Alice Ellis

Whether you're an Irish ex-pat, have Irish blood, or just love a good ol' Gaelic knees-up, St Paddy's Day, on March 17, is a chance to celebrate the rich heritage of the Emerald Isle. In Sydney, there are a bunch of ways to get involved. There's the official St Patrick's Day Parade and Festival on the Sunday before the big day (Sunday, March 15), which transforms the Rocks into a St Patrick's Day-palooza of live music, Irish language sessions, Irish dancing, stilt-walking, face-painting, handicrafts, festival bars and food stalls. If you want to observe the saint's day another way, there's always the option of toasting ol' St Pat is with a well-poured Guinness. You can expect great craic and pints aplenty in Sydney's pubs on the day and through the weekend also. Here's where to cheer "Sláinte!" on the big day in Sydney. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED: Looking for the best watering holes in Sydney? Check out our favourite pubs. Want a Guinness in the sunshine? These are the best beer gardens in the city.Kids in tow? These are the best child-friendly pubs in the city.

France – the home of love, day drinking, red berets and impossibly stylish people. It’s also home to fine French fare: everything from soft cheeses and fresh baguettes to bouillabaisse bursting with the flavour of the sea. When your annual leave is all dried up, Francophiles can get their fix at one of Sydney’s many excellent French restaurants. Here are the best places to dine on French cuisine, from steak frites to silky crème brûlées, so you can feel oh-so French any day of the week. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. While you're here, check out: These are the best Italian restaurants in Sydney Here's where to find the tastiest Greek food in Sydney Quench your thirst with our list of the best bars in the city

It's one of the first places you'll visit as a tourist, a pre-theatre go-to, and home to some of the most iconic views in the world – but being a tourist hotspot means Circular Quay is not without its pitfalls. Thankfully, apart from the over-priced tourist traps, there’s still great eating and drinking to be had in the area if you know where to look. Living in Sydney – and working as a professional eater and drinker – I’ve spent my fair share of time in Circular Quay. Below, I’ve rounded up the best restaurants and bars in and around the harbour, from flash fine diners like Aria and Bennelong to Basque-inspired wine bar Deux Frères, cheap-and-cheerful spots like Mary's and Belles Hot Chicken, and top-notch watering holes Opera Bar and Apollonia. There’s a mix of price points and cuisines, but they’re all ace (unlike the annoying seagulls) – and somewhere you'd want to bring your mates from overseas. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. After restaurants in other parts of Sydney's city? Check out our guide to the best restaurants in the CBD. Want more? Check out our ultimate guide to the best restaurants in Sydney here.

Autumn 2026 update: Whether you’re planning the perfect date night, a catch-up with the girls or a special celebration, you’ll find Sydney’s best spots to wine and dine below. Here's our list of Time Out's best restaurants in Sydney right now, from hot newcomers to time-honoured institutions, curated by our expert, on-the-ground editors and food writers who eat and drink their way around Sydney, including Time Out Sydney's Editor, Avril Treasure. How did we narrow it down to the very best? When deciding, we considered fun, flavour, creativity, value for money – and 'wow' factor. So yes, of course, you’ll find a fine diner inside the Sydney Opera House here, but you’ll also find neighbourhood pasta, hole-in-the-wall Thai and venues right by the sea. Happy dining, Sydney. Editor's favourite restaurants in Sydney: 🥂 Best for a special occasion: Bennelong 👠 Best for a vibey date night: Vin-Cenzo's ☀️ Best for a long Sunday lunch: Sean's 🍝 Best for an Greek feast: Olympic Meats  🫒 Best for a friends' catch-up: South End Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED READs: Still hungry? Check out our guide to the best cheap eats in Sydney. Want more? These are Sydney's best new restaurants and bars.

Choosing the right hotel in Melbourne can be an almighty task. With so many incredible stays to choose between – from super modern sky-high towers to charming historic gems – it can be an overwhelming ordeal to decide which one is right for you.Every traveller has their preference, but to make the job of deciding a little easier, our team of local experts have hotel hopped their way around the city to bring you our guide to the very best hotels in Melbourne. Many of the stays included in the list are favourites of Time Out Melbourne Editor Leah Glynn, with our Travel and Hotels Editor Winnie Stubbs chiming in and checking the guide to make sure it’s up to scratch.Whether you’re looking for a playful stay right in the CBD action (W Hotel, we’re looking at you) or somewhere more boutique in Melbourne’s buzzy Inner North (Standard X), we’ve got your back. Read on for our guide to the best hotels in Melbourne.   Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED:  These are the best places to go camping near MelbourneAnd these are our favourite glamping sites in VictoriaTime Out makes a small commission from the affiliate links included in this article. These links have no influence on our editorial content, but they do help us to bring you more recommendations every week. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

Brimming with boutique studios, sprawling mega-chains and everything in between, Sydney is a gym junkie's paradise. But the amount of choice can be overwhelming. Luckily, our Editor-in-Chief Alice Ellis has worked in the fitness industry, so she knows what sets a mediocre, money-wasting gym apart from a gym that'll actually have you motivated to lace up those sneakers and head out the door. A good gym isn't necesarily the trendiest or most aesthetic one; it's the one you stick with so that you can achieve the results you're after (whether that's building strength, losing weight, getting your stress in check or trying out a new physical activity and connecting with community). Over the years, Time Out's team have covered a lot of ground when it comes to trying out Sydney gyms! So if you're ready to swipe that membership card and sweat, read on to find the right fit for you. Looking for a healthy feed? Here's our guide to healthy eateries that don't suck. Prefer to pound the pavements? These are the best run clubs in Sydney. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, things to do in Sydney, travel inspo, food and more, straight to your inbox.  

