Jiaoyou's travel guide, as well as a few key tips for touring Sydney.

Darling Harbour Walk and Saturday Night Fireworks

Take a short walk from Haymarket/Chinatown to Cockle Bay. Along the way: Tumbalong Park (a large green space in the centre), the Chinese Garden of Friendship (a small entry fee, a truly peaceful escape from the city), and Darling Square—home to The Exchange's striking spiral building, as well as a row of cafes, bars, and restaurants along Tumbalong Boulevard and Steam Mill Lane. Paddy's Markets and Chinatown are a short walk further south. On Saturday nights, around 9 pm (8:30 pm during daylight saving), free fireworks light up the bay—no tickets needed, just find a spot along the waterfront.

University of Sydney

Worth a look even if you're not a student—the historic Quadrangle and the Great Hall are landmark buildings on campus. For DiDi/Uber, search "Fisher Library, University of Sydney" (Eastern Avenue, Camperdown)—it will drop you right in the middle of campus.

George Street

George Street runs right through the CBD, stretching from Haymarket all the way to Circular Quay and The Rocks—the oldest and most historic part of Sydney, full of cobblestone laneways and sandstone warehouses. The light rail also runs along the entire length of George Street, so for short trips within the CBD you don't even need DiDi—the light rail is very convenient. George Street is also a great landmark for finding your way—most CBD blocks are laid out on either side of it. For shopping: George Street and the Queen Victoria Building have department stores and historic architecture, or walk a few steps to Pitt Street Mall, which is a pedestrian shopping street.

Taronga Zoo

Take the ferry—it's part of the experience, not just a way to get there. Public ferries depart from Circular Quay Wharf 4 roughly every 30 minutes, with a trip of about 12 minutes.

For the official guide and ticket booking link, please see the bottom of this page.

Mrs Macquarie's Chair

This special "chair" is not an ordinary bench, but was hand-carved directly into natural sandstone by convict labour in 1810. It was built by Lachlan Macquarie, then Governor of New South Wales, for his wife, Elizabeth Macquarie.

It is said that Mrs Macquarie enjoyed sitting here gazing out over Sydney Harbour, waiting for ships from England.

What makes this spot most special is the unique vantage point for viewing the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. From here you can capture both Sydney landmarks in one frame—it's one of the best places to photograph Sydney's classic harbour scenery.

If time allows, walking there from the city centre through the beautiful Royal Botanic Garden is highly recommended. Along the way there are green trees, gardens, harbour views, and comfortable walking paths—the stroll itself is a pleasure.

📍 Address and rideshare drop-off

Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

When using DiDi or Uber, you can enter Mrs Macquarie's Chair directly as the destination, or use the address above. Vehicles usually drop off and pick up on the nearby road, after which it's a short walk to the viewpoint.

Beaches — Bondi, Coogee, and Manly

It's best to avoid Bondi on weekends—traffic in and out is heavily congested, and DiDi/Uber fares rise accordingly. Coogee is a good alternative on any day, usually with smoother access in and out. Manly is also worth visiting, and half the experience is the journey there: take the F1 ferry from Circular Quay Wharf 3, about 30 minutes each way, passing the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, and the harbour headlands along the route. 

When 

Australias East Coast, in the warmer months generally has a sea breeze, from mid morning. best time to enjoy the beaches, is generally in the mornings prior to the offshore breeze gaining strenght 

Jiayou and Haven have also prepared a free drink for passengers: book our airport pickup or drop-off, and after you get in the car, the driver will give you a $5.50 Haven drink voucher, redeemable at any Haven location for coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Limited quantities, available while supplies last.

Sydney Specialty Coffee | What Makes Australian Coffee So Special?

Australia has developed one of the world's most distinctive coffee cultures. The Australian-style coffee built around the combination of espresso and milk is now internationally renowned, and more and more Australian cafes, baristas, and production techniques are gaining recognition around the world. At the same time, the science behind espresso extraction, milk texture, and temperature control has gradually become a research field of interest to universities and researchers.

Many specialty cafes in Sydney prefer medium to medium-light roasted Arabica blends, which retain more chocolate, caramel, nut, and fruit aromas.
Espresso is also made with great precision, carefully controlling the dose of coffee grounds, extraction time, and yield—that is, the amount of liquid coffee extracted from a given amount of grounds—to balance sweetness, intensity, and bitterness.
When making a latte, the milk is steamed into fine, glossy microfoam, a texture often described as like "wet paint in motion." As it's poured into the cup, the milk and microfoam fold and blend naturally with the espresso, creating a uniform, silky texture rather than distinct layers of coffee, milk, and foam.

Temperature is also key. When milk is heated to around 60–65°C, the solubility of lactose and the palate's perception of sweetness are both affected by temperature, so even with no sugar added, you can taste a more pronounced natural sweetness.

A good Sydney latte is not just coffee plus milk—the beans, the extraction yield, the temperature, and the technique together determine the final taste.

Newtown is a great place to experience another side of Sydney. Stroll slowly along King Street and Enmore Road, and you'll see a very different Sydney—diverse, creative, a little alternative, and with a strong sense of local Australian community. The streets are lined with independent shops, cafes, bars, restaurants from around the world, vintage stores, bookshops, street art, and many well-preserved old-style shopfronts.
There's no need to rush to any particular attraction here—the street itself is the scenery. Walking and browsing as you go, you'll always come across interesting little shops and corners.
It's also a great place to visit on a rainy day. Many traditional shops along King Street still have street-facing awnings, so even in bad weather you can stroll slowly along under cover.
Jay Chou fans can try a little challenge: see if you can find the Newtown bench that appeared in his Sydney photos.

Simply put, you can start from Newtown Station and wander slowly along King Street or Enmore Road in either direction—each direction has about 700 metres of blocks worth exploring, with all kinds of shops, cafes, street art, and characterful neighbourhood scenery along the way. If you head toward the city, you can continue on to the University of Sydney, Broadway, and Carriageworks.

This is one of our favourite spots and one of Sydney's most underrated, rarely mentioned attractions. For guests taking our return trip to the airport, we often take you past here on the way at no extra charge. It's beautiful both day and night.

Take the F4 ferry from Circular Quay Wharf 5 to Milsons Point Wharf, about 5 minutes. When you get off, Luna Park's famous big face is right in front of you. This is also one of Sydney's best photo spots, with the Opera House and the city skyline on the opposite shore—especially beautiful at night.

A few minutes' walk brings you to Broughton Street in Kirribilli. There are plenty of good restaurants and eateries there—grab some food and sit on the grass beside the bridge, eating while enjoying the harbour views.

From Broughton Street you can walk to the steps up onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge, or to the Milsons Point station platform. A leisurely one-way walk across the bridge takes about 20 to 30 minutes, roughly 1.7 km in total. For the return trip, you can walk across the bridge and then take the ferry, which passes right under the bridge; or you can walk from Broughton Street to Milsons Point Station and take the train back to the city. If you'd rather not take the ferry on the way there, you can also take the train directly to Milsons Point Station.