Circular Quay station must be the CityRail station with the most real estate value. Oops, I'm…read morerepeating myself here. Please read my Milsons Point station review. But this station's got the lot too: views of Harbour Bridge, Opera House (take that Milsons Point station!) and harbour water. It could be passed in as waterfront property almost, which in Sydney terms slaps another few hundred grands on its value. Circular Quay station is also close to transport: many bus lines end and start here, there's a taxi rank nearby and six wharfs to choose from (Circular Quay 2 - Milsons Point 1). Close to overpriced shops, heritage building (sort of 50s building, but that heritage here), lifts, 2 bathrooms, floor art on the platform, First Fleet garden, The Rocks. Alas, no parking spaces and no swimming pool here either. And so many train lines to choose from. Get a ticket! In terms of village feel, Milsons Point station wins, so it's a draw: Circular Quay 2 - Milsons Point 2. One last advice to impress visitors from overseas: Take the train from Wynyard to Circular Quay. Not only are you on the water front side, but when you step out you'll immediately see the duo Harbour Bridge and Opera House. A real winner!

This was a large train station. It was very convenient for visiting all of the popular iconic…read moretourist spots. As you exit the station, you get a nice view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. From here, it was just a short walk over to the Sydney Opera House. Since it's a very touristy location, it will be very crowded all the time. There were plenty of food options of all costs and variety nearby. If you're headed elsewhere, you can catch a ferry ride from the wharf. You can also hop on the L2 and L3 light rail. The T2, T3, T4, T7, and T8 train lines ran through this station.

If I could give it 6 stars I would. We booked the tour to…read moresee the Blue Mountains through the Viator app. It was super easy and straightforward. The app immediately sent us two vouchers annd confirmation of our bookings. The tour started at 7:50 am and we took a ferry back and arrived at Circular Quay in the city by 5:45 pm. More about the ferry ride back later. The tour included: 1. Three Sisters Lookout Point 2.Tram and cable rides at Scenic World and a short hike on the Scenic Walkway 3.Lunch at Loaves and Dishes Cafe 4.Entrance into Featherdale Wildlife Refuge. On the day of the tour, the bus picked us up at our hotel the Hilton Sydney. They make a number of pick ups from other hotels. If your hotel is not on the list then you have to meet them at one of the designated hotels. A tour coordinator approached us to get our names. She checked us in on her list and gave us an envelope with tickets for the forthcoming destinations. The bus was a big comfortable climate control vehicle. Our driver/historian/entertainer was magnificent !! He only mentioned his name once at the beginning of the tour and I didn't catch it. In any case, he was terrifically knowledgable about the history of Sydney and the Blue Mountains. He was funny and kept us entertained throughout the whole day. In addition, he clearly instructed us on how to navigate through the different destinations with keen details. His instructions were extremely spot on and helpful. There was a lot of time designated for each destination. We never felt rushed. i On the way back many people opted to book a ferry ride back on the river cruise. We didn't buy that option but the bus driver told us that we still could pay for the ferry ride at the dock. We chose to do that thinking that the bus would run into Sydney rush hour traffic. I highly recommend that you take the ferry ride option. It was a beautiful, peaceful ride back to the city center and only took 30 minutes. We're not sure how long the bus took but surely it wasn't as scenic. In addition, the b So to get on the ferry, we had to purchase tickets. At the dock, there was a vending like machine where you can buy a ticket to get on the ferry. It was $8.50 AUD/person. The ferry made a few stops along the way to pick up other passengers. We thoroughly enjoyed every facet of the tour. It takes you to gorgeous areas of our Sydney trip that we wouldn't have otherwise been able to see on our own. The operators were extremely professional and well informed. It was worth every penny of the approximately $98/person for two people. Viator had a special 10% discount if we purchased on the mobile app. Also follow my food adventure on IG @tazebudshawaii Happy Travels !

