10-Nights Exceptional Sydney & Melbourne

Travel Answers (Formerly Travel2)

Discover two of Australia’s most iconic cities: Sydney and Melbourne in style. Explore Sydney on a 5-hour private tour that includes a comprehensive city tour and lunch at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. Enjoy a progressive lunch on Sydney Harbour with stops at waterfront restaurants. See behind the doors of the Sydney Opera House and dine at Bennelong Restaurant. Travel to the stunning Blue Mountains taking in the sites of sandstone outcrops, deep ravines and hazy blue eucalypt forests.

In Melbourne discover a world of culinary delights, cultural fusion and stunning seasonal produce in Melbourne’s most vibrant local neighborhoods. Meet the market vendors and gourmet artisans. Spend a day indulging in Victoria’s premier wine and produce region, the Yarra Valley. Go behind the cellar doors, chat to local wine makers, brewers and distillers. Walk among ancient eucalypts in the state’s best native wildlife park and enjoy farm-fresh regional produce in picturesque surrounds. Take in the stunning scenery, charming coastal towns and the peerless Twelve Apostles on a private drive along the Great Ocean Road. See kangaroos and koalas in the wild and take plenty of time to soak in the beauty of national parks, rainforest and a truly dramatic coastline.

Vacation Inclusions

• 5 nights in Sydney at the Crown Towers Sydney in an Opera King Room (Based on Sun-Fri stays)
• Private Essential Sydney tour including lunch Embark on an unforgettable journey through the iconic city of Sydney! This perfect Sydney, Australia vacation comes with a personal tour with a guide familiar with all its secrets and take in some spectacular sights such as The Sydney Opera House. Enjoy lunch at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia while admiring the beautiful harbor views. Finish off your day by taking it easy on Bondi Beach – one of Sydney’s favorite spots among locals and visitors alike.
• Sydney Opera House one-hour guided tour including dinner at Bennelong Restaurant Experience Sydney’s landmark opera house with this behind the scenes/dinner package. Begin the night with a tour of the iconic, UNESCO-designated opera house and explore its history and architecture with an informative local guide. Then, enjoy a delicious two-course dinner with wine at the opera house’s signature restaurant, Bennelong
• Private Blue Mountains Guided Tour including Lunch Relax and enjoy the fresh eucalyptus and tea tree aromas of the Blue Mountains on this small group tour. Experience breathtaking views, Scenic World rides, a rainforest walk, a visit to a quaint village, Sydney Zoo, and a return ferry to Circular Quay. Discover the lush Jamison Valley, blue haze vistas, and unique flora and fauna. Visit the spiritual Three Sisters rock formation and learn its Aboriginal legend. Enjoy peaceful walking trails through pristine rainforest. Diamond Tours offers a personalized, memorable experience with attentive and friendly guides.
• Sydney Long Harbour Lunch Cruise Enjoy a progressive lunch that travels by motor yacht to the most scenic parts of Sydney Harbour. Get great views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge as you cruise to Watsons Bay for your appetizer course at a classic waterside eatery. Continue past Middle Head to Balmoral where you stop at your second waterfront restaurant for your main course. Return to your boat for the cheese course. Sparkling wine and other drinks are included.
• 5 nights in Melbourne at the Crown Towers Melbourne in a Deluxe King Room 
• Private Great Ocean Road Tour including Café style lunch The breath-taking Twelve Apostles are a must on any Australian adventure. A day spent journeying down the Great Ocean Road is the perfect chance to get back to nature. See wild kangaroos and koalas, and stroll through charming coastal towns, national parks and native forests.
• Private Melbourne Street Eats Experience
• Australians have a penchant for borrowing and bastardising with great irreverence. This is especially true when it comes to the creatively competitive culinary arts. Experience inventive cultural fusion and stunning seasonal produce while unravelling some of Melbourne’s most vibrant local neighborhoods.
• Private Yarra Valley Wine and Wildlife Tour including Café style lunch Nestled among many of Victoria’s best-loved mountain ranges is the quiet, sprawling Yarra Valley region. It’s number one for wine touring and can boast of one of Australia’s best wildlife sanctuaries. Add this to a host of talented local farmers, winemakers, distillers, brewers and restauranteurs and you have one exceptional region for touring and a day out with something for everyone.
• Private round-trip Sydney and Melbourne airport/hotel transfers
• Breakfast daily
• Airfares not included. Please call for pricing.

