The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous landmarks in the entire world. Those iconic white sails are recognizable almost anywhere. So you need to check out these 5 best places to view the Sydney Opera House on your trip!
But before you do, here’s a quick history about the Sydney Opera House! The Opera House was designed by Jørn Utzon after winning the international design competition. The white shells are quite an architectural accomplishment. It took thousands of workers to make the original sketch by Jørn Utzon come to life! Construction began in 1959 and was only supposed to take 4 years but it actually took 14 years. The Opera House was finally completed in 1973 and opened for world renown performances!
Keep reading to learn about the 5 best places to view the Sydney Opera House!
5 Best Places to view the Sydney Opera House:
1. Mrs. Macquaries Point
Mrs. Macquaries Point is one of, if not the most popular view point of the Sydney Opera House! From the point you can see both the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. It provides one of the best views of all of Sydney, especially at sunset! This is a great place to pack a picnic, take some photos, and just enjoy!
You may also see it called Mrs. Macquaries Chair, it’s the same place! At the point there’s a bench carved into sandstone rock, which is where it gets the name “chair”.
2. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney
The Royal Botanic Gardens is one of the most beautiful places in the city! It’s filled with diverse flowers, beautiful trees, and so much more. To learn all about what you can do in the Gardens, check out their website here.
The best view point of the Sydney Opera House inside the Royal Botanic Gardens is along the water of Farm Cove from Harbour View Lawn 33 until the Fleet Steps.
Entry into the Gardens is free! It’s open daily at 7:00am. Closing hours depend on the season, check here for most updated times.
You will walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens to get to Mrs. Macquaries Point. So we recommend going a few hours before sunset to walk through the gardens and enjoy all it’s viewpoints before ending at Mrs. Macquaries Point to watch the sunset!
3. Hickson Road Reserve
Hickson Road Reserve is a small grassy area in The Rocks, under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. If you are walking the Circular Quay area, it’s in the north west corner. This is a great place to walk after exploring the Harbour and continue around Circular Quay.
It’s the opposite view point as Mrs. Macquaries Point so you’ll just see the Opera House, no Bridge in the backdrop. This is close to where the cruise ships dock and the ferry’s come in and out all day long. Just be patient and you can time it to get a photo without any boats blocking your view!
Pro-Tip: Instead of taking it along the green metal gate, take a photo at the end of the dock just before it. Then you’ll get a totally unobstructed view!
Watch our Youtube video to experience all our adventures in Sydney with us! And to figure out more spots to add to your bucket list. :)
4. Manly Ferry
Manly Ferry is exactly what it sounds like, a ferry to and from Manly Beach! Manly Beach is bucket list place to visit in Sydney so I’m sure at some point during your trip you’ll be taking the ferry. Sit outside and have your camera ready, you’ll have some amazing views of the Sydney Harbour and beyond on the 30 minute ferry ride!
Pro-Tip: Take the ferry from Manly back to Sydney at sunset! You’ll see the most beautiful view of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge with the sun setting behind it.
5. Lower Path near the Sydney Opera House
While the best view points of the Sydney Opera House are usually further away so you can see the entire Opera House, you need to get up close still! The lower path on the left side of the Opera House, before getting to the Opera House Bar is the best vantage point. It’s much harder to get a photo when you’re standing almost under it and we found that to be the best spot! You still get enough of the white sails to show that it’s the Sydney Opera House. :)
Seeing the Sydney Opera House is of course a bucket list activity! BUT we highly recommend taking a tour or attending a show inside the Opera House. It’s one of the coolest experiences! You learn lots about the history of the Opera House and see a few of the world renown stages. Check out the tour we booked below!
Looking for other things to do in Sydney? Check out our blog about the Top 10 Things to do in Sydney, Australia!
Don’t forget to save this blog for later by pinning it to Pinterest with one of the graphics below! :)
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