7 Days in Sydney

Check into Sir Stamford at Circular Quay (4★, $250/night).

Sydney Opera House guided tour ($32/person). Go inside the iconic sails.

Lunch at Opera Bar ($30/person) — right under the Opera House with Harbour Bridge views.

The Rocks: Sydney's oldest neighborhood. Discovery Museum (free) and cobblestone laneways. Harbour Bridge pylon lookout ($19/person).

Dinner at Café Sydney ($70/person) on the Customs House rooftop with views.

Bus 333 to Bondi Beach. Coffee at Speedos Café ($5).

Bondi to Coogee coastal walk (6 km, 2-3 hrs) — sandstone cliffs, turquoise bays, rock pools, and whale watching (May-Nov).

Lunch at Coogee Pavilion ($35/person) — beachfront with rooftop ocean views.

Sunset at Bondi Icebergs Club ($25/cocktail) — the famous ocean pool and bar.

Dinner at Sean's Panorama ($90/person) — rustic Italian-Australian in a beach cottage.

Ferry to Taronga Zoo ($6 ferry + $46 zoo entry) — giraffes with Opera House backdrop.

Ferry to Watsons Bay. Lunch at Doyles on the Wharf ($40/person) — famous fish and chips.

The Gap Lookout — dramatic ocean cliffs. Camp Cove for a sheltered beach swim.

Dinner at The Gidley ($60/person) — converted boatshed with harbour views.

Train to Katoomba (2 hrs, $7). Blue Mountains UNESCO World Heritage area.

Echo Point Lookout — the classic Three Sisters view. Walk Prince Henry Cliff Walk to Scenic World ($49/person).

Scenic World: steepest railway (52°), Skyway cable car, Sceniscender into the rainforest.

Lunch at Solitary Restaurant ($35/person) — clifftop with valley views.

Wentworth Falls track (1-2 hrs) — descend to mid-falls lookout.

Train back to Sydney.

Manly Ferry (30 min, $8) — one of the world's great ferry rides.

Manly Beach: swim, surf lesson ($70/2hr), or Shelly Beach walk for snorkeling.

Lunch at The Boathouse Shelly Beach ($30/person) — eat with your feet in the sand.

North Head Sanctuary: Fairfax Lookout track for whale watching and city views.

Sunset ferry back to Circular Quay — magical golden hour on the harbour.

Dinner at Mr. Wong ($70/person) — Sydney's best Cantonese in a moody 1930s setting.

Australian Museum (free) or Museum of Contemporary Art (free).

Walk to Darling Harbour via Barangaroo Reserve. Lunch at The Fenwick ($35/person).

SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium ($38/person) — dugong exhibit and shark tunnel.

Train to Newtown — Sydney's bohemian heart. Vintage shops, street art, Campos Coffee.

Dinner at Bella Brutta ($25/person) — wood-fired pizza. Then small bar crawl.

Centennial Parklands: rent a bike ($15/hour) and cycle through this urban oasis.

Final lunch at The Paddington ($40/person) — a corner pub with great courtyard.

Head to SYD Airport. Train from Museum station ($18, 15 min). Arrive 3 hours before international flights.