Featured Destinations

Sydney Sydney Sydney Soak up Sydney’s gorgeous harbour, seductive outdoor lifestyle and great natural beauty. Kayak under the Sydney Harbour Bridge or wave at the Opera House as you ride a ferry across the harbour to Manly. Learn to surf at Bondi Beach or swim in the calm waters of Coogee. Lose yourself in the cobblestone cul-de-sacs of The Rocks or in the markets, boutiques, cafes and pubs of Paddington. As well as a world-famous harbour and more than 70 sparkling beaches, Sydney offers fabulous food, festivals and 24-7 fun. Five Sydney Experiences Not to Miss: 1. Explore the historic Rocks Discover Sydney’s colorful convict history in the harbourside quarter where it all began. Just five minutes from Circular Quay, you can hear stories of hangings and hauntings on a ghost tour, wander the weekend markets or climb the span of the Harbour Bridge. In amongst the maze of sandstone lanes and courtyards, you’ll find historic workman’s cottages and elegant terraces, art galleries, hotels with harbour views and Sydney’s oldest pubs. See people spill out of them onto a party on the cobblestone streets when The Rocks celebrates Australia Day on January 26th, Anzac Day on April 25th and New Years Eve. 2. Hit the world-famous harbour Sail past the Opera House on a chartered yacht or paddle from Rose Bay in a kayak. Take a scenic cruise from Circular Quay or Darling Harbour, past waterfront mansions, national parks and Shark, Clark, Rodd and Goat islands. Tour historic Fort Denison or learn about the life of Sydney’s first inhabitants, the Gadigal people, on an Aboriginal cultural cruise. Watch the harbour glitter from the green parklands of the Royal Botanic Gardens, which curves around its edge. Or take in the view from a waterfront restaurant in Mosman, on the northern side of the bridge, or Watsons Bay at South Head. Walk from Rose Bay to Vaucluse or Cremorne Point to Mosman Bay, on just some of the 16 spectacular routes hugging the harbour foreshore. 3. Visit Manly on the ferry Travel across Sydney Harbour on a ferry to Manly, which sits between beaches of ocean surf and tranquil inner harbour. Wander through native bushland on the scenic Manly to Spit Bridge walk, learn to scuba-dive at Cabbage Tree Bay or ride a bike to Fairy Bower. Picnic at Shelly Beach on the ocean and sail or kayak from Manly Wharf round the harbour. Hire a scooter and do a round trip of northern beaches such as Narrabeen and Palm Beach. Explore the shops, bars and cafes along the bustling pine tree-lined Corso and dine at world-class restaurants with water views. 4. Enjoy café culture and top shopping in Paddington Meander through the Saturday markets, browse fashion boutiques on bustling Oxford Street or discover the antique shops and art galleries in upmarket Woollahra. Visit the 1840s Victoria Barracks Army base, open to the public once a week, and see restored Victorian terraces on wide, leafy streets. Ride or roller-blade in huge Centennial Park, then stop for coffee and lunch on Oxford St or in the mini-village of Five Ways. Catch a movie at an art-house cinema or leaf through a novel at midnight in one of the huge bookstores. Crawl between the lively, historic pubs. They hum even more after a game at the nearby stadium or a race day, when girls and guys arrive in their crumpled trackside finery. 5. Walk from Bondi to Coogee Take in breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean as you walk the winding, sea-sculpted sandstone cliffs between Bondi and Coogee. Swim in the famous Bondi Icebergs rock pool or just watch the swimmers with a sunset cocktail from the restaurant above. See wild waves in Tamarama, nicknamed Glamarama for the beautiful people who lie on its golden sand. From mid-October to November, the stretch from here to Bondi is transformed into an outdoor gallery for the Sculptures by the Sea exhibition. You can surf, picnic on the grass or stop for a coffee at family-friendly Bronte. Or swim, snorkel or scuba dive in Clovelly and tranquil Gordon’s Bay. See the graves of poets Henry Lawson, Dorothea Mackellar and aviator Lawrence Hargrave in Waverley Cemetery, on the edge of the cliffs. Finish your tour in the scenic, backpacker haven of Coogee.

