Sydney Travel Guide

By Plane

Sydney International Airport is 8km (5 miles) from the city center. Free shuttle buses link the international and domestic terminals. In both terminals, you'll find luggage carts, wheelchairs, a post office (open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm), mailboxes, currency exchange, duty-free shops (including one before you go through Customs on arrival, selling alcohol and perfume), restaurants, bars, stores, showers, luggage lockers, a Baggage Held Service for larger items, ATMs, and tourist information desks. You can rent mobile phones in the international terminal. There is also a Sydney Visitors Centre bookings desk (tel. 02/9667 6050) offering cheap deals on hotels, as well as car rental, phone cards, and maps and brochures. Here you can also buy the SydneyPass. The airport is efficient, has extremely strict quarantine procedures -- you must declare all food -- and is completely nonsmoking. On arrival, pick up a copy of Sydney The Official Guide, from the rack just before passport control, which contains tear-out discount tickets for some of Sydney's major attractions. Luggage trolleys are free to use in the international arrival terminal but cost A$4 (US$3/UK£1.50) outside departure terminals (you'll need coins). Tip: Duty-free alcohol and perfumes are available on arrival in Sydney from an international flight. You can take two bottles of standard alcohol through Customs without declaring them.

Getting into Town

The Airport Link connects the international and domestic airports to the city stations of Central, Museum, St. James, Circular Quay, Wynyard, and Town Hall. You'll need to change trains for other Sydney stations. Unfortunately, the line has no dedicated luggage areas and, because it's on a scheduled route into the city from the suburbs, it gets very crowded during rush hours (approximately 7-9am and 4-6:30pm). If you have lots of luggage and you're traveling into the city at these times, it's probably best to take an airport bus or a taxi. Otherwise walk to the end of the platform, and there should be more room onboard. There are elevators at the Airport Link stations and some at the city train stations (but the crowds and lack of staff and signs mean you'll probably end up lugging it all up loads of steps anyway). The train takes 10 minutes to reach the Central Railway Station and continues to Circular Quay. Trains leave every 15 minutes or so and cost A$13 (US$10/UK£5) one-way for adults and A$8.80 (US$7/UK£4.40) for children. Round-trip tickets are only available if you really hate Sydney and want to return to the airport on the same day. Ask at the ticket office about group tickets, and Family Fare tickets which allow a second child, or more, to travel for free with an adult. (The first child pays the standard child fare.)

Sydney Airporter coaches operate to the city center from bus stops outside the terminals every 15 minutes. This service will drop you off (and pick you up) at hotels in the city, Kings Cross, and Darling Harbour. Pickups from hotels require at least 3 hours advance notice (tel. 02/9666 9988; www.kst.com.au). You can book online. Tickets cost A$10 (US$8/UK£5) one-way and A$17 (US$14/UK£7) round-trip from the International Terminal and A$12 (US$9.60/UK£6) one-way and A$20 (US$16/UK££8) round-trip from the Domestic Terminal. The return portion can be used any time in the future.

Both short-term and long-term parking are available at both terminals. An example is a 4-day stay at the Domestic terminal, which costs A$79 (US$63/UK£39).

A taxi from the airport to the city center costs about A$30 (US$24/UK£12) total. In 2006 a A$2 (US$1.60/UK55p) surcharge was added to taxi fares from the airport. An expressway, the Eastern Distributor, is the fastest way to reach the city from the airport. There's a A$4.50 (US$3.60/UK£1.80) toll from the airport to the city (the taxi driver pays the toll and adds the cost to your fare), but there is no toll to the airport. A 10% credit card charge applies. The flag-fall rate is A$2.90 (US$2.30/UK£1.15) and a booking fee (not necessary at the airport) is A$1.50 (US$1.20/UK60p).

Taxi Savvy -- Especially in busy periods, taxi queues can be long, and drivers may try to cash in by insisting you share a cab with other passengers in line at the airport. Here's the scam: After dropping off the other passengers, the cabdriver will attempt to charge you the full price of the journey, despite the fact that the other passengers paid for their sections. You certainly won't save any money sharing a cab if this happens, and your journey will be a long one. If you are first in line in the taxi stand, the law states that you can refuse to share the cab. Taxi drivers obviously like a tip, but there is no requirement to do so. If you've had good service then 10% extra on top of the fare is enough.

By Train

Central Station (tel. 13 15 00 for CityRail, or 13 22 32 for Countrylink interstate trains) is the main city and interstate train station. It's at the top of George Street in downtown Sydney. All interstate trains depart from here, and it's a major CityRail hub. Many city buses leave from neighboring Railway Square for places like Town Hall and Circular Quay.

By Bus

Greyhound coaches operate from the Sydney Coach Terminal (tel. 02/9212 1500), on the corner of Eddy Avenue and Pitt Street, bordering Central Station.

By Cruise Ship

Cruise ships dock at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in The Rocks, opposite the Sydney Opera House, or in Darling Harbour if The Rocks facility is already occupied.

By Car

Drivers enter Sydney from the north on the Pacific Highway, from the south on the M5 and Princes Highway, and from the west on the Great Western Highway.