It also has a screen which is useful when vblogging. You can check out what I meant on my Instagram which is here.
Accessories For Canon GX7 Mark || Check it out here
This is the good old Go pro that I take with me everywhere. I recommend it because it is small, lightweight and waterproof. I have had made many memories with this trusted item and looking forward to more.
Accessories For Go Pro Hero 4 Check it out here
I have been using SanDisk since my first camera which was back in 2009. They build quality memory cards. I recommend getting at least two, just in case something happens to one of them.
Do you think it’s a hassle of plugging your camera into your computer? This memory card reader will fit cards of all sizes and make an easy transfer to your computer. The reader supports all popular SD memory card formats, including SD™/SDHC™/SDXC™ memory cards, UHS-I SDHC/SDXC memory cards, and microSDHC™/microSDXC™ memory cards. It is also compatible with the latest UDMA 7-enabled CompactFlash cards.
Let me know in the comments:
- Where would you like to stay in Sydney?
- Check out all the Australia travel guide (Everything you need to know about travelling to Sydney)
- Solo travel guide to Brisbane (Gold coast and Insta worthy places included!
- Exploring Adelaide the best way is a must-read
- Best Australia travel guide to Uluru trip
- Attractions in Perth, Western Australia
- Must see on the east coast of Australia is fun, it includes barrier reef, beautiful national park, and more exciting places and activities
- Here I blog about the Melbourne attractions
- Best cafes in Hanoi
- Book your hostel or hotel prices through trusted Agoda, or Booking.com
- For flights, I use the most trusted sites such as Skyscanner or Momodo.
- I have detailed travel resources right here. Save money, learn what and how.
- If you like this article, follow my adventures on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Pinterest, but most importantly sign up to my e-mail list to keep up with updates and travel posts!
Oh wow I’ve never had Sydney on my list of places to travel but I am adding it now. It looks so beautiful and you gave some great ideas on where to go
Good to know Windy! Hope you get to visit soon 🙂
Thank you for sharing! Isn’t Sydney a beautiful city? I loved your photos, and reading your post. 🙂
Sydney looks so beautiful and has so many fun activities!! Looking forward to visiting one day!
Australia is on my bucket list and I’m hoping to go as a celebration when I graduate with my master’s degree! I’ll have to keep this list in mind.
If I’ll ever go to Sydney I think I would love to stay in a hotel close to the water or the beaches. If it has a view of the Sydney Opera House, even better!
I think Southern Suburbs are right up my alley! Close to the beach and conveniently located to the airport are always what I look for when I travel!
Ever since Finding Nemo I have wanted to visit Sydney, Australia! Love all of your recommendations now I am really dying to go! -Tonya Morris
Actuallu, the Canon Powershot takes really nice images. I am choosing a compact camera for myself… so may get this canon eventually.
Australia has been on my travel Bucket list for a while now. Thank you for sharing your fav places to stay!
Another informative post, Anna! You’re quickly becoming my “go-to” source for Sydney, Australia. That’s one of the many things I respected most about my dearly departed travel vlogging guru, Anthony Bourdain. He always networked with and tapped into the knowledge and resources of local blogger wherever he travelled.
For my purposes as a cruise tour planner, this post is very helpful. As I’ve mentioned on another of your posts, I like to encourage my clients to extend their vacays in or near their port of departure where they can begin and/or end their cruise for a number of reasons including allowing themselves a greater opportunity to really experience the culture of the destination.
Sydney happens to be a very popular port of departure and port of call. It’s great to be able to offer my clients an array of distinctive neighbourhoods to choose from as their base from which to explore Sydney and beyond. I’ve already pinned your post to share with clients; especially those open to a more “authentic” Airbnb experience. I’m sure they’d appreciate the $25 discount, too.
Thanks for this comprehensive list of stays in Sydney. I have heard that being an island country, travelling to Australia could be costly. In that case, knowing ahead of where to stay is a bonus point.
Australia is on my list! I’ve met so many Aussies through my travels and I would love to visit someday!
How I wish to visit Sydney as well soon! It was another destination that I find enticing and fit to my lifestyle.
I’m planning to visit early next year so perfect that I came across your awesome recommendations! The Eastern Suburbs sounds amazing! You had me at ocean views!