Blue Mountain tours

[nanbill47]

We will be in Sydney for 4 days in Jan and wondered if the tour to the Blue Mountains is something really special to do. There seems to be so much to see in Sydney that I hate to give up a whole day going there. It does sound beautiful though. Really a hard decision. Also when booking a hotel they say they have Darling Harbor views and Opera House views and Grand views. How do you know which is would be the best to have?

[stebul]

Which hotel specifically has the views you are talking about?

 

There can't be too many hotels that have good views of both Darling Harbour and the Opera House. Grand view might be inland (or the skyscraper next door). There might be some marketing in play here! Best to look on a map and see how close the hotel is to the water. Given a choice, I would go for the Opera House/Sydney Bridge view.

 

I'd also be interested in hearing more about Blue Mountains excursions. I have been to Sydney twice before without seeing them, so they are on my list for this upcoming trip in Feb. I'd be particularly interested in something on the more active side. Is it worth considering renting a car for a day trip to the Blue Mountains?

 

Steve

[A&G]

Harbour bridge and Darling Harbour are a fair distance apart. Tell me the name of the hotel you are interested in and I may be able to comment.

 

The Blue Mountains are nice and the Megalong Valley that meanders between the the mountains with shear cliffs is quite spectacular. The best way of seeing the Blue Mountains is by train. There is a special one day fare and you will see an ever changing landscape on the journey. From the tall buildings of the inner city to inner west back yards, to the tree studded outer suburbs of Sydney. Then the train starts to climb through canyons, past cliffs with shear drops and dense forests. You alight at Katoomba where your tickets are good for the hop on/hop off bus of the area.

 

There are also many bus trips which you will find on the web. Any more questions just ask. Yes, I think the Blue Mountains are worth a visit.

 

Alan

Sydney, Australia

[nanbill47]

We have been looking into staying at the Shangrila. They have different prices for their rooms according to the view. I just was wondering which view is better of course I guess the most expensive is the best. The Blue Mountain train sounds very interesting. Will have to look into that.

[Globaliser]

We have been looking into staying at the Shangrila. They have different prices for their rooms according to the view. I just was wondering which view is better of course I guess the most expensive is the best.

If you have only 4 days in Sydney and you've not been before, I would skip the Blue Mountains on a first trip. There's more than enough to do in Sydney without wasting time hauling up there and back. It would be different if you were there for 4 weeks.

 

At a guess, I'd expect that the Shangri-La's Opera House view rooms are more expensive - that is the classic Sydney view, and what I'd go for given the choice, but only if the price wasn't exorbitant.

[A&G]

Blue Mountains trip is only a day trip. All depends if you are a city person or like to get out and see some countryside and how people live. To me a city is a city, full of sky scrapers anywhere in the world and I like to get out beyond the concrete jungle.

[Jane110]

We have been looking into staying at the Shangrila. They have different prices for their rooms according to the view. I just was wondering which view is better of course I guess the most expensive is the best. The Blue Mountain train sounds very interesting. Will have to look into that.

 

I'm sure they're offering you a harbour view or a opera view - not a Darling Harbour view. As others have stated, the opera house is far from Darling Harbour.

 

Go for the best view in your budget. A view of the Opera House is awesome. Generally, I'm not one to spend alot of extra money for a view, however, in this case, a view of the Opera House is worth it if it's in your price range. However, if the harbour view includes the bridge, that's not too shabby either! ;)

 

The Shangri-La has some of the best views of the harbour. Also great views from their rooftop bar.

 

Jane

[Globaliser]

I'm sure they're offering you a harbour view or a opera view - not a Darling Harbour view. As others have stated, the opera house is far from Darling Harbour.

No, the Shangri-La does have some Darling Harbour view rooms which could disappoint if you don't know what you're getting. See this post for example.

 

Unfortunately, the bar at the top of the hotel seems to have degenerated a bit since management changed hands. The last time I was there, it had the feel of a yuppie pick-up joint, and I've been much less keen to go back to what used to be one of my favourite Sydney watering holes.

 

The restaurant at the top, though, is pretty good. Altitude, I think it's called.

[Jane110]

Globaliser,

 

Thanks for the clarification. I never would have thought that hotel near Circular Quai would have a view of Darling Harbour. Silly me! LOL!

 

Before the hotel was the Shangri-La, it was the ANA and had a pretty terrible reputation in terms of service, so I never went there. On my last trip to Sydney, it had changed management and I meant to walk in and check out the bar. We just never found the time, even though we were staying right next door at the Four Seasons.

