Sydney

Sydney is the oldest, largest and by far the most visited Australian city. The Opera House and Harbour Bridge are as iconic as its multicultural urban pulse. While cities like Melbourne and Brisbane swell with Aussie pride, Sydney is a truly cosmopolitan place. Yet despite all that, Sydneysiders hang their identity on lively and lavishly celebrated beach culture. Surfing is a national obsession and beaches like Bondi encapsulate the hedonistic zeitgeist. Unfortunately the city beaches are so busy in summer that kiting and windsurfing are understandably banned. Yet there are plenty of alternatives within striking distance – half to the south on the sandy flats around Botany Bay, the rest north of Sydney Harbour in the hilly suburbs of the rocky North Shore.