This is my fifth time in Sydney, and I have been very busy during the six days I was there. This is luxury travel was there end of May for the VIVID festival, and the weather allowed me to do many outdoor activities ranging from diving, bicycle tour, whale watching, and even a dinner cruise. Read on for a review of what to do in Sydney

 

Get a glimpse of Sydney’s best neighborhoods with a Cycling tour of Sydney

To get my bearings around Sydney, This is Luxury Travel did the blue banana cycling tour. It is a great way to experience Sydney, especially if this is your first trip to Sydney.

Our guide Maddy was amicable. She gave us water and a banana, and we were off on our electric bikes zipping through the city. The blue banana itinerary is excellent because it goes through many exciting areas of Sydney and does it mostly on cycle paths or pedestrian areas. The whole tour lasts about 2.5 hours.

We started in the center near the city hall, went through the botanical garden.

What a feeling to cycle with a view of the bay and the opera house.

After crisscrossing to avoid tourists on the circular quay, we took the harbor bridge to visit Lavender Bay. Beautiful gardens and views point abounded.

We then came back towards Sydney center and darling harbor.

TIP: Wear a long pant and sunscreen. I was unlucky to fall 200 meters before the end of the tour, and I was so happy I was wearing a pant to avoid more scratches.

Cycling through Sydney is a great way to cover a lot of the city in a short amount of time. There is a unique sense of freedom on being on a bike, and I would highly recommend blue banana bike tours.

They keep the group size to a maximum of 6 so that they always feel intimate.

TIP: Get an electric bike. Sydney is a very hilly city. Unless you are an Olympic cyclist, you will need to work hard if you don’t have an electric bike for this tour

For more information about blue banana tour or bookings, click here.

 

What to do in Sydney: A relaxing afternoon on Captain Cook Whale watching cruise

This is Luxury Travel signed up for the Captain Cook whale-watching cruise.

The cruise started at 1:30 pm. The trip usually lasts 3 hours

Captain cook recommended arriving at least 30 minutes before departure time, but they didn’t begin boarding before 1:15, and the waiting area is not that nice, so I wished I had arrived a bit later.

I felt a bit overwhelmed as I boarded the boat as it is massive and that there are a lot of people on board.

TIP: board the boat early to grab a seat upstairs. This is the only outdoor area on the boat.

As we departed and returned Circular quay, we got some fantastic views of the Sydney Bay. What a tremendous city Sydney is from the water!

As we navigated towards the open ocean, an entertaining presenter told everything about humpback whales who can weight an impressive 40 tons.

The whales travel from Antarctica north to the tropics every year to give birth, and that is when they pass through Sydney and the coast of Australia. It will take the mama and her baby about 3-4 months to get back to Antarctica

TIP: There is a big plastic curtain blocking the view. I asked the presenter to remove it, and he kindly did. Our view improved dramatically

Humpback whales spend 7-10 minutes underwater and then come up to take a few breaths. This is our chance to see them. So as soon as you see one, look at your watch, and you know that 7 minutes later you can start looking again.

We saw three whales during our trip and saw dolphins from far away

The captain cook whale watching trip is an affordable and relaxing way to make a whale watching trip. It is a busy boat, and not everyone gets a seat at the window, but it allows watching the whales from a comfortable and stable boat with toilets and a bar. It is a great trip to do on the day that you fly in when you are tired and jetlagged. It is probably the best option for families with elderly and young children.

Whale watching in Sydney is available from May to November

You can find their schedule and book here. 

 

What to do in Sydney: Adrenaline ride on the Ocean extreme whale watching trip

A very different way to encounter the whales is the Ocean Extreme trip. Here, we jump on a small inflatable boat that fits about 20 people. With its 450 horsepower, the ocean extreme boat gets to the watching spots much faster than the traditional boat. The ride felt a lot more exposed than on the big whale watching boat, but it was not as bumpy as I expected

The small size of the ship also means better viewing opportunity and closer encounters with the animals.

Blake, the boat owner, and the captain is passionate about his job and is in close contact with all the other boats to find out where the animals are located. Due to the high speed of the boat, we could zip from places to places and watch as many animals as possible.

On our 2 hours trip, we found a whale, a turtle and spent about 20 minutes with a group of dolphins that were feeding near the boat. What a fantastic way to spend the afternoon!

TIP: the ocean extreme boat doesn’t have a toilet. You also need to bring your own drinks. Wear sunscreen as there is no shade and bring warm clothes. I did the trip on a sunny day, and it was surprisingly cold on the water due to the speed of the boat.

If you are fit and don’t get seasick, Ocean Extreme is a great way to see more marine animals from closer. It is also a shorter trip given that you don’t spend one hour getting back and forth so great if you are on a busy schedule.

You can find more information and book it here

 

What to do in Sydney: Being mesmerized by the Vivid festival of light in Sydney.

The Vivid festival is a festival of lights that takes place every year in May in Sydney.

It is a spectacular time to see the city, as many areas are illuminated with light effects, movies, and interactive sculptures.

The main areas to see the lightings are darling harbor and circular quay.

The most impressive is Circular Quay where the display on the opera house is just stunning. Don’t miss it if you are in Sydney at that time.

Circular quays become very busy during the festival so if you can, avoid the weekend. Plan on walking as most streets leading up to the quay will be closed to car traffic.

The ferries are also very busy.

There are many restaurants on Circular Quay, and the one near the overseas passenger terminal or the Park Hyatt will have a good view of the opera house.

The Park Hyatt is also the best hotel to stay at during Vivid. Click here to compare Sydney’s hotel prices

Another great way to see the light animations is from a boat. This is Luxury Travel did the captain cook Vivid diner.

 

What to do in Sydney: Cruising diner on Captain Cook ship to see the VIVID lights

While the food was not very exciting, it was terrific to cruise and watch the main lighting displays in the city. All this while avoiding the crowd and chaos of circular quays. It provides a better view than the restaurants near the Quay because the boat keeps moving and gives you the best viewing angle.

There is a pianist playing dancing tunes, and a few couples were making good use of the dance floor.

The open deck on the third level of the boat is, in my opinion, the best place on the ship to take in the view. I had the top deck almost to myself as most passengers stay in the main dining area to enjoy the free drinks and entertainment— what a fantastic way to experience Vivid. Between the Harbour bridge and the opera house, it felt very theatrical and I highly recommend the captain cook Vivid diner cruise

TIP: When booking, you can pay a small supplement to guarantee a window table. This is well worth it as the main reason to do this cruise is the view.

For more information and to book the captain cook  ViVid cruise, click here.

Vivid is also a cultural and musical festival. In 2019, bands playing included the Cure, Underworld, Herbie Hancock, and Jonsi. I got the chance to see the cure perform their disintegration album for its 30th anniversary in the Sydney opera house.

Vivid shows usually sell out so if you want to attend next year, make sure you sign up for their waiting list so you know when the tickets will come on sale.

 What to do in Sydney: Scuba diving 

I had a fantastic day diving in Sydney. We encountered over 20 nurses and wobbegong sharks and some seadragons. If you are interested in diving in Sydney, you can read more about it in the diving section here.

Enjoy Sydney!

If you have more time in Australia and want to discover more of this incredible country, do read my articles about Byron Bay, Nightfall in the Lamington National park and Cairns and the great barrier reef.