Sydney Travel Guide

Getting There By Air

Flights to Sydney include a number of different scheduled airlines including Qantas, British Airways, Jet Airways, Finnair, Emirates and Cathay Pacific.

Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (SYD)
Tel: (02) 9667 9111.
Website: www.sydneyairport.com.au

Sydney Airport is situated on the northern shoreline of Botany Bay and is Australia's premier gateway.

Airport facilities
Sydney Airport's international terminal (T1) is well equipped with restaurants, cafes, bars and a food hall, as well as information desks, lockers, a health care center, money changing facilities, ATMs, prayer room, showers and two smoking lounges. There are hotel reservation facilities and car hire from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty. Post, fax and photocopying facilities are available at the Australia Post Shop (tel: (02) 9669 1564), while internet kiosks can be found throughout the international terminal. There are also eight airline lounges in terminal one.

Transport to the city
The CityRail Airport Link (tel: 131 500, in Australia only; www.cityrail.info) operates approximately every 10 minutes to and from Central Station, daily from around 0500 to midnight (journey time - 10 to 15 minutes). Taxis to Circular Quay cost A$25-35 and taxis to Central Station cost A$20-30. Kingsford Smith Transport (tel: (02) 9666 9988; www.kst.com.au) operates a bus connecting the airport and central Sydney hotels; bookings for this service are essential.

Approximate flight times to Sydney
From London is approximately 23 hours; from New York 21 hours; from Los Angeles is 13 hours 30 minutes; from Singapore 7 hours 40 minutes and from Toronto is 21 hours 30 minutes.

Getting There By Road

Driving regulations are not uniform across Australia's states and territories, so visitors should be aware that the laws in Sydney might differ from states outside New South Wales. Driving in Australia is on the left and the speed limit outside built-up areas is generally 100kph (62mph) or 110kph (68mph) on freeways. In built-up areas, the speed limit is 50kph (31mph) unless otherwise indicated. The legal driving age in New South Wales is 16 years. Overseas driving licenses are acceptable, although an International Driving Permit is preferred. By law drivers must carry their licenses while driving. Visitors who plan to drive in the more remote outback areas should contact one of Australia's motoring organizations beforehand, to obtain maps and advice on road and weather conditions,as these regions are subject to wet to extreme weather conditions. The Australian Automobile Association (tel: (02) 6247 7311; www.aaa.asn.au) provides further information. The National Roads and Motorists' Association (NMRA) (tel: 131 122, in Australia only; www.mynrma.com.au) also provides information and motoring services.

Emergency breakdown services
NRMA Emergency Breakdown (tel: 131 111).

Routes to the city
The main routes into Sydney are the Hume Highway (heading northeast from Melbourne), the Pacific Highway (south from Brisbane), the scenic Princes Highway (north from Melbourne via the coast) and the Sturt Highway (linking Adelaide on the west coast to Sydney on the east coast).

Driving times to the city
From Melbourne - 11 hours; Brisbane - 13 hours 30 minutes; Adelaide - 18 hours.

Coach services
Greyhound Australia (tel: 1300 473 946, in Australia only; www.greyhound.com.au) is the main operator and offers routes to over 1,100 destinations in Australia including Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide and Melbourne. Buses arrive at and depart from Sydney Coach Terminal, Eddy Avenue.

Getting There By Rail

Train services to Sydney and its surrounding suburbs are reliable but infrequent.

Rail Services
Sydney's Central Station (the main hub), on Eddy Avenue, just south of the city center, is a grand old building lined with newsagents, coffee shops and restaurants, as well as transport and tourist information offices.

Rail Operators
Countrylink (tel: 132 232, in Australia only; www.countrylink.nsw.gov.au) runs the New South Wales rail network. Countrylink provides high-speed XPT trains and XPlorer trains for shorter distances, and links Sydney with Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. These trains are new, modern and comfortable, featuring air conditioning, wheelchair access, buffet and satellite telephones. Rail travel tends to be expensive, although a number of passes are available to overseas visitors. For journeys within Sydney and its surrounding suburbs, check the City Rail site (www.cityrail.info). The Indian Pacific train, operated by Great Southern Railways (tel: 132 147, in Australia only; www.gsr.com.au),runs between Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.

Connections
From Melbourne - 11 hours; Brisbane - 14 hours; Adelaide - 24 hours; Perth - 64 hours.

Getting Around in Sydney, New South Wales

Public Transport

Sydney's public transport system is well developed, efficient and cheap. The Transport Infoline (tel: 131 500, in Australia only; www.131500.com.au) provides route, timetable and fare information for all buses, ferries and trains. State Transit (tel: 131 500, in Australia only; www.sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au) operates Sydney's buses. Sydney Ferries (tel: 131 500, in Australia only; www.sydneyferries.nsw.gov.au) runs the commuter ferry network that criss-crosses Sydney Harbour. CityRail (tel: 131 500, in Australia only; www.cityrail.info) operates the network of trains between the suburbs and the city. Numerous money-saving passes are available, including the SydneyPass (www.sydneypass.info), which allows unlimited travel on public buses, harbor ferries, the Sydney Explorer bus and the Bondi Explorer bus. The color-coded TravelPass, valid for one week or more, allows unlimited travel on public transport within a designated area. A DayTripper pass is valid for travel on all regular buses, ferries and metropolitan area trains. A TravelTen bus pass is valid for 10 bus journeys. A FerryTen ticket is valid for 10 ferry trips.

Taxis

Taxis run on meters, with a 20% surcharge added between 2200-0600. Tipping is not expected, although fares are generally rounded up to the nearest dollar. Operators include Taxis Combined Services (tel: 133 300, in Australia only or (02) 8332 8888) and Premier Cabs (tel: 131 017, in Australia only).

Driving in the City

Sydney drivers are renowned for their speed and intolerance and parking is invariably difficult and/or expensive. Also, many of Sydney's motorways are tolled and most of them are fully electronic; you will have to arrange a pass before or shortly after your trip - see www.rta.nsw.gov.au for details.

Car Hire

The minimum age for hiring a car is often 25 years. Minimum third-party insurance is required. Recommended car hire firms include Avis (tel: (02) 9353 9033 or 136 333, in Australia only; www.avis.com.au), Budget (tel: 1300 362 848 or 132 727, in Australia only; www.budget.com.au), Hertz (tel: 1800 550 067 or 133 039, in Australia only; www.hertz.com.au) and Thrifty (tel: 1300 367 277; www.thrifty.com.au).

Bicycle Hire

Sydney's many steep hills make cycling a challenge. Manly has better paths for cycling but best of all is the popular Centennial Park. Recommended bike hire companies include Centennial Park Cycles, 50 Clovelly Road, Randwick (tel: (02) 9398 5027; www.cyclehire.com.au), and Inner City Cycles, 151 Glebe Point Road (tel: (02) 9660 6605; www.innercitycycles.com.au).