This is a trip built around the thing that makes Sydney genuinely one of the world's great cities: the water. The harbour, the ocean cliffs, the coastal walks, the beaches — you could spend a week here without leaving the shoreline and never run out of things to do. This itinerary is for travellers who want to move between iconic and underrated, who prefer a view earned on foot over one glimpsed from a tour bus window.

Start with the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb — yes, it's the obvious opener, but the 360-degree panorama from the arch gives you a working map of everything that follows. Come down and walk into the Royal Botanic Garden along the harbour edge, with the Sydney Opera House right there to tour or catch an evening performance. That night, board a Sydney Harbour Lunch or Dinner Cruise to see the whole thing lit up from the water. Day two: walk the Rocks Heritage Tour in the morning, then cross to the Australian National Maritime Museum and the ferry out to Cockatoo Island for a dose of industrial history most visitors skip entirely. On your third day, head east — Watsons Bay and The Gap for the cliff walk, then the full Coogee to Bondi Coastal Walk, finishing at Bondi Beach. Cap the trip with an early morning Sydney Fish Market Tour before heading north to Manly Beach via the ferry, the best $6 you'll spend in Australia.