The Musuem of Contemporary Art. Credit: Destination NSW
The Museum of Contemporary Art overlooks Circular Quay in the city’s Rocks precinct.
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If a visit to a gallery or a museum is a holiday must for you, Sydney won’t disappoint. The city’s cultural institutions are housed in grand and architecturally significant buildings, and world-class exhibition rosters mean there’s always something exciting to see or do. Spend a day exploring the highlights, taking in historical sites and joining a tour to discover Aboriginal traditions, with a delicious meal or two in between.
Morning explorations
Start the day with a delicate double-baked almond croissant and coffee in at La Renaissance, a family-owned patisserie making cakes, pastries and macarons since 1974, an inner-city neighbourhood of historic laneways in the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Pull up a chair at one of the outdoor tables and you might even get a visit from a cheeky rainbow lorikeet looking for crumbs.
It’s a short walk from here to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), also in The Rocks. The museum’s extensive permanent collection covers photography, sculpture, painting and moving images from Australian artists at all stages of their careers, while the changing roster of exhibitions is dynamic and thought-provoking.
Pop in to the MCA Store afterwards for a tightly curated survey of Australian design and books — the perfect memento. Alternatively, head to the MCA Café on level 4, which is as popular for its sweeping views over Circular Quay as its good coffee. If you’re visiting on a Friday, you might want to consider coming back in the evening, as the entire space stays open until 9pm, which means dazzling city lights.
If you’d prefer to learn about the history and culture of Sydney’s Aboriginal people and their connection with Sydney Harbour, join Dreamtime SouthernX’s The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour (Illi Langi), departing daily. On this leisurely 90-minute stroll around the waterfront, you’ll hear Dreamtime creation stories, visit significant sites under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and learn about the Aboriginal fishing economy.
Sydney Arts and Culture Highlight Selects Credit: Destination NSW
Highlights showcasing art and culture experiences in Sydney including Museum of Contemporary Art, Dreamtime SouthernX Tours, Art Gallery of New South Wales.
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Sydney Arts and Culture Highlight Selects Credit: Destination NSW
Highlights showcasing art and culture experiences in Sydney including Museum of Contemporary Art, Dreamtime SouthernX Tours, Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Dreamtime Southern X Tours, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Learn about Aboriginal history with Dreamtime Southern X’s The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour.
#ilovesydney
Dreamtime Southern X Tours, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Learn about Aboriginal history with Dreamtime Southern X’s The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour.
Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couples viewing artwork at The Art Gallery of NSW in The Domain, Sydney.
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Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couples viewing artwork at The Art Gallery of NSW in The Domain, Sydney.
Afternoon adventures
Have lunch on the outdoor terrace at 6HEAD steakhouse, which sits you in a prime position to enjoy people-watching around The Rocks waterfront. It also offers unbroken views of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Sydney Opera House, which puts on 40-plus shows a week and also offers backstage tours. 6HEAD specialises in premium cuts of steak to share, but there’s also an extensive menu of seafood offerings including oysters, sashimi and caviar — save room for the roving cheese trolley.
Next stop is the Art Gallery of New South Wales, a pleasant half-hour walk through the city and The Domain, 34 hectares of open parkland adjoining the Royal Botanic Garden, which you can also use as your leafy route. The Royal Botanic Garden has areas dedicated to native Australian plants, many of which have been used by Aboriginal communities as food and medicine for millennia.
When you arrive at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, spend the afternoon perusing the latest exhibition, or check out the photography collection to admire works by hugely important Australian artists including Tracey Moffatt, Bill Henson and Fiona Hall.
Stroll back west into the heart of the city, where design, fashion and architecture fanatics are drawn in equal measure to the 19th-century grandeur of the Queen Victoria Building and nearby Strand Arcade. Today, both are home to elegant boutiques, dressmakers, hatters, antiques stores and cafés, as well as beauty boutiques and high-street stores.
Continue west to Darling Harbour, then wander north along the waterfront to the Barangaroo precinct, replete with cafés and restaurants where tables spill out onto the sidewalk. If you’re interested in uncovering more Aboriginal history, join an Aboriginal Cultural Tour through Barangaroo Reserve, which is home to 75,000 native trees and shrubs.
Or simply peruse the arty curation of vinyl at Title Barangaroo, Australia's largest independent retailer of music, books and film. The staff are knowledgeable and you can easily lose yourself in here for an hour or two.
Evening escapes
Still in Barangaroo, seafood restaurant Cirrus Dining is an elegant option for dinner; the owners also run three other of Sydney’s most lauded restaurants: Monopole, Yellow and Bentley Restaurant and Bar. If you’re after something a little more casual, Ume Burger offers one-of-a-kind Japanese-inspired burgers and a Tokyo-style vending machine. Squeeze in gelato at the excellent Rivareno Gelato, where everything is made fresh daily, and end the evening with a whisky at NOLA Smokehouse and Bar, inspired by the hospitality of the American South.
