Sydney is a must see stop off point for any East Coast Roadie. The city is iconic, very beautiful and well, world famous but this comes with a price – Sydney is pretttyyy spenny (believe me) – you’ve gotta make that money last.
We’ll be sharing with you…
- The ultimate hacks to visit Sydney as a BackPacker
- Where to get EPIC freebies
- How to avoid those ‘city’ food and drink prices
- how we can save you money with our discounts..
- AND, OF COURSE a brilliant way to book your campervan hire sydney for less!
So, here are some tips and tricks for exploring the city on a budget….
Click images to see more.
Sydney on a budget
Free walking tours
The best way to see all of Sydney’s ICONIC sites, rolled in to one is to hop on a FREE walking tour…amazing!!
These tours are also a great way to meet fellow travellers.
Hostel freebies
When booking your accommodation, keep an eye out for hostels that offer meals. They’re usually a fraction of the price you’d pay eating out and are a great way to mingle and meet people. Some hostels may also provide free brekkie!
There is also always the ‘free shelf’ in the kitchen – sounds super cheap – but you can actually find some decent stuff in there (we said this would be budget friendly ;)).
Getting around
In Sydney, you’ll need to purchase an Opal Card to use on public transport…
All day on SUNDAYS you can travel on the metro, train, bus, ferry and light rail services for $8.40 a day – so Sunday is a good day for exploring the ins and outs of the city.
Free events
Sydney pretty much always has something going on – it’s a big ol’ city that has to cater for everyone.
If you search ‘Sydney free events’ I am sure you’ll find a list of things to go and try out…
Check out: Markets, music events, museum events and if you’re there over NYE you cannot miss out on the fireworks!
Places to explore
Sure, the centre has got it all going on – and it’s great fun – but Sydney has so much more to offer.
Why not get off the beaten track and head a little further a field:
- Surrey Hills – cool vibes and great cafes.
- Newtown – hipster, cool, artsy vibes.
- Northern Beaches – check out Manly and Curl Curl.
Backpacker bars and nights out
If you’re keen to take on the true backpacker lifestyle, I’m sure you’ll find yourself on some sort of bar crawl/night out…There are quite a few backpacker bars in Sydney, so grab a tinny and let the night begin yeewww…
- Scubar – bar come club
- Sidebar – party party!
- Scary Canary – Great food and drinks
- Darling Harbour – Head to Pontoon and home club. There are also LOADS of happy hours and food deals going on at the many restaurants and bars around the harbour
- Opera bar – Not a backpacker bar BUT abit of a treat and a memory!
Beach Day
THE best activity to do for free – lounging on a beach with a book in your hand – it really doesn’t get better than that!!
I’m a proper water baby and absolutely LOVE the beach, so here is a lil list of my faves:
- Shelly Beach, Manly – paradise (my fave)
- Bronte Beach – surf
- Tamarama
- Watsons Bay
- Curl Curl – Northern Beaches
- And of course, you gotta check out Bondi Beach (check out the walk to Coogee!)
Freebies!
The one you’ve been waiting for…FREEBIES – gotta love em (lol).
So here goes, my little list of freebies to check out in Sydney:
- Harbour Bridge and Opera House – free to look at
- Royal Botanic Gardens
- Mrs Macquarie’s Point – epic viewpoint over the harbour
- China Town – cool at night
- Beaches – lying on a beach is the best thing to do for free!
- Hyde Park – grab a picnic and chill
- Art Galleries and Museums – there are tonnes
- Bondi to Coogee coastal walk
- Luna Park – free entry (pay per ride)
- Manly to Spit walk
- North Head look out – insane views of the city
About the Author: Sammy
with RatPack Travel?
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From our RatPackers
Absolutely recommended to anyone wanting to take the stress out of booking a camper van! Ben made the process for me so smooth and he genuinely cared for what my trip entailed and catered right to it! Blown away with his kindness and couldn’t be more happy with the price and deal we go for our van!
10/10 service! So helpful and friendly! Looking forward to heading on the trip already 😊
Jenna & Ryan are very professionals and helpful. Wish them the best
This shout out is for James! He took all of our worries,stress and anxiety about our up coming snow road trip and chucked them out the window. In under 30 minutes he had us booked with a better deal,upgraded vehicle and many laughs. Just for his service alone we will be back for every holiday! Thanks heaps James we look forward to our holiday because of you, now I can drive to Sydney today with a clear mind and no worries of having to sleep on my bike in the middle of the snow ⛄️ I have to mention his concern for safety was top notch with not wanting myself or my partner to have a bed fall on our heads again 😂
Jenna and Ryan were very helpful from the beginning to the end of the booking process. They shared all the details needed for our trip and in good time. Once our trip had been confirmed Ryan supported us through the phone call explaining next steps, payment and the process. We are very happy with the service we received! Thank you again and we look forward to our trip!
Ben made our camper van booking experience a breeze, very professional and easy process, would be happy to recommend to anyone!
Mikey was very efficient and easy to deal with, we booked a camper and the whole process took around 1 hour from him getting us prices, speaking to different dealerships and us paying our deposit. He was happy to answer any questions we had and shared lots of information regarding routes, campsites and the day to day travel in a camper. We would definitely recommend!
They were super helpful in finding me a motor home at the last minute—-received great assistance from James
Ben from Ratpack Travel was absolutely amazing in helping find the perfect van & best deal for our dream WA holiday. Best customer service ever! They know their products inside out & I would use them again & again!
George was awesome to deal with! Really knowledgeable and very helpful. Highly recommend!
The service at RatPack-Travel is absolutely great! Ryan took a lot of time to answer all my questions and always clarified everything very quickly. The telephone consultations were easy to understand and everything was clearly explained. Even when my plans changed and I had to adjust my booking, he clarified everything directly with the car rental company and I was able to adjust my booking very quickly and without any problems. I always received an answer within minutes. I am extremely satisfied, thank you Ryan from RatPack-Travel!
James Help us in all the proces and was an absolute Legend! He found the best deal posible for what we wanted to do and withing the buddget. Also provided us with some helpfull information for sugesting itinerarys on things to do and see, as well of apps for finding campsites and campervan sites. 1000% recomended! what a grat custumer service And if this wasnt enought all the service was free!
Thank you Lucas for making it easy to book mum and my camping holiday. You were patient and a joy to deal with. You were able to get a great rate of payment and your help was much appreciated.
Anna was so helpful and kind, she helped me book a van for my friend and I. She was on top of all my questions and was so lovely to work with 😁
Just booked a van for NZ for 2 weeks. Ben made the booking so easy and hassle free, will definitely be recommending RatPack in the future
