Getting around on public transport in Sydney is easy when you purchase an Opal card, a reusable card that can be used on all public transport systems across the city. You’ll find them at numerous newsagencies and convenience stores across Sydney. The card won’t cost a thing but you will have to add credit to the card to travel. Touch on and touch off when you’re getting on and off any form of public transport (trains, buses, light rail carriages and ferries) and the Opal card will automatically deduct the correct fare. There are daily travel caps ($15 a day for adults and $7.50 for children) and also a $2.50 Sunday cap which means you can travel all the way to the Blue Mountains and back for $2.50 on a Sunday! More information here.
Train services cover the inner city plus the northern, southern and western suburbs, and go as far as the tourist regions such as the Hunter Valley and Newcastle Trains to the eastern suburbs, include Bondi Junction, where you can go onwards to the famous Bondi Beach. Services run for most of the day from 4am to around midnight on most train lines.
You’ll be able to catch a Sydney bus at any time of the day. Most of the buses require you to pre-purchase your ticket or top up your Opal card prior to boarding. Top up or purchase your tickets at the bus stops, participating supermarkets or convenience stores near the bus stops. Sydney buses are also wheelchair, prams and ride-on scooter friendly.
If you are just heading to the main tourist sights, another option is the City Explorer Bus. Hop on and off this open-topped, red double-decker bus at 34 different stops that include all the major Sydney attractions – Darling Harbour, The Rocks, Chinatown, Circular Quay, the Opera House, the Royal Botanic Garden, Hyde Park, Kings Cross and Woolloomooloo. Tours run every day, all day.
Ferry Travel
Explore the beautiful waterways of Sydney by catching the Sydney ferry services from Circular Quay and travel to an array of harbourside destinations including Taronga Zoo and suburbs such as Balmain, Kirribilli, Neutral Bay, Mosman and Rose Bay, or go north to the beautiful Manly beaches or west along the Parramatta River. You can use your Opal cards on the ferries or tickets can be purchased from Sydney Ferries ticket outlets at Circular Quay and Manly. You can find the timetables and routes here.
Catch the light rail from Central Station to Sydney’s inner western suburbs, via Pyrmont, Glebe, Leichhardt, and right through to Dulwich Hill. Purchase a single or return ticket on board or use your Opal card to travel.
Plan your journey
For a quick and easy way to look up how to travel around Sydney, use the Trip Planner on Transport NSW’s website. The planner will tell you the distance and time it will take to get to your destination.
Airport travel to our hotel
Catch the train to St Leonard’s station. When you exit the station ensure that you turn right onto the Pacific Hwy. The Hotel is approximately a 10 minute walk away. Please do not follow the Pacific Hwy numbering as the numbers change according to the suburbs on the highway and can become confusing. We are opposite the Royal North Shore Hospital and just past the 2UE building. The train line runs from around 5am until midnight, 7 days a week.
A taxi from the airport will cost you approximately $60 depending on the traffic in Sydney on the day. Please let the driver know that we are located on the Pacific Hwy opposite the Royal North Shore Hospital in St Leonards.
