The City represents the earliest site of European settlement in Australia (from January 1788), and is home - naturally enough - to many of Sydney's landmarks and sites of interest.
Sydney City is primarily commercial (hence the Manhattan-like skyline of skyscrapers and towers) with a few residential towers.
It is a hive of activity on weekdays, with hundreds of thousands of people commuting to the city centre, and flooding the footpaths at lunchtime. However, the main commercial area between King St and Circular Quay, in particular, becomes very quiet when the office workers go home, with many shops and food courts, in this area not opening at all on weekends.
The areas around the Circular Quay, the Harbour and the Opera House remain lively at all times. The galleries and museums are open all week, and can be busy, but the streets around them can be quiet. The shops south of King St towards Town Hall and Haymarket and the Pitt St Mall are areas that are open and busy on weekends, as are the surrounding areas of The Rocks and Darling Harbour.
Sydney City lies at the hub of Sydney's transport network. Most major roads, and public transport radiate from the city.
<listing name="Transport Infoline" phone="13 15 00" url="http://www.131500.info" hours="24 hours">Information on fares and route planning for all public transport in Sydney. Available online and by telephone</listing>
The City lies at the hub of the Cityrail train service [http://cityrail.info/].
The City Circle is a train loop of five stations.
There is also a station at '''Martin Place'''.
Avoid getting off at '''Central''', unless you really want to go somewhere close to there, it really is only central as far as the train network is concerned.
When buying a ticket, you can just press the ''City'' button on the ticket machines, or ask for a ticket to the ''City'' at any ticket window. You can get off at any city stations above. If you are travelling from the North Shore to Wynyard, or from the south to Central, buying a ticket to your station destination rather than the City, can save you a dollar or so on a return trip.
Many routes on Sydney Buses from parts of the wider city [http://www.sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au/]link with the Sydney CBD at a variety of termini. These are often located close to the rail stations and can be found at Circular Quay, Wynyard, Town Hall and Central Station. A number of routes on private buses terminate in at least one or more of these termini.
The most pleasant way to arrive in Sydney City is by ferry [http://www.sydneyferries.info/].
All Sydney Ferry routes (from 41 wharves around the harbour suburbs) start or finish at Circular Quay, at the northern end of the CBD. From the Quay you can easily walk to the Opera House or the Botanic Gardens.
There is a train station and major bus terminus for connections to other parts of the city.
A one way monorail loop links the southern half of the CBD with the adjoining area of Darling Harbour. Stations are at the World Square, City Centre and Galleries Victoria retail complexes. The Galleries Victoria has an underground linking to Town Hall station. One ride will cost $4.80 per person with no discount for children. [http://www.metromonorail.com.au/monorail.asp]. It is more of a tourist ride than a common form of transport around the city.
The city ''is'' accessible to private vehicles. It is well sigbposted from most surrounding areas. Firstly as ''Sydney'', then as ''City'', and finally, as ''City North'' or ''City South''. Don't confuse ''City North'', with ''North Sydney'', or you will end up in quite the wrong place.
'''Traffic''' in the city can be congested. Peak hours, Friday lunchtime, and Friday afternoon are worst. Weekends are usually fine, although some congestion can occur at any time. Traversing the few city blocks can take up to 30 minutes during these periods.
'''Garage Parking''' can vary from around $15 to over $70 for a day. It is worth doing a little research into the best place to park, and know where you are going. Streetside signs advertising parking for $5, usually apply for the first 30 minutes, after which charges rise steeply. On street parking for short periods is possible, but scarce. Flat rares are usually charged on weekends and in the evenings. Evening parking and all-day weekend parking is commonly available for $15 or less, but not all places have special deals, so check before you park. Early-bird rates (for arriving and leaving during set times) can save up to 75% on hourly rates during the day.
'''Street Parking''' is possible, but scarce. Free on-street parking is particularly elusive. Early on weekend mornings, some on-street parking is usually available in Clarence, Kent, or Sussex Streets. On street parking is also available on Art-Gallery road. Expect to pay. Some free on-street weekend parking is available where no parking zones apply on weekdays. All parking zones are paid parking.
One of quietest approach to the city is from the west at Darling Harbour and Pyrmont. The Pyrmont Bridge allows cyclists, and a cycle path takes you along to King St as far as Clarence St. There is bike parking there. From the North take the cycleway over the Harbour Bridge, next to the station at Milsons Point.
The city has a very rough grid system, with George St being the major city street running all the way from Central Station in the south to Circular Quay and The Rocks in the north, with Pitt and Castlereagh St running parallel through the city centre. City blocks are small.
There are maps and directional signs to nearly attractions located every few blocks.
Maps and other information for cyclists around the inner city are provided by the local government. [http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/AboutSydney/ParkingAndTransport/Cycling/]. There are no off-road cycleways around the city, and you can be fined for using the footpaths and pedestrian malls. You will see a few other cyclists, and cycle couriers cycling around the city, but you will be in heavily outnumbered by cars, buses and taxis.
