Where to stay in Sydney

Sydney is the capital of the state of New South Wales and the largest city in Australia.

While originally settled 60,000 years ago, Sydney is the oldest European settlement in Australia, having been established as a British penal colony on 26 January 1788 by Arthur Phillip. This day is now celebrated as Australia Day to mark the establishment of a new nation, although also regarded by many as Invasion Day that marked the beginning of the British appropriation of Aboriginal land. The settlement was named "Sydney" after Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, who was the British Home Secretary at that time.

Getting in

Sydney Airport (SYD) is Australia's busiest airport and the main gateway to eastern Australia. It is 9 km from the City centre in Southern Sydney on the northern shores of Botany Bay. Sydney Airport is the oldest continually operated commercial airport anywhere in the world. There are direct flights to Sydney from all the other inhabited continents, as well as some sight-seeing flights over Antarctica. The main ways to get into the city are by train (about $17 one-way on the Airport & East Hills line), or by taxi ($40-50 to the Rocks).

Getting around

The public transport system consists of train, metro, light rail, ferry, and bus services, and can get you virtually anywhere in the city as well as the outer regions. Public transportation in Sydney can be complicated, even when travelling solely in the CBD and inner suburbs. For short distances in the CBD it can be faster to walk than taking public transport. Smartphone applications such as Google Maps, Citymapper, and TripView use live transit information for all modes of transport are very useful for public transport trips within the Sydney region.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.