Great central train station to the opera house and the rocks area. Circular quay has restaurants nearby and also take out places. They have toilets near the exit and covered walkway east and west from the exit. It gets particularly busy around rush hour but there are usually people around all the time. You can access the ferries right out of the exit from the train station. read more

Our second day in Sydney lead a friend and I to Circular Quay for a stroll along the wharf. Public transportation makes it easy to get to this location. Once there, there is enough to do to fill a whole day. A trip out to Manly, drinks overlooking the water, stroll around the Opera House, The Rocks, Harbour Bridge, and Botanical Gardens are some of the options. It is simple to spend very little and come out with a good sense of Sydney. The tall office buildings make for beautiful picture opportunities due to the mirrored glass windows. Besides a few exasperating encounters with unfriendly locals, this was the perfect place to center a day around. We must have hit the jackpot on special events. There was a open market sale over by the Rocks and fireworks over the water at night. With everything CQ had to offer in the first place, these two only added to the fun of the day. read more

Location location location... An amazing atmosphere here especially with 3 cruise ships docked in town and with the sun out, what more can you ask for! read more

Opera house, Opera Bar, Café at the museum to the left of the harbor (great cake, coffee, and patio view), and ferries to Manly. Plus, a bus hub so easy to get anywhere from here read more

The circular Quay is in fact semi circular. Hubby and I spent a good half a day around this area. You can get boats across to North Sydney and Manly from here (we did both), the Opera House is located here, there are multiple restaurants available to dine in too. If this is not enough you are also walking distance from the Harbour bridge, the Rocks and there are bus and train links from here. For those who want some high speed adventure you can take a jet boat. Beautiful place with lots to see and do! read more

Location. Location. Location. I give it 5 stars for the view and not for the food or vendors. It has a nice feel to it and there's always something to see around. Even it feels touristy and crowded, you really can't help but be amazed on how rich (culturally) this area is. It definitely has a lot of history and a lot of character. When you can, go for a nice stroll towards the park around sunset.. its quite an experience seeing the transition between the harbor bridge and the opera house. read more

Circular Quay - Good view yo - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Sydney, NSW

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One of my favourite places in the whole world! Amazing view, tons to do. Tons of ferries to catch for more amazing views. Love it read more

Full 5 stars. Helps when the weather really turns on a day to remember. Sun shining and not too windy the rest is easy ... Beautiful setting, global attraction in the bridge and opera house. The ferries coming and going, the leisurely stroll amongst this natural beauty of a location. I love Sydney and Circular Quay on the right day is just amazing ! read more

The Quay is the water hub of Sydney, let's face it, if you're here on a daily basis it's because you unfortunately have to use our Ferries to get around. You're lucky to be in such a beautiful city, with places like Circular Quay which is famous for it's cafe culture, street culture, magnificent views, and the docking of large cruise liners. Although it may be seen as touristy, and a tad overpriced, if you're a local you'll understand that nothing beats a nice stroll through the Quay, down to the Opera house and Botanical Gardens. I recommend only taking photo's with your phone, otherwise you may look more and more like a tourist and attract the wrong kind of attention from some of the cafe's and restaurants or even event sales along the foreshore. If you need some shelter, or to grab some shade, head under the shadow of the overpass on the gardens of the MCA, all they need now is some ice cream delivery service there. read more

Very convenient to take the ferry to the city, but I thought the Opal card can be inconvenient sometimes. Not all ferry dock have a recharge station, but Circular Quay have plenty. To buy an Opal card, I went to Woolsworth. read more

Circular Quay - Amazing view - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Sydney, NSW

Circular Quay (pronounced "key") is truly the center of Sydney Harbor transit. They have boats, trains, a covered walkway, and an expressway all in one. There are some small shops that you can visit if you need something on the go. We stayed at a hotel near here during our week in Sydney and it was a great jumping off point for all of our adventures. If you're looking for a convenient location, search for anything around here. 4 stars. read more

