Located as the base of the Sydney Tower, Westfield Sydney is a high end shopping center in the…read moreheart of Sydney downtown. Its major retailers are stores like Myer and Zara, with luxury brands like Gucci, Fendi, and Chanel. It is owned by the Centre Group, which was previously part of the Westfield Group, a multi-national based in Australia. The Westfield Group was split in 2014 into a Australia/New Zealand portion (Centre group which owns this mall) and the Westfield Corporation, which owns many shopping centers in Europe and the US, including many that I've been to (Westfield Old Orchard, Westfield Century City, Westfield Topanga, and Westfield Culver City). We spent a bit of time here while waiting for our reservation at the Sydney Tower, whose customer entrance is located in this mall.

We went to the Queen Victoria Building to look at their beautiful architecture and discovered that…read moreit is connected to a mall. Quality/Quantity - 10+ dining choices - See website. 6+ "quick" food choices. Approximately 235 businesses. Atmosphere - Good size mall, it actually connects to the other major mall in the Queen Victoria Building. They have the Sydney Tower Eye here $35 - $195 admission. The tower also has a restaurant and bar. Skywalk $50 - $195. Events, see their website. Free wifi, we did not use it. Open 7 days a week, from 9:30am or 10am to 7pm or 9pm. Open late on Thursdays - until 9pm. Service - Self service for us. Valet parking available; we take public transportation or ride share. Price - Depends on what you buy, eat, or drink. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1960 with your 75 worldwide shopping centers. 2014 - Spin off from parent company. 2018 - New ownership, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.

The Queen Victoria Building (QVB) was built in 1898 and designed by 28-year old architect, George…read moreMcRae, replacing the original Sydney markets on the site. Built as a monument to the long reigning monarch, construction took place during a severe recession. How? The elaborate Romanesque architecture was specially planned for the grand building so the Government could employ many out-of-work craftsmen - stonemasons, plasterers, and stained window artists - in a worthwhile project. The Stained Glass The visual message of Sydney's coat of arms on the cartwheel stained glass window, is that the beehive depicts business, the sailing ship - trade, and the dolphins - the harbor. Panel 1 (on the left-hand side) represents the Council of the City of Sydney and symbols of architecture, while the letters I.G.B., on panel 3 (on the right), represent Ipoh Gardens Berhad, the Malaysian company who restored the QVB in 2009. The symbols are of property developers - the builders. The bottom central panel represents the heraldic symbol of a finished building, and the joining of two hands denotes the fusing of two cultures. The Queen's Secret Letter There is a letter from Queen Elizabeth II to the Citizens of Sydney, to be opened and read by the Lord Mayor of Sydney in the year 2085. The Queen Victoria Statue Outside the QVB, on Town Hall Place, facing The Town Hall are the Royal Wishing Well and Queen Victoria's statue. My experience: This is the second time I have visited this building and on the second time, I found even more hidden historical things of note. It's a remarkable way to feel like you've stepped back in time, whether that's through shopping or through grabbing a coffee or tea and sitting in the atrium, taking it all in. TIP: Go to Haight's for some chocolate!

A must see building and a wonderful place to shop! Such fun stores and an incredible building to…read morewalk through. Very skinny as a building design which makes it so interesting to go through. Different floors to explore too! Love the historical building with some modern twists of restaurants and shops.

The Strand Arcade, established in 1891, is a premier heritage-listed retail destination located in…read morethe heart of Sydney's CBD. It is celebrated as the only Victorian-style shopping arcade in Sydney to remain in its original architectural form, characterized by its ornate cedar staircases, tiled floors, and a majestic tinted glass roof. Less historic is the JB Hi-Fi store in the basement. I pretty much stayed on ground level to take it all in. And I did manage to purchase a nice mini wallet at a leather shop in the middle aisle.

Beautiful place to see and visit but the variety of stores is small. Definitely pass through and a…read moretake a pic.

World Square in Sydney is a melting pot of shops housing multitude of options on its premises. From…read morefood, electronics, clothing and even grocery! It's pretty much a one-stop shop and couldn't be any more convenient. It was a quick walk from our AirBnb and not far from China Town either. Bring your wallet, and maybe come hungry!

Plenty of shopping and restaurants in the area! This part…read moreof Sydney has a large Asian influence and amazing delicious restaurants to boot! They have a large selection of shops and restaurants ranging in prices from affordable bakeries and sushi to upscale restaurants. Walking around, I got some sushi, some souvenirs for everyone and a pair of novelty socks all on the same shopping strip! This was a great area for just walking around!