Shopping, Queen Victoria Building Credit: Destination NSW
Four levels of shopping in the Queen Victoria Building, Sydney CBD.
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Shopping, Queen Victoria Building Credit: Destination NSW
Four levels of shopping in the Queen Victoria Building, Sydney CBD.
NOLA Smokehouse and Bar, Barangaroo Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a whiskey tasting at NOLA Smokehouse and Bar in Barangaroo, Sydney.
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NOLA Smokehouse and Bar, Barangaroo Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a whiskey tasting at NOLA Smokehouse and Bar in Barangaroo, Sydney.
More Inspirational Stories
Art Gallery of New South Wales, SydneyCredit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a visit the the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney.
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
Come alive with the possibilities as you delve into Sydney’s dynamic arts scene and cultural institutions. Feel moved as you immerse in striking contemporary artworks at public and private galleries, and take in cutting-edge performances and exhibitions across the city.
Be moved by must-see cultural landmarks
Marvel at the ‘sails’ of the Sydney Opera House as you approach this iconic performing arts venue, then join one of several fascinating tours on offer here. Discover the building’s unique history and construction on an Architectural Tour, or go behind the scenes on a Backstage Tour. See a show from an ever-changing program of theatre, dance and music in one of the venue’s many impressive performance spaces, then head to the Opera Bar to take in the front-of-house harbour view as you enjoy seasonal fare and a refreshing drink.
Appreciate the striking art deco façade and waterfront location of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), across the water from the Sydney Opera House at Explore the diversity of Australian modern art as you view highlights of a collection of more than 4,000 works, including a significant body of works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Take time out and digest the wonderful works you’ve just seen as you enjoy panoramic views across Sydney Harbour from the museum’s rooftop café.
Feel far away from the bustle of the city centre as you enter the Domain parklands next to the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and make your way to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the leading museum of art in the state. Step back in time to view colonial and 19th-century Australian works and European masters, as well as a dedicated gallery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. Then explore Sydney Modern, the AGNSW’s dynamic new addition, to discover site-specific works by leading Australian and international artists.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoy a tour in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoy a tour in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, The Rocks Credit: Destination NSW
Friends arriving outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in The Rocks, Sydney...Artwork: Moon in a Dew Drop.Artist: Lindy Lee
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Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, The Rocks Credit: Destination NSW
Friends arriving outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in The Rocks, Sydney...Artwork: Moon in a Dew Drop.Artist: Lindy Lee
Immerse in art in cutting-edge galleries
Lose track of time as you explore a myriad of inner-Sydney art galleries. Delight in a dip into one of the world’s most significant collections of Chinese contemporary art at the White Rabbit Gallery in Chippendale, on the fringe of the city centre. Be intrigued by the selection from philanthropist Judith Neilson’s collection of almost 3,000 works created in China since 2000 by around 750 artists, before taking in the tranquil vibe at the gallery’s Teahouse as you snack on handmade dumplings and fine Chinese and Taiwanese tea. (You can also plan ahead and enter the ballot for tickets to cutting-edge performances at Phoenix Central Park, Judith Neilson’s risk-taking cultural centre a short walk from White Rabbit Gallery.)
Lean into the grand scale of Carriageworks, a multi-arts centre housed in expansive former railway workshops in Eveleigh, a five-minute drive or around a 15-minute walk from White Rabbit Gallery. Keep an eye on Carriageworks’ events page for visual arts exhibitions and new performance works.
Take your time exploring the many art galleries dotted around the hip inner-city suburb of Surry Hills. Enter the fascinating world of significant Australian artist Brett Whiteley at Brett Whiteley Studio, tucked away in a side street off Crown Street, one of the main streets running through Surry Hills. Take in the singular atmosphere of the late artist’s former home and workplace, with its unfinished paintings, art equipment, books and graffiti wall of quotes and images, and view one of the changing exhibitions of the artist’s works.
Find yourself challenged and stimulated by the conceptual and design-driven art at independent Surry Hills gallery China Heights, then take the short walk under the train tracks to 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in Haymarket. Learn about the Asian diaspora in Australia via contemporary art at this fascinating gallery run by the non-profit Asian Australian Artists’ Association Inc.
Thrill to a sense of discovery as you find leading commercial art galleries tucked away in the leafy streets of Paddington in Sydney’s inner east. Roam the side streets of this fashionable suburb to find the likes of Saint Cloche, where gallery director Kitty Clark fosters the city’s emerging artistic talents; Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, one of the most influential commercial art galleries in Australia; and Olsen, founded by Tim Olsen to represent the late John Olsen, one of the country’s greatest painters, and showcase contemporary Australian artists.
White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale Credit: Destination NSW
Women walking through an exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale.
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White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale Credit: Destination NSW
Women walking through an exhibition at the White Rabbit Gallery, Chippendale.
Brett Whiteley Studio, Surry Hills Credit: James Horan; Destination NSW
Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills
#feelnewsydney #ilovesydney
Brett Whiteley Studio, Surry Hills Credit: James Horan; Destination NSW
Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills