The arrival of autumn in Australia will be a welcome relief for international visitors emerging from a bleak winter in the northern hemisphere. Here‘s a fast-track tour for travelers to Sydney short on time. First, see the sun come up over Sydney Harbour. At this time of year, the sun rises at around 6:30am, an hour after the first ferries leave the wharf, so there‘s plenty of activity on the water. At 7:00am, the Sydney Opera House hosts tours for just eight people to backstage areas normally off-limits to theatre-goers. At $100 per person, the two-hour tour is not a budget option but it does include breakfast. Be warned, the tour includes 300 steps.
If you‘re not exhausted, cool off with a relaxing dip. A recent spate of shark attacks may have put you off Sydney‘s beaches, but there are plenty of outdoor pools that offer both sun and seawater. You can also admire the Australian coastline by following it all the way back from Coogee to Sydney‘s famous Bondi Beach. The two-hour walk takes you past bays and beaches and through the dramatic Waverley Cemetery where you can reflect on life while breathing in the views.
The hungry seagulls and pelicans at the Sydney Fish Market make lunch there a more interesting affair. Select your meal from the huge variety of seafood inside the market, grab a bottle of wine and an outdoor table and prepare to guard your chips. Most restaurants in Sydnesy allow you to bring your own bottle of wine, but they will charge you corkage. Still, it‘s cheaper.
Contest and festivals Until May 24, visitors can drop into the Art Gallery of New South Wales to see the finalists and the winner of this year‘s Archibald Prize, Australia‘s leading portraiture contest. Shoppers can pick up a souvenir close by in one of Sydney‘s oldest and most beautiful shopping centers, the Queen Victoria Building. The building opened in 1898, underwent major refurbishment in the 1980s and is now not only a great example of Victorian architecture but a stunning place to grab a quick coffee.
In the evening, take a twilight cruise of Sydney Harbour aboard a yacht. Sunsail invites everyone for a “fun blast" around the harbor every Wednesday evening from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. Two new festivals have been added to a busy calendar in Sydney this year. In June, Vivid Sydney promises to turn the city into “a living canvas of music and light." And on October 25, 20,000 people will have the opportunity to have “Breakfast on the Bridge" as part of the month-long Crave Sydney festival. CNN
O autorovi| Stránku připravila Marta Pelechová
