Beaches in Sydney

Sydney harbour beaches, Palm Beach, Manly and Bondi Beach

Marvellous & famous beaches in Sydney include Palm Beach, Manly, Bondi and Coogee on the Pacific Ocean, as well as beaches and bays along the shores of Sydney Harbour.

Sydney is well-known for surfing and sailing under blue skies, and many more water activities. You have to spend a day on the beaches to appreciate Sydney's outstanding location.

Take a guided tour, or explore the highlights of Sydney's beaches on your own. It's up to you.

Bondi beach in Sydney

Let me introduce you to the most beautiful spots on Sydney's coastline. Let's start with a favourite beach of mine in the north!

Beaches in Sydney - Palm Beach

Palm Beach is the northernmost beach and suburb in Sydney. Situated on a peninsula, you have the best of two worlds:

A beautiful sandy beach on the ocean, with frequently swells for surfing adventures, turn around, and just a short walk to the west there's the tranquil Pittwater, a paradise for sailers.

On top of the peninsula is Barrenjoey head with its lighthouse. Take the effort and walk to the lighthouse, and you'll have stunning views over Broken Bay and the Pittwater Inlet.

Getting to Palm Beach

Depending on the traffic, it is a 45 minutes to 1 hour drive from the central business district. There's also a bus service from the CBD or Manly that takes between 1,5 and 2 hours.

Guided Northern Beaches Tour: Visit the historic Rocks area, walk to Circular Quay to take a ferry to Manly. From Manly you drive to the northern beaches and into Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.

Get on board of a sea plane and explore the beauty of the northern beaches from the air. The high wing sea plane is ideal for taking photographs or a video on this 30 minute flight.

Beaches in Sydney - Manly Beach

Manly is another famous suburb in Sydney, about 11 km north-east of the city. Manly is situated on a peninsula that marks the northern entrance of Sydney Harbour.

The Corso, Manly's shopping strip, connects the harbour beaches with the surf beaches on the Pacific Ocean.

Things to do in Manly

Explore hidden coves and inlets, take a bicycle tour, or have fun at Manly's Oceanworld.

Manly Bike Tours is a local operator who takes you on a 2-hours bicycle tour to Manly's secret corners.

Have you ever dreamt of diving with the dangerous creatures of the sea?
At Manly's Oceanworld you can experience Shark diving Xtreme. Whether you are a first-time diver, or have spent many hours in the deep blue seas, shark diving at Oceanworld is an exciting experience.

Getting to Manly

The best way to go to Manly is to take the Manly ferry from Circular Quay, which is an unique experience itself. Ferries run frequently from early morning until around midnight.

Going by bus means you have to change buses on the way. Believe me, the ferry is really the quickest connection. Of course, there's also a tour to Manly available if you don't want to do the planning yourself.

Return to top of beaches in Sydney

Beaches in Sydney - Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach is the closest ocean beach to the city centre. Throughout the world Bondi has become synonymous with Sydney's surf and beach scene.

Bondi Beach is famous to have one of the world's oldest Surf Life Savers Clubs.

Things to do in Bondi

Going to the beach, of course. When you swim, always stay between the flags where lifeguards keep an eye on swimmers. There are some strong currents which could get you in trouble. Unexperienced swimmers can always ask the lifeguard about the current sea conditions.

Take surfing lessons Bondi is the best place to start with what could become your favourite hobby. Choose from small group lessons, or 1 hour and 1.5 hours private lessons.

You can do a 2,5 km scenic walk from Bondi Beach south to Bronte Beach, and even further to Coogee and Maroubra.

Relax on the beach or in a cafe at Campbell Parade, and watch interesting people from all around the world.

Getting to Bondi

The quickest bus connection is the 333. This is a prepay only bus, so remember to get your bus ticket at Circular Quay, or any newsagency. There are other buses to Bondi, and they all start with the # 3, however, they have more stops on the way.

Bondi by train is a fast connection as well. Trains start at Central Station or Martin Place to Bondi Junction. From here you need to catch a bus to the beach.

Get a Sydney and Bondi Hop-on Hop-off Bus ticket to explore the city, and go to Bondi. Buses leave at Central Station and bring you straight to the beach.
There are three stops in Bondi, and on the way back to the city centre, you can get off at Rose Bay and Double Bay to explore two beautiful suburbs on the Sydney harbour shore.

Beaches in Sydney from the air

Another option to appreciate the amazing views of Sydney's coastline is to hop on board of a plane.

With the Sydney Beaches Scenic Flight you'll experience Sydney's beauty on a 60 to 80 minutes flight.

From Camden, south of Sydney, the flight heads towards the Blue Mountains and Parramatta before you reach the coast at Narrabeen. Heading south you are flying over Curl Curl, Manley, the harbour heads, Bondi Beach, Maroubra, Botany Bay and The Royal National Park, just to name a few of the attractions.

The Chessna is appropriate to take photos of the scenery, and your pilot will fly at around 550ft along the coast to offer you the best views.
Check out and book this comprehensive scenic flight now.

Now that you have got an idea about the main beaches in Sydney, go out and have fun.