Sydney

Morning or Afternoon Highlights Tour in Sydney with a Local Guide

Sydney, Australia

Morning or Afternoon Sydney Highlights Tour with a Local Guide

From $103.49

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

4 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Cram all of Sydney’s most memorable landmarks into one tour! Enjoy a 4-hour sightseeing tour, jam-packed with photo opportunities and iconic sights, and pick up insider tips from your knowledgeable local guide. Take in the views from Mrs Macquarie's Chair and The Gap; marvel over Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera house; and visit bustling Chinatown. After strolling neighborhoods like The Rocks, Paddington and Woolloomooloo, head to the coast to discover Bondi Beach, Rose Bay and Shark Beach.

4-hour tour of Sydney’s highlights
Take in the views from Mrs Macquarie's Chair, The Gap and Rose Bay
Snap photos of Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera house and Bondi Beach
Explore Sydney’s vibrant neighborhoods including The Rocks, Paddington and Chinatown
Get insider tips from a local guide
Choice of morning or afternoon departure
Ideal for first-time visitors or those short on time!
Small-group tour ensures a personalized experience

What's Included

Bottled water
Live commentary on board
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Gratuities
Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We pick up from all city hotels, and airbnb addresses within the CBD area. We do NOT pick-up from airport hotels, cruise terminals, Bondi or from hotels in North Sydney. For private tour we pick up form anywhere. PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR BOOKING PER EMAIL, MESSAGE OR PHONE 48 HOURS (or 24 HOURS IN CASE OF LAST MINUTE BOOKING) BEFORE DEPARTURE.

What To Expect

The Rocks (Pass By)

Observatory Hill

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Dawes Point Park

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Sydney Harbour Bridge

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Mrs Macquarie's Chair

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Fort Denison Island (Pass By)

Woolloomooloo Wharf (Pass By)

Harry's Cafe de Wheels - Tempe

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Potts Point Sunday Markets (Pass By)

Kings Cross (Pass By)

Rushcutters Bay Park (Pass By)

Double Bay Farmers Markets (Pass By)

Woollahra Massage (Pass By)

Rose Bay Beach

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Nielsen Park (Pass By)

Rose Bay to Watsons Bay Walk

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Watsons Bay (Pass By)

Camp Cove

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Gap Park

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Macquarie Lighthouse

3 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bondi Beach

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Tamarama Beach (Pass By)

Bronte Beach (Pass By)

Centennial Park (Pass By)

Paddington Markets (Pass By)

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (Pass By)

Aurora Rooftop Hotel (Pass By)

The Haymarket Hotel Syd (Pass By)

Darling Harbour (Pass By)

Barangaroo Reserve (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 1 day of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Infant seats available
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Not wheelchair accessible

Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

85 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 85 reviews

Guide failed to show

Annette_T, May 2024

We had scheduled an afternoon tour of Sydney.No one ever showed up at the meeting place in front of our hotel.After calling the company was told by the guide he didn’t know he had a tour that day and he was in the Outback.We missed our one and only chance to see Sydney.We were there for a day and a half going on a cruise .The company right away sent us a refund it was deposited back in to our bank account with in a few minutes of talking to them.

Small van and a great driver!

MARK_S, Apr 2024

We had a great time and would definitely recommend this tour! The small van enabled our driver to take us to many parts of Sydney we had never seen before. Our driver was very knowledgeable and full of interesting information. He had lived in Sydney for over 30 years.

Perfect Highlights Tour

Mary_J, Apr 2024

This was a great 1/2 day highlights tour that allowed us to see so much of the area. Our tour guide was spectacular and made the tour personal, accommodating the various mobility issues of the group of six. Dune (Doon - sp?) went above and beyond on our tour - gathering umbrellas when unpredicted rain fell, getting us to a quaint coffee spot, and even taking one of our travelers to the pharmacy for coughing meds. Thanks to Dune for a great tour!!