Autumn 2026 update: Enjoy the change of seasons at one of Sydney’s cracking pubs. From sun-dappled beer gardens to refreshing pints and heart-warming roasts, these pubs are warm, welcoming spaces built for a good time – and even better if they’re pokie-free. Below, we’ve rounded up the best of the best. There's a lot that goes into making a great pub. They need to furnish you with an excellent meal and friendly service, and a game of pool or darts doesn't go astray, and we're fans of weekly trivia. On a hot day, it's all about having a welcoming beer garden, and on a Sunday, it's all about a cracking roast. Top-notch drinks are a must, obvs. There are a lot of rock-solid pubs in this city, and these are our picks of the bunch, pulled together by Time Out Sydney's local writers. Cheers! Editor's picks: 🍠 Best for a Sunday roast: The Bat & Ball Hotel ☀️ Best for a sunny beer garden: Courthouse Hotel 🍽️ Best for top-notch feed: The Dry Dock 🎸 Best for live music: The Lord Gladstone 🔖 Best for mid-week trivia: The Golden Barley 🍻 Best for a post-surf beer: Harbord Hotel Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. For something a bit less pubby, a bit higher end, see our picks of the best bars in Sydney. Hungry? Check out our ultimate guide to Sydney's best restaurants. 

This list is from 2024. Our latest ranking for 2025 is live here. In 2024, what exactly makes a neighbourhood cool? Craft breweries, natty wine bars and street art are well and good, but the world’s best, most exciting and downright fun neighbourhoods are much more than identikit ‘hipster hubs’. They’re places that reflect the very best of their cities – its culture, community spirit, nightlife, food and drink – all condensed in one vibey, walkable district. To create our annual ranking, we went straight to the experts – our global team of on-the-ground writers and editors – and asked them what the coolest neighbourhood in their city is right now, and why. Then we narrowed down the selection and ranked the list using the insight and expertise of Time Out’s global editors, who vetted each neighbourhood against criteria including food, drink, arts, culture, street life, community and one-of-a-kind local flavour. The result? A list that celebrates the most unique and exciting pockets of our cities – and all their quirks. Yes, you’ll find some of those international hallmarks of ‘cool’. But in every neighbourhood on this list there’s something you won’t find anywhere else. Ever been to a photography museum that moonlights as a jazz club? Or a brewery with a library of Russian literature? How about a festival dedicated to fluff? When communities fiercely support and rally around their local businesses, even the most eccentric ideas can become a reality. And that, in our eyes, is

Summer 2026 update: Whether you’re looking for a coffee and feed post hot girl walk, picking up a B&E after your swim or catching up with friends over a sweet treat, Sydney’s best cafés will have you covered. Sydneysiders are café people. We're constantly on the hunt for the city's best coffee and we love nothing more than donning our finest sport-luxe activewear and catching up with mates on a weekend morning over eggs, fritters and crusty artisan sourdough. So, whether it's a reward for tackling one of Sydney's most beautiful walks, an indulgent hangover fix after a night at one of the city's best bars, or a workday coffee stop, these are the best Sydney cafés, according to our in-the-know Time Out Sydney writers, including Editor Avril Treasure. We'll have one B&E roll, please.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. Is it lunch time? Check out our guide to Sydney's best restaurants right now.

Everyone's got their favourite neighbourhood when it comes to eating out in Sydney, but let's not deny it: none rival the CBD for the sheer number of world-class restaurants you can choose from. Time Out Sydney's local writers, including Editor Avril Treasure, have discovered the best tables to book in the heart of the city, whether you're primed for a quick power lunch with the boss, a cruisy date night somewhere swish and satisfying or a degustation experience that'll blow you away. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.  RECOMMENDED READS: Want something a little more casual? Check out our guide to the best cheap eats in the city. Nightcap anyone? Polish off your meal with a drink at one of these fine cocktail bars. 

Summer update: Let the good times roll with our fresh guide to Sydney’s best bars – perfect for your summer sessions. From frosty Martinis to fun and fruity Piña Coladas, cold ales in sunny beer gardens and vinos in sexy wine bars – whatever you’re after, whatever the occasion, you’ll find it all here. This list represents our picks of the best bars in Sydney right now, from fresh faces to tried-and-tested temples of great drinks, curated by our local editors, drink writers and fellow booze hounds, including Time Out Sydney's Editor Avril Treasure. We’re looking for quality above all, with fun, flavour, atmosphere, creativity and options at every price point. Cheers to you, Sydney. Editor’s picks: 😎 Best for a vibey wine and snack: Famelia🥂 Best for bubbles with a view: Icebergs Dining Room and Bar🎸 Best for live music: Buddy's Bar 🍻 Best for a drink on a sunny rooftop: Monica🍹 Best for an excellent cocktail: PS40 Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. After a watering hole that's a bit more casual? See our list of the best pubs in Sydney, here. After a meal? Check out our best restaurants here.

