Harbourside Walks For those with a few days to spend in Sydney, a harbourside walk is a must.

A good starting point is the short walk from Mrs Macquarie's Point past the Opera House to the foot of the Harbour Bridge. Allow 1 hour. If you want to continue, you can walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge for a dramatic view of the city and harbour and catch a train or bus from Milsons Point back to the city.

Another delightful short walk is to catch a State ferry from Circular Quay to Cremorne Point, then walk along the harbourside path to Mosman from where you can catch the ferry back. Allow about 40 minutes. If you have time, stop at the Mosman Rower's Club for lunch or dinner. From Mosman you can continue on for about an hour to Sirius Cove and Taronga Park Zoo before catching a ferry back.

The Hermitage Foreshore walk takes you from Rose Bay to Nielson Park, one of Sydney's hidden delights. The Park, which is about 9kms east of the city, has a netted swimming beach, extensive grassed areas and stunning harbour views from its many vantage points. There is a tea room by the beach or you can continue on about 15 minutes to the café at nearby Vaucluse House, one of Sydney's historic houses (for details see our Links page). Allow 1½ hours from the start of the walk at Rose Bay to Vaucluse House. To get to the start, catch bus 324 or 325 from the City or Kings Cross and get off at Sacred Heart Convent, Rose Bay. You can also get to Nielson Park and Vaucluse House by bus 325 or the Sydney Blue Explorer Bus.

Watsons Bay to South Head. This easy walk takes you from picturesque Watsons Bay to the cliffs at the southern entrance of Sydney Harbour. It offers dramatic views and goes past swimming beaches at Camp Cove and Lady Bay (nude bathing permitted). Allow 1½ hours. To get to the starting point at Watsons Bay, you can catch a ferry from Circular Quay or catch the L82 bus from Oxford Street or the 324 and 325 buses from the City and Kings Cross.

For the more energetic, the most rewarding of all the harbourside walks is from the Spit Bridge to Manly, a distance of some 8 km. You should allow at least 4 hours for this walk, longer if you intend to spend time on some of the sandy beaches or explore some of the protected coves and sandstone cliffs. Catch a bus from the City to the starting point at the Spit Bridge, about 10km north of the City, then return by ferry from Manly.