Travelling To Sydney | About Sydney | Best Time To Visit | Travelling Australia | Vistitor Information About Australia

Public Transport: Sydney's public transport system is a combination of rail, bus and ferry services operated by the state government. Though often criticized by the locals when it is pushed to the limit during peak hours, it offers access to all the popular tourist spots and more, and visitors can get around quickly, easily and cheaply and safely, partcularly between the hours of 9am and 5pm.

Rail: Sydney's city and suburban areas are serviced by a railway network operated by City Rail that is pushed to the limit at peak times, but operates efficiently at other times. Train services across the metropolitan area run from around 5am (7am Sunday) until around midnight seven days a week on 11 lines which operate along and out of six major rail corridors. Some NightRider bus services operate outside of those hours. Later services also operate out of the city on Friday and Saturday nights. 
Sydney Central Station serves as the hub for the suburban rail network and the connection point with regional and interstate rail services, though the stations on the underground inner city loop (Town Hall, Wynyard, Circular Quay, Museum and St James) are the entry and exit points in the central business district. Central Station is also the terminus for interstate coach services.

Ferry: Sydney Ferries operates ferry services on Sydney Harbour along nine routes, all of which terminate at Circular Quay in the city. Ferries will take you to many parts of the harbour, as well as up the Parramatta River to Parramatta. In addition to ferries, there are harbour cruises run by various operators, and water taxis.

Light rail: Sydney has only one light rail service which departs from Central Station and passes through Haymarket, Darling Harbour, Star City Casino, Sydney Fish Markets and the inner western suburbs of Glebe, Leichhardt and Lilyfield. A monorail service operates in a loop which incorporates Central Station, the city's main shopping area and Darling Harbour.

Bus: Buses serve most suburbs, including some with rail and ferry services. Many operate on routes which terminate in the Sydney Central Business District (CBD), other services connect to terminals at major shopping centres, suburban railway stations, or ferry wharves, where connections can be made either by bus, rail or ferry to the CBD.

Taxi: Sydney taxis are numerous and easy to spot. Cabs often wait in designated ranks that are clearly signposted at central locations like major hotels in the CBD, or busy spots such as major shopping areas. You can also hail a taxi in the street - if the rooftop light is illuminated, it means the taxi is available for hire - or book a taxi by telephone.
Fares and surcharges: Taxi meters are clearly visible, so you can keep check of your fare. From 10pm to 6am higher tariffs apply. A $3.00 airport toll is payable by all passengers taking a taxi from any of Sydney Airport's taxi ranks.

Transport to and from the Airport: a fleet of shuttle buses operate between the International and Domestic Terminals of Sydney Airport and the major hotels in the City. Outlying centres like Wollongong and Campbelltown have their own shuttle bus services. The Airport Link rail line connects Sydney Airport with the city. All services depart from platform 23 at Central Station. Operating 24 hours a day, there are seven services every hour to and from the city throughout the day, with a minimum of 4 trains every hour between 9pm until 4am. The Domestic and International Terminals both have their own stations which are easily accessible from within the terminals. Airport Link tickets can be purchased at any Airport Link or City Rail station.

Special travel passes and services for visitors

See Sydney Attractions Pass: offers admission to over 40 attractions including museums, galleries, wildlife parks, historic houses, tours and cruises, all for the one price. Shopping and entertainment offers are also included, and discounted travel for an extra cost.  
If you’d like to take your time and sample the best of Sydney the Five in One Attractions Pack is ideal. You get 5 tickets to attraction experiences and you still have a whole 3 months from purchase to use your pass. There are 20 attraction experiences to choose from. More >>

Sydney Explorer: This is your passport to the city, offering unlimited travel in air-conditioned buses to Sydney's biggest and best tourist attractions. Hop on and off anywhere along the Sydney Explorer route. Phone 131 500

Bondi Bay Explorer: For great sights, great shops and great surf, you can't beat the Bondi Bay Explorer, which travels to the eastern suburbs beaches. You have unlimited flexibility – jump on and off as you please. Phone 131 500

Sydney Multi day Travel Pass: available for 3, 5 or 7 days with unlimited travel on Sydney Buses, Sydney Ferries and CityRail services in and around the city. Get your Sydney Pass from a bus, ferry or rail ticket office or on board the Explorer buses.