 

I haven't selected our Sydney hotel for our upcoming visit to Australia yet. The Four Seasons is quoting prices I'm not happy with so we may not be seeing them again on this trip. :(

 

Jane

[citoman]

Sydney Day Tours- offers a BLUE MOUNTAINS WILDLIFE DAY TOUR WITH RIVER CRUISE for AUD $72 per person

Mount N Beach Safaris- offers a similar tour (4WD Wildlife Discovery (1Day) - BM01)without the river cruise- for AUD $174

Can anyone tell me why such a big difference in price? Has anyone used their services. I would appreciate any comments in helping me decide which of the two companies to use.

Also trying to find a private tour guide that will take our family (5 people) for a one day tour in Sydney. We are also looking at the Gray Line Tours in Sydney but usually prefer to have our own guide.

Thank you

[Globaliser]

Sydney Day Tours- offers a BLUE MOUNTAINS WILDLIFE DAY TOUR WITH RIVER CRUISE for AUD $72 per person

Mount N Beach Safaris- offers a similar tour (4WD Wildlife Discovery (1Day) - BM01)without the river cruise- for AUD $174

Can anyone tell me why such a big difference in price? Has anyone used their services.

I expect that they're very different tours, with a very different staff-to-passenger ratio, and using very different equipment. Have a look at the detailed descriptions of each tour to see what you're getting for your money, but what you've posted already speaks volumes to me.

[Andrea A]

I am also interested in touring the Blue Mountain area as we will have a full day before we meet our group for the 4 day land tour ( 2 in Sydney & 2 in Cairns). Could someone post the sites you obtained the info on re: touring the Blue Mountains and I would also be interested in hearing feedback from someone who did this and if they were happy with the company they used.

Thank you,

Andrea

[Kiwi Kruzer]

We have been looking into staying at the Shangrila. They have different prices for their rooms according to the view. I just was wondering which view is better of course I guess the most expensive is the best. The Blue Mountain train sounds very interesting. Will have to look into that.

 

Here is a link to the web cam on TOP of the Shangri La Hotel.

It is one you can take control of and also has some pre set views.

 

http://www.canon.com.au/misc/webcam_live.html

[jazzmom]

I am researching a Blue Mountain excursion for our post-cruise stay in Sydney. I've found the Blue Mountain Explorer Link which includes the city rail ride to Katoomba and the hop on/off Explorer bus. I also ran into site for another hop on/off Trolley that we can pick up in Katoomba. Does anyone know what the difference is between the Explorer bus and the Trolley? Is one better than the other?

 

Thanks for the input!

[kaseyoz]

. Well worth the day out if you like nature/views rather than citylife.

For any one planning on doing the trip themselves make sure you research the scenic train. I cant for the life recall the exact name but it a place where they have three different trips on offer from the same place.(maybe skyways) it goes from "the three sisters" which is the main blue mountains tourist site. two are cable cars and one is the steepest railway(very short trip couple of minutes) but well worth doing. There are also numerous antique shops around. For me the blue mountains is worht a few days trip but not possible cruising i know

[maxx]

I am researching a Blue Mountain excursion for our post-cruise stay in Sydney. I've found the Blue Mountain Explorer Link which includes the city rail ride to Katoomba and the hop on/off Explorer bus. I also ran into site for another hop on/off Trolley that we can pick up in Katoomba. Does anyone know what the difference is between the Explorer bus and the Trolley? Is one better than the other?

 

Thanks for the input!

I think that the trolley may only be at the Katoomba end, and the Explorer mainly city plus train to Katoomba.

Did you use www.131.com.au ?

[jazzmom]

Thanks for your replies - we are looking forward to seeing views outside of the city.

 

I used the City Rails link - http://www.cityrail.nsw.gov.au/fares/link_tickets.jsp which explains the BlueMountains Explorer link and explorer hop on/off from Katoomba ExplorerBus.com.au, then was on another Blue Mountains visitor site which brought me to the trolley link - http://www.trolleytours.com.au/

 

So I was just wondering if there was any major difference between the two... even though they look to travel the same route. I believe they also both stop at the place where you can catch the skyway as well as the train.

 

Thanks for sharing any information.

[Janman]

It is very easy to go by train out to Katoomba in the Blue Mts. We did this in Sept. and I believe it cost $14 (off peak after 9:00 AM) round trip from Central Station. You can then connect with the Trolley in Katoomba for their hop on, hop off tour. I believe we spent $24 pp for the trip not including admission to the sky tram.

