Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley
5 days from Sydney: the Opera House and the harbour on foot and by ferry, the Bondi to Coogee walk, a night in the Blue Mountains with Scenic World and a cliff walk, and a winery lunch in the Hunter Valley.
5 days · Round trip from Sydney · up to 12 guests
The Blue Mountains, painted by T. Peerless in 1886 Photo: Stepmars, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BLUE_MOUNTAINS,_NEW_SOUTH_WALES_(1886).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 5 days, 4 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Sydney
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Two to three hours on foot most days: the Bondi to Coogee walk is about 6 km with many steps, the Harbour Bridge crossing about 3 km with stairs at Kirribilli, the cliff walk about 2.5 km on a mostly level path, and about 200 steps on the Opera House tour. Every longer walk has a shorter or seated choice, Katoomba sits about 1,000 m up; no walk is a climb.
- Meals included
- 4 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 870 (estimated price)
- Season
- All year; best March to May and September to November
Highlights
Why this trip
- Crossing the Harbour Bridge on foot on the first afternoon, with the Opera House below
- The first Opera House tour of the morning, before the building fills
- The ferry to Watsons Bay and the trail to Hornby Lighthouse at the harbour entrance
- The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk at 8 am, with a swim in an ocean pool
- The Scenic World Railway into the Jamison Valley, included
- The Three Sisters from Echo Point in the late light, after the coaches leave
- A winery lunch and a tasting of Hunter Semillon and Shiraz
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 870 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Sydney and cross the Harbour Bridge on foot
Sydney Airport to your hotel, then the Metro to Victoria Cross, Kirribilli, the Harbour Bridge and The Rocks
- Dinner
- Stay in Sydney
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Sydney Airport (SYD), where a driver meets you in arrivals for the half-hour drive to a central hotel near Hyde Park; if your room is not ready, leave your bags and rest in a cafe or the park. At 3 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the lobby for a short briefing, then we walk to Gadigal station, named for the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, on whose land Sydney stands. The Metro takes us under the harbour to Victoria Cross in North Sydney in a few minutes. From there we walk down through Kirribilli, past the houses facing the Opera House across the water, and up onto the Harbour Bridge's eastern footway. The crossing takes about 20 minutes, with the Opera House and Circular Quay below on the left as we walk south, and brings us down into The Rocks, the oldest part of colonial Sydney.
Evening
We finish at a welcome dinner nearby, and the guide sees everyone back to the hotel.
Included
- Pick-up at Sydney Airport (SYD)
- The Metro from Gadigal to Victoria Cross
- Guided walk through Kirribilli and across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to The Rocks
- Welcome dinner
Easier option: Skip the bridge walk and meet the group at the welcome dinner; your guide arranges a taxi.
Free time: Free until the 3 pm briefing
Activity: About 3 km on foot, with steps up to the bridge footpath at Kirribilli. The airport pick-up covers flights landing by about 1 pm; send us later flights and we arrange the transfer so you join at dinner.
The Opera House and the ferry to Watsons Bay
The Metro to Martin Place, Macquarie Street and the Opera House, then the ferry from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay
- Breakfast
- Stay in Sydney
- By train
We take the Metro from Gadigal one stop to Martin Place and walk down Macquarie Street, past the colonial sandstone of the Hyde Park Barracks and the Parliament of New South Wales, to the Sydney Opera House, listed by UNESCO in 2007.
Morning
Our guided tour is booked for the first slot of the morning, before the building fills: about an hour inside the concert halls and foyers, with the story of Jørn Utzon's design and the long fight to finish it. Then we walk around the forecourt to Circular Quay and board the public ferry to Watsons Bay, about 25 minutes along the eastern harbour shore.
Afternoon
Lunch is your choice by the water. Afterwards your guide walks anyone who wants the South Head Heritage Trail out to Hornby Lighthouse at the harbour entrance, with the Pacific on one side and the city skyline on the other.
Evening
Ferries back run through the afternoon, and the rest of the day and the evening are free.
Included
- The Metro from Gadigal to Martin Place
- Guided walk down Macquarie Street
- Sydney Opera House guided tour, first morning slot
- The ferry from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay and back
- The South Head Heritage Trail to Hornby Lighthouse with your guide
Optional experiences
- Sydney Harbour BridgeClimb in the afternoon (price shown at booking)
Easier option: Stay in Watsons Bay over a long lunch while the group walks to the lighthouse.
More active option: Walk back from Watsons Bay along the harbour to Rose Bay, about 5 km, and take the ferry from there.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: The Opera House tour climbs about 200 steps in all. The South Head trail is about 2 km return on paths and boardwalk.