Ashleigh was the best tour guide EVER! We are visiting from Los Angeles and wanted to see the three…read moresisters at the Blue Mountains. This trip gave us that and more. The Featherdale wildlife park gave us a great up close kangaroo/koala experience, as well as a chance to see some of Australia's bird and reptile species. Lunch in Luera was delicious, and the town was adorable. Following that was the trip to the Blue Mountains, and finally a nice ferry ride home. Ashleigh's knowledge combined with her engaging personality made the whole experience that much more inviting! Great job!

We enjoyed experiencing the local transportation. Although…read moretheir system was NOT as user friendly as NY, London, or Italy, it was easy enough. Quality/Quantity - New and old trains, see pictures. Liked that they had double decker trains, cool. Accurate and easy to read signs. Atmosphere - Safe. I believe you can use your credit card to scan in and out, but we were given an Opal card by our friends. Good signage to find our way around and to get on the correct trains. Mostly clean, well the newer trains were much cleaner than the older trains. Service - Mostly self service. They did have an employee or two at each station. Price - No idea, as our friends gave us funded Opal cards and it never ran out of $$. I am told that seniors (not me) are only charged $2.50 a day, what a great deal! We paid per trip. The Opal card was also good for buses, ferries, metro, light rails, etc. Owner Comment - Thank you for a good system.

This is one of those semi-major interchange stations, where you can change between stopping all…read morestations and express trains, and also trains that go to different parts of the city. As a station, it actually isn't that bad, though of course not all of the trains stop here. However, as is generally expected with most stations in Sydney, it is fairly accessible.

I stayed here for a conference at UNSW, which was walkable but I didn't choose to do so dragging a…read moresuitcase behind me. I got one of the newer rooms with a front balcony and blissful air-con on a very humid night. Check-in was fine. Service was friendly and efficient. The room and setting were as advertised. After a very quiet and comfortable night's sleep in a great bed, I used the discount voucher provided by reception to grab a light breakfast and coffee at a local cafe and enjoyed it on my balcony overlooking the park below. Reception also provided a voucher for free wifi. Would definitely go back if I needed to be in the neighbourhood. My tip would be walk up to the corner to pick up and drop off taxis as there is rarely any street parking and a double-parked taxi blocks the narrow street, annoying fellow motorists.

A really nice boutique hotel, and one of the nicest 19th-century buildings you're like to find in…read moreSydney. It's very close to the eastern beach areas, especially Coogee, which is only a 10-minute bus ride away. Fewer backpackers here, then, and worth the price ($145/night for our room) if you don't need to stumble right out onto a beach. It's location also makes it a short, straight shot to get to the airport the next morning. Staff very friendly and helpful with directions. Room was comfortable. They have fans, and no A/C. But each room has a little kitchenette if you're saving dollars by buying your own food.

This hotel is absolutely GORGEOUS! My fiance and I had such an incredible experience. The prices…read moreare truly fantastic and I hope we can go back one day in the near future! The location is awesome and we were able to walk to Hyde Park and the Sydney Eye Tower so easily. Thank you so much, ADGE Hotel, for existing!! :)

The ADGE Apartment Hotel is well located in the heart of Sydney's hipster suburb, Surry Hills. From…read morethe hotel, you can easily make your way on foot to Kawa for a pot of sticky chai, to About Life for your superfood staples and to Bourke Street Bakery for their much loved carrot cake. I arrived before 08:00 in the morning off a long haul flight from San Francisco. Dan at the front desk cheerfully greeted me and had me in a room within an hour, which I appreciated enormously. The room itself was huge, and well-appointed with a Smeg refrigerator, a full kitchen and a washer and dryer. Dan tipped me off to the welcome service, which changes by the season. Since I stayed at the ADGE in winter, the welcome service included hot cider and a cheese plate which I shared with a friend from the comfort of the couch in my room. (How great is that?) I'd gladly stay at the ADGE Apartment Hotel again. The location is excellent, the rates are reasonable, the staff is friendly, the wifi worked and the beds are comfortable. What more can you ask for?

