Airport
Kingsford Smith (Sydney) Airport
IATA Code: SYDLocation: The airport is situated six miles (9km) south of Sydney.
Time: GMT +10 (GMT +11 from the last Sunday in October to the first Saturday in March).
Contacts: Tel: +61 (0)2 9667 9111.
Transfer between terminals: The Airport Rail Link connects the international (T1) and domestic terminals (T2 and T3), and the T-Bus provides a frequent service between T1 and T2. Some passengers may qualify for the Qantas Seamless Transfer service, which is the easiest way to transfer between the Domestic and International terminals. The Domestic terminals are walking distance apart.
Transfer to the city: The Airport Rail Link is the fastest and most convenient way to reach the city centre and the suburbs. Trains run every 10 minutes and the journey to the centre takes 13 minutes from where connections can be made for all suburban services. The International rail station is located directly below T1 International Terminal and is reached from inside the terminal on the arrivals level; the Domestic rail station is between the Domestic terminals. Public bus 400 runs between the airport and Bondi Junction. Shuttle bus companies provide direct transport to and from the airport and must be pre-booked; hotel buses are also available.
Taxis: There are supervised taxi ranks outside the terminal; regular taxis and maxi taxis (for groups) are available from here. The taxi fare to the city centre in off-peak traffic should be about A$25, excluding tolls.
Car rental: All the main car hire companies are represented at the airport.
Facilities: There are a wide variety of shops, bars and restaurants throughout the terminals, as well as shower facilities, Internet kiosks, cell phone rental and duty-free shopping. T1 and T2 also have wireless Internet access. Foreign exchange and ATMs are available throughout the airport. Medical facilities and baggage storage are also available in T1. The airport is non-smoking but there are some designated smoking areas. Business services in Terminals 1 and 2 offer meeting rooms, fax and Internet facilities. Disabled facilities and access are good.
Parking: There are both short-term, long-term and Quickpark car parks, and Pronto! Valet parking is also available for an additional fee.
Departure tax: None.
Website: www.syd.com.au
Visit worldtravels.com for the full guide to Sydney. Build a complete Sydney travel guide and email to your clients - sign up for a trial subscription of World Travels Pro.
Sydney
Sunny, seductive Sydney is a high contender for the title of the world's most ideal city. It is slick and smart, the streets are clean, the neighbourhoods and busy pedestrian precincts pristine, the parks sublime, the water in the huge harbour blue, and the landmark buildings breath-taking. Sydney's population is approaching five million, but it is easy to leave the frenetic urban pace behind with just a simple ferry ride to the North Shore for a bush walk, enjoy a stroll along the harbour beaches or take any one of a number of daytrips to explore the 'real' Australia on the city's doorstep.
Just like its characteristic white-sailed Opera House, Sydney seems to cruise effortlessly through nights and days filled with myriad entertainment opportunities, sophisticated shopping, memorable museums, and strings of beautiful beaches. Visitors find it exhausting to take it all in, even though the tourist precinct where most of the interesting attractions are to be found is concentrated in quite a small area around the downtown waterfront and harbour area.
The fact that Sydney is a thriving seaport and industrial city has been cleverly concealed behind attractive pleasure and leisure grounds and residential suburbs, making full use of the scenic, watery geographical location. The harbour area is dominated by the span of one of the world's largest arched bridges, backed by towering skyscrapers. It is all a far cry from the remote penal colony established by the British back in 1788.
Another plus for visitors is that compared to most big cities Sydney offers excellent, reasonably priced food, accommodation and public transport. The city also has an excellent suburban rail network, with its hub at Circular Quay in the city centre, and full use is made of the waterways with ferries and passenger jet boats plying to and from various points.
