Sydney, Australia has been on my list for a long time as a place I wanted to visit. I think back to elementary school when we would research other countries in world history, and Australia always intrigued me.
So when Chelsea and I were deciding where to go for our honeymoon, we discussed Fiji and then I looked at how close it was to Australia, and thought it’d be the perfect combination trip!
Our time in Sydney was perfect. I loved each of our days, and really feel like we got to see and do everything we wanted.
Our first day we landed early in the morning, and after a brief break at our hotel to drop our bags, change clothes, and regroup, we were on our way. We took an Uber to The Grounds at Alexandria and it was so much fun. There are little kiosks that sold cocktails, snacks, desserts, and savory bites. Chelsea and I chose chips (french fries) with garlic dip and frozé and that was the perfect snack. A happy accident was discovering an artisan craft fair at the Grounds, where we got to shop handmade gifts. We found some earrings for our moms, and I found my own pair too! I love getting to shop local, and handmade all the time, and it’s really fun when you’re somewhere new because then your souvenir is truly unique.
From The Grounds, we headed to the Royal Botanic Gardens and enjoyed a leisurely stroll listening to the cockatoos sing and admiring the flowers and trees. The end of the path leads right to the harbour where we got a perfect first view of the Opera House.
Right near the Opera House, there are several bars and restaurants, so we chose the Opera Bar for a cocktail and dinner. The views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House were stunning, and our waterfront seats were perfect. We were there for sunset, which was a wonderful way to end our first day. We headed back to the hotel for an early bed time, so we could hopefully adjust to the time change, which, thankfully, we did!
Our hotel was the Four Seasons Sydney, which is in The Rocks neighborhood adjacent to the central business district (CBD, as they call it). It was an excellent location, and was located near the train station and all the major attractions. Our room was small, but a great size for us, with excellent amenities, and wonderful views.
Day two started off with a breakfast, or brekky, as it’s known in Australia, at the hotel café. Chelsea and I split a breakfast sandwich and juice – both delicious! From there, we stopped at a Starbucks (as any good Seattle-ite would, ha!) as we made our way to the waterfront where we met a photographer from Flytographer. We had been gifted a photo session as a wedding present, and it was a great way to commemorate the trip. Our session was thirty minutes and we walked from the Harbour Bridge to the Opera House, and since it was still relatively early, we were able to be photographed crowd free. I’ll share all the photos tomorrow, so the one below is a sneak peek.
After our session, we headed to The Rocks Market, which is an outdoor craft and food market. We spent a couple hours browsing the booths and sampling the food. It was a beautiful day, and perfect for leisurely wandering.
After the market, we made our way to a food hall for lunch. The Gateway Food hall was actually a big hit with us – we returned here several times to try the different eateries. On this day, we visited the Creperie, and it was delicious!
After lunch, we did more wandering, exploring the Queen Victoria Building, several shops, and a church. Each was unique and stunning with lots of beautiful architectural details.
For dinner that night, we participated in a Chinatown Food Tour. We really enjoyed this experience, and got to sample a variety of foods in different restaurants all throughout Chinatown! We tried Nasi Lemak which is a traditional Malaysian dish of coconut rice, anchovies, peanuts, and waygu beef. We also sampled cream puffs, Korean fried chicken, dumplings, and Thai gelato. Our favorite part of the evening was participating in a tea ceremony where we learned about the traditions and significance of drinking tea. It was lovely!
Day three was our day trip to the Blue Mountains, and our most favorite day in Sydney. I blogged all about this trip here. Check it out!
On day four, we were up early to grab an Uber, and we headed to Coogee Beach. After a quick stop for coffee and breakfast at the Coogee Pavilion (which I loved and could have spent all day in, but we had things to see!), we were ready to start the Cliff Walk, an iconic walk between Coogee and Bondi beaches. We loved this walk and the views were spectacular!
Once we made it to Bondi, we checked out the oceanside pool, called Icebergs. It was so unique – the waves from the ocean crash right into the pool. We didn’t take a swim there, because it seemed to be mostly for lap swimmers and, well, we were ready for a cocktail, but it definitely looked cool!
We enjoyed a beach-side lunch at a little cafe, shopped and relaxed on the beach.
We made our way back to our hotel mid-afternoon to get ready for dinner, which was at an awesome waterfront brewery, James Squire, with amazing views of the Opera House. We sat at a table by the window and enjoyed a burger and charcuterie tray with drinks before calling it a night.
The next day we left for Fiji (I’ll be blogging about that next week!), and then after our trip to Fiji we had one more full day in Sydney before heading home.
So, for our final day in Sydney, we were up early so that we could pack as much in as we could. After a quick stop at our (now) favorite Food Hall for breakfast, we explored the New South Wales Library, St. Mary’s Cathedral, and Hyde Park.
We also popped into a few shops along the way, and stopped for lots of photos (duh!), before taking a break for drinks at Sydney Brewery. From there, we made our way back to the Food Hall for lunch, and enjoyed burgers and chips (fries), before wrapping up our day with souvenir shopping.
Sydney was such a walk-able city with the friendliest people, amazing food, and incredible sights. I’m so glad this was one of our honeymoon destinations, and I can’t wait to go back some day!
We loved visiting this time of year, too. When chatting with locals, they said it’s definitely less crowded in late April, early May, and the weather was perfect – in the mid 70s and sunny every day.
If you’ve never considered Sydney, add it to your travel list!
Party on!
JW
Take us back!