Suggested Travel Itineraries: self drive, walks, guided tours and public transport


Self Drive: these days Sydney's road system is often congested in daylight hours, particularly during peak hours, and visitors to Sydney are advised to travel outside of peak hours where possible.
Sydney and many of its suburbs have coin-operated parking metres and paid car parks, but parking in the city centre is deliberately expensive to deter people from driving into the city and parking when they could use public transport. The use of sydney's bus, train and ferry services to get in and out of the city centre is highly recommended.
If you are an overseas visitor, a driver’s licence from your home country will usually suffice for up to three months in Australia, as long as it has photo identification and it’s for the same class of vehicle you intend to drive. If you’re staying more than three months, you’ll need to get a NSW drivers licence.
Map of Sydney's Main Roads, Freeways and Tollways

Vehicle purchase, a cheap way to see Australia
Purchasing an older vehicle is a viable option to renting one, thanks to websites like Cars 4 Backbackers or Travellers Auto Barn which provide a useful service for travellers wishing to take up this travel option. Travellers can purchase a cheap car, campervan, station wagon and 4wd through the website, and when they have finished with it when they are ready to leave Australia, they simply sell it back or advertise it on the website and sell it to another traveller seeking their own set of wheels during this visit to Australia.

You can begin your search for a vehicle even before you arrive in Australia, including putting down a deposit to secure that vehicle for the day you arrive. No hassles... No worries! 
You have the option of buying a vehicle from an unlimited number of private sellers who can list for free, or from Travellers Auto Barn, who has sold over 30,000 vehicles to backpackers since 1993. 
All vehicles bought through Travellers Auto Barn come with 3 day money back guarantee, 5000km engine/ gear box warranty and a guaranteed buyback from six Australia wide locations Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Perth and Melbourne. All campervans and wagons come with the ability to sleep in the vehicle ... meaning big savings on your accommodation budget. There is no cheaper way to travel Australia.
Check out what vehicles are available at the time you want to travel by using the search engine on this page.

Tollways: Sydney has a number of roads that were built to afford faster travel by vehicle around Sydney than on normal roads, but a toll must be paid. These tollways are mainly cashless, meaning that drivers must purchase an electronic tag and operate an account before using these roads. Every time you enter a tollway, your account is charged. If you do not have an E-tag but use a tollway, you can pay the prescribed fee online within 48 hours of using a tollway with no administrative fee being charged. If you are from another state and you have an E-tag for use in your home state, chances are your E-tag will work on Sydney's tollways. Check with you E-tag provider to confirm this before travelling on Sydney's tollways.
The toll roads in Sydney are the M2, M4, M5, and M7, the Lane Cove Tunnel, Falcon Street Gateway, Eastern Distributor, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tunnel and the Cross City Tunnel, which together form a ringroad system know as the Sydney Orbital Network. These are the only tollways in Sydney. Find out more about Sydney toll roads and motorways on the RTA website.
Buying and using an E-tag has proved to be quite a hassle for many visitors to the city (and lots of locals too!), and as one can get around without using tollways, you may find it easier to put up with the inconvenience of slower driving than the hassle of using tollways. In some instances, peak hour traffic on tollways moves slower than it does on nearby ordinary roads, so tollways are not always the quicker option.

Sydney's Orbital network: a ringroad network from the city centre via the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel which encircles the city through the outer suburbs. It is made up of ten
expressways, freeways, tollways and other main roads. The motorways are owned and operated by private operators (except for the Sydney Harbour Bridge) and a toll is charged for its use unless drivers enter and exit a section of the network between toll collection points. 
How you pay the toll and how much the toll is depends on which motorway you use, and how often you use it. The newer motorways are fully electronic. The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Harbour Tunnel are completely cash free. This means you need an E-tag. Purchase an E-tage online




Sydney Travellers' Guide has been compiled from material supplied to us, and all information is published as information only. The publishers are not responsible for its accuracy and inclusion of information about travel and holiday destinations within Australia on this site or other sites linked to it does not constitute any representation or offer by the businesses, services or organisations contained therein, nor are the views or opinions expressed therein necessarily those of this
Sydney For Everyone is published by Stephen Yarrow © Stephen Yarrow 2010 | Email us