Tour of Sydney

Dennis_H, Mar 2024

The tour was excellent. Our tour director was great. He explain a lot of little details. Things that make you say ummm. We really enjoyed our tour. The size of the tour made it possible to get up close. 12 paxs

Half day Sydney small group

Raymond_M, Mar 2024

Yellen, our guide and driver, was very entertaining and knowledgeable. Highly recommend. Small group format excellent

Hidden Gem

Chestina_S, Mar 2024

A beautiful part of traveling is experiencing something awesome, we can gift that experience and pass it on to fellow travelers. I found a Hidden Gem! The tour combined several tour line routes, into an unbelievable 4-hour fun-filled comprehensive tour. The tour operator Jelle, was friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the history of all the stops. He provided a comprehensive map of our entire route. The tour was more individualized and personal than a bus experience. It was up close and personal more like a private tour. We were able to get a behind-the-scenes tour, plus extra. I went to book another tour, and I was amazed that I was having a hard time finding another tour because I had already gone to all the places on this 4 hour tour. The wonderful amount of things that I saw in 4 hours was priceless. It was awesome to be able to get off at all the key places listed on the tour, take photos, and have Jelle, waiting to take you to the next stop was fabulous! We had Stop-to-stop service with zero wait time, was great. It was a gem in my pocket for the sites and adventures that I experienced in such a timely, efficient manner! On a personal note, thank you Jelle, for all the interactive communication and the behind-the-scenes tour information. The tour was priced amazingly and well worth it!! Thank you

Perfect introduction to the city

Bonnie_K, Mar 2024

This tour was just what we wanted. It was informative and fun, and we got to see a lot of the area that we wouldn’t have been able to see on our own. We arrived in Sydney in the morning after an all night flight, so this was the perfect way to stay awake, get some sunshine and some walking, and get ourselves adjusted to the city and the new time zone.

Exceptional

Ernesto_R, Mar 2024

Wonderful tour with our guide from South Africa. Excellent experience and wonderful information about Sydney. Highly recommend

Fantastic

Danielle_G, Mar 2024

Dune was a fantastic guide!! He took to so many beautiful places I never knew existed in Sydney. I highly recommend this city tour and especially Dune the guide.

A great overview of Sydney

LuAnn_B, Mar 2024

The tour was very informative and felt like a great overview of the city. Our guide have us city map and made several stops for photos plus gave us tips on where to go for restaurants, bars ect…

Local guide has some great inside stories

Mark_D, Mar 2024

Local guide had some great inside stories on the history and modern Sydney. Ben took the time to not only tell us stories, but answered all our many questions from our small group.

Great tour

maschaper, Mar 2024

Jelle did an excellent job of showing us the layout of the city. We visited all the areas of the town and heard the history of each area. Well worth the time for us as we had limited time in the city.

Great Afternoon!

Patti_T, Mar 2024

Great overview of the city! Thanks Yelle for the great afternoon! Favorite stops were the beautiful beach views!

Had a great tour guide and driver. Very knowledgeable.

Pauline_C, Mar 2024

Viator had to cancel due to lack of tour guide, however they re-scheduled us with another company which was great. We initially booked a 4 hour tour. The tour they set up for us was only 3 hours, however we still paid the same price .

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We're glad to hear that despite the initial hiccup with the cancellation, you enjoyed the alternative tour we have managed to arrange. We greatly appreciate your recognition of our efforts in ensuring that you still had the opportunity to explore and enjoy your time despite the unforeseen circumstances. We're equally surprised to learn that the alternative company only conducted a 3-hour tour instead of the originally promised 4-hour duration. Rest assured, we will address this with the company to prevent such discrepancies in the future. In light of this, we would like to offer you a partial refund to compensate for the shorter tour duration. Please reach out to our customer service team with your booking details, and we will ensure that this is promptly processed. Once again, we apologise for any inconvenience caused, and we're grateful for your understanding. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back for a more seamless experience in the future. NOTE FROM ALTERNATIVE OPERATOR The operator of the city tour you did go on, send us the following reply to our inquiry about the length of their tour: " Our tour is 3.5 hours. Can sometimes push to 4 hours depending on traffic etc. Clients were with one of our best guides in a vehicle that is 1 week old. Just spent $170k on it. For this reason I have not yet got the tracker installed into the vehicle, as it is booked to have its GPS installed in 2 weeks time. I cannot see the duration of the day, but I doubt it can be done in 3 hours."

