Famous for its iconic Opera House, Harbour Bridge and laid-back beach lifestyle, a flight and hotel in Sydney will provide a holiday to remember. Sydney is a large city of around 5 million people, surrounding the world's largest natural harbour. It is a large, sprawling city with everything from beaches at Coogee and Bondi, shopping at Strand Arcade and nightlife in King's Cross. You will want to spend more than a weekend in Sydney to see all the attractions this city has to offer.
Flights to Sydney from the UK and Ireland are not direct but this provides the opportunity for a stopover somewhere in the Middle or Far East. Flying from Dublin to Sydney could involve a connection through Dubai, or perhaps Hong Kong or Singapore. Similar options are available on flights to Sydney from Cork. The currency is the Australian dollar and, during the UK summer, Sydney is nine hours ahead (GMT+9). The airport is just 8km from the city centre.
What better time for a weekend in Sydney or a longer holiday than when it is winter in Europe? December and January are great times of year to visit, with hot weather, the spectacular New Year fireworks and Australia Day celebrations on January 26th. June and July are the winter months but you can still expect temperatures around 15C on your package holidays to Sydney.
Sydney is a vibrant city with so much to see and do that on most city breaks to Sydney you will struggle to fit it all in. Outdoors activities are popular, so spend the day at the beach, relaxing in a park or getting out on the water. Sydney also has some of Australia's finest art and history museums and some great shopping opportunities too. Take your seat at a theatre performance or concert, party the night away in a club or just relax and enjoy the Aussie sunshine.
There is so much to do that careful planning is required to get the most out of a flight and hotel on a Sydney break. Here are some of the city's best attractions for visitors.
Eating Out In Sydney
City breaks in Sydney wouldn't be complete without a great meal or two and, if you look beyond the chain restaurants, there are some real foodie gems to experience. Sydney's signature dish is the Snow Egg, a combination of guava, custard and meringue. Seafood is also popular and what could be better than eating local prawns, lobster or oysters by the shore? There's a strong south-east Asian influence on the Sydney food scene, so you can take your pick of Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian restaurants.
Sydney offers a wide range of shopping opportunities, from the upscale shopping malls at Pitt Street, Westfield and World Square, to smaller outlets selling handcrafted goods. One of the best places for souvenir shopping is the Saturday morning market at Paddington which is home to a huge mix of stalls selling everything from jewellery to ceramics and antiques. The Rocks area, close to the Opera House, is where visitors will find the greatest concentration of shops selling everything kangaroo and koala related.