Darling Harbour
If you feel like some fun in Sydney, Darling Harbour is the place to go. Sitting inside Sydney Harbour, west of Sydney Harbour Bridge, it’s a one-of-a-kind destination packed with restaurants, bars, museums, boat cruises and more. It’s the only place where you can learn about Sydney’s rich maritime history, cruise through a penguin enclosure, eat fresh seafood and dance ‘til dawn at a multi-level nightclub.
Darling Harbour
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia
Families can talk to the animals at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, with its resident dugong, sharks, rays and penguins, and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, home to koalas, wombats, kangaroos and crocodiles. Meet the celebrities at Madame Tussauds wax figures museum and learn about all things nautical at the Australian National Maritime Museum. Refuel at one of the more than 160 places to eat and drink around Darling Harbour, from casual cafes to fine dining restaurants and everything in between. You can spend a whole day and night here, and never run out of things to do.
Darling Harbour is also one of Sydney’s best places to stay. The waterfront is lined with hotels ranging from ultra-luxe high rises to family friendly digs and historic boutique properties. That means it’s just a short stroll home once the lights of Vivid Sydney go out.
During Vivid Sydney, the water and the buildings around it are brought to life with a kaleidoscope of coloured lights. It’s creativity, innovation and technology writ large, with a backdrop of laughter and excitement.
How to get there: Sitting just on the edge of the city, there are lots of ways to get to Darling Harbour. The light rail has four stops here: Paddy’s Market, Convention, Exhibition and Pyrmont Bay. Catch a bus to Market, Park, Druitt, Bathurst or Liverpool streets and walk down towards the water. It’s just a short stroll from both Town Hall and Wynyard stations and ferries run regularly from Circular Quay.