Not my best Australia tour

JILL_C, Mar 2024

We saw a lot, but the owner/driver was not a safe driver. He would go around a car at the stop light and cut them off to get in front of them. Suggestion for people interested in taking this trip…make sure you book it at least 24 hours in advance. The tour offers being able to take 10 people, but if it fills up to 10, he has to rent a van from the airport. Thus he has to hurry to get van back to airport in time. He dropped us all off where it was convenient to him, not where he picked us up. One lady even had a broken arm.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

We're glad to hear that you were able to see a lot during your time with us. However, we are concerned about the comments regarding the driving conduct of our owner/driver. Safety is our top priority, and we apologise if you felt uncomfortable during any part of the journey. Rest assured, we take all feedback seriously, and we will address this issue internally to ensure that all future tours maintain the highest standards of safety and professionalism. Regarding the logistics of our tours, we appreciate your recommendation to book at least 24 hours in advance. This helps us ensure a smooth experience for all participants and prevents any last-minute rush to accommodate additional guests. As for the drop-off locations, we strive to make the process as convenient as possible for all passengers. In the far most cases this means that we drop off our guests at their hotel. But in some cases, when hotels are located in the middle of a very congested road during peak hour traffic, it may mean that we ask the guests to walk no more than 100 meters from a street corner to their hotel. However, we understand that this small effort has created inconvenience in your case. We will review our drop-off procedures to see how we can improve them for future tours.

Beautiful beaches, neighborhoods, and famous landmarks

Julia_B, Mar 2024

Our guide Ben took us all over Sydney and told so many interesting stories related to his experiences growing up here and the changes over the years. Experienced multiple beautiful beaches and the landmarks from the distance. We have so many beautiful pictures to enjoy.

The tour that never took place

David_C, Mar 2024

Did not take place as guides vehicle broke down. Nor much you can say if it never happened. Alternative time and day did not work for us as we were leaving Sydney early next morning

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us, although we're disheartened to hear about your disappointment with the cancellation of your tour due to our guide's vehicle breaking down. As a small, family-owned company, we pride ourselves on providing personalised tours with a close-knit team of passionate guides, including myself as the owner. We understand the importance of commitment, passion, local knowledge, and flexibility in ensuring a memorable experience for our customers. However, we also encounter challenges that are harder to overcome, such as vehicle breakdowns, especially when we don't possess a wide fleet of replacement vehicles. Unfortunately, in this instance, we were left with no other choice but to offer you a seat on a similar tour operated by another company or an alternative departure the following day. We truly regret that neither of these options aligned with your schedule, and we understand your frustration. We want to assure you that a vehicle breakdown is not something we plan for, and it deeply affects us when such unforeseen events occur. We are saddened that you felt compelled to leave a 1-star review despite the circumstances. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we will strive to learn from this experience and improve our services in any way possible. Once again, we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Perfect half day tour!

Zenaida_G, Mar 2024

This afternoon tour covered a lot of landmarks in Sydney and very pleased with the outcome. My sisters didn’t have a lot of time to spend in Sydney before embarking on our New Zealand cruise and this tour was perfect if you have limited time!

Sydney at a Glance

Betty_B, Mar 2024

We had a great time with our tour guide. Very knowledge and friendly! He went beyond showing us sights off the beaten script. Really good overview of Sydney!

Perfect trip to get to know Sydney

tina, Feb 2024

We really enjoyed the very interesting and individual tour with our guide Jelle. He showed us many amazing places and told us a lot about the history of Sydney and the lifestyle of the people living there. We can highly recommend the tour!!

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