One week Itinerary for Sydney Australia: How to see the city like a local

Having moved to Australia as a child, I have spent most of my life exploring Sydney and its surrounding areas, before moving to Gothenburg, Sweden 2 years ago. Visiting Sydney this summer, it was my Swedish partners first time in the city and I wanted him to see more than just the touristy spots like the opera house and centre point tower. Granted, we obviously still did visit these places, but we also went a little outside the tourist trap and visited some more of my favourite unique places. This itinerary for Sydney included hiking through rainforest-like bushland, discovering Sydney’s hidden beaches, and secret rock pools.

So, without further ado, here is my one-week itinerary for Sydney, Australia, with all the best hidden and unusual places to visit.

This guide includes:

City walk around Sydney
The Grand Canyon Trail, The Blue Mountains
Hermitage Foreshore Walk, Sydney
Resolute Bay, Ku Ring Gai Chase National Park
The Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb
A boat trip in the harbour
Figure 8 Pools, The Royal National Park

I have chosen not to give specific days to this itinerary for Sydney as each is quite weather dependant. It is best you decide on your own time. For example, the blue mountains are best visited on a cool day, whilst the hermitage foreshore walk is best done on a warmer day when you will want to take a swim.

One week itinerary for Sydney, Australia

City walk around Sydney

You can’t visit Sydney without seeing the city. The Harbour Bridge, the opera house, the Rocks, Darling Harbour and Barangaroo – it sounds like a lot, but truthfully it is possible to fit it into a one-day city walk! Alternatively, you can take a hop-on-hop-off bus around the city and get off for a walk or drink at some of the highlights, or take a guided tour around the city and discover it in a little more detail. Whatever you decide, a city walk is definitely something you have to include in your itinerary for Sydney.

The Grand Canyon Trail, the Blue Mountains

The Grand Canyon is one of the best walks in the Blue Mountains and a great way to discover a little more of Australian nature outside of Sydney. Only a 1 hour 30 minute drive, or 2 hour train journey from Sydney, makes for the perfect day trip. The hike begins at Evans Lookout and continues for 5km down into the canyon, through Jurassic looking ferns, past several towering waterfalls. Look out for freshwater crashfish in the streams as you trace the water through the valley. If you don’t feel comfortable taking a solo trip to the Blue Mountains, you can always go on a tour such as this one which visits some of the best spots!

one week sydney itinerary grand canyon blue mountains

Hermitage Foreshore Walk, Sydney

This is one of the best coastal walks in Sydney and a great choice for a hot sunny day. The walk begins at Rose bay and continues on towards Shark Bay, past some of the best secret beaches in Sydney. The trail is only 5km and is an easy walk across boardwalks and grassy parklands. If you want, treat this walk like a beach hop and stop for a swim at the hidden beaches, swimming opposite some of the best views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. There is a small restaurant and kiosk in Shark Bay to stop at for lunch or take a picnic in the big grassy area behind.

Resolute Beach, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park

Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park is an untouched area of North Sydney bordered by Pittwater and the Hawkesbury River. The walk to Resolute beach is one of the best trails in the park, a 3km loop through bushland down to a secluded beach and back. The trail begins at West Head Lookout and heads down to Resolute Beach through steep bushland. The way back is on an open fire trail (resolute trail), followed by the Red Hands Track where you can see indigenous handprints on the cave walls as you pass by. If you don’t feel comfortable with the hike or don’t have access to a car, you can always visit this area of Sydney on a tour. This one is one of my favourites – a pearl discovery adventure around the Hawkesbury river!

resolute beach, sydney unique places to see

The Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

The Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb is something all locals label as super touristy until they do it themselves. Standing on top of the harbour bridge, looking over the city, you get a whole new perspective over Sydney. As my boyfriend said, it is a great thing to do at the end of your trip, as you can look out into the harbour and almost re-live everything you have done from a different perspective.

A Boat Trip in Sydney Harbour

This was the highlight of our trip and something I recommend to everyone. If you have sailing experience or a boat license you can hire a boat and explore the harbour yourselves. Make sure you read up on the rules first though. Alternatively, you can take a boat tour such as the tall ship that takes you out for a sunset dinner cruise, the harbour cruise with a 6-course fine dining menu, or the rapid speedboat adventures. If you don’t want to spend a whole day at sea, you can just catch one of Sydney’s public ferries from Circular Quay to one of the other stops such as Rose Bay, Milson’s point or even manly beach.

Figure 8 Pools, The Royal National Park

The Figure 8 Pools are one of the most well known coastal spots on Sydney’s southern coast. The pools are only visible at low tide, and it can be a dangerous spot to visit at other times in the day. The pools are only accessible by foot, by the Coastal Track from either Garawarra Farm or Garie Beach. Like the other things to do, the Royal National Park is also easily visited on a tour. This can be the best way if you don’t have access to a car or want to struggle with public transport options! One of the best tours is this day trip tour – it doesn’t visit Figure 8 pools but it does visit Wedding Cake Rock, another well-known spot in the Royal National Park.