Tom & Bec
Tom & Bec
Q + A
For those travelling from far and wide, you will need a visa. But which one?
Can I bring a guest?
What will the weather be like?
What should I wear?
What if I have a dietary requirement?
Is there a gifts registry?
Are kids welcome?
What should I do about flights?
For those travelling from overseas, this will be an important part of your trip.
There are multiple different routes which you can take to Sydney, all of which incorporate at least 1 stop. The most common route from the UK is stopping somewhere in the Middle East (which one will be determined by which airline you fly with) or South East Asia (Malaysia / Singapore). No transit visa will be required for these stopovers at these locations. If you choose to travel the other way round the world and stop in the USA, transit visas will be required.
But as we are not travel agents, please double check. (This website is very handy: Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk))
DURATION
The quickest flight time will be roughly 22 - 24 hours including the layover. Obviously, some cheaper flights will have longer layovers and maybe more stops, which you may prefer to stretch your legs so it's just finding the balance that suits your requirements.
COST
This is a hard one. As mentioned above, it's striking the balance between journey time and price but a good economy ticket on a reputable airline will be roughly 1,000GBP return. If you see a price around this mark, especially if less, then i would snap it up. Flights get released about 11 months in advance. For those that way inclined, Premium Economy will be about 2,500GBP and Business 4,000GBP.
For a Brucie Bonus, Qantas do a non-stop flight from London to Perth (17.5 hours) and then a 3.5 hour flight from Perth to Sydney. I have done that flight and I thought it was fantastic but obviously 17.5 hours on a plane might not appeal to everyone.
AIRLINES
The airlines that we usually use:
Qantas (stopover Dubai / Singapore)
Singapore Airlines (stopover Singapore)
Emirates (Dubai)
Qatar (Doha)
Ethiad (Abu-Dhabi)
British Airways (Singapore)
One extra thing to note, Canada also has a city called Sydney so please make sure you're flying into Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (and also don't fly to Austria). I have previously thought I was getting a great deal but was nearly flying to Nova Soctia.
Where should I stay?
Completely up to you...
It will all depend what time of trip you are after...
BEACH
Bondi
Coogee
Manly
Balmoral
CITY
Central Business District (CBD)
The Rocks
Barangaroo
Darling Harbour
Pyrmont
Darlinghurst
QUIRKY
Newtown
Erskinville
Marrickville
We have given some hotel suggestions in the "Accommodation" section of this website but recommend checking booking.com as you may get better rates than booking direct.
Airbnb is also a great option, especially if you "buddy" up with some other people.
Please reach out to us if you are unsure on any potential location.
Getting from Sydney Airport into the city
We have all the standard options available: train, bus, uber etc
TRAIN
A train from the airport to the city will cost about $20 per person and takes about 15 minutes. The train does a loop around the city so will stop near wherever your accommodation maybe if you are staying in the centre of Sydney.
UBER
An Uber (or equivalent) will cost between $50/70 from the airport and are readily available outside the airport. If you are travelling in a group greater than 2, it's definitely better value for money jumping in an Uber.
TAXI
Taxi's are quite expensive and will just charge you on the meter. These can be anywhere from $50 - $100 so I'd stick with Uber
BUS
This is by far the cheapest ($5) but the only direct bus goes to Bondi Junction (this is not Bondi Beach) so changes will be required in order to get into the city.
General Sydney Information
GETTING AROUND SYDNEY
All public transport (bus/train/ferry) is cashless and you tap on with your phone/watch or you can get an Opal card and top it up when required.
Public transport in Sydney has a weekly cap of $50 per week so it's a great way to get around the city cheaply.
The sun is a killer in Australia, please make sure you use sunscreen everyday, especially on cloudy days as the lobster look will not age well in our wedding photographs.
Australia does not have a tipping culture so don't feel obligated to tip.
When ordering a beer, don't be surprised if you get asked if you want a "pint or schooner" (or there might not be pints at all). Most Australian bars will serve schooners which is effectively two thirds of a pint. This is supposedly because the beer gets too warm in a pint glass (or just a clever marketing ploy).