Bondi to Coogee, then up to the Blue Mountains
Bondi Beach to Coogee on foot, then by road to Leura and Katoomba, Scenic World and Echo Point
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Katoomba
- Drive about 2 h
This is the full day of the trip, and it starts early. Our vehicle takes us to Bondi at 7:45 am, and by 8 am we are on the coastal walk south, ahead of the sun and the crowds: about 6 km over sandstone headlands, down into Tamarama, Bronte and Clovelly and past the ocean pools, ending at Coogee by about 10:30, with a chance to swim on the way. Then we drive west for about two hours into the Blue Mountains, part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, on the land of the Darug and Gundungurra peoples.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Leura. In the afternoon we use our Scenic World pass: the Railway down its 52-degree incline into the Jamison Valley, the rainforest boardwalk and the Cableway and Skyway. After about 4:30 pm, when the coaches have gone, we stand at Echo Point for the Three Sisters in the late light; your guide may swap the two by the queues and the weather.
Evening
The evening is free in Katoomba.
Included
- Bondi to Coogee coastal walk with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in Leura
- Scenic World Unlimited Discovery Pass: Railway, Walkway, Cableway and Skyway
- Echo Point and the Three Sisters in the late afternoon
Easier option: Walk only from Bondi to Bronte, about 2.5 km, and meet the group at Coogee by van.
More active option: Before lunch, walk with your guide from the Leura Cascades picnic area down to the cascades and back (about 1 km return with steps, to be confirmed), while the others go on to the restaurant; the vehicle meets you at the picnic area.
Free time: Evening free in Katoomba
Activity: The coastal walk is about 6 km on paths with many steps, and two to three hours on foot. Scenic World involves short walks on boardwalks and standing in cable cars. A full day: if you are tired after the coastal walk, sit Scenic World or Echo Point out at the hotel.
A cliff walk, then lunch among the Hunter vines
Katoomba on the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, then by road to Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hunter Valley
- Drive about 3.5 h
At 8 am, before the day-trippers from Sydney arrive, your guide leads an easy section of the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, the track that runs along the cliff edge between Katoomba and Leura. We go from Echo Point to Katoomba Falls, about 2.5 km on a mostly level path through eucalypt and banksia, with lookouts over the Jamison Valley and Mount Solitary in view, and listen for lyrebirds in the gullies. At about 10 am we leave the mountains and drive about three and a half hours, with a coffee stop, down to the plains and north by the motorway and the Hunter Expressway to Pokolbin, in the Hunter Valley, one of Australia's oldest wine regions, where vines were planted from the 1820s.
Afternoon
We sit down to a late lunch at a winery restaurant among the vines, then a guided tasting at the cellar door, where the winemakers pour the region's dry Semillon and medium-bodied Shiraz.
Evening
The evening is free at our hotel among the vineyards; there is no town to walk to, so dinner is at the hotel or a short transfer to a winery restaurant.
Included
- Guided walk on the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, Echo Point to Katoomba Falls
- Sit-down lunch at a Hunter Valley winery
- Guided wine tasting at a cellar door
Easier option: Walk only from Echo Point to the first lookouts and back, about 1 km, and wait at a cafe for the group.
More active option: Start at 7 am and walk the cliff track the other way, from Echo Point to Leura Cascades, about 3.5 km, and meet the vehicle in Leura.
Free time: Evening free in the Hunter Valley; dinner not included
Activity: About an hour on foot on a mostly level cliff-top path with a few steps. Non-drinkers are welcome at the tasting; ask for juice or sparkling water. Pokolbin has no walkable town: dinner (not included) is at the hotel or a short transfer to a nearby winery restaurant, arranged by your guide and shown at booking, so nobody needs a car.
Hunter Valley morning and back to Sydney
Pokolbin to Sydney Airport or a central Sydney hotel
- Breakfast
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
The morning starts slowly. After breakfast, anyone who wants can join your guide for a walk along the vineyard roads of Pokolbin, where eastern grey kangaroos often rest in the shade between the rows and the Brokenback Range rises behind the vines. There is time for a coffee or a last cellar door if one is open before we leave. At about 10:30 am we drive south on the M1 for about two and a half hours, crossing the Hawkesbury River, with your guide pointing out the bushland of the Central Coast on the way. We drop you at Sydney Airport (SYD) at about 1 pm, or at a central Sydney hotel if you are staying on; your guide helps with directions for the rest of your stay.
Evening
Book a domestic flight leaving after about 3:30 pm, an international one after about 5 pm, or add a night in Sydney. If you want to go on to Uluru or the reef, ask us about joining a longer trip.
Included
- Morning vineyard walk with your guide
- Drop-off at Sydney Airport (SYD) or a central Sydney hotel
Easier option: Rest at the hotel until the 10:30 am departure.
Free time: Free time in Pokolbin before the drive
Activity: Book a domestic flight leaving Sydney after about 3:30 pm or an international flight after about 5 pm, or ask us to add a night in Sydney.