Free entertainment????! I'm in. The mall is a great space…read morefor street performers and I have to say some are top notch....and just wow! Worth dropping a few bucks into their bucket. It's quite the thoroughfare where you can spend hours people watching and there are plenty of food vendors attached where u can grab some grub...sort of like going to the movies. High end stores and arcades are also part of the mall, and there is always some company flogging something like false eyelashes to get the ladies or ladyboys lining up. I line up for the free cups of tea or the free tastings of chocolate. A continual kaleidoscope of people, sounds and products.

It's taken a few years to get it to this state, and there's still a bit left to do, but Pitt Street…read moreMall is definitely looking good! The opening of the new Westfield definitely gave it an added shine, but there's no lack of other shops in the area, with a large Myer, Mid City and The Strand to choose from, plus all the others that inhabited the pedestrianised shopping strip. Come lunchtime, the area becomes a hub of activity as city-types make their way to the numerous food courts on offer. Although it never actually gets quiet, as tourists and local inhabit the area almost constantly, especially when the sun's out, but the refurbishment also meant the creation of a more pleasant area to hang out as opposed to the run down precinct that used to occupy the space. It seems to have character as well, hence why I now choose to come here if I need to go to Westfield for whatever reason, as opposed to the Bondi Junction one. It just feels much nicer! You'll also find the place occupied by street artists, which I'm generally not a fan of, but I can live with it.

A very large Asian indoor market located in downtown Sydney, it reminded me very much of the Korean…read moreshopping malls located in multi-level buildings that were very popular in K-Town LA 10 years ago. But unlike in LA where they are not frequented, Market City was definitely hopping on a Friday afternoon. The vast majority of retail stores are Far East Asian (Chinese and Korean). There are grocery stores located in the bottom floor, along with beauty stores. There are also stand alone carts selling various knick knacks. It was worthwhile perusing them, and my brother ended up buying quite a few things.

This seemed like an Asian market. They had fruits and vegetables on the main floor. Upstairs…read morethere's a separate area for seafood with lots of different fishes and shellfish. There was a separate area for meats. There is also an area where clothes and accessories are sold. Mostly Asian.

Harbourside shopping centre's best point of attraction is the location - Darling Harbour! If it was…read morea freestanding shopping centre in any other location, it just wouldn't be nearly as attractive. What you'll find inside is pretty much as you'd expect in any shopping centre of its size - newsagency, cafe, clothing shops, and a food court. I wouldn't call it rubbish, because once again, the jackpot location makes up for the uninteresting range of retailers inside. It connects Pyrmont and Haymarket, and to Sydney CBD via Pyrmont Bridge, and seriously, there are countless spots around for tourists and locals to visit, from IMAX theatre and Sydney Convention Centre to Cockle Bay Wharf and Sydney Aquarium all within walking distance. My favorite memory here is sitting on one of the stools by the porch off the food court on a rainy night looking out and around the harbour, with a chocolate mint ice cream cone in my hand.

The Cockle Bay complex might have rescued Darling Harbour from the doldrums, but in rencent years,…read moreHarbourside has started to pull its weight. It's got a bit of a tart up, attracted some new names - like Hard Rock Cafe, Blue Fish and Kazbah - and it's still the place you come to gorge on ribs at Hurricanes. Yes, nowadays Harbourside is quite pleasant indeed. Granted there are still the tourist tackilicious shops inside - and every time I walk past the 'Oxygen Station' I just shake my head in bewilderment. But if you stick to the foreshore, you'll be just fine. Harbourside has come a long, loooong way from my childhood days spent collecting tokens at Timezone and getting treated to KFC for lunch! Oh and there's even a Mad Mex opening this month - if that doesn't get people flocking back, I don't know what will.

The Rocks Centre is a building just off of the Harbour. The building seems large but is home to a…read morefew shops. It is a good place to find some good gifts like authentic boomerangs or just peruse and watch candy being made at sticky. If you're in The Rocks, I think that it is worthy of a walk through.

This contemporary shopping arcade is located near Sydney's major shopping street (Pitt street)…read more There are shops selling accessories, clothes, homeware and food.

I miss the old Skygarden clock which used to face out to Pitt St Mall, and each hour opened up…read moreshowing marching soldiers and played a nice tune, and a Christmas tune during the Christmas period. Why was that removed? Why wasn't it kept there?