From specialty Sichuan spots to hot Cantonese kitchens, Sydney has some seriously great Chinese restaurants. Time Out Sydney's local food writers have eaten their way around town to bring you this curated and up-to-date list. So whether you want to go all out and explore regional cuisines, sit down for yum cha, grab some takeaway barbecue duck or hand-thrown noodles, you'll find your spot here. These are the best Chinese restaurants Sydney has to offer – we're hungry just thinking about them. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.  Recommended: Here are the tastiest cheap eats in Sydney right now Check out the best Italian joints in Sydney town

Hannah St Hotel is part of a new crop of Australian boutique hotels that are mastering that elusive “sense of place”. The hotel may be new, but it feels unmistakably Melbourne. It's not a cookie-cutter property where you could wake up and momentarily forget which city you’re in. The design, the art, the energy – it’s all grounded in its surroundings. Designed by Melbourne’s own Flack Studio (who also designed Ace Hotel Sydney), the hotel shares that same strong design language, but the mood is entirely its own. Having stayed in both, I’d say Hannah St Hotel feels fresh, bright and uplifting, whereas the Ace leans moodier and more retro. There’s art by 13 artists – an entirely female Australian cast – featured all throughout the hotel. And every teeny tiny design detail, from the coat hangers to the in-room slippers, has been thoughtfully considered. Why stay at Hannah St Hotel? Apart from being a stylish base and cool cultural hub, it has fabulous facilities – a 20m Instagrammable indoor pool, sauna and steam room, a well-equipped gym, ground-floor restaurant and bar, rooftop bar, and possibly the best co-working space I’ve seen in a hotel.  What are the rooms like at Hannah St Hotel? Like everything at the hotel, the rooms are beautiful – the style is a blend of modern nostalgia and contemporary polish, with custom-designed furniture and thought behind every little design detail. The first things I notice were the custom-made bed cushions with Hannah St Hotel embroidered emb

The Australian Museum, the country's oldest museum, established in 1827 right here in Old Sydney Town, is the custodian of more than 22 million specimens and objects. That includes the Indigenous and Pacific collections, a precious stones collection and the permanent 200 Treasures of the Australian Museum and Surving Australia exhibitions. Suffice to say, you'll be well entertained on a trip here.  Located in the heart of the city, opposite Hyde Park, and close to Museum Station and the Gadigal Metro, planning a cultural expedition is a breeze. Explore new fossils, life-size displays and interactive elements in the free exhibition that features Aussie animals from the prehistoric era, to now. Other displays cover the Pacific Islands, Asia, Africa and the Americas, with items ranging from Aboriginal kids' toys to a tattooed chalk head from the Solomon Islands. With authenticity at its core, the Australian Museum is committed to First Nations truth telling and knowledge sharing, led by a First Nation's team. Little ones will learn too at Burra, the free learning space for younger visitors, which weaves in First Nations knowledge about burra (the eel). The Westpac Long Gallery, dinosaurs exhibition and Wild Planet spaces are award-winning, solidifying the institution as Sydney's go-to 'dinosaur museum', among other things. Heaps of new exhibitions drop in every year, including the legendary annual National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition, alongside other l

Sydney is brimming with restaurants and hotels with divine views. But there’s nothing quite like the vista you have from The Dining Room by James Viles, at the low-rise Park Hyatt Sydney hotel. From your seat, you’re face-to-face with the Sydney Opera House, which sits just across the harbour. You get to admire the House and its shimmering reflection not from above, but from water level. From here, the building feels strangely close and in motion, as if its white sails have just rounded Bennelong Point and are cruising towards you.  Since 2022, the hotel’s restaurant has been led by creative director James Viles (ex-Biota, Bowral), whose leadership has earned it a Chef Hat for four consecutive years. Alongside Viles, new head chef Dan Parkes and NSW Pastry Chef of the Year 2025 Patrick Mariano form a team that clearly know what they're doing. The Dining Room's view is to die for, and the food is worth living for. The menu evolves with the seasons, and it celebrates the best and freshest produce Australia has to offer. Individual starter ‘bites’ prepare your taste buds for what’s to come – there are the obvious bites, like Sydney rock oysters, and the less obvious, like cured ocean trout crumpets, served with dashi creme and capers. The selection is an intriguing mix of the playful and sophisticated, which makes it almost impossible to choose. Bites are followed by a selection of smaller share plates, ranging from light and fresh tuna crudo with smoked soy and tomato, to rich

✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here.  Let’s start with the obvious: the views from Infinity by Mark Best are outrageous. This newish restaurant is on the 81st floor of Sydney’s tallest tower, so the panorama from about 300 metres up is not just spectacular but constantly shifting – literally revolving. There’s no such thing as a bad seat. Over the course of our meal, the city unfurls beneath us: the points and coves of the harbour, Hyde Park and St Mary’s Cathedral, the Victorian elegance of the QVB – and, on a clear day, you can see all the way to the eastern beaches and the distant Blue Mountains. The views alone justify the visit, but pairing them with food from Michelin-trained Australian chef Mark Best (with head chef Jen Kwok Lee, named Good Food Guide's 2026 Young Chef of the Year) is the cherry on top. Together, they deliver a quintessential Sydney experience you should have at least once in your life. The vibe The décor of this Sydney Tower restaurant is pared-back and modernist (it’s giving Mad Men), a neat match for the building’s architectural bones. Stylish wooden chairs with black leather padding line black tables. They’re set directly against the glass walls, which are framed by gleaming gold-toned beams, so diners sit right at the window. If you’re scared of heights, don’t look d

✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here.  Eat Ozzo is a genuinely exciting new addition to our affordable eats scene. Sydney has more than its fair slice of pizza restaurants and sandwich shops – but what happens when you combine pizza plus sandwich? Wife-and-husband duo Chandni and Ankit have done it, and called their mouth-watering result “the ozzo”. Born out of a love for the traditional pizza bases of Napoli, Ankit spent more than 1,000 hours perfecting his own 72-hour slow-fermented pizza bread cooked in a woodfired oven before deciding it would make the ultimate wallet-style sandwich bread. The dough isn’t Eat Ozzo’s only masterstroke, though – Chandni and Ankit’s fillings are surprising and downright addictive (more on those later). The vibe The first Eat Ozzo opened in Pyrmont in 2025, quickly followed by this one in the Marrickville Traders building – a community of boutique creative spaces near Messina HQ and the Emergency Care Clinic. It’s on Chapel Street, in Marrickville’s old industrial area, wedged between Henson Park and Sydenham, which is now studded with popular dining and drinking spots, including 20 Chapel, The Henson, Two Chaps and loads of craft breweries and distilleries. With much of the Marrickville Traders space yet to be occupied, Eat Ozzo is currently the building’s centr

The Machinery Shed in Blackheath is magic by day – the floor-to-ceiling glass walls on one side of the building look out over a valley and the signature majestic bush-covered rock formations that make up the Blue Mountains. Whether you’re inside, or out on the deck, you feel like the view has been put there just for you. After all, this is the only property in sight. Then, as night falls, the magic only heightens. Thousands of tiny, twinkling fairy lights line every one of the wooden beams that hold up the apex ceiling, which is another giveaway of the building’s machinery-shed history. The fireplace sits against an old-fashioned looking stone wall, heating the room so that we feel cosily protected from the elements (we're here during the depths of winter). If you’re willing to brave the elements, take a torch and head a little way down the escarpment where you’ll find an outdoor bath for a steaming hot bath under the star-lit night sky. It’s no wonder this is one of the “top 3 wish-listed Airbnbs in Australia”. Like a shed, this accommodation is one, large room – with an additional section for the bathroom and an indoor standalone bath (yep, a second bath) that also looks out over the valley. Although many of the walls are glass to make the most of the views, we're pleased they’re all double-glazed, so it stays snug.  The décor is eclectic: leather lounges, velvet armchairs, a chaise lounge, warm polished floorboards, a Turkish rug and cow skin, modern abstract artworks, ind

✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here.  In Australia, hotel bars usually lack cool-factor. Even when they have a lot going for them, they tend to be overlooked by locals. Bar Julius has bucked the trend, despite being next to the lobby of The Eve Hotel, and the place where hotel guests have breakfast. I guess part of it is that the Wunderlich Lane creators have done a good job of making the precinct and all its venues (Lottie, Island Radio, Olympus) feel like a neighbourhood, as opposed to part of the hotel. The other part of it is that Bar Julius is really very fun and cool.  The vibe  I’ve now been to Bar Julius for breakfast, lunch, dinner and after-dinner drinks – and that’s the point. Bar Julius is open daily from 7am to midnight, and it was designed as a place you’d happily spend time in at any time of day. The key design feature is the unusual arched ceilings – three archways that run the length of the room. They’re coloured a mix of yellows, pinks and peach splodges that look like watercolour paint and textural materials, even though it’s actually a flat graphic. To complement the arches, there are big, circular windows onto Baptist Street that let the day’s changing light from outside cast different vibes on the room as the day evolves. Loads of playful, framed pictures line the walls – a

✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here.  Burwood – Sydney’s coolest neighbourhood for 2025 – is full of excellent Chinese restaurants. This particular restaurant (established in 2017) is known for its banging biang biang noodles (even RecipeTin Eats’ Nagi has posted about them), so I thought I better try them out.  The vibe  The restaurant is relaxed and bustling but elegant – there is polished wooden furniture, blue tiles around the counter, pretty pot plants, and there are elaborate hanging lightshades featuring electric candles. At the back of the restaurant behind a partition you’ll find people sitting at a table hand-pulling noodles. This is the type of cheap eat place that's elegant enough to take a date to. On second thoughts, maybe slurping noodles is not that hot. The food As the name suggests, Xi’an Eatery serves food from the Xi'an region in north-western China – which is known as Shaanxi cuisine. Handmade noodles are a big feature of Shaanxi cuisine, so that’s what we order: the signature biang biang noodles; the signature cold noodles; and the signature lamb vermicelli (i.e. too much food for two people!).  The biang biang noodles are just $15.80 for a generous bowl. The noodles are flat but thick and silky – and so long that one un-cut strand could fill a whole bowl. They come topped

✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here.  One of the things that stood out to me on my trip to Italy this year was the diversity of the food throughout different regions. I travelled through Sicily, Calabria, Basilicata, Tuscany and Lazio, and each stop was like arriving in a new country. In Calabria’s Scilla, it was all about swordfish and bergamot. In Catania, eggplant pasta (pasta alla norma) was a fixture on every menu. Dining at Enmore’s Vineria Luisa took me right back to my Euro summer; far from the standard pastas and pizzas, the menu is an authentic tasting tour of Italy's regional diversity, showcasing everything from the prawn salad ‘alla Catalana’, to the wild greens and whipped goat’s cheese pie (erbazzone) from Reggio-Emilia. Thanks to the expert work of Alessandro Pavoni – of Ormeggio, A’Mare and Cibaria fame – together with head chef Gianmarco Pardini, I’m back in Mediterranean heaven.  The vibe  Vineria Luisa is in the beautiful old 1950’s Marie-Louise Salon site (which used to be home to Bar Louise). Anyone who’s been to Enmore Road would recognise the retro pink and purple frontage, which has been maintained throughout the space’s various lives. The vineria in the name implies a focus on wine, but this place is also a superb gintoneria with a focus on gin cocktails. The bar is chi

Planning a trip to the eucalyptus-cloaked Blue Mountains? Be sure to visit Scenic World at the Three Sisters in Katoomba. It’s home to fun mountain adventures ranging from an exhilarating railway ride to a butterfly-inducing aerial cable car that lets you appreciate the beauty – and scale! – of the heritage-listed national park. Here's everything you need to know. In 1945 the canny Hammon family took the old mining railway originally used to haul shale up the cliff and converted it into a Scenic Railway for the use of visitors. The ride passes down a hair-raising 52-degree incline through a rock tunnel into the Jamison Valley and the rainforest below. These days, just to get you into the mood, they play the Indiana Jones theme while you descend at a rate of four metres per second. At the bottom there is a series of raised boardwalks called the Scenic Walkway. Partly wheelchair accessible, these platforms take you on a pleasant, dirt-free walk around the valley going past interesting examples of plant life as well as enormous pieces of old mining equipment. There are museum-style exhibits about the old mine down there as well. If you want to take a really special walk, Scenic World is now offering new Buunyal Tours, where you can explore Gundungurra Country with an Indigenous guide who will share their heritage and provide everyone – from kids to adults – with a deeper, more meaningful connection with this beautiful part of the world. RELATED READ: This stunning Blue Mountains

If you want to stay somewhere affordable that gives you access to the best of Sydney – the beach as well as the CBD – Lyf Bondi Junction is it. Bondi Junction Station is a two-minute walk away, Westfield is right next door, and you can be on Sydney’s most iconic beach, Bondi, within ten minutes. Why stay at Lyf Bondi Junction? Lyf is affordable accommodation located in a prime location for both work and play. You’re moments from a train that goes to the CBD, a bus that goes to Bondi Beach, the Westfield shopping and dining precinct, and the pubs, cafés and shops dotted throughout Bondi Junction. The accommodation has a fun, social feel – it’s not so much a hotel but a lifestyle stay – with bright, playful interiors and communal spaces designed for working or hanging out. It has great amenities – including a community kitchen, a laundry and a gym. Although there are shared, social spaces, the facilities are slick and super clean. There’s also a café/restaurant/bar called Bonnibel on the ground floor, where they have specials and events throughout the week if you want to soak up even more social atmosphere (e.g. trivia on Thursdays, DJ in the courtyard on Fridays). My favourite part? The rooftop gym, which has views out over the Eastern Suburbs – it makes for an energising way to start the morning. What are the rooms at Lyf Bondi Junction like? There are 197 units at Lyf, and I stayed in a ‘One of a Kind’ room – compact, smart and stylish. It has everything you’ll need during y

Button Bar is back! That said, it's in a brand-new location. The former Surry Hills location died and it's now come back to life in the buzzing YCK (York, Clarence, Kent Street) Laneways precinct in the middle of the CBD. In its new iteration, its still delivering excellent nights out – until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights, and midnight Tuesdays to Thursdays. The drinks list that pokes a little fun at the modern world. Expect a $15 secret cocktailmenu, Connect Nights that encourage meeting new people, and regular live music. Out front, The Lab (a rotating kitchen residency program) is hosting a rotating kitchen pop-up, where you can get delicious eats late into the night. Head over to Button Bar between 4-6pm daily for the happy hour. You can order delicious mezze-like bar snacks (think goat’s curd drizzled with honey and white truffle oil, served with pane carasau; and smoked mortadella served with grissini sticks), on-point cocktails, and settle in for the night in an eclectic, high-vibes setting. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.  Interested in other YCK Sydney bars? Check out PS40, Jolene's and Stitch Bar (among so many others).

