Things to do in Sydney

Nature · Eastern Suburbs

Six kilometres of clifftop path linking five beaches, past the Bondi Icebergs pool and Waverley Cemetery.

Local tip: Walk it south-to-north in the late afternoon so the light is behind you, and finish with a swim at Bronte's sheltered rock pool rather than fighting the Bondi crowds.

Landmark · CBD

The building the city is famous for, sitting on a working harbour between the Botanic Garden and the Harbour Bridge.

Local tip: Skip the paid tour and take the Manly ferry instead — it passes the Opera House and the Bridge for the price of an Opal fare and is the best-value harbour cruise in the city.

Neighborhood · Inner East

Terrace houses, small bars and the densest concentration of good restaurants in Sydney, ten minutes' walk from the CBD.

Local tip: Crown and Devonshire Streets are where locals actually eat. Book midweek — Surry Hills restaurants are small and Friday tables vanish a fortnight ahead.

Nightlife · Inner West

Two kilometres of pubs, live music, bookshops and cheap eats around the university — the least polished, most fun strip in the city.

Local tip: The good live venues are on Enmore Road, one street back from the King Street crush. The Enmore Theatre is the city's best mid-size music room.

Food · Inner West

Sydney's Vietnamese and Greek heartland, now equally known for its warehouse breweries.

Local tip: Illawarra Road for pho and banh mi, then a brewery on Sydney Steel Road. This is where locals go when Surry Hills feels overpriced.

Nature · CBD fringe

Free harbourside gardens wrapping around Farm Cove, with the classic Opera House-and-Bridge-in-one-frame viewpoint at the point.

Local tip: Go at sunrise. You get the postcard view without the tour buses, and the garden gates open before the CBD does.