I booked the twilight bridge climb and I am still not quite sure what possessed me. Let me explain,…read moreI am in my mid sixties, fat, out of shape and deadly afraid oof heights. It didn't look so bad on pictures, but once I saw the bridge in person and in particular how tiny the climbers looked on top of the bridge, that was the moment fear set in. And it got worse during the preparations. You don't just walk in and climb on up there. You need to have instructions, pass a breathalyzer test, change into a special suit, get a radio, headphones, attach your glasses, hat, jacket and whatnot all to your suit and step into a heavy harness. By that time you'll start to sweat because this suit is like a plastic bag and hold in the heat. You also get to practice a climb up some ladders... oh yay. As a scaredy cat in regards of heights, I was placed up front so our guide could keep an eye on me. Good thing too. The rest of my group consisted of 20-30 year old athletic types... great. So you step on out of the building onto a catwalk and get hooked onto the safety line. This already made me regret things as I looked down onto the street below. Then our guide starts to run, yes run on this narrow catwalk... aaarggghhh... I did finally catch up with her but only because she was waiting for our group. Surprise, let's climb up 4 ladders with 25 steps each back to back... man I was huffing and puffing. Thank goodness you get to wait until everybody is up. Then you climb and climb and climb on up the stairs. I did my best and did keep up, but I was really trying hard. I gave it my all. At about 3/4 of the way, my legs were turning into jello, almost to the summit I thought I was going to throw up, but luckily we stopped to take pictures as a group and then as individuals. I recovered during this little rest. We had climbed up during daylight, by the time we reached the summit the sun was setting and the the view was spectacular. Unforgettable. Recovered due to the short rest and with the promise of no further climbing, but rather descending from here on, I was feeling much better. Thirsty, drenched in sweat and wishing I had used the restroom before the climb, but otherwise ok. Well now we had to cross from one side of the bridge to the other... at the summit, over several lanes of traffic and railroad tracks, and you can see straight down... for me, the scariest part. Then finally the descent. By now it was getting quite dark and we needed to turn on our lamps. The descent was much quicker than the climb of course and I was eager to get out of this hot suit, get a drink of water and use the rest room... no such luck. Now one has to painstakingly unbuckle all the equipment from the suit. Eventually you get to change back into your regular clothes. And just when you think you are done, you have to stand in line for the photo purchases. I had prepaid for the pictures, but still had to wait because the staff will pick out the pictures that feature you and put those with the group and scenery pictures. I do have to say our guide took fabulous pictures and they were worth the wait. Yes, I know I don't describe this adventure as a wonderful experience, it was quite strenuous, but also exciting and the view alone is absolutely worth it. Also the staff was very encouraging and if you have fear or physical concerns let them know so they can help you along the way.

Review 900! I'm not…read morea huge thrill seeker, but multiple people encouraged me to do the BridgeClimb. I regret not climbing the O2 Arena in London a few years ago so I decided to seize this opportunity; I'm so happy that I did because it was one of the highlights of my trip! Tickets: Prices vary by day, time, and type. Additionally, the prices are dynamic and can change at any time. I bought a ticket through Trip Advisor with a discount code. I chose the Summit Climb and booked a twilight start time which is apparently the most popular time to book. Check In: Allow 10-15 minutes to check in. Since I booked through a third party, I wasn't able to fill out the paperwork ahead of time. The gentleman at the front desk was so nice and assisted me with the forms. The employee asked if I had eaten. They have a café if you need to fuel up before the climb. The employee also asked about medical history. I have asthma and couldn't find my inhaler so the employee gave me a single use inhaler to take with me. Pre Climb: After check in, we spent the first hour getting ready for the climb. The safety briefing was first and included a breathalyzer test. Everyone (including children) had to do the breathalyzer. If your BAC is over 0.05, you won't be able to climb. After the briefing, we changed into jump suits. They have changing rooms and lockers for your belongings. You can't bring cell phones or watches with you and even things like hair clips aren't allowed. If you have eye/sunglasses they will give you a lanyard so that you can wear them during the climb. We also received headphones and head lamps which came in handy after sunset. Once we suited up, we practiced climbing the ladders. The ladders were a little intimidating because they're quite steep, but having the opportunity to practice while wearing the harness eased my anxiety. Climb: Some sections of the base required stepping over and bending down below beams. There were quite a few stairs and a few sets of ladders. Staff members were posted throughout the bridge to provide assistance if needed. The climb leader took individual and group photos along the way and at the summit. The views of the Harbour were spectacular! Our climb leader was Shannon and she was wonderful! She was so personable, funny, and just an all around cool gal. She gave a lot of interesting fun facts about the bridge. We had a diverse group of both children and adults hailing from multiple countries. It was cool to meet people from all over the world. Shannon held on to the inhaler and would periodically check in with me to make sure I didn't need it. There were a few times when I had to stop to catch my breath, but luckily I didn't have to use it. Post Climb: Once the climb was over, we received a souvenir (baseball hat). We also had the opportunity to purchase photos. On my way out, I ran into the employee that checked me in. He addressed me by name and asked about my experience which was so nice! You don't have to be a dare devil to do the BridgeClimb. It was a little out of my comfort zone, but I'm glad that I did it! This was one of the pricier activities that I did in Sydney, but it was totally worth it! What a unique and amazing experience that I will never forget!

