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Gardens and parks

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Chinese Gardens of Friendship at Darling Harbour
Relaxing in the Royal Botanic Gardens. Image James Pipino

Relax in Sydney’s parks and gardens

With its abundant green spaces, leafy parks and fragrant gardens, Sydney’s natural environment is the perfect place to embrace the warmth and energy of the great outdoors during Summer in Sydney.

Sydney’s natural attractions

Walking through the Royal Botanic Gardens. Image James Pipino

Sydney offers you boundless opportunities to enjoy nature, whether it's picnicking near the harbour, playing cricket with friends and family, cycling through tranquil parks or simply watching the sun set from a cliff-top perch.

Bordering the shores of Sydney Harbour and neighbouring Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Domain are set on 30 hectares.  Come here to relax, learn about rare plants, spot wildlife, picnic in a shady oasis, or enjoy seasonal entertainment.

People-watch in Sydney's central green space, Hyde Park, and take a breather under its arbour of trees. Nearby you'll find Hyde Park Barracks Museum, a World Heritage-listed site where you can learn about convict history or head to Darling Harbour's serene Chinese Garden of Friendship for a dose of rich cultural history.

Celebrate long, warm days and balmy nights on the harbour foreshore and islands. Pyrmont Point Park, at the end of Pirrama Road, is a great location to enjoy expansive harbour views, barbeques, shaded areas and a children's playground, while Centennial Parklands' 360 hectares of wide-open space let's you enjoy cycling, horse-riding and lazy, lake-side feasting.

Summer outdoor cinemas

St George Open Air Cinema

Sydney's outdoor cinemas have become a major part of the city's vibrant nightlife during summer's warm nights. Be wowed by the sparkling backdrop of Sydney Harbour at the St George OpenAir Cinema at Mrs Macquarie's Chair. Celebrate Sydney events by packing a hamper and settle back on a bean bag at Centennial Park's Moonlight Cinema; enjoy the festive atmosphere of Flickerfest at Bondi Beach or the world-famous, short film festival Tropfest, held in the Domain in February.

Horse riding in Sydney

Saddle up in Centennial Parklands, just 15 minutes from the city centre. The Centennial Parklands Equestrian Centre provides rides and instruction for every age and level, providing you with a unique opportunity to get close to nature while still being close to the buzz of the city.

Horse riding in Centennial Park. Image Peter Solness

Family-friendly picnic parks

Take the heat off entertaining kids during holiday season and head to one of Sydney's many family-friendly parks. Bradley's Head at Mosman is right by the harbour while pretty Nielsen Park has a netted harbour pool and a shady park. Bicentennial Park at Homebush Bay is easy to get to by Rivercat from Circular Quay and historic Parramatta Park has walking trails and picnic shelters.

Neilsen Park café on Shark beach, Vaucluse. Image Andrew Gregory

Summer holiday fun in the Botanic Gardens

Take advantage of family-focused adventures at the Royal Botanic Gardens, which runs a program of events for kids including fun and educational school holiday activities that include story telling and insect hunting.

Royal Botanic Gardens foreshore. Image Robert Wallace

Gardens and parks in Sydney

Whatever gets you out into the great outdoors, whether it’s a picnic on the grass, a game of cricket, a bike ride through a leafy park, Sydney and its diverse suburbs have just what you’re looking for.

Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, an oasis of 30 hectares in the heart of the city, occupies one of the city's most prominent positions next to the Opera House on the harbour. It's a place where locals and tourists retreat for peace, relaxation, education and learning about horticulture. Aboriginal Heritage Tours of the Royal Botanic Gardens operate at 10am on Fridays and free guided walks kick off daily at 10.30am from the Garden shop.

The harbour foreshores and islands are accessible places of secrets and mystery.Strike out by ferry or on foot to discover these parkland treasures. Pyrmont Point Park, located at the end of Pirrama Road, offers expansive water views. The award-winning sustainable design has a fantastic kids playground with water play features. Starting from Bicentennial Park and weaving around to the Sydney Fish Markets at Pyrmont, the Glebe Foreshore Walk links over 27 hectares of open space and gives visitors unimpeded public access to Rozelle Bay and Blackwattle Bay.

Australia's oldest park, Hyde Park, contains 580 mature and exotic trees, and is home to the ANZAC Memorial building. Further afield, the 640 hectare Sydney Olympic Park site along the Parramatta River centres around Lake Belvedere and Bicentennial Park is a wetland ecosystem, perfect for cyclists, joggers, dog walkers and picnickers. Centennial Parklands covers more than 360 hectares and is one of the few parks in the world to offer inner-city horse riding.

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