Slow Travel III 2008

The idea of staying 12 days in Sydney came to me from reading the account of two trips by a German couple who went to Australia twice, 30 days each time, practically always in Sydney and its surrounds. The account of the trip is on the following site: For general information we also suggest seeing the following site: The first night we took an apartment at 38 College Street, on Hyde Park, arriving at the address around 9 in the evening and relying on some directions given on the internet (which turned out to be a con (the offer was 130 AUD, the real price 213 AUD; the apartment, all the same, was worth every cent). In our movements, Hyde Park and the 4 streets connected to it were our reference points: to the west of the park, Elizabeth Street and its parallel (after two cross streets) George St, where we slept for 4 nights at no.

635 in the Pensione Hotel (to the east College St with the Australian Museum and St Mary's Cathedral; to the south Liverpool St, linked to the west with Darling Harbour, where the Aquarium, the ATS, the Maritime Museum and the Fish Market are, and just below Liverpool St the Chinese Garden and the Exhibition Centre. To the east Liverpool St connects to Darlinghurst, where we slept for 7 nights at the Altamont Hotel (125 AUD). Perpendicular to Hyde Park, to the north, is Macquarie St, which leads as far as Circular Quay, from where the boats leave for Taronga Zoo, Manly and numerous destinations of the tourist's choice, with which for a few coins you can take little cruises. On Macquarie St are the Parliament of NSW and the State Library. Near the latter, the Art Gallery. Continuing, you can enter the Royal Gardens (free entry, 7-17) and visit Government House.

In Chinatown there is Market City or Haymarket, spread over three floors, where you can buy things at good prices, the same as the famous Paddy's Market that opens from Thursday to Sunday on the ground floor of the building. I haven't mentioned the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, which are close to Circular Quay and are also far too photographed and remembered. A frequently visited museum, next to the Haymarket, is the Powerhouse Museum. Sydney's surrounds are easy to visit; a day at Taronga Zoo and one in Manly, if the weather is good, guarantee pleasant moments. The famous Bondi beach, nothing exceptional, can be reached on foot from the centre following Oxford Street and Bondi Street. On the way back you can walk along Rose Bay, Double Bay and Elizabeth Bay. The full circuit is twenty kilometres and takes 5 hours of walking, but it's worth it.

The last three days of our stay, taking advantage of the mild weather and the sun, we spent respectively in Parramatta, in the Blue Mountains and resting and shopping. Parramatta can be reached not only by ferry but also by train, bus and metro. The ferry ride is certainly the most rewarding for the tourist, and I saw someone who limited themselves to that without disembarking. That was a mistake, because they could have got to know a quiet little town, visited the farms and the park. The next day we went by train to the Blue Mountains. On the last day, after carefully photographing the trees we had grown most attached to, we went and spent the leftover dollars at Myer (corner of Market St and George St) and in the shops where we had seen interesting souvenirs.

For the tourist who doesn't want to change money, remember that the taxi ride to the airport costs 35 AUD and that duty-free items can also be bought at the airport.