Our most recommended things to do in Surry Hills

Sydney: Half-Day City Tour

1. Sydney: Half-Day City Tour

Explore the highlights of Sydney on a 4-hour tour that can be the perfect kick-start to your time in the city. See the hot spots and tourist icons with an expert guide who will provide you with all the information you need as a first time visitor. Learn where the best beaches are located and how to discover the nicest walks in the city and surrounding area. Hear about some of Sydney’s finest restaurants and atmospheric pubs, and get updates on cultural happenings at venues such as The Basement and Sydney Opera House. Discover where to shop for authentic and/or cheap souvenirs. Get so many ideas that you'll want to extend your stay in the world's most beautiful city! Choose from a morning (08:00) or afternoon (13:00) departure and get ready to see the following attractions: • The Rocks (the oldest part of Sydney where the First Fleet landed) • Millers Point (the oldest pubs and hotels in the city) • Mrs Macquarie’s Chair (best look-out onto Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge) • Woolloomooloo (site of the iconic pie cart of Harry's Cafe de Wheels and the longest timber-piled wharf in the world at Finger Wharf) • Potts Point (eclectic architecture galore) • Kings Cross (the infamous Red Light District) • Rushcutters Bay (start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race) • Darling Point (first of a series of posh harborside suburbs) • Double Bay (site of an exclusive shopping center) • Point Piper (home to the most expensive real estate in the world) • Rose Bay (site of Australia’s first international airport for ‘flying ships”) • Vaucluse (early 19th-century mansions) • Shark Beach (a hotspot for local swimmers and bull sharks) • Watson’s Bay (heritage trails and nudie beaches) • Camp Cove (the location of Captain Philip’s first footprint) • The Gap (where the harbor spills out into the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean) • Dover Heights (for spectacular views of the city and ocean) • North Bondi (golf, whales and sea-eagles) • Bondi Beach (birthplace of free-style swimming and professional lifesaving) • Tamarama Beach (also known as "Glamarama") • Bronte Beach (home of the Bronte Gully and popular for barbecues and dog walking) • Centennial Park (Sydney's largest city park) • Woollahra (home to consulates, mansions and art traders) • Paddington (full of Victorian terraces, boutiques and fashion stores) • Darlinghurst (popular as the gay and lesbian entertainment district) • Surry Hills (trendy and multicultural) • China Town (home to the large and popular Paddy’s Markets) • Darling Harbour (a modern, purpose-built entertainment center)

Sydney: Guided Harbour E-Bike Tour

2. Sydney: Guided Harbour E-Bike Tour

Your ride commences at Darlinghurst and will begin by first taking you to Woolloomooloo, where you will see the largest finger wharf in the world. You will then progress on to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair, riding through the Domain with plenty of opportunity for photos from the best vantage points. From there you will discover the Opera House and Walsh Bay, before riding over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Your tour guide will point out areas of interest, local flora and fauna, and historic sites throughout your ride. You will return through the city using bike lanes, progressing onward to Surry Hills  and back to Darlinghurst in a 20-kilometer loop that provides travelers with a unique and complete view of Sydney.

Sydney: Night Out Pub Crawl with Local Guide

3. Sydney: Night Out Pub Crawl with Local Guide

Explore Sydney's party scene with a local guide on this social pub crawl. Drink and have fun at four different spots and play games to win exciting prizes. Upon being introduced to your guide, meet new friends and share the excitement of a night out in Sydney. Visit four different venues, each offering a different type of drink. Play some games with your group and get the chance to win some prizes. You also get to dance the night away and eat some pizza and snacks to keep you energized. Bring your unforgettable memories home as you take as many pictures as you can.

Sydney: Secret Bar Guided Tour with Complimentary Drink

4. Sydney: Secret Bar Guided Tour with Complimentary Drink

Perfect for solos, friends, and locals of all ages who want a fun night out exploring Sydney’s best small bars. Over 4 hours, you'll visit 3 – 4 different bars including well-hidden ones and some of Sydney’s top-rated bars. We include the first drink (beer or wine) and some share food, then leave it up to you to choose how you want to enjoy the night. On Tuesday nights, explore some of Sydney’s best bars in the CBD, with a focus on the “Bermuda’s Triangle” of small bars spread across York, Clarence and Kent (YCK) street precinct. On Thursday nights, hit up Circular Quay and The Rocks, where a bunch of fantastic new cocktail bars have opened up. And on Saturday nights, head to our favourite stomping grounds of Surry Hills and Darlinghurst, so you can party on the weekend! After the crawl, you'll get a map with all the bars visited throughout the night, plus some extra spots to check out. This is your ticket to the best night out in Sydney.