Destination Guide

Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is a maze of hidden laneways, opulent bars, exclusive restaurants and off-the-beaten-track boutiques. Here you can soak up culture, hit the sporting grounds, taste the dynamic food and wine scene, dance til dawn or wander the parks and leafy boulevards. Visit Federation Square, the city's landmark cultural space, and enjoy a sunset beer on the St Kilda promenade. Shop till you drop on funky Brunswick Street or upmarket Chapel Street. Wander Southbank's cafes, bistros and bars and get a world tour of cuisines in Carlton, Richmond and Fitzroy. Take an Aboriginal Heritage Walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens and cheer with a capacity crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Five Must-Have Melbourne Experiences: 1. Shop till you drop Bag a bargain at the Rose Street Artist's Market and browse the funky boutiques on Brunswick Street. Buy designer labels such as Akira Isogawa and Zimmerman on Chapel Street in Prahran or in the historic Melbourne General Post Office, which covers an entire city block. For everything from fashion to furnishings at fantastic value, visit Bridge Road in Richmond. Melbourne is a shopper's haven, offering eclectic boutiques, high-end fashion, funky homeware stores and European style piazzas in the city's arcades and hidden laneways. 2. Bar hop and dance till dawn Sip a cocktail in a converted sea container in Chinatown, enjoy a sunset beer in a St Kilda pub or listen to cabaret in lush retro surroundings in jazz bars in the city. Linger over exquisite tapas and exotic wine in a Little Collins Street bar and mingle in a pink parlour with fake grass in Bourke Street. You can party from dusk in the bars of Brunswick Street. Or dance till dawn in bars in the city's lantern-lit laneways, secret apart from the spill of coloured light under heavy brass doors. 3. Get into the gourmet goodness Let the aroma of good coffee waft over you in Melbourne's gothic European laneways. The city is famous for its coffee and old-world café culture but there's so much more to explore. Once you've downed a 'short black' or taken an afternoon aperitif, try tea in a nineteenth-century hotel or salivate over your silver spoon in acclaimed restaurants like Nobu, Botanical and Becco. Pick up fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood at the Queen Victoria Market on a Saturday, known for its bustling crowds and buskers. Try out the restaurants, cafes, bistros and bars in Southbank or Federation Square. Make your way around Melbourne's multicultural cosmos of cuisines: Carlton for Italian classics, Richmond for budget-friendly Vietnamese and Fitzroy for Spanish tapas. 4. Fill up on culture See a performance by the Australian Ballet, which is based here in Australia's cultural capital. Or enjoy a dazzling musical at the Princess Theatre. Browse the Southern Hemisphere's best collection of international art at the National Gallery of Victoria. Or visit the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Federation Square, a landmark cultural 'space' for Melbournians. Challenge yourself with the creative collections in the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art in Southbank. To learn more about Melbourne's Aboriginal cultural heritage, see contemporary and dreamtime art or take an Aboriginal Heritage Walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens. 5. Go sports mad Cheer for an Australian Rules Football game with a capacity crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground over winter. Go cricket mad in summer, when the city hosts the Ashes and one day internationals. Or join the huge crowds watching the Australian Tennis Open at Melbourne Park. Rev heads head to Melbourne in March for the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in Albert Park. And whether you are a racing fan or just a casual punter, you won't want to miss the Melbourne Cup - the world's richest horse race on the first Tuesday in November.

Destination Guide

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