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Sydney is an unmissable destination for anyone visiting Australia. From the famous Sydney Harbor to Bondi Beach to the iconic Opera House, you could spend weeks going on Sydney tours without getting bored.
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However, it would be a shame not to venture outside of Sydney to take advantage of all that the surrounding area has to offer. From Aboriginal sites to idyllic beaches tocountless national parks, there’s really something to be discovered in each corner of the greater Sydney area.
Cost:$162 USD per person Length: 11 hours Tour type: Nature
Located just a couple hours inland from Sydney, the Blue Mountains National Park has been enticing nature lovers out of the city and into the wilderness.
This tour will give you an opportunity to visit many highlights of the park such as Echo Point,Jamison Valley, Featherdale Wildlife Park, and the Three Sister’s Lookout. You’ll take a couple of easy nature walks, a scenic railway and cable car ride, and eat a lunch prepared by a local chef.
The Three Sisters from Echo Point, Blue Mountains National Park, NSW. Photo courtesy of Tourism Australia
To top it all off, this tour features a river cruise on the Parramatta River, making it one of the most popular and best day trips from Sydney.
What’s more, the tour is organized by Anderson’s Tours, a local provider that provides multiple different Blue Mountain day trips, with an emphasis on sustainability and eco-friendliness.
Cost:$98.50 USD per person Length: 12 hours Tour type: Food & Drink
The Hunter Valley, located just north of Sydney, is a world-famous wine region known for beautiful scenery, great produce andof course, great wine. It’s a region that’s worth visiting, even if just for a day.
Vineyards in Hunter Valley, NSW
On this wine tour from Sydney, you’ll explore the region’s lovely wineries and distilleries, many of which are organic. Not only will you get to try local wine, beer, cheese, chocolate, and spirits, but you’ll also get a fun lesson on how these delicacies are produced.
Rolling vineyards in Hunter Valley
Lindeman's selection
The tour is organized by Zepher Tours, a reliable, local, and ethically conscious tour company committed to the advancement of sustainable tourism in Australia.
Directly north of the city, you’ll find the dreamy and historic Ku-ring-gai National Park, a place most famous for its stunning beach and hundreds of significant Aboriginal locations. On this trip, you’ll enjoy bush walks to ancient rock carvings considered sacred to the Aboriginals.
After lunch, you’ll walk along the pristine beaches and enjoy views of some of the best surfing in the country. If the other Sydney day trips seem a bit too involved for your taste, consider taking this one as it is perhaps the most relaxed out of all these Sydney day tours.
Australia is quite famous for its underwater wildlife, but you don’t have to get in the water yourself to experience it. A whale watching cruise out of the harbour is one the best day trips from Sydney that you could take.
From May to November, humpback whales are migrating past Sydney and are often quite active, with lots of breaching, spy hopping, and tail slapping to be expected. The tour organizer, Oz Whale Watching, has multiple eco-certifications, contributes to a number of marine wildlife conservation funds, and uses daily sustainable practices such as recycling and the tracking of carbon emissions.
Cost:$218.15 USD per person Length: 10 hours Tour type: Wildlife
If you’re keen on witnessing some of the weird and wonderful wildlife species that Australia boasts, then this is one of the best Sydney day tours you could take. Located less than two hours south of the city, the Southern Highlands are famous for their populations of koalas, platypuses, emus, wombats, possums, and of course kangaroos.
The tour includes two meals, and wildlife watching during both daylight hours and at night. You’ll experience it all with a 4WD safari vehicle using provided binoculars. This is one of the most unique day trips from Sydney that you could take.
On the east coast of the city lies Sydney’s most famous beach, Bondi. Known for its legendary surfing and pristine waters, no trip to Sydney would be complete without a visit to Bondi, the Bronte Cliff-Top, and the surrounding city outskirts.
During this tour, you’ll enjoy a walk or swim at the beach, a stunning view of the city from Mrs. Macquarie’s Point, and pass the refined mansions of Vaucluse and Rose Bay. After a walk along the cliff-top, you will end in Bronte to conclude on the most essential Sydney tours.
Cost:$143.73 USD per person Length: 11 hours Tour type: Nature
Wattamolla Falls, Royal National Park, NSW. Photo courtesy of Tourism Australia
While there is some wonderful nature to experience near the city, Sydney has even more to offer just a couple hours south on the coast. You’ll travel south via the Grand Pacific Drive, a gorgeous cliffside drive, and arrive at the Minnamurra Rainforest for an elevated canopy walk. After a barbeque lunch, you’ll visit the Kiama Blowhole and the Sea Cliff Bridge, two famous landmarks of the area. The final adventure will be a short hike to the Wattamolla Falls before you head back to Sydney.
Although there are countless Sydney day tours you can take, these top seven are an awesome place to start! Tell us below, which of these Sydney day trips would you most like to take?
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We are Oksana & Max, eco-conscious travelers on a mission to inspire responsible travel practices around the world. We are storytellers, photographers, and videographers traveling the world full-time in search of cultural experiences, human connections, and ways to make a positive impact on the destinations and communities we visit.