- Sydney2 nights
- Katoomba1 night
- Hunter Valley1 night
- Sydneyend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Autumn (March to May) and spring (September to November) bring mild days on the coast and clear air in the mountains. Summer is hot and humid in Sydney, with bushfire risk and smoke in the Blue Mountains and busy school holidays. Winter brings cold, clear mountain days and sometimes frost in Katoomba. Kangaroos graze around the Hunter vineyards at dusk all year, and lyrebirds call in the Blue Mountains gullies, loudest in winter.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- A first visit to Sydney with only five days, or a start or end to a longer Australia trip
- Travellers who want the Blue Mountains without a long coach day out and back
- Easy to moderate walkers who like coastal paths, lookouts and wine
- Solo travellers who want a small group and their own hotel room
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who want Uluru or the Great Barrier Reef: see our 12-day trip
- Anyone who wants a different hotel every night or a fast pace
- Travellers who need step-free paths: the coastal walk, the bridge and the Opera House tour all have steps
- A nightlife or party trip
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
4 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Sydney2 nights
- Katoomba1 night
- Hunter Valley1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 4 nights in central hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard, all with private bathrooms: 2 in Sydney near Hyde Park, 1 in Katoomba or Leura in the Blue Mountains and 1 among the vineyards in Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Sydney Airport (SYD) on day 1 and drop-off at Sydney Airport or a central Sydney hotel on day 5
- A private air-conditioned vehicle with a licensed driver from Sydney to the Blue Mountains, the Hunter Valley and back
- Sydney Metro rides on days 1 and 2
- The public ferry from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay and back
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from the day 1 briefing to the day 5 drop-off
- Opera House tour guides and the winemakers at the Hunter tasting
Activities
- Sydney: the Harbour Bridge walk from Kirribilli to The Rocks
- Sydney: the Opera House guided tour
- Sydney: Watsons Bay and the South Head Heritage Trail
- Sydney: the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk
- Blue Mountains: the Scenic World Unlimited Discovery Pass
- Blue Mountains: Echo Point and the Three Sisters
- Blue Mountains: the Prince Henry Cliff Walk, Echo Point to Katoomba Falls
- Hunter Valley: winery lunch, cellar-door tasting and a vineyard walk
Meals
- 4 breakfasts
- 2 sit-down lunches: in Leura and at a Hunter Valley winery
- 1 dinner: a welcome dinner in Sydney
- Wine tasting in the Hunter Valley
Not included
- International flights to and from Sydney
- Your Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or visa
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed
- Drinks, apart from the Hunter Valley tasting
- Tips
- Optional activities: the Sydney Harbour BridgeClimb
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 870 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Four nights in central hotels, airport pick-up and drop-off in Sydney, a private vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, 4 breakfasts, 2 sit-down lunches and a welcome dinner, and every activity in the day plan, including the Opera House tour, the Scenic World pass, the Watsons Bay ferry and the Hunter Valley tasting.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, against 15 to 16 on the Australia trips we compared. That keeps us in one vehicle, at one table for lunch and quick on and off the ferries and the Metro.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the day 1 briefing to the drop-off on day 5. Local experts add depth where they add something: the Opera House tour guides and the winemakers who pour at the Hunter Valley tasting. Tell us any dietary needs when you book; your guide passes them to every restaurant and the winery ahead of time.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderate. The longest walk is Bondi to Coogee, about 6 km with many steps, and you spend two to three hours on foot on most days. Every longer walk has a shorter choice, such as walking only to Bronte, or waiting at a lookout or cafe while the group walks on.
I'm travelling solo. Do I pay more?
Prices are per person sharing a twin room. A room of your own is from CAD 870 more for the whole trip, shown before you request to book and never added later, with the same room standard as everyone else. If you would rather share, tell us when you book and we will say whether a same-gender roommate is possible.
When is the best time to go?
March to May and September to November, when the coast is mild and the mountain air is clear. Summer is hot and busy, with bushfire risk in the Blue Mountains that can close walks. Winter is cold in Katoomba, sometimes frosty, but the lookouts are clear and the wineries are quiet.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until then. The small group starts from CAD 5,120 per person sharing, taxes included; international flights to and from Sydney are extra.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The trip also runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 9,215 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels and activities without a guide.
Do I need a visa for Australia?
Most visitors need permission before flying. Canadian and US passport holders apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) in the official Australian ETA app, usually approved quickly; other passports may need an eVisitor or a visa. We remind you when you book.
Why stay overnight in the Blue Mountains instead of a day trip?
Because the best hours are the ones day trips miss. Coaches from Sydney reach Echo Point mid-morning and leave mid-afternoon. Staying in Katoomba lets us see the Three Sisters in the late light and walk the cliff track at 8 am, then carry on to the Hunter without driving back through Sydney.
How is this different from your other Sydney trips?
This is the short one: 5 days in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley. The 12-day Sydney, Uluru and Great Barrier Reef trip does the Blue Mountains as a day trip and flies on to the Red Centre and the reef. The 8-day Sydney to Brisbane trip drives north through the Hunter to Byron Bay.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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