Sydney: Northern Beaches Brewery Tour and Tasting

5. Sydney: Northern Beaches Brewery Tour and Tasting

Our Northern Exposure kicks off in the mecca of beer for the Northern Beaches, Brookvale. Also known as ‘Brewvale’ and we will explore some fantastic breweries and maybe even a distillery if we can. The venues we visit on the day vary as we like to ‘spread the love’, not all places are open every day and it’s all about timing and providing a good mix of places, people and beers. On tour you can expect a great amount of amazing beers, of all different styles, strengths, colours and flavours. We talk about the brewing process & the ingredients used and take you behind the scenes to give you a real feel for the breweries on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. An awesome brewery lunch is included with along with the tour tastings and the tour our wraps up with a drop off back to Brookvale– and please note we do offer a pickup and drop off in Surry Hills as well! The tours change depending on the day, but some of the Northern Beaches breweries usually visited are Nomad Brewing Co, 7th Day or the 4 Pines Truck Bar in Brookvale; and Modus Operandi Brewing Company in Mona Vale. Please advise your preferred pick up point; 11am Keg & Brew, 26 Foveaux St, Surry Hills 12pm Nomad Brewing Co, 5 Sydenham Rd, Brookvale

Sydney: Gangsters, Girls and Grog Walking Tour

6. Sydney: Gangsters, Girls and Grog Walking Tour

Explore the seedy side of Sydney’s underworld on a fascinating walking tour through Surry Hills and Darlinghurst. Hear stories of mob bosses, gang rivalry, and criminal empires, as you stroll the streets of the now trendy inner city suburbs. From Central Station, stroll through Surry Hills (note that this suburb’s name makes it clear there are a few slopes to contend with) towards Oxford Street and into Darlinghurst. Meet the colorful collection of working girls, gangsters, drug dealers, hit-men, and mysterious street identities such as ‘Mr. Eternity’ who once plied their hidden trades in the dank corners of ‘Razorhurst’. Your guide will passionately bring to life the most notorious periods of Sydney’s criminal history on the very streets where it once all went down. In the 1920s and 1930s, Sydney was famous for its vicious gang rivalry, streets full of working girls, cocaine addiction, and sly grog (alcohol) scene. From the labyrinth of laneways littering Surry Hills and Darlinghurst, the criminal empires of an emerging underworld began to make their mark in response to a series of local laws that almost seemed to be made to be broken. The most notorious of these criminal empires were ruled by two rival mob bosses with a difference – these bosses were women. Hailed as Queens of vice Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh had crawled their way up from obscure origins over the bodies of men to become the most powerful women in Sydney. Your small group walking tour finishes on Stanley Street in Darlinghurst outside a former Razor Gang hangout. Here you may want to stick around for a post-tour drink opportunity and chat with your fellow explorers and guide.

Other Sightseeing Options in Surry Hills

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What people are saying about Surry Hills

Overall rating

4.8 / 5

based on 65 reviews

Our group of 5 had a blast with Grant and Linda as our guides and owners of the business. The bikes were so much fun, felt brand new, and the helmets too! Check list: Best equipment you could ask for, check. Beautiful location of Sydney harbor and surrounding neighborhoods, check. Knowledgeable engaging guides, check. Linda’s homemade banana bread, check (were we just lucky she happened to have ripe bananas that day? IDK maybe she can’t do that every time, but just shows how lovely these owners are as people). We’ve done several e-bike tours in cities around the world. This was THE best 3 hr excursion we could have wished for. Thank you Grant and Linda for being who you are. We’re fortunate to have spent time with you.

Jelle did show us a lot of interesting places with fun back stories and was always friendly, courteous and knowledgeable. The tour was very personalized and a lot of fun.

Had the best time! Grant and Linda have so much knowledge to share and were so patient and of course the banana bread was to die for! Highly recommend!

Driver very punctual & knowledgeable. Plenty of photo opportunities & covered most of the Sydney highlights

It was great to be able to see so much in a few hours