Circular Quay
Sydney’s transport and sightseeing heart, a hub for ferries, trains and light rail, with the Opera House on one side and The Rocks on the other. Any ferry ride here is a harbour cruise.
Circular Quay lies at the innermost end of Sydney Cove. The First Fleet landed here in 1788 to establish the colony, and in the 19th century it was Sydney’s cargo port. Today it is the interchange for ferries, trains, light rail and buses, and the starting point for most visitors. To the east, a 5-minute walk leads to the Opera House and the Royal Botanic Garden. To the west are The Rocks, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Harbour Bridge. Among the five ferry wharves (Wharves 2 to 6) you will find restaurants, street performers and Indigenous didgeridoo players. The best experience is a public ferry ride around the harbour, which requires no sightseeing ticket: F1 to Manly (30 minutes, through the harbour entrance); F2 to Taronga Zoo; F3 and F8 west along the Parramatta River beneath the Harbour Bridge; F4 to Darling Harbour and Barangaroo; and F7 to Watsons Bay, where you can eat fish and chips at Doyles and walk to the South Head Lighthouse. An Opal card costs A$7 to 10 per trip, and the Sunday daily cap is the best value. There are also themed harbour sightseeing boats, dinner cruises and speedboats. Within walking distance on the east side of the wharves are the Customs House (free; the basement has a city model of Sydney), the Royal Botanic Garden (free; Mrs Macquarie’s Chair is the best spot for photographing the Opera House and bridge together), and the Cahill Walk, a free elevated viewing platform reached by lift beside Circular Quay station. During the Vivid light festival from late May to mid-June, buildings around the quay and the Opera House sails are covered in light projections, drawing huge crowds at night. The free viewing area for New Year’s Eve fireworks is also nearby. You need to claim a spot in the afternoon and pass security checks. Getting there: trains T2, T3 and T8 and light rail L2 and L3 to Circular Quay station. Restaurants around the quay are expensive, so try The Rocks or Chinatown instead. Seagulls steal food, and ferry wharves queue at peak times, so arrive 10 minutes early.
Opening hours
Open all day (ferries about 6:00 am–midnight)
Nearby sights
- Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
- The Rocks
- Sydney Opera House
- Sydney Observatory
- Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
- Hyde Park Barracks
- Sydney Harbour Bridge
- Sydney Tower Eye