Lets face it: everyone loves a public holiday – especially when it lands in Melbourne’s golden late summer/early autumn sweet spot. But do you actually know why Victoria scores a long weekend in March? If the answer is “vaguely?”, you’re not alone. Here’s your cheat sheet to the 2026 Labour Day long weekend, Victorian edition. When is Labour Day in Victoria in 2026? In Victoria, Labour Day is celebrated on the second Monday in March each year. In 2026, that means we’ll be clocking off (or not clocking on) on Monday, March 9. What is Victorian Labour Day and why do we have it? Labour Day commemorates the labour movement’s historic fight for the eight-hour work day – a reform that changed life as we know it. And here’s the flex: Victoria was at the forefront. On April 21, 1856, stonemasons working on the University of Melbourne put down their tools and marched from the campus to Parliament House, demanding “eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest”. Remarkably, they won – without losing pay. It was one of the earliest successful eight-hour day campaigns in the world, and it helped spark labour reforms across Australia and beyond. At a time when 14-hour days and six-day working weeks were common (with zero sick leave or job security), this was revolutionary stuff. Why did the Labour Movement fight for eight hours? The idea was simple but powerful: split the day into three equal parts: eight hours for work, eight hours for sleep and eight hours for, well, livi

Melbourne’s Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix weekend is back, and this year it’s bigger and more indulgent than ever. Whether you’re a trackside veteran or a first-time visitor, here are a bunch of ways to get the most out of your F1 experience. Gourmet pit stop You could just grab some sustenance from a food truck, or you could book in at Chin Chin Presented by American Express. The city’s iconic restaurant is bringing its famous dishes to the track in a proper pop-up restaurant (that you won’t believe is a pop-up). This is the only bookable dining experience at the F1. If you’re an Amex Card Member, you’ll get priority access to getting a reservation (and complimentary ice cream) when you book with your Amex Card. Not only will you enjoy a delicious dining experience, but you’ll be able to escape from whatever Melbourne’s weather might be throwing at Albert Park (remember last year’s heatwave followed the next day by torrential downpour?). A luxe lounge The Amex Lounge is a ticketed space that's part race HQ, part luxe playground. There’s a Ritz-Carlton Bar, beverage offerings from Moët & Chandon and Belvedere, guided tastings of Penfolds Grange, live music, beauty touch-ups by Mecca Max, a Pit Roof Viewing Deck and, of course, dedicated screens televising what’s happening on the track. Booking is on a first come, first served basis. Guests with a premium hospitality ticket can even dine at the pop-up version of the renowned Venetian steakhouse Grill Americano (read our writ

What do Madonna, Queen Elizabeth II and Anna Wintour have in common? They’ve all been served by globally acclaimed chef and restaurateur Jeff Schroeter. Now you can quite easily join that list, now that his latest venture is open in Glebe – on a site he’s very familiar with. New French brasserie Darling Glebe now occupies the historic Darling Mills site on Glebe Point Road, where Schroeter previously co-founded restaurant Beckett’s in 2021. This new iteration of the subterranean space features a French omakase chef’s table, a Martini bar, a private dining room and a private cellar event space. The talent collaborating with Schroeter is equally impressive: Charlie Ainbsury (2016 Diageo Reserve World Class Australian Bartender of the Year) has curated the Martini bar; while Sarah Biswas, whose CV includes stints at Odd Culture Group, Restaurant Hubert and Banksii, serves as venue manager.    Originally from the Riverina region of NSW, Schroeter has run kitchens and owned restaurants from Sydney to Brisbane, London, Switzerland and New York City, including The Savoy London, Royalton Hotel New York, Sydney fave Bistro Moncur and the former Bayswater Brasserie. Photograph: Supplied | Christopher Pearce | Jeff Schroeter - Darling Glebe He now personally serves guests at the chef’s table in a French omakase – a “leave it to the chef” dining experience available for exclusive use. “You can drink and dine based on your own mood, the venue lets people have that type of freedom,” Schr

Asia's largest fast-food company – the hugely popular Jollibee – is set to open its first Australian store, in Sydney. The vacant site of the very last Sizzler restaurant in the country could soon be knocked down, under plans from commercial developer PMG Group, to make way for this Filipino fast-food giant, which has more than 1,500 locations in 17 countries around the globe. After a long campaign to set up shop here, Campbelltown in Sydney's west looks to be the site of the first Aussie outpost of Jollibee. The plans, which involve the development of three fast-food joints (Taco Bell, Krispy Kreme and Jollibee) on Harbord Road, have consent from Campbelltown City Council until July 2029. That said, no date has been set to knock down the Sizzler building that has been vacant since November 2020, when Sizzler closed the doors once and for all in Australia. Given the large Filipino population in Australia, and Campbelltown in particular (Filipinos comprise the third-largest population of residents born outside of Australia), this news has been a long time coming. A really long time coming, considering the restaurant’s initial development application was submitted to the Campbelltown City Council in March 2021.    Is Jollibee coming to Sydney, really? The initial Campbelltown site reportedly fell through due to “some administrative challenges”, which is why things seem to be taking a long time. But it's promising that Jollibee has a 'Business Head for Europe, the Middle East,

