Lesser-known "must see" places during 5 days in and around Sydney?

Sydney is one of my FAVOURITE cities in the world! There is a place called Bamboo Dumpling Bar that has THE BEST dumplings ever! They even have ice cream dumplings! If you go you might want to book a reservation in advance.

Also you MUST try the kangaroo pizza at The Australian Heritage Hotel it is incredibly delicious and they also have a lot of great ciders on tap there - the old Granny Cider is my favourite. (Note: many pubs and bars are called "hotels" it can get confusing). 

On the weekend in The Rocks (the oldest part of the city) there is The Rocks Market and it is a great place to get some food and see some awesome market stuff and a great place to get souvenirs. It is kind of a swanky market.

If you want a cheaper market with kitschy souvenirs head down to Paddy's Markets which is the Asian market near Chinatown and they had lots of crazy souvenirs everything from Crocodile Dundee hats to kangaroo "balls" beer can openers. If you want to get an AMAZING view of the harbour go to Blu Bar On 36 at the top of the Shangri-La hotel. (you might want to make a reservation for there too.) The views are wicked.

If you want to go to Bondi Beach, the cheapest way to get there is to pre-purchase a bus ticket and get bus 333 from Circular Quay. Or you can jump on a ferry at Circular Quay to take you to Manly or to the Taronga Zoo my favourite Zoo in the whole world and its really cool, lots of great animals from red pandas to adorable koalas, elephants, komodo dragons and even giraffes that have the best view overlooking the city.

If you are looking for another good dumpling place head to the food court in the Westfield Sydney mall, sounds random but its actually a really great food court. Also a fun thing to do that is kind of a uniquely Australian thing is to go to a "hotel" that has a cook your own steaks feature. Like the The Great Northern Hotel,  you go in select a steak from the meat case and then grill it yourself and there is a salad bar and stuff its pretty cool.

Sydney is also quite big and there are all kinds of ethnic areas like there is a little Portugal and a Greektown and stuff that are great to check out. You might want to consider taking a food tour with "Ulitmate Sydney".

Glebe is also a nice and "hip" neighbourhood to visit. Also the Sydney Fish Market is really cool to see and of course they have amazing fresh seafood. Darling Harbour is nice for a stroll and is a popular tourist area.

I think Ballast Point Park in Balmain is a wonderful 'secret' - beautiful views of the harbour, surprise nooks and an arty renovation of a prior industrial site makes a fascinating afternoon wander.

If you have some time, a trip up to Pittwater on the Northern Beaches (Palm Beach, Whale Beach, Avalon Beach...) would be amazing - you can hire a boat and go across to The Basin, take a bushwalk to the Macquarie Lighthouse, play golf beside the beach or just get an ice cream and sit by the magnificent ocean. It takes around two hours on a public bus to get there, or 45 mins to an hour if you hire a car and drive. It's probably the most stunning place you'll see near Sydney.

So far as foodie spots, Newtown's King Street is great for all sorts of food, from Sri Lankan Dosai (SO good!) to Thai to Indian to Italian to Vegetarian/ Vegan... almost everything. 

If you head to the Sydney Fish Market on a weekend it can be a great place to chow down in an informal setting, and watch the spectacle at the same time. But it gets REALLY busy so early is best!

Leichardt's Norton Street is known for its Italian cuisine, but you can also get more upmarket Italian in Glebe Point Road & Paramatta Road.

Try some Laksa while you're there - it's not always easy to get Indonesian in other countries, and some of the best Laksa spots in Sydney CBD (Central Business District, i.e. the centre of town) are really yum.

Bronte Beach for weekend brunch is also a hotspot, as is Bills at Darlinghurst. Bill's doesn't take reservations last time I looked, so you might have to wait a little... but it's worth it.

Hope this helps! Enjoy your trip to Sydney !

Favorite foodie spots for me are Harry's Cafe De Wheels, Marrickville Pork Roll, Chat Thai and fave spots especially for filming are the Bondi - Bronte Coastal Walk and Haymarket in general. The pubs of The Rocks are also nice.

Hi Kim,

Foodie Spot - Surry Hills is a foodie spot at the moment, as is Newtown. Lesser known "must-see" - well it really depends on what sort of things you like. There's beautiful sandstone buildings on Macquarie and Bridge streets, the Queen Victoria Building upper levels are interesting to explore as well. The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney are a place that tourists know about, but I don't think many really explore it.

For beaches, the locals like Balmoral Beach, and the quieter Clifton Gardens Reserve. For a picnic, go to Shark Island for a quiet island in the middle of harbour.