Top Sydney Half-day Tours

See Sydney’s sights in less of the time—and beat summer heat or winter rain—from the comfort of a climate-controlled sightseeing bus, complete with a live guide. Carefully selected photo stops include a point where you can take a picture with both Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well as Bondi Beach. As you travel, your guide will tell tales of Sydney’s history and culture—and answer your questions too.

Cycling around Sydney is the perfect way to sightsee in this gorgeous harborside city. Join your expert guide for a fun and fascinating look at up to 30 top sights, including the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, along with many others. As you pedal around the city, learn about the history, culture and favorite local spots on your choice of four cycling routes. Choose from various tour durations depending on your schedule.

Enjoy a whale-watching cruise that begins with a breakfast or barbecue lunch onboard the boat while in the calm waters of Sydney Harbour.  After breakfast or lunch, your boat glides past Sydney Head into the Pacific Ocean in search of the humpback and southern right whales that migrate along this coast from May to November. Keep an eye out for whales and dolphins as you learn about them from your naturalist guide, who provides fascinating commentary about Australian marine life during your tour.

Escape the crowds on land and admire Sydeny’s top landmarks—including Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House—on an evening dinner cruise that includes a 3-course meal with food and wine sourced from New South Wales. Sailing at sunset means that you’ll admire Sydney Harbour when it's at its most photogenic, while a top deck provides you with panoramic views of the scenery.

Spend some time like a classic Aussie on a historical pub tour of The Rocks, Sydney’s oldest neighborhood. Join a fun-loving and informative guide, and visit some of the quarter’s oldest drinking holes to experience authentic Aussie pub life. Enjoy five drinks and dinner; discover pubs' behind-the-scenes secrets; and uncover the The Rocks' history, discovering how its drink spots have shaped local culture. Includes souvenir gift, photos, and discount vouchers for local shops and restaurants.

Experience a close encounter with humpback whales without having to leave the city on this thrilling 2-hour speedboat tour from Sydney. Hop on-board the city’s fastest commercial ship and blast off across Sydney Harbour, past iconic landmarks like Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Leave the city behind and speed out into the Pacific Ocean, where you’ll have chance to spot majestic whales swimming and playing in their natural environment.

Take in views from one of Sydney's best vantage points, the revolving restaurant at Infinity at Sydney Tower, which perches on top of Sydney Tower, 88 stories above the ground. Choose from an à la carte menu to customize your 2- or 3-course meal, enjoying an elegant meal while overlooking the stunning Sydney skyline. This sophisticated restaurant offers an intimate, stylish fine dining experience, with contemporary Australian-French fusion cuisine.

Soak in 360-degree views as you dine on a delicious buffet lunch or dinner at the Sydney Tower Restaurant's revolving restaurant. From your vantage point high above the streets of Sydney, the views change as the restaurant slowly revolves during your meal. Large picture windows frame iconic sights like the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour, Circular Quay and, in the distance, the Blue Mountains. Enjoy a lunch or dinner plus one drink included in your package.

Go behind the scenes at the Sydney Opera House for a fascinating look at this Sydney icon. Your knowledgeable guide leads you through the World Heritage–listed building on a walking tour, sharing entertaining stories about the revered performance center's history and providing access to off-limits parts of the house.

Join a hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour by double-decker bus to discover the highlights of Sydney and Bondi Beach. Enjoy unobstructed views and recorded onboard commentary as you travel along two routes to top destinations like Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Darling Harbour, and Bondi Beach. Go in-depth at any given place by simply hopping off the bus to explore. You can experience Sydney and Bondi's most noteworthy attractions at your own pace with your choice of ticket, valid for 24 hours.

Cruise the ocean waters to look for humpback and southern right whales as they migrate between Antarctica and the Great Barrier Reef. Your whale-watching experience starts from Sydney Harbour and heads to the open ocean on a custom-built catamaran with large viewing windows and spacious decks that provide excellent sightlines. Often, dolphins, seabirds, and other marine animals make an appearance during the whale-watching tour, which lasts a couple of hours.

Uncover the secrets of Sydney’s heritage as you explore The Rocks on this guided walking tour of the historic precinct. Offering amazing views over the Sydney Harbour and the Campbells Cove Wharves, your guide will lead you along shady laneways and cobbled courtyards where you’ll discover some of Sydney’s earliest buildings, including Cadman’s Cottage, built in 1816 and the Garrison Church, which dates back to the 1840s.