Circular Quay (pronounced "KEY") was pretty awesome, and even though it says I only checked in once, I was actually here three times. Wifi is limited to only certain areas (the opera house bar is one of them), and I explored quite a bit. Downtown itself reminded me A LOT of Seattle with the brick buildings and iron work... It could've been the crappy Seattle drizzle I brought with me too, who knows. Some things I found while meandering around the quay: sundry art galleries, shops, and museums galore. Fresh, cheap ($4), local pasties baked daily, right around the corner from Hungry Jack's. Cheap public transportation around the city; A day pass will get you unlimited access via bus, train, and ferry for only $25. Amazing local oysters! Coffee shops (including but not limited to Starbucks). The opera house, of course, which I actually got to experience a concert in. Ahhhmazing! And there are many big ticket performers that entertain here. And the stunning royal botanical gardens. Holy cow, Australia has some huge spiders!! YES, they're all over in the gardens... looming over power lines and branches with their big butts and long webs. Thankfully, they did not seem too interested in anyone walking by (or under). The statues in the gardens were lovely and a bit whimsical. The music conservatory is set in between one garden to the next. The government house, which looked like a giant castle, sat picturesque behind the large field and elaborate iron fence. Plumeria trees of every color line many of the pathways, enveloping the air in heavenly tropical scent. The bay is beautiful, as is the bridge, especially at night when everything is lit up. There is no shortage of places to eat, drink, or buy souvenirs from; some places are indeed expensive (like the opera house bar), but others are also pretty darn reasonable. On a sunny day, I'm sure this area just sparkles. Such a beautiful place! Even the locals seem to enjoy the quay during the weekends, which is nice to see. You know it's gotta be good if it keeps bringing people back. Good for tourists. Good for dates. Good for dressing up or dressing down. Good for families. Good for everyone. And even if you decide not to take public transportation around the area, it's small enough that you can easily hoof it to other nearby sights, such as Darling Harbor, which has a whole host of interesting things to explore as well, or even Bondi beach and its sculpture park. If I ever come back to Australia, Sydney will be on my list again for sure. read more

This is the core of Sydney's downtown (CBD in Australian). If you go downtown, you'll end up here. It's has so much vitality and personality, you'll love it. From every direction, the views are remarkable. It's s short stroll along the pier to the Opera House. The water dominates the view, but here the people and the flow of the people are as much a part of the scene as the water. If ocean-going cruise ships are docked, it right next to Circular Quay. The Aussie buskers are performing all around the area. Tourists mix with locals. It's not a place you need to spend an hour, but it's a key part of the Sydney experience. read more

Love the view of the water, love watching the boats come and go. The place could do with some more colour and some more hole-in-the-wall style food vendors (that don't charge an arm and a leg) read more

Beautiful place to be and tranquil once the sun goes down and there's not too much public! You can see the Opera House approaching as you reach the Circular Quay train platform. The Opera House is much smaller than I ever imagined but still, how many people can say they saw it? Been to Australia a few times and still always have Circular Quay on my list of things to see :) read more

Wonderful views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Tons of restaurants and photo ops and its great to walk around the whole thing. You can also take lots of different ferries here and there are many souvenir shops to choose from. At night this place is super lively with many bachelor/bachelorette parties and people going out for dinner. If you are not dressed up there are also many casual spots to choose from. Must visit in Sydney for sure! read more

This location was really cool to visit. I just hung out here for half the day and enjoyed every minute.

I struggle to understand the high marks for Circular Quay. While the natural beauty of the harbour will always score highly, and the ferries provide a great transport hub, the manmade infastructure is hideous. The Bradfield Highway is a slash of concrete that completely ruins the view towards the city. As for the food, every year or two I forlornly wander around the quay on my way to the ferry looking for something to eat, and every time I end up disappointed... read more

I take circular quay to manly wharf every day. Such a great & easy commute. The manly ferry (queens cliff) was such an easy ride & always gets me where I'm going. The ferry terminals are very easy to figure out as well. Easiest way to get to manly beach for sure. read more

If you're ever in Sydney for a spell, Circular Quay should be on your list of places to visit. It has everything everyone wants to see, buy, and eat. It has numerous shops, excellent cafes and restaurants, and even buskers to entertain you. The best things to do in Circular Quay is to visit the Sydney Opera House for a bit of culture, look at Sydney Harbour Bridge for a great view, take a dinner cruise on one of the ferries, and enjoy the nightlife at Quay Bar located at the historical but trendy Customs House. And if you have a bit more time, you can add shop 'til you drop at DFS Galleria and the plethora of boutiques on your list of things to do. There's literally something for everyone, only at Circular Quay. read more

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its like any main ferry or bus loop/transfer station mix of tourist and locals. nothing to write home about. it smells like piss all the time. read more

A magnet for masses of tourists... not somewhere I'd ever recommend on a weekend simply for the hordes flocking to the CBD foreshore to view our iconic Harbour. Buskers galore keep the punters entertained but to be honest it really creates enormous obstacles to get past for the hundreds of people stopped, right in the middle of the thoroughfare, watching some guy juggle whilst riding a tricycle, or a couple of Aussie natives blowing the didge. An endless array of restaurants to choose from down here. The absolute bombs are Quay and Aria... but make sure your wallet is feeling nice and fat before you decide to dine here. If the crowds are simply too much on the forsehore, but you really want to savour the harbour, jump on a ferry somewhere for a round trip and see Sydney from an offshore perspective. A smaller craft is the go... like the Balmain trip which takes you under the Bridge and all over our glorious Harbour. In fact, you could always break the trip up with a quick Birkenhead Point spend-a-thon. On your return, head to Cruise bar for a cocktail and take in the Opera House from the best vantage point - barside! read more