Travel around Sydney can be fun, exciting and a must do travel experience for anyone coming to Sydney for the first time.
There are so many options to going around the city. For a tourist, the best way to see the city is either by walking around, which can take a long time, or by public transport. You not only get to see the real Sydney, the main attractions, you will also have a chance to get up and personal with the people of Sydney.
Travel around Sydney using the city’s mass transportation system includes the ferry, train, and bus. These are all safe, cheap, and well maintained transport systems that are very efficient. No third world operation here.
There is a timetable, exact routes (no shortcuts or sudden detours), and fare information that you can easily get in the terminals. Of course, you can also go to the website of Sydney and find the same information just as easily.
Travel around Sydney using buses is fast and easy. Bus tickets are bought on the spot from bus drivers. In some cases, you have to buy the bus ticket in advance. There are day buses which operate from 6 am to 12 midnight. After that night buses come in, but only in certain areas.
Ferries in Sydney also work on set schedules and ticket system is also very organized. The City rail is the train system that can bring you to the suburbs and back to the city. You will usually see local residents on the trains as this is a major source of travel for the working residents who live out of the city.
The metro is the monorail and the light rail. The light rail travels around Sydney’s Central Station to Star City, and is usually open 24 hours. The monorail passes from Darling Harbour and city centre, then around to Chinatown on set times only like 7 am to 11 pm Mondays to Thursdays. While on weekends they stop operation after midnight. Sundays monorail operation is from 8am to 11 pm only.
If you are visiting Sydney for a limited time as a tourist or on business, and plan to use the public transport system as your mode of traveling around Sydney, there is the Sydney Pass. This is a ticket or voucher which you can use to travel using all there forms of public transport on a discounted rate. The pass has three options, a three day pass, a five day pass, and a seven day pass.
Other economy passes are the Day Tripper, TravelTen which is valid for 10 bus trips, Ferry Ten which is the same concept as the TravelTen, Travel Pass, Monorail Day Pass, MetroConnect, and the weekly unlimited Trip Pass.
Before you start to get confused, study your planned itinerary, so you know which pass will work best for you.
If you prefer the luxury of single public transport, taxis are always available, and can easily be flagged down especially in terminals and hotels. Travel around Sydney using a taxi is a little more expensive because they add a surcharge on the meter reading. This is not considered a tip, so if you want to tip your driver, add whatever you feel is earned, although generally, taxi drivers do not expect tips.
