We’re Sydney locals but this is a walk which no matter how many times you do it, it never gets old. The path runs between Circular Quay and Woolloomooloo and the views have real wow factor, it never fails to impress when we bring visitors.
It’s a glorious walk at any time of day but if you can time it for sunset, it is even more beautiful, and makes for some very special photographs. After enjoying Sydney Harbour and the Botanic Garden you finish this walk with a well earned drink on the Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf, what could be better?!
The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Walk
The stats
Distance: 3.4km
Elevation: 12m
Difficulty: Easy
Type of walk: One way
Start of trail: Circular Quay
End of trail: Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf
This is an easy walk which is almost entirely flat and is perfect for when you are looking for something leisurely. Almost the entire path is paved, or board-walked and there are only a few stairs to climb over the whole 3.4km.
Starting the walk
Starting your walk at Circular Quay you will follow the harbour around past all the shops and restaurants in the direction of the Sydney Opera House.
The seating at the open air Opera Bar is a famous spot for photography and is worth a stop if it isn’t too crowded.
The Opera Bar
The path is paved the entire way and is almost completely flat so this is a great walk for any level of fitness.
Heading into the Botanic Garden
From the Opera Bar walk right beside those famous Opera House stairs - always a wow moment - even for locals and head into the Botanic Garden via the Queens Elizabeth II Gate. We’d recommend arriving around an hour and a half before sunset if you want the optimal light for photos further along the walk.
As you enter the gardens don’t forget to look behind you and catch a unique view of the Opera House dominating the Sydney Harbour Bridge behind.
Looking back on Sydney Harbour from the Botanic Garden
As this is a harbour walk we’ll keep the route close to the water throughout but there is one deviation we recommend making to explore a bit of the best of the garden before you go back to hugging the shoreline.
At sign for the Conservatorium of Music, turn right to walk through one of our favourite trees in the entire garden, the absolutely ginormous Moreton Bay Fig. The roots of this tree are just incredible as they seem to creep ever further through the garden. Make sure you then follow signs for the Calyx, as otherwise you will head into the city!
You’ll then walk past an impressive Bamboo grove, I always stop to feel the wood which is cool to the touch, so refreshing on a hot Sydney afternoon.
Past the Bamboo Grove you’ll reach the East Asian Oriental Garden which has some lovely Lilly ponds. One of the trees is a favourite place for the local cormorants to hang out. Birds are a big feature of the garden, and you’ll likely see Sulphur crested cockatoos, Kookaburras, Noisy Miners, Rainbow Lorikeets and various waders.
After the ponds head left and back to the water again to continue the harbour walk.
Around to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair
Back on the original path and you continue following it around the waters edge, this is when you’ll get the quintessential Sydney Harbour views where the Opera House sits to the front left of the Harbour Bridge.
You’ll pass by Busby’s Bar which is a sweet little place to grab a drink if you can’t hang on for Woolloomooloo. Just after Busby’s you exit the garden by the Yurong Gate - that’s why you don’t need to worry about garden opening times and whether you can stay for sunset, Mrs Macquarie’s Chair lies just outside the garden and is therefore open 24 hours.
After exiting the garden you start to see some gorgeous swirly rocks formations on your right and some of them are even big enough to sit on, with small foot holds carved into the rock to help you get up. Mrs Macquarie’s Chair is a little further along the path and up a couple of short flights of stairs. This viewpoint was Mrs Macquarie’s (the Governor’s wife) favourite vantage point in Sydney and the chair was carved out of the sandstone for her by convicts in 1810.
The view from here is still one of the most famous in Sydney and is used regularly on all the tourism brochures. You’ll probably recognise it when you see it, with the bridge and Opera House are framed perfectly by the tree branches. It’s a favourite spot with landscape photographers, especially at sunset.
You can either perch of the wall and watch the sunset from here or if it’s too busy (usually only on a weekend) you can head to the rocks on the water, just a couple of minutes back down the staircase again.
We usually move between the two places as they are both great views. I like sitting on the rocks and listening to the waves crash against them. This really is one of the most spectacular views in Sydney, especially at sunset when the light surrounds the Opera House in a golden glow.
Onto the Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf
Once the sun has set you can follow the path on to the Finger Wharf in the twilight (you have plenty of time to make it before it gets dark). The remainder of the walk is just over 1 km.
If you are doing this walk in the day time instead look out for rays in the water along the stretch of path between Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and the Andrew Charlton swimming pool. The water is nice and clear and on a sunny day I have often seen them here.
Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf
If you’re walking after sunset then you won’t see the rays but you will get to enjoy the final part of the walk in the twilight and the lights of the Figure Wharf twinkling in the distance are very picturesque.
The path will take you alongside the swimming pool as you continue following the harbour until you come to the second turning on your left, down to the water. It’s not especially obvious as there are quite a few trees which obscure the view so just keep an eye out.
Once you head down the stairs you will be on the final stretch of boardwalk with the wharf directly ahead of you. It’s now a very short walk until you reach the Ovolo hotel (as well as various other restaurants). The hotel has changed hands several times since we moved to Sydney, but one thing has never changed, there’s always a good bar there and it’s the perfect ending to your sunset Sydney Harbour walk.
There are lots of transport options from the wharf, with various bus routes, or you could walk to Kings Cross Train Station which is 900m away.
If you don’t want to do it as a sunset walk and are keen to continue further, you can walk from the Finger Wharf to the Domain in five minutes which is right beside the Art Gallery NSW and Hyde Park.
If you love this one, why not try one of our other favourite harbour walks from this list?
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