Head to The Rocks to learn about Sydney’s colorful past. Your historian guide will regale you with stories of the first convicts to arrive in Sydney, their early experiences in Australia, and how they ultimately transformed a shanty camp to an enduring settlement. Listen to tales of street gangs, see the city’s oldest cottage, visit the Customs House, and check out maps and murals of old and new Sydney.

Enjoy an afternoon sail on Sydney Harbour aboard a historic tall ship. Learn about Sydney’s maritime roots and your ship’s sailing history during a cruise that provides close views of iconic sights including Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, and Fort Denison. Get great photo ops and soak up the spectacular scenery. You can even lend the crew a hand by steering the ship and hoisting the sails.

Blast off from Circular Quay on a jet boat ride that provides a super-fun 30-minute adrenaline-fueled ride along with a new perspective on Sydney's most iconic waterside sights. Your expert captain slows down to give you a close up look at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and other landmarks, then before zooming off again. Hang on as your jet boat executes 270-degree spins, power slides and other breathtaking maneuvers at high speed. Tours depart throughout the day, every hour.

Take in panoramic views of top Sydney landmarks as you cruise through Sydney Harbour en route to Taronga Zoo. Your package includes round-trip cruise from Circular Quay to the zoo as well as admission where you can meet our incredible animals.

Journey to the heart of the Blue Mountains on this full-day tour from Sydney, including hotel pick-up. Kick-off your adventure seeing a koala or a kangaroo at Featherdale Wildlife Park, then enjoy a dramatic view of the Three Sisters rocks from Echo Point. After lunch (own expense), head to Scenic World to ride the Cableway, Skyway and Railway for unbeatable aerial views of the Jamison Valley and Katoomba Falls. Finish with a leisurely cruise along the Parramatta River to Sydney’s Darling Harbour or Circular Quay.

Cruise Sydney Harbour and watch Sydney light up on an early-dinner cruise aboard MV Sydney 2000, the most prestigious cruising restaurant on Sydney's waterways. Whether you're enjoying an early pre-theatre dinner or wanting to complete your Sydney sightseeing in style, you'll enjoy the MV Sydney 2000's relaxed atmosphere, first-class service, fabulous food and superb views of Sydney Harbour.

Book a table for a 2-Course 1.5-Hour or a 3-Course 3-hour lunch and sightseeing cruise on Sydney Harbour. Pass Sydney's famous landmarks including the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge as your boat glides along the water. Your sit-down dining experience includes attentive service for your selected 2 or 3-course lunch. A variety of fresh seafood, meat, and vegetable dishes are served as you take in the sights. Upgrade when booking to guarantee a window seat.

Spot majestic humpback whales swimming and playing in their natural environment during this whale-watching cruise from Sydney. Sail across Sydney Harbour, past the iconic Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, to the open waters of the Pacific and get up close to the gentle giants. This seasonal tour runs between May and November, and cruises pick up from either Circular Quay or Darling Harbour.

The world’s most beautiful harbour deserves the very best cruise to experience it. Choose from two spectacular options, the Harbour Experience aboard our premier sightseeing fleet or, enhance your cruise with the Premium Harbour Experience to enjoy a house beverage of your choice and a Cheese & Charcuterie board to share, as you cruise by the majestic Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Fort Denison and other top sights on this 1.5 hour cruise. Listen to commentary straight from your smartphone, relax into your seat or choose to venture up to the upper open-air deck as you marvel at the beauty of Sydney Harbour.

Set out in search of Sydney’s sun, sand and surf on this full-day tour of the city’s famous Northern Beaches. Stroll the golden sands of Narrabeen; see where popular Aussie soap ‘Home & Away’ is filmed in Palm Beach; and look out along the coast from Spit Bridge and Long Reef. That’s not all: uncover Sydney’s fascinating Aboriginal heritage as you explore the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park; admire the lavish villas along Whale Beach and ride the Manly ferry back to Circular Quay.

This comprehensive tour of Sydney is perfect for first-time visitors or those short on time. Spend half a day immersed in the city’s history and culture, learning through stops at landmarks including Chinatown, Darling Harbour, Bondi Beach, and Paddington. Your guide will follow a curated itinerary centered on the history of Sydney from 1788 to modern day, adding commentary to illuminate the details.