A free '''shuttle''' (Route 555) bus does a loop around the city travelling both directions. It runs with a 10 minute frequency from 9;30AM until 3:30PM, until 9PM on Thursdays, until 6:30PM on weekends. It runs along George and Elizabeth Streets, connecting Eddy Avenue at Central with Circular Quay. It is tourist friendly, and has route information on board the bus. The bus is green, unlike the normal buses which are blue, or the explorer buses which are red. Check the indicator boards on front of the bus after 3:30PM, when the green buses often run other routes.
Buses run every minute or so from Central (Railway Square) and Town Hall down to to Circular Quay. There many route numbers, but almost all will show the destination board as Circular Quay. Some buses are prepay only, and require you to purchase a ticket from a newsagent or other ticket seller before boarding the bus. The city bus terminal at Wynyard is prepay only, and you must pre-purchase a ticket before boarding at this stop.
There are two hop-on, hop off bus services. Sydney Explorer, and Sydney open top bus tours. These will cost you more, and take longer than normal public transport, but can take the hassle out planning your routes.
Trains run both ways around the city circle stations '''Central''', '''Town Hall''', '''Wynyard''', '''Circular Quay''', '''St James''' and '''Museum'''. Each of these stations has services every five minutes. Most of the city is no more than ten or fifteen minutes walk from a train station.
Another city station, '''Martin Place''', is mid-town on the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line and has services every 10 minutes to Town Hall and Central.
'''Town Hall''', '''Wynyard''', '''Martin Place''' and '''St James''' stations are located within 1km of each other, so unless you are feeling particularly energetic, catching the train or bus between them will take longer than the walk.
Getting around the very city centre by car can be problematic if you are unfamiliar with the city. Attractions in the city are not signposted from the city roads. The only directional signs you will see will point you out of the city, across the harbour bridge or to the west or east. There is a one way system and few right hand turns are permitted. Some right hand turns are legally possible, but are difficult to find breaks in traffic. The quickest route from where you are to your city destination will not always be apparent from a map, and even the best GPS units struggle in the canyons of the city. If you are driving into the city, best to navigate straight to a parking lot nearby. If you are going between multiple desinations in the city, walking is usually the quickest way.
Harbour Cruises depart from Darling Harbour and at Circular Quay in the city.
You can create your own harbour cruise, as the normal Sydney Ferries services go everywhere a cruise goes and more. Get a daytripper ticket for $16, and take as many ferries as you like, get on and off where you like, and enjoy a picnic in any of the many harbourside parks next to the ferry wharves. Timetables are available at the Quay, and its hard to catch a ferry somewhere that isn't worthwhile. The Manly ferries even have a cafe on board, where you can grab a pie, and sit out in the sun, taking in the view for a fraction of the cost of a luncheon cruise!
The CBD of Sydney is also the retail centre of the city, having the largest range of shops and outlets in a variety of settings.
Sydney's shopping is frequently concentrated within large city malls and arcades (heavily interconnected mid-town through a number of underground walkways). There are also a number of recognised shopping strips. There are both premium and budget areas.
If you are shopping for supplies, the convenience stores, and even the city fruit stores can have up to three times mark-up over supermarkets. If you need to stock up on the basics, try Woolworths opposite Town Hall on George St, or Coles above Wynyard Station, or on the corner of King and George.
George St is the closest thing to Sydney's main street. It has a shopping strip between the Town Hall (Park St) and Wynyard (Hunter St), about 10 minutes brisk walk. Along this section of road there are numerous fashion, technology and gift stores and malls including:
Currently the southern half of the mall is closed for redevelopment, and much of the rest of the mall is dug up. There are a few shops and arcades still open at the northern end of the mall, but it may be best to tick to George Street for the moment.
Castlereach Street North from Market St. Home to a large concentration of fashion houses and big names including DKNY, Cartier, Ferragamo, Gucci, Bvlgari, Stefano Canturi and Chanel.
If you fancy an early dinner (or late lunch) many of the food halls sell off remaining lunch items at discounted prices around 4PM in the afternoon, sometimes for as little as $4-$5 a meal, but commonly for $6.
Sydney City is a busy location with high pedestrian activity, busy traffic, short blocks and frequent crossings. In addition Sydneysiders are chronic jaywalkers in the city, and the shortest break in the traffic will see swarms of people crossing the street. Even though it is a high pedestrian area cars legally travel at 50km/h and exceeding the speed limit is common. Cars often queue across intersections and pedestrian crossings. Buses often move fast in kerbside lanes, with wing mirrors that protrude, so stand back from the edge of the road. Cars will generally stop for pedestrians at crossing and lights, but watch out for the last car running late for a meeting who will go through the lights just as they are turning red.
At night common sense is necessary, as with any large city. Stick to popular areas and main streets. The areas that tend to have the most problems with some anti-social behaviour and some alcohol related violence are the areas around Kings Cross and around the Rocks. The cinema district on George Street near Bathurst street also has its share of problems at night. The business district of Sydney becomes very quiet at night as the office workers return to the suburbs.
If you are looking to venture out after dark, the area around the Quay down to the Opera House is very pleasant. Has a variety of restaurants and bars, a great view, and is safe.
On the CityRail network at night stay close to the guards compartment which is located by the blue light, in the 4th carriage of the train. There is an emergency assistance button on every platform and by the entrance to the train carriages on more modern trains.
WiFi is commonly available around the Sydney CBD.