Sydney opera house and skyline by Matthew Field (Wikipedia)

Sydney Hotels

The hyperbole you hear about Sydney, the beautiful harbour City, is all true. All at once an urban, cosmoplitan, friendly, laid back and naturally stunning city, Sydney is everything you could want from a city and more.

When flying to Australia, the foreign traveller is most likely to arrive in Sydney. Try and get a window seat to take in the awesome scenery as the plane sweeps in over the Harbour, the city spreading out beneath you. The airport is located to the South of the city in Botany Bay, where Cook originally arrived. This bay was originally intended as the place for the city Sydney, but the subsequent fleet found an even more beautiful spot (this one even had fresh water - the Tank Stream, which now flows underground, its course now shown only by markers in city footpaths) in Port Jackson, also known as Sydney Harbour. The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge are located there.

And after a 20 hour flight, that is probably where you want to go after you arrive dead tired in Sydney. Change some money at the airport and then jump in a cab. And let it drive you to your hotel 'downtown' (in the 'city' or 'CBD' as they say here). It's going to cost you approximately $35 Australian dollars ($23 US). You can also take the yellow-green airport-to-city buses, if you want to save money. Trains also run right into the city, but are a bit more expensive than buses.

Whether arriving in the winter or summer, in rain or sun, two things strike you about Sydney the first time you'll arrive: (1) what a mess the traffic is and (2) the beautiful landscape Sydney is built on (the harbour is fantastic).

But with so much to see and do - to really enjoy Sydney, why don't you experience 'A Perfect Day in Sydney'?

An obvious starting point is Circular Quay, with the sails of the Opera House sparkling in the harbour off to your right, and the iconic arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (or the 'Coathanger' as locals affectionally call it) looming up on your left.

From here you can jump on a ferry to Sydney's entertainment hub, Darling Harbour, or jump on the scenic ferry trip out to Manly. A short bus ride away is the world famous stretch of sand at Bondi Beach, not to mention the smaller beaches nearby at Coogee, Marourbra and beyond. Further afield there are the stunning Blue Mountains, Ku-ring Gai National Park or the pristine Northern Beaches.

And come the evenings, Sydney's reaturant and bar scene is widley getting the reputation as one of the best in the world, with world-class cuisine available at all budgets. Sydney knows how to let its hair down, and is famous for its parties, including New Year's Eve, the Sydney Festival in January and the Mardi Gras in February.

Sydney is the kind of place that gets under your skin and you'll want to come back again and again to discover one of the most exciting cities in the world.