Janet

[stebul]

I highly recommend Getabout 4WD Adventures:

http://www.getabout.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=151

 

This will not be your cheapest option as it runs AU$225 per person including admission fees for the vertical railroad and the sky tour/gondola. Getabout operates mid-size SUVs with no more than 4 customers (in our case it was just two of us with the guide). They will customize the tour for your interests (we did some off road driving, and saw panoramic views of the bush and lush valleys near Lithgow). Our guide, John, was extremely knowledgeable on flora and fauna (I learned more about eucalypts on this tour than I ever thought possible). John also was very knowledgeable on Aboriginal culture, and took us to several archeological sites. The tour lasted over 11 hours, and was worth every dime.

[Sunshine10]

We used Dal Myles this last Sept and were very pleased. They book though Australian Eco Adventures, but are cheaper... that part I never understood..

 

BAT – BLUE MOUNTAINS 4WD ADVENTURE TOUR

Pick up: PARK HYATT

Pickup Time; 7.15 – 7.25AM

Drop off; CIRCULAR QUAY @ APPROX 5.15PM

Date: 26 SEPTEMBER 2005

 

Rate: AUD 158.00 PER ADULT

Total Amount: AUD 316.00

 

We had an excellent time even though it was rainy for most of the day (which made all the Aussies very happy since they needed it). It was a small tour bus and the guide was very knowlegable. Lunch was excellent, the zoo was nice, blue mountains were spectacular, the river cruise (a ferry really) was a perfect way to end the day. We also stopped and had champagne and got to see Kangaroos out in the wild at a small little park which was much better to me than seeing them in captivity.

 

The tour was great to see lots of scenic sights all in one day. If you like meandering through small quaint towns to shop as well, you might not like this type of tour. Fodors forums has really good information on how to do Blue Mountains using the trains from Sydney.

 

Hope this helps.

[NAJNLA]

We just took the Great Sights Blue Mountains Mini Coach - Small Group 24N tour last week. This tour includes hotel pickup, a 1 hour river ferry cruise upriver from Circular Quay (nice views if weather is clear), a 1 hour stop at Featherdale Animal Park (lots of Koalas, Kangaroos, birds, etc., that you can get up close and personal with), box lunch (mediocre at best), mini-bus tour of Blue Mountains (viewing of 3 sisters was non-existent because of fog), long walk in pretty rain forest, short rides on gondola and vertical train (not too exciting), 1 hour stop in Katoomba (typical tourist shops), etc. http://www.greatsights.com.au/tour_details.php?tour=24N Overall, this tour was done very professionally, and the bus driver was very informative and friendly.

 

The animal park was well worth the stop, and the ferry ride upriver was nice, but if you've seen Yosemite, Grand Tetons, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountains Nat'l Park, or any other national forest in the United States, you probably won't find the Blue Mountains themselves very exciting. In retrospect, we would have just taken a ferry cruise upriver and separately visited Featherdale Animal Park.

[BCHappyGal]

We visited the Blue Mountains by renting a car. In my opinion they are well worth the visit. Try saving some money by staying 1 night in the Blue Mountains as there is enough to see there for more than one day.

 

We stayed in a lovely B&B in Laura.

In the Blue Mountains National Park we saw our first wild kangaroos

The 3 sisters

Ride the world's steepest train down into the valley and then walk along the boardwalk to the scenic air tram and ride back to the top of the ridge.

Ride the zig zag railway.

 

Consider picking up a car when you arrive at the airport and head staright to the Blue Mountains. Overnight in the Blue Mountains and sightsee for a day then get back into Sydney the next night.

 

Well worth the visit they were a highlight for us.

[cle1]

We will only be in Sydney for one day, with time restraints. We want to see Blue Mts., and several other sights. Does anyone know of a contact I can make to do this with 2-4 people? Thanks!

Carol:)

[Orlando Vic]

We will only be in Sydney for one day, with time restraints. We want to see Blue Mts., and several other sights. Does anyone know of a contact I can make to do this with 2-4 people? Thanks!

Carol:)

 

Carol,

It takes about 2 hours (each way) to get to Katoomba, without any additional exploration. So you are looking at an all-day trip. I hate to rain on your parade, but you can't do this and see "several other sights."

 

Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Can't you spare more than one day?

[moyaroo]

and if you can't, do not skip sydney for the Blue Mountains. As good as they are a trip to Manly or Tarronga Zoo on the ferry and walking around the rocks and Botanical Gardens (with a quick peak into the Opera House) will take up your day not to mention trying to throw in the semi obligatory trek out to Bondi.