Since Lady Gaga first announced back in April that she was bringing her Mayhem Ball Tour to Australia, the countdown has been on. And now, we are about to witness the spectacle for ourselves in Sydney. In Melbourne, Gaga performed for an adoring crowd of more than 60,000 people for 2.5 hours – we've heard it was a true theatrical feast of iconic hits, costume changes and incredible choreography. And there were surprises, too: Gaga played the unreleased track 'Brooklyn Nights' – a song she hasn't performed live since the last time she was here. Will she play it in Sydney? The Little Monsters will just have to wait and see... From what time the gates open to what the set list looks like (will she finish with 'Bad Romance'?) we've got all the info you need ahead of her two massive shows at Accor Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park. See you there! When is Lady Gaga in Sydney? Lady Gaga's much-hyped Mayhem Ball will take over Accor Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park on Friday, December 5 and Saturday, December 6. How to get to the Lady Gaga Sydney concerts The shows are happening at Accor Stadium, inside Sydney Olympic Park, which is well-connected to public transport (free for concert-goers – just flash your concert ticket). The easiest and best way to get there is to catch a train from Central to Olympic Park station (trains will be departing Central and Strathfield every few minutes), and from there it’s a short walk to the stadium. Yes, we know, the trip home from Olympic Park can fee

If you were one of the people at last night's Kendrick Lamar concert in Sydney, you'll know that KDot put on one helluva performance complete with flames, fireworks and all his hits. 'Not Like Us' goes even harder IRL. If you live near Moore Park, you might also know! Local residents have reported the show was loud and sounded like a hoot. Perhaps grab some earplugs for tonight if you were one of those people?   Here’s everything you need to know about Kendrick’s final Sydney show tonight… When is Kendrick Lamar in Sydney? After two sold-out shows in Melbourne, the multi-Grammy Award-winning rapper is now in Sydney for his Grand National Tour. He played his first show at Moore Park’s Allianz Stadium last night (Wednesday, December 10, 2025), and his last show is tonight, Thursday, December 11, 2025. How to get to the Kendrick Lamar Sydney concert  Public transport is your best option for getting to Allianz Stadium (also known as Sydney Football Stadium), at 40 Driver Avenue, Moore Park. The cost of public transport is included in your ticket. If you have stamina, you can walk up to the stadium from Central Station. It takes about 25 minutes, but just a warning – it’s an uphill walk, so it’s not for the faint-hearted. If you want to get to the city early and make an adventure of it, you can have a bit of a pub crawl up to Moore Park – these are some of the best pubs on the way to and near the stadium. Most people opt instead to take the Moore Park Light Rail service from Centr

You’ve heard of candlelight concerts – now hotel brand Sofitel has taken that concept and turned it into a something you can experience all for yourself, in the privacy of your own hotel room. And it’s got “special occasion with a loved one” written all over it – especially at this festive time of year. I tried this experience with my husband at the grand Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, and you can also book it at Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour as well as Sofitel Queenstown. The Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is already a very special hotel (check out our five-star review, here). When its doors opened back in 1966, it was Sydney’s very first five-star hotel – then, in 2024, it underwent a huge $77-million makeover to get its glam in line with modern-day sensibilities. It now has a “modern heritage” design; high-end furnishings; Balmain toiletries; and excellent venues including lobby bar and restaurant Tilda, Vietnamese-French diner Delta Rue, and terrace hangout Wentworth Bar.  The Sofitel is a French hotel chain, so you get five-star service with a French slant (you’ll be greeted with “bonjour” and “bonsoir”) – and this is where the idea of The Candle Experience stemmed from. Paris is the City of Light, and now you can book a room of light. Add The Candle Experience to this already-special stay, and it’s pretty much the most festively fabulous thing you can do this month. I was also surprised at what good value it is. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alice

The highly anticipated Sydney iteration of Melbourne restaurant Grill Americano is opening this week. The glam, Venetian-style steakhouse will welcome guests to its dining room – within the former heritage-listed Qantas House building, now known as 1 Chifley Square – from tomorrow, Wednesday, November 19.  So what’s in store for Sydney guests? The signature Italian-style elegance, white-jacketed service, excellent steak (and that famous tiramisù served tableside) will of course remain as features, but certain aspects of the offering – both dishes and the space – have been reimagined to suit Sydney’s culinary identity.  We spoke to Sydney’s Executive Chef Vincenzo Ursini – who’s helmed the Melbourne Grill Americano kitchen since mid-2024 and brings Michelin-star cred from his time at Italy’s Ristorante Reale and Le Calandre, and Spain’s Mugaritz – about how Grill Americano 2.0 will be distinct from the original.  What are you looking forward to most about introducing Grill Americano to Sydney? “We’re opening in a very competitive area with exceptional restaurants around, and we want to bring our own DNA – the hospitality that is a big trademark of our restaurant, but we're also incorporating an exciting seafood offering. We want to play with the fish component, because we'll have access to the beautiful Fish Market. We want to cater to Sydney’s beach vibe, but from a city perspective.” Photograph: Supplied - Jason Loucas Do you have any more specifics on what you'll do a lit

