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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Best of Sydney
With its shimmering harbor, graceful waterside opera house, and majestic bridge, Sydney is the glittering jewel of the Southern Hemisphere—and Condé Nast Traveler readers' perennial favorite city. Australia's largest metropolis may just have it all: a dazzling and cosmopolitan urban center, great cultural institutions, world-class beaches, and plenty of friendly locals—all of which more than justifies a trek across half the globe.
Attractions & Activities One of the best ways to get your bearings is to take a boat ride on the famed harbor, which divides Sydney into northern and southern halves. Harboursights Cruises boats depart from Circular Quay, on the southern shore, and the tours last at least an hour. The diva of the show is the city's icon: the Sydney Opera House, Danish architect Jørn Utzon's multistage performance venue whose unmistakable roofline mimics the sailboats floating past (61-2-9250-7111; sydneyoperahouse.com). Another star attraction is the arched Sydney Harbour Bridge, the world's widest long-span bridge. After you see it from the water, you can get a workout—and a breathtaking view—by mounting it on a BridgeClimb, scaling the landmark's catwalks, ladders, and supports for at least two hours (61-2-8274-7777; bridgeclimb.com.au). For a bird's-eye 360-degree view of the harbor and much of the city, ascend to the observation deck of the needlelike Sydney Tower and gaze down at the world 820 feet below (61-2-9223-1341; sydneytower.com.au). Most travelers come to Sydney as part of a larger trip to other parts of Australia, particularly the Great Barrier Reef and the Outback, which have only-Down Under critters in finny and furry profusion. For a meet-and-greet of the country's famed fauna without leaving town, two institutions fit the bill. At the Sydney Aquarium, in Darling Harbour, more than 11,500 aquatic creatures—including schools of neon-colored tropical fish to rival the cast of Finding Nemo—swim around in tanks. Walk through the submerged glass tube while sharks, stingrays, and turtles glide by overhead (61-2-8251-7800; sydneyaquarium.com.au). On the other side of the harbor, a quick ferry ride from Circular Quay, is the Taronga Zoo, home to more than 2,600 individuals, from kookaburras to giraffes. Here, you can pose for photos with natives such as koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies (61-2-9969-2777; zoo.nsw.gov.au). Sydney long ago shook off the "convict stain" of its 18th-century origins as a British penal colony. But this history plays a vital part in the city's and nation's identity today, as many Australians can trace their lineage back to these original settlers, most of them non-violent petty criminals shipped overseas from swelling English jails. The Hyde Park Barracks Museum, in central Sydney, gives a crash course in this chapter of Sydney's past—from the building's 1817 beginnings as housing for male prisoners to its roles as immigration depot, poorhouse, and government offices. Artifacts include archaeological finds such as an 1844 letter, stitched in needlepoint, informing a mother that her convict son had died here (61-2-8239-2311; hht.net.au). The Australian Museum, on College Street, on the eastern side of central Sydney's Hyde Park, goes even farther back in time, showcasing the history of Australia's native Aborigines. On Sundays, the native group Yidaki Didg and Dance showcases centuries-old performance traditions to the hypnotic strains of the yidaki, or didgeridoo, the famed Aboriginal instrument (61-2-9320-6000; amonline.net.au). Lodging Sydney's best hotels equal any in the world, and four have earned a place on Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List. The Four Seasons, near the Botanic Gardens, has guest rooms with contemporary silk and mahogany appointments and Harbour Bridge and Opera House views. At the Park Hyatt, a low-rise in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge, the rooms are done in taupe, navy, and cream. In a high-rise across from Hyde Park, the Sheraton on the Park makes a good base for sightseeing. And the architecturally impressive Westin is made up of a modern tower and a Victorian building that was once the general post office. The Blue hotel shares the converted early-twentieth-century Finger Wharf, which juts into Woolloomooloo Bay, with marinas, swank apartments, and good restaurants. Once past the boys with their headsets welcoming guests on the sidewalk, you're inside a cavern of iron girders and worn timbers. The 100 guest