Sydney

Beach life is central to Sydney. The ocean beaches run in a chain along the eastern suburbs, from Bondi through Tamarama and Bronte to Clovelly and Coogee. North of the harbour, Manly is a ferry ride from Circular Quay, and the Northern Beaches stretch on from there to Palm Beach. Inside the harbour there are calmer, sheltered coves such as Balmoral, Camp Cove and Nielsen Park, with gentle water and shade under the fig trees.

The sea reaches about 23°C in late summer and rarely drops below 18°C, so keen swimmers carry on well into autumn. The surf beaches have proper waves and rips, so swim between the red and yellow flags where lifeguards patrol. On a hot weekend the best-known sands get crowded, but a quieter cove is usually a short bus or ferry ride away.

Sydney eats well at every level, and the harbour makes it seafood country. The fish market at Pyrmont and the oysters and prawns on menus across the city are the local signature. The rest of the scene is built on immigration. Cabramatta has Vietnamese food, Haymarket has Chinese and Thai, Lakemba has Lebanese, Harris Park has Indian and Leichhardt has Italian, and each is worth the train ride. The fine-dining tier is serious, with harbour-view restaurants and chef-led kitchens in Surry Hills and Potts Point.

Coffee is excellent and expected: a flat white and a long, inventive brunch are a weekend ritual. The Hunter Valley supplies wine, and small breweries fill the inner west. What Sydney lacks is a cuisine of its own, and eating out costs a lot.

Two landmarks define the city: the Opera House on Bennelong Point and the Harbour Bridge, which you can walk across or climb. Both are best seen from the water. The Rocks keeps the oldest streets of the colony, with sandstone warehouses and pubs, and Macquarie Street has Hyde Park Barracks, a convict-era building on the World Heritage list. The Art Gallery of New South Wales is strong on Aboriginal and Australian art, and the Australian Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Maritime Museum round out a good collection.

Apart from those, the city is mostly modern, and a few days covers the essentials. Visitors come for the setting more than for a dense historic centre.

Going out in Sydney centres on bars rather than clubs. The CBD has small cocktail bars hidden in basements and laneways, and the old harbourside pubs of The Rocks fill up after work. Surry Hills and Darlinghurst are the main evening districts, with Oxford Street at the heart of the LGBTQ scene. The inner west, especially Newtown and Enmore, is more alternative and stays out later. In summer the night starts early on rooftops and beer gardens.

The club scene is modest for a city this size, and much of Sydney goes quiet well before dawn. You can have a good night out here, but few visitors choose the city for its nightlife.

The city sits in a landscape of sandstone headlands, bush and water. The Bondi to Coogee clifftop walk and the Spit to Manly track are within the suburbs. Sydney Harbour National Park protects whole headlands, and the Royal National Park to the south, the second oldest in the world, has wild coastal trails, waterfalls and heathland. Ku-ring-gai Chase to the north looks over the drowned valleys of Pittwater and the Hawkesbury River.

On the water there is surfing at Manly and the northern beaches, as well as kayaking, sailing and stand-up paddling in the harbour. Humpback whales pass the heads in winter and spring. About two hours west, the Blue Mountains have deep eucalyptus valleys and cliff-edge walks. There are no high peaks nearby, and summer heat can make the hot middle of the day hard going on the tracks.

Day trips from Sydney involve a lot of distance and not many places. The Hunter Valley is the classic outing, with cellar doors and vineyard lunches about two hours north by car. In the Blue Mountains, Katoomba and Leura have Federation-era streets and old guesthouses. The Southern Highlands offer the gardens and cafés of Bowral and colonial Berrima. Closer in, Parramatta keeps some of the oldest colonial buildings in the country, and Newcastle and Wollongong are easy rail outings.

It is a pleasant list but a short one, and most of what lies within reach is landscape rather than towns or heritage. A car makes most of these outings much easier.

Sydney is easy with children. Most outings involve water, and the harbour ferries are an outing in themselves. Taronga Zoo sits on a hillside facing the city, a short ferry ride from Circular Quay. Darling Harbour has the aquarium and the Maritime Museum, where children can board real ships. The Australian Museum has dinosaurs, a large natural history collection and a play space for younger children. Luna Park, a 1930s fairground under the bridge, has a classic set of rides. Further out, wildlife parks let children meet koalas and kangaroos up close.

The sheltered harbour beaches have gentle water and netted swimming areas, and parks and playgrounds are everywhere. There is no large theme-park resort, and the strong summer sun means hats and sunscreen all day.

Trains, the metro, light rail, buses and the harbour ferries all take the same tap-on card or a contactless bank card, which keeps things simple. The ferries are the pleasure of the system, linking Circular Quay with Manly, Watsons Bay, Taronga and the inner harbour. The CBD, The Rocks and Darling Harbour are easy to walk, though the terrain is hilly in places.

The city is large and spread out, though. Bondi and the eastern beaches need a bus or a train-and-bus combination, and the suburbs sprawl well beyond the useful network. A visitor based near the harbour rarely needs a car within the city, but most trips beyond it are far easier with one.

The central shopping district runs through Pitt Street Mall and Castlereagh Street, where international flagships and luxury houses sit near two Victorian landmarks: the Queen Victoria Building and the Strand Arcade, whose galleries hold Australian designers. The long-established David Jones department store anchors the area. Paddington's Oxford Street and its terrace-lined side streets offer local fashion and homeware, and the weekend markets at Paddington, The Rocks and Glebe sell crafts, vintage clothes and design.

It is comfortable, well-stocked shopping, and Australian swimwear and resort fashion are a real specialty. There is no great luxury depth, though, and not much traditional craft beyond Aboriginal art galleries.

Sydney is expensive. Hotels near the harbour and the beaches cost a great deal, especially in summer and during big events, and both restaurant meals and drinks are dear. Public transport is reasonably priced, with fare caps for heavy users, and many of the best things to do cost nothing: the coastal walks, the beaches, the parks and the main galleries. Eating in the Asian food courts and suburban cafés keeps daily spending down, but overall the city is a costly place to stay.

The Opera House is a working venue, not just a monument. It is home to Opera Australia and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and has performances in its halls nearly every night. Sydney Theatre Company plays at the Wharf at Walsh Bay, Belvoir in Surry Hills puts on bold Australian drama, and Bangarra Dance Theatre and Sydney Dance Company stage contemporary and Aboriginal dance. The Australian Chamber Orchestra has an international reputation, and the big historic theatres on George Street host long-running musicals.

Live music centres on the pubs and small venues of Newtown and Enmore. The Sydney Festival fills January with outdoor and international work. The scene has real depth, though there is no distinctive local tradition that defines a visit.

Sydney has its own bathing ritual in its ocean pools. These are sea-fed baths cut into the rock at Bondi, Bronte, Coogee, Clovelly and dozens of other headlands, and locals swim laps in them at dawn all year round. Wylie's Baths and the women-only McIver's Ladies Baths in Coogee keep an old-fashioned, unhurried feel. Day spas and massage studios are easy to find, and a few Korean-style bathhouses add steam and soaking.

There are no thermal springs, and the city centre moves quickly. For many visitors, rest means a slow morning swim, a long breakfast and an afternoon in a harbourside park.