Hi I'm doing the Beaches and Reefs tour from Sydney starting on the 23 October but arrive on the 21 and was considering doing a tour or something to kill time, I've looked on t'internet and there seems to be only a few sightseeing tours are these worth doing? I think I found a City Tour and a Bondi explorer also would you recommend getting the Sydney Pass for these days?

The bondi explorer ticket is combined with the sydney explorer and sydney bus system -- $39aud per day. I highly recommend getting this for one day, so you can knock out some of the touristy things you want to see without spending so much time walking.
http://www.sydneybuses.info/tourist-services/bondi-explorer.htm

Check out which things you'd like to see beforehand and which stops to take, and don't get roped into the double decker hop on hop off busses that use the same stop -- they don't have as frequent pickups.

If you want to go to bondi beach (which I say pass on, you'll see enough beaches later on in the tour). take the local bondi bus, not the hop on. The hop on takes a lot longer and all the other stops aren't very interesting. (they have the local bus to take there on the map provided)

The bus runs until 6, but chances are you'll be jetlagged the 22nd and won't want to do much afterwards.

If you want to something on the 23rd before the tour start (i'm not sure what time that is) You might want to do the bridge climb. It takes about 3, 4 hours from start to finish and isn't bad (but expensive).

That's what I did over the few days after the tour (I did the reverse).

Thanks for the info, I'll have to investigate these tours

Cheers
Matthew

That was so helpful, Thanks Ed!

I go to Sydney for work frequently...I had no idea of 'toursity' things in Sydney! I just know how to get from the airport to the office!

I am going up pon a family trip in the next few months! What a great way to spend the afternoon!

hey i am an exchange student who has lived in sydney for the last 3 months or so...honestly if you have traveled to other big cities in the past and feel comfortable with a map i wouldn't do the explorer bus. It is something like $40 where as you can get a travel ten regular bus pass for like $10-15 and get too all the same places quite easily. As for things to do, there is: harbor bridge, opera house, bondi beach, manly beach (you take the ferry from circular quay), Taronga zoo, Featherdale Wildlife Park (a train ride away but you get to actually feed and play with the kangaroos), darling harbor. There is a lot of shopping as well on oxford st. in paddington and george st. (which is the main street of the city). Nightlife is all over but the major clubs are in Kings Cross.

Its a fun place but very expensive. Have fun.

I stayed in Darling Harbor which was a cool area. The aquarium is interesting. You can also do the zoo. The ferry rides around the bay are great cheap views of the opera house.

red light district my friend

Im from Brisbane and iVe been to sydney twice now.

Definately recommend you give yourself 3hrs to do the Bondi-Cooggee walk. Its a bit of a trek in terms of hilly but its a nice walk, took me about 2hr to do including a small stop at Tanamarma (sp?) aka glamaroma as its known to the locals. Before you get into Coogee, there is a memorial there for the footy team who lost most of their members in the Bali bombing, quite sereal to visit. Notthing big but still..nice view.

Warning though...take heaps of water, a good pair of walking shoes NOT THONGS like i did, PLENTY of sunscreen and plenty of photos. I did the walk at 10am, not knowing how long it would take and wearing a tank top singlet, i got the worst sunburn ever!! I was going between hot and cold, and couldnt have anything touching my shoulders. I dont know how i slept and getting home on the plane the next day was interesting carrying my bags and stuff. Got a few sympathetic comments like omg you must be in so much pain. and iM liek yes i am, i feel like im on fire. I blistered so badly. And when i got home, i spent most of the next day sleeping...

Recent trip, mum and i were trying to find a nice but 'cheap' restraunt at Circular Quay and we went into i think the old customs house building opposite the station.
We went tot he reception desk and then walked out and i was looking at the marble floors and suddenly i see this big display in the ground of Sydney. Its literally a see through floor and the buildings are soo small etc that you actually feel your up in the air miles above the city.....which freaked me out coz i hate heights. But ti was nice, coz they had nice colours etc.
So thats a freebie you can go adn see if you dont want to go to the Tower.

Speaking of which, if you are wanting a nice meal out, Id say spend the extra $30 and go up to the Sky Tower restraunt, not the alacarte one but the floor int he middle. Coz there you get about 2hrs there to have a wonderful buffet, and if your lucky, a brouchure you get may have a coupon for a free drink.

there are plenty of things to see and do in sydney.

There is the aquarium in darling harbour, lots of restaurants and a few night clubs also in darling harbour, some good shops. Feeling hungry? should definately check out 'pancakes on the rocks' if you feel like something sweet!

Theres also the sydney opera house, and if you feel like being abit adventurous then there is the sydney harbour bridge climb!

Chinatown has quite a few shops for souveniers and lots of places to grab something to eat.

Definatly recommend a walk around The Rocks, around towards the bridge. Also around Darling Harbour.

In addition to the southern beach walks mentioned above (Bondi, Coogee, Tamarama etc).

I'm unsure of any guided tours though (and lived here my whole life, isn't that terrible!), i know there is an open top bus, like the style that goes around London. If i find the name of that i'll report here for you.

Sydney... recomendations
harbour bridge climb especially at twilight is beautiful (Circular Quay train stop)
Taronga zoo is awesome can get here from circular quay then on a ferry
Operah House
Bondi beach... very touristy manly beach i think is nicer.. once again a ferry from circular quay
The aquarium and reptile place in darlingharbour is good and you can also do a ferry thing from darling harbour outside the aquarium which takes you areound the harbour
also can do the shotover jet its a really really awesome thing alot of fun... its like one of those really fast jet boats that make fast sharp turns,
Out west you have Olympic park which was home of the 2000 olympics and out at Penrith (via train) there is a really good white water stadium
Then there are all the shops, george street and pitt street are good and there are markets like paddy markets in or near china town
There is heaps more to do this is just some popular choices
O and another really amazing like brilliant day trip would be to the blue mountains, katoomba and the three sisters is very very beautiful and has some good bush walks