I hunted and hunted for a day trip from Sydney to the Blue Mountains. I don't remember why I…read moresettled on this company but I'm glad I did. Of course the day I planned this tour, it was overcast in Sydney but raining as we drove out into the country side. Oh and foggy and just blah. I had brought a raincoat and was somewhat prepared for the weather but the views were poor. BUT despite the weather, Hayden made our tour. We stopped at a shop so folks who needed to buy a poncho could and also so folks could take a toilet break. And since the weather was uncooperative, Hayden drove us to a small park at the end of a neighborhood to see the Aboriginal markings. We learned about tribal traditions, and about his background on both sides of his family. His knowledge of the area, plants, and critters made everything fun. We drove to Blue Mountain National Park and saw the Three Sisters even though they were trying to hide in the fog. We continued on to Scenic World which was much less touristy than I feared. Great time and highly recommended, no matter the weather.

It's always a gift to travel with someone from the area. Cameron, our guide, was not only from the…read moreBlue Mountains, we even went to his hometown. He was jovial and sweet, keeping everyone on the tour engaged and laughing. He knew the history of the area as well as the smaller less travelled but no less interesting sites to visit. The Blue Mountains are lovely and a must-see for any trip to Sydney. The tour was punctual as far as beginning and ending. My only complaint was that for someone like me with health issues, I it was a very long, tiring day. I wish there had been a shorter version available.

Trendy and modern hotel overlooking Darling Harbor. You can easily walk to restaurants and other…read moreactivities. Right outside the hotel is a walking path along the water. The W has two pools, both on high floors overlooking the city scape. There's a fancy restaurant as well as a bar that serves food. (if you want to eat at the fancy restaurant book a reservation in advance. It fills up!). When you first check in, you get a free drink at Living Room bar, which has a $30 value. The only negatives were the bathroom is very dark, the shower was hard to work (hot/cold turn opposite ways), and In Room Dining was 30 minutes late, making me late to my wine tasting tour.

The W Sydney makes a strong first impression, especially when it comes to the rooms. I stayed in…read morethe Penthouse 2 WOW suite and it was fantastic -- spacious, stylish, and thoughtfully designed with great views and all the comfort you'd expect from a luxury hotel. The room itself easily felt five-star and made the stay feel special. The property has a sleek, modern vibe and is well located in Woolloomooloo, making it convenient while still feeling a bit removed from the busiest parts of the city. The common areas are polished and visually impressive, and the overall atmosphere feels upscale and energetic. Where the experience fell short was service consistency. While some staff were friendly and professional, others didn't quite deliver the level of attentiveness you'd expect from a five-star hotel. A few interactions felt rushed or indifferent, which took away from what was otherwise a very strong stay. Overall, the excellent suite and beautiful property carry this hotel to a solid four stars. With more consistent, refined service across the board, the W Sydney could easily live up to its luxury reputation. Hopefully over the next three days it improves. Will update.