day tours in sydney

[Katana_Geldar]

Train is fun, it's like a rollercoaster.

[herpeppiness]

Hi there,

You seem like a good resource! My sister and I are not very good "walkers". We both have knee replacements and can walk around a little, but prefer tour vans or such when sightseeing. We will be in Sydney in early Feb. 2013 for 2 days before boarding a cruise to New Zealand. Any ideas of "Must Sees" for us? Any suggestions of tour operators? Thanks for any input. Carol

[blushingsheila]

We were also thinking of the hop on hop off bus but our friends who were in Sydney took a private tour with a small company called Real Sydney Tours. They said they had a fantastic time and they booked the same guide for an extra day and did a Blue Mountains Tour too. They said they were chatting to lots of peple on board who were not that happy about the tours they went on with other companies ( apparently there's lots) but this small company they went with was exceptional.

We also have one in our group with a knee replacement so we dont want to hold anyone up and the tours offered to us by Real Sydney Tours sound perfect.

We also showed our friends the list as written above and they say it's impossible to do it all. Basically you are in a bus and they point at a rock and thats what you see...be careful about tour descriptions is my advice and ask lots of questions.

Anyway Good luck

[cassamanda]

We were also thinking of the hop on hop off bus but our friends who were in Sydney took a private tour with a small company called Real Sydney Tours. They said they had a fantastic time and they booked the same guide for an extra day and did a Blue Mountains Tour too. They said they were chatting to lots of peple on board who were not that happy about the tours they went on with other companies ( apparently there's lots) but this small company they went with was exceptional.

We also have one in our group with a knee replacement so we dont want to hold anyone up and the tours offered to us by Real Sydney Tours sound perfect.

We also showed our friends the list as written above and they say it's impossible to do it all. Basically you are in a bus and they point at a rock and thats what you see...be careful about tour descriptions is my advice and ask lots of questions.

Anyway Good luck

The list as presented for the Blue Mountains Tour is easily achievable and nearly all operators follow the same route along the major highways with the exception of some small vehicles that can go where the larger vehicles cant go. There is also an alternative more scenic route. Most operators also pick up from the larger Hotels but may not do so from the Boutique hotels.

I would not do a Blue Mountains tour on a cruise day as the minimum driving time from the top of the mountains is 1.75 hrs and traffic delays are common. The tours can be broken down by skipping the wildlife park (+1.5 hrs) and Olympic Park (+30 minutes).

I agree that you must be careful when reading ANY brochure. Terms such as "see" and "view" and "pass by" do not mean "visit". Be also mindful of what the operators are claiming. The descriptions of "Grand Canyon" and "3 Sisters" and "Echo Point" are all in the same place.

How do i know - because i used to do these tours - now retired.

BTW, please check the weather day before and don't go in bad weather as you will likely not see anything.

[Globaliser]

Good on you for doing the Bridge Climb - it's not as bad as you think. An 81 year old has climbed the bridge 41 times :eek:

The BridgeClimb is not physically strenuous, so I'm not surprised that an 81-year old can do it. However, 41 times must put some strain on the wallet!

[villauk]

Check out this site..... http://www.pylonlookout.com.au It is still the harbour bridge, but a smaller climb up the pylons, and only $15 according to the site. This may suit you better if you are not used to heights. You will still get a great view from there. Also the Centerpoint Tower in the city has awesome views, and some tours. The giraffes at the Sydney zoo have perhaps the best views of the harbour, and then there is Mrs Macquaries Chair, also easy to get to and also million dollars views (and free).

 

Also check out cityrail.com.au. In the tickets section you will see you can purchase a MyMultiDayPass ticket for $21pp. This gives unlimited travel on all Sydney trains, buses and ferries....and extends out to the Blue Mountains, up to the Central Coast, and down to Woolongong area. ie quite a big coverage area.

 

Hope you have a great time downunder.....a pre welcome to Oz from me!

Jen

 

Jen,

 

Can we use this ticket on the train from the airport to the cruise terminal? We are planning to travel by train to the ship from the airport, drop off our luggage and then head over to Manly by ferry and I wondered if it was possible to use that ticket for all the services? Thanks

 

N.b. I've just checked on the website and it says we can buy a Family Funday Sunday ticket, but mentions a Station access fee at the airport stations (I'm unsure as to what that actually means?). Hope we can purchase this as it's only $2.50pp per day - great value!

[Globaliser]

Can we use this ticket on the train from the airport to the cruise terminal? We are planning to travel by train to the ship from the airport, drop off our luggage and then head over to Manly by ferry and I wondered if it was possible to use that ticket for all the services?

It is, but to use either train station at Sydney airport you have to pay an additional fee by buying a GatePass - currently AUD 12 one-way for an adult (and see also this page).

[villauk]

It is, but to use either train station at Sydney airport you have to pay an additional fee by buying a GatePass - currently AUD 12 one-way for an adult (and see also this page).

 

Thanks for that. I've used the link and we'll just have to pay the $12 per adult and $8.60 for the kids for the Gatepass.

[NancyIL]

Train is fun, it's like a rollercoaster.

 

After watching the video - that's what I was afraid of! I'd rather ride the train going UP!

[Desert Cruizers]

Hi catonic, this will be our first trip and can't wait.:) For our two days pre cruise, we will try and see a lot of Sydney, then after we get back we have 9 days to do the Blue Mountain exclusive with the cruise back into Sydney and other sights. That train portion, I hope it isn't to wild, it looks like it. LOL

 

Gay

[NancyIL]

I was happy to see that our Celebrity Solstice cruise offers an 8.5-hour Blue Mountains excursion the day we sail - after an overnight on the ship. After reading some tour company recommendations here and checking reviews and websites on Trip Advisor, I am still leaning toward the ship's tour. I don't care about going to the Featherdale Wildlife Park or the Olympic Park - as some other companies do. The complaints on Trip Advisor were usually about being too rushed on tours that tried to see too much.

[cassamanda]

I was happy to see that our Celebrity Solstice cruise offers an 8.5-hour Blue Mountains excursion the day we sail - after an overnight on the ship. After reading some tour company recommendations here and checking reviews and websites on Trip Advisor, I am still leaning toward the ship's tour. I don't care about going to the Featherdale Wildlife Park or the Olympic Park - as some other companies do. The complaints on Trip Advisor were usually about being too rushed on tours that tried to see too much.

Probably wise to do the ship's tour in your particular case as through personal experience the the tour will most likely not return until just before sailing time and the ship will wait for you.