Home › Travel Guides › Oceania Travel Guide › Australia › New South Wales › Sydney › Travel to Sydney
Image gallery
Video gallery

Sydney Opera House

© 123rf.com / Rorem

++1100
Sydney Local time

Weather in Sydney
Occ Light Rain
2
8
°C
Australia

Travel to Sydney

Flying to Sydney

Flights to Sydney from the UK are numerous and include Qantas, British Airways, Jet Airways, Finnair, Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, Etihad, THAI and Cathay Pacific. Cheap flights to Sydney are available in the winter months, between June-August. Airfares are at their highest during the summer between December and March.

Flight times: 

From London - 23 hours; New York - 21 hours; Los Angeles - 13 hours 30 minutes; Singapore - 7 hours 40 minutes; Toronto - 21 hours 30 minutes.

Travel by road

Summary:

Driving regulations are not uniform across Australia's states and territories, so visitors should be aware that the laws in Sydney might differ from states outside New South Wales.

Driving in Australia is on the left and the speed limit outside built-up areas is generally 100kph (62mph) or 110kph (68mph) on freeways. In built-up areas, the speed limit is 50kph (31mph) unless otherwise indicated.

The legal driving age in New South Wales is 16 years. Overseas driving licences are acceptable, although an International Driving Permit is preferred. By law drivers must carry their licences while driving.

Visitors who plan to drive in the more remote outback areas should contact one of Australia's motoring organisations beforehand, to obtain maps and advice on road and weather conditions,as these regions are subject to wet to extreme weather conditions.

The Australian Automobile Association (tel: (02) 6247 7311; www.aaa.asn.au) provides further information. The National Roads and Motorists' Association (NMRA) (tel: 131 122, in Australia only; www.mynrma.com.au) also provides information and motoring services.

Emergency breakdown service:

NRMA Emergency Breakdown (tel: 131 111).

Routes:

The main routes into Sydney are the Hume Highway (heading northeast from Melbourne), the Pacific Highway (south from Brisbane), the scenic Princes Highway (north from Melbourne via the coast) and the Sturt Highway (linking Adelaide on the west coast to Sydney on the east coast).

Driving times:

From Melbourne - 11 hours; Brisbane - 13 hours 30 minutes; Adelaide - 18 hours.

Coaches:

Greyhound Australia (tel: 1300 473 946, in Australia only; www.greyhound.com.au) is the main operator and offers routes to over 1,100 destinations in Australia including Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide and Melbourne. Buses arrive at and depart from Sydney Coach Terminal, Eddy Avenue.

Travel by rail

Services:

Train services to Sydney and its surrounding suburbs are reliable but infrequent.


Sydney's Central Station (the main hub), on Eddy Avenue, just south of the city centre, is a grand old building lined with newsagents, coffee shops and restaurants, as well as transport and tourist information offices.


Operators:

Countrylink (tel: 132 232, in Australia only; www.countrylink.nsw.gov.au) runs the New South Wales rail network. Countrylink provides high-speed XPT trains and XPlorer trains for shorter distances, and links Sydney with Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. These trains are new, modern and comfortable, featuring air conditioning, wheelchair access, buffet and satellite telephones. Rail travel tends to be expensive, although a number of passes are available to overseas visitors. For journeys within Sydney and its surrounding suburbs, check the City Rail site (www.cityrail.info).

The Indian Pacific train, operated by Great Southern Railways (tel: 132 147, in Australia only; www.gsr.com.au),runs between Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.

Journey times:

From Melbourne - 11 hours; Brisbane - 14 hours; Adelaide - 24 hours; Perth - 64 hours.

Travel over water

Summary:

Passenger services dock at Darling Harbour Passenger Terminal, near the city centre, while cruise ships berth at the Sydney Cove Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay. There are no facilities at the terminals, although restaurants, cafes, ATMs and other conveniences can be found in the neighbouring Rocks and Darling Harbour areas. Information is available from the Department of Shipping (tel: (02) 9296 4999; www.sydneyports.com.au).

Ferry services:

There is probably no more memorable way for one to arrive in Sydney than by water. From Europe, the USA and Hong Kong, P&O (tel: 132 469, in Australia only; www.pocruises.com.au) and Cunard (tel: 132 441, in Australia only; www.cunardline.com.au) include Sydney on their itineraries.

Nearest port:

Sydney.

Transfer distance:

1km (0.6 miles).

Transfer time:

5 minutes.

Recommended Sites:

Protect yourself from malaria
Before you travel, find out if your holiday destination is in a malaria zone.
(An educational initiative organised and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health. UK/MARK/0173/10 September 2010)
Travel insurance
For residents of over 150 countries. High levels of medical, evacuation, emergency & most adventure activities covered.