rooms—snappily turned out in blue, brown, and white—are arranged along either side of the cavern, like staterooms on an ocean liner: Portside quarters face parkland and city skyscrapers, starboard rooms naval docks and hillside apartments. More than just a 31-room hotel, Establishment is a clutch of bars, a fancy restaurant, and a subterranean nightclub housed in two circa 1890 commercial buildings near the Australia Stock Exchange. With its anonymous entrance down a back alley, it's reminiscent of a club but without the usual dull decor. Contrasting textures include rough walls and shiny doors, short-pile carpet and terrazzo tiles, and limestone, suede, cord velvet, chenille, and silk in sand, cream, beige, greige, and sage, with flashes of fuchsia or bronze. While the big hotels have staked their claim in the city, venturing out a bit farther yields some gems. A 15-minute walk from the heart of Sydney is Potts Point, full of leafy streets, smart restaurants, and casual cafés. At 8 Challis Avenue, Simpsons of Potts Point began life in 1892 as a mansion, and its glory has been recaptured with an imaginative restoration of the grand halls, stained glass windows, and 12 spacious guest rooms. Across the road, the café at the Maisonette Hotel is first-rate, with Parisian style and a sunny outlook. The hotel's 22 rooms are refurbished, basic, and fantastically priced. The DeVere Hotel is a former apartment block on Macleay Street, one of Sydney's most fashionable avenues. The trendsetting suburb of Darlinghurst has two of the city's best small, contemporary hotels. The Medusa is a grand late-19th-century Victorian residence with 17 luxurious rooms and kitchenettes. The 40-room Kirketon is equally stylish. Both have superior linens and stereos, and as a bonus, some of the city's most popular cafés and restaurants are a block away. Dining Take in the bridge and harbor views from Guillaume at Bennelong, at the Sydney Opera House. Chef Guillaume Brahimi dazzles with modern French fare and fresh local produce. Experience it in the signature basil-infused tuna with mustard seed and soy vinaigrette. The passion fruit soufflé is worth the calories. Travelers rarely get to dine in a national treasure, and affordably at that (61-2-9241-1999; entrées, $29–$70). At scenic Jones Bay Wharf, within sight of the Harbour Bridge, the 140-seat Flying Fish brings inner-city buzz to what is basically a large wooden warehouse. As the name suggests, the menu is piscatorial: The indoor tank is aswim with everything from Northern Territory mud crabs to Tasmanian crayfish; the oysters are live until you order them; and the tapas-style raw platter is a joy to behold (19-21 Pirrama Rd.; 61-2-9518-6677; entrées, $29–$34). In the Hilton Sydney, Glass Brasserie offers a distinctively Australian take on the classic French brasserie (488 George St.; 61-2-9265-6068; entrées, $29–$32). In a subterranean city-center location, Peter Conistis' ultramodern Omega aims to prove that modern Greek cuisine can thrill even the most jaded palette. An excellent case in point is the anchovy baklava, a combination of white figs, sardines, fennel—and of course anchovies and wafer-thin phyllo pastry—that is geometric in presentation and mouthwatering in execution. The real fun, though, comes with dessert. Turn down the Nothing and White Chocolate Sorbet at your peril (161 King St.; 61-2-9223-0242; entrées, $26–$30). On Bondi Beach, Icebergs Dining Room and Bar is so close to the water that it seems to hover just above the swimmers and surfers. The Mediterranean menu is uncomplicated, with such classic appetizers as prosciutto with melon and spaghettini puttanesca with green olives. Among the main courses, try the more inventive flathead fish with Tunisian pumpkin, the calamari with chorizo, or the sea salt-encrusted rib eye (1 Notts Ave.; 61-2-9365-9000; entrées, $30–$37). In the hipster neighborhood of Surry Hills, industrial warehouses are being converted into arty new dining spaces. Housed in the original Paramount Pictures building, Lo Studio's generous white dining room sweeps in a seductive Art Deco curve, with dark chocolate banquettes beneath brass-trimmed antique windows. Behind the kitchen's glass panels, one of Sydney's most inventive chefs, Danny Russo, developed a style best described as New Italian-Australian fusion. Think seared Tasmanian scallops with fennel, fresh crab, and mascarpone tortellini, and barramundi slow-cooked in parchment with cherry tomatoes (53-55 Brisbane St.; 61-2-9212-4118; entrées, $24–$27). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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