Sydney’s most famous stretch of sand is set for a historic night of live music next summer, as Crowded House headlines the very first Golden Hour – a brand-new live music series produced by the Fuzzy crew. For one unforgettable evening in February, Bondi Beach will transform into a stage, as the band known for hits including ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’, ‘Four Seasons in One Day’ and ‘Weather With You’ perform live. Photograph: Supplied - jacquieb | Crowded House Award-winning Gamilaraay singer-songwriter Thelma Plum will also take the stage, performing songs from her acclaimed record I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back. The Friday, February 20, 2026 event will be the first major concert held on Bondi’s shores in more than ten years, and will kick off what’s set to become an annual end-of-summer tradition. Golden Hour promises more than just an on-the-beach concert – it will be a community-driven celebration of Australian music, art and connection, with visuals created by Warumungu/Wombaya artist Jessica Johnson of Nungala Creative.  The main stage will be on the sand, and concertgoers are encouraged to bring picnic rugs and settle on the hill above the foreshore to soak up golden hour. Who is playing at Golden Hour on Bondi Beach? Fans can expect a full set from Crowded House, drawing on decades of classics, as well as new favourites from their latest album, Gravity Stairs. Thelma Plum – 7 Aria nominations, 3 platinum, 1 gold single – is another big drawcard. And more artists are still

It’s back! We've just dropped our 2025 Time Out Recommended lists for Melbourne, Sydney and the rest of Australia (as well as Singapore and Hong Kong), spotlighting the local businesses delivering epic experiences that our editors truly love. Time Out Recommends is all about celebrating the spots that get us off the couch and out into our cities – whether that’s a hidden wine bar, a must-visit regional venue, an inspiring arts space, or a hotel that you can’t wait to return to. Our editors have been out eating, drinking, exploring and experiencing so we can share our favourites with you. Want to know which experiences are really worth your time and money? Click through to see our editors' Time Out Recommended picks for 2025 in the following categories: Time Out Melbourne Recommends 2025 results: Things to DoRestaurants & BarsRegional VenuesArts & Culture Time Out Sydney Recommends 2025 results: Things to DoRestaurants & BarsRegional VenuesArts & Culture Time Out Australia Recommends 2025 results: Things to DoDestination Restaurants & BarsHotelsThey're all the round-ups of our editors' top picks for 2025 – congratulations to all the worthy businesses delivering excellent experiences that our editors want to keep returning for. And then we also handed some decisions over to you – for the People's Choice categories.  To check out your top picks, as voted by the public, click below: Time Out Melbourne - People's Choice winnersTime Out Sydney - People's Choice winnersTime Out Au

As I drive down the main street of the Tasmanian town of Oatlands, it feels like I’m on the set of a historic film. It’s frozen-in-time picture perfection, like a living museum. It’s a tiny town – in the 2021 Census, it was home to just 728 residents – yet it lays claim to having the highest concentration of historic sandstone buildings in any Australian town, with 150 of the well-preserved masterpieces. It’s the largest intact Georgian streetscape in the country.  Oatlands is halfway between Hobart and Launceston (about a 75-minute drive from both along the Midland Highway), making it a key stopover point between these major Tasmanian cities. I’m here to visit Callington Mill Distillery, where you’ll find the Lincolnshire Tower windmill, built in 1837 by a man named John Vincent. RECOMMENDED: These are the best things to do in Tasmania The mill has been restored to full working order, and it’s now the only operating mill of its kind in the whole Southern Hemisphere (and the third oldest windmill in Australia). You can climb up through the different levels of the windmill for a great view of the charming town and its surrounds – though, there is an even more attractive reason to come here, and that’s excellent food and drink. These days, alongside Sullivan’s Cove and Lark, Callington Mill is one of the major distilling players in Tasmania, a state that’s becoming world-renowned for its whisky production. Photograph: Alastair Bett Even if you aren't a whisky lover, Callingto

Tasmania’s capital, Hobart, has made travel company Expedia’s list of top ten trending travel destinations for 2026. This land of sail boats, great seafood and wine, heritage buildings – and one of the world’s most renowned art museums, MONA – has had a big uptick in interest from both Australian and international travellers, which helped the city make the list. This year’s Expedia Destinations of the Year list results are based on flight and accommodation search data on Expedia’s app and website – and turns out, searches for Hobart travel options have jumped by 25 per cent from 2024 to 2025. RECOMMENDED: These are the best restaurants in Hobart Hobart is the only Australian city to make the trending destinations list – others on the list are Big Sky in Montana in the US, Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Phu Quoc in Vietnam and Ucluelet in Canada. Expedia also says Hobart is a sustainable destination, having granted it a ‘Smart Travel Health Check’ tick because it aligns with the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) actions for sustainable tourism management. Expedia reckons some of the key selling points of Hobart are that it’s a waterfront city, Tasmania's cultural hub, it’s steeped in history, and it’s a food and drink lover’s dream. They recommend checking out the Saturday markets at Salamanca Place, touring the Theatre Royal, catching a ferry to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), and hiking Mount Wellington. Want more ideas? These our our top Hobart recommenda