Top 10 Day Trips from Sydney, Australia: Short Getaways from Sydney

Sydney! The most famous city in Australia with dazzling beaches, mesmeric adventure activities, excellent city view, fantastic climate all year round, and many more. Though it is not the capital city of Australia, Sydney is the first thing that strikes our mind when thinking of Australia. Absolutely! Sydney is the 1st traveler choice to visit while you are planning a trip to Australia. Here see the list of best day trips from Sydney and don’t miss out on the places while you plan a trip to Sydney.

10 Best Places to Visit from Sydney

Blue Mountains National Park
Manly Beach
The Hunter Valley
Hawkesbury River
Jervis bay
Royal National Park
Kiama
Port Stephens
Southern Highlands
Wollongong

1. Blue Mountains National Park

The entrance to the Blue Mountains is the towns of Katoomba and Leura. The distance from Katoomba is 2.4 km whereas from Leura is 4.6 km. The Best way to reach the Blue Mountain is to take a train from Sydney Central Station to Katoomba, it will take approximately 2 hours journey. If you are planning to visit the Scenic World in the Blue Mountain, be ready to see the Scenic Walkway, the Scenic Cableway, the Scenic Skyway, and the Scenic Railway. The Scenic Walkway feels like a Jurassic Park you were visiting a hundred million years ago. Scenic Cableway Ride is a 510-meter journey, and the Scenic Railway is the most thrilling ride that goes down into the valley at a 52º inclined position.

Three sisters, best day trips from Sydney — Image source: Unsplash

The landmark and the iconic visitor attraction in Blue Mountain are the three sisters and Echo point. The three sister stones are, ‘Meehni’, ‘Wimlah’, and ‘Gunnedoo’, who were tribe members of Katoomba. A witch doctor turned the three sisters into stones to protect themselves from any harm from the tribal battle. He thought to turn the three sisters into their original humans after the battle would have ended. But before the ending of the battle, the witch doctor died. As a result, he could not return the ladies to their former identity. Thus, the sister remains as a magnificent rock height of 922, 918, 906, the reminder of that generation battle. Echo Point is the best tourist spot as it offers the major sight view of the three sisters.

Blue mountain, day trips from Sydney — Image source: Unsplash

2. Manly Beach

Manly Beach! A perfect place for a day trip from Sydney with golden sand, bright blue waters, sunny shopping streets, and seaside cafes. Manly is super easy to access from the city where it takes only 30 minutes to drive from the road. To make it a magical morning, I highly recommend you to watch the sunrise on the manly beach and watch the sunset at Manly Wharf. Manly beach is alongside Shelley beach where you can enjoy snorkelling and have a cocktail at the boathouse. You can hike over a north head to get a fantastic view of the city.

Manly Beach, day trips from Sydney — Image source: Unsplash

3. The Hunter Valley

It takes about 2 hours from Sydney to Cessnock, the place where “The Hunter Valley” is located. Hunter Valley is not only meant for wineries as there is much more to do with the place. Hunter Valley’s horses offer you a horse-drawn carriage tour. A number of companies operate in the Hunter Valley which includes hot air balloons and helicopter tours. You can enjoy the day trip from Sydney wherein balloon tour and helicopter tour you can experience the ultimate vineyard view to the fullest.

The Hunter Valley, day trips from Sydney — Image source: iStock

4. Hawkesbury River

Hawkesbury River! One of the best places to visit on your day trip with numerous activities. It is the place where children want to spend their time extra. Engage in activities from boating, river cruise, fishing, kayaking, and houseboat holidays. It is absolutely a perfect place for a weekend escape. They offer various types of houseboats that suit different budgets for hire so that you can explore the whole river in boating. Kayaking is a fantastic activity to enjoy the river, you can also hire this and some other adventurous water sports like waterskiing, wakeboarding, and tubing. The long cruise river tour offers you the cheapest includes several stops in various locations to explore and return to the cruise.

Hawkesbury River kayaking, best day trips from Sydney — Image source: Pexels

5. Jervis Bay

The white sand beach is less than 3 hours from Sydney where you can explore the best day trips. There are many places to stay and enjoy the visit from caravan parks, seaside cottages, holiday homes, cave beaches, and beachside campgrounds. You can see all your favorite water sports here such as scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding. Go for dolphin and whale watching while this place is built as a summer weekend spot.

Jervis Bay, best day trips from Sydney — Image source: iStock

6. Royal National Park

The Coastal Walk hiking in the Royal National Park is an open spot for walking exposed to the sandstone cliff. Go with sunscreen, a hat, hiking boots, and a bottle full of water. If you planned for a night’s stay there, a campfire is allowed with pre-booking accommodation. There are beaches on the coast track which are easily accessible and best suited for surfing. In the middle of hiking, it is worth taking a break. Chill on the beaches or do surfing. You can also go cycling and the best part in Royal National Park is Figure Eight Pool which is a very very very risky thing to do because waves are always washing and dragging into the ocean where you can enjoy seeing the low to high tides with the pretty sound.

Also read: Explore the history and culture of Sydney

Royal National Park, best day trips from Sydney — Image source: iStock

7. Kiama

Kiama means “sea makes the noise”. The place has many things to do and also various spots to visit. Your visit is incomplete when you miss visiting the Blowhole, a natural wonder thousand of visitors come to this spot every year. Then “Seven Mile Beach” is 30 minutes from the south of Kiama. That is a less populated beach where you can feel the tickling toes to the sand and relax. Pilots Cottage Museum is also one of the best places to visit in Kiama to discover the maritime. Also, you can spend time visiting various spots in Kiama like Surf Beach, Kiama Golf Course, Bombo Beach, Kiama Lighthouse, and Bombo Headland.

Kiama, best day trips from Sydney — Image source: Unsplash

8. Port Stephens

Port Stephens is the best family getaway in Sydney. Catching a train from Central Station Sydney to Hamilton takes 2.5 hours journey and a bus from Hamilton to Shoal Bay Road takes 1.5 hours to reach Nelson Bay. Go for sandboarding, do enjoy Quad biking, swim with sharks and stingrays, go swimming with wild dolphins. Enjoy whale watching, camel rides, horse rides, and many more activities offered in Port Stephens. You can also hire your own boat in Nelson Bay to go scuba diving, paddle boarding, or Kayaking. In addition, you can discover the Champagne Spa and wellness retreats in Port Stephens.

9. Southern Highlands

The best day trip place in Sydney, comprising of many villages and a great escape trip from city life. The top attractions in Southern Highlands are Bradman Museum & International Cricket Hall of Fame, Red fort park, many vineyards, Fairy Bower Falls, Mary Poppin statue, the Corbett Gardens, Belmore Falls, and the Milk Factory Gallery & Exhibition Space. You can even spend 2 to 3 days here and explore every place in Southern Highlands.

10. Wollongong

Wollongong is a beautiful place to spend your holiday vacation to the fullest. With great weather, fantastic beaches, multicultural people mixed together, and a relaxed lifestyle. It takes from Sydney to Wollongong about less than 1 hour 30 minutes to reach. Being a coastal city, Wollongong has many more to offer than you expected. Explore Helensburgh tunnel tour for an underground visit and take a helicopter flight to enjoy the city view to the fullest. You can even go sky diving and land on the beach.

Wollongong, best day trips from Sydney — Image source: Unsplash

Excited to plan a day trip from Sydney? What are you waiting for?
Check out our pre-packaged Sydney tour packages and Australia tour packages offered at Pickyourtrail and choose the one that suits you the best. Also, you can customize your own Sydney itinerary according to your likes and preferences. See you soon on your next trip!