Single booking
The bus with cruise
Bus plus harbour explorer
- Bus48 hours
- Cruise1 calendar day
- LoopAbout 80 min
Decide with ease
The Sydney hop-on hop-off ferry, the bus, or both together
Hop-on hop-off bus around Sydney and Bondi
★ 4.4 · 2,975 guest reviews
The short version
The Sydney hop-on hop-off ferry comes as an add-on to the 48-hour bus ticket or as a separate harbour cruise, and public ferries cover much of the same water for less.
Harbour essentials
Two taps to the water
Bus with cruise, boat alone, or a short cruise
Say how much of your stay goes to the harbour and what you want from it, and a ride appears with its starting price.
Your match
The hop-on hop-off bus
from $53
The 48-hour combo adds a harbour cruise valid for 1 calendar day and the night tour to the bus.
Your match
The harbour hop-on hop-off cruise
from $29
5 stops round the harbour and a round trip of 60 to 90 minutes, valid 1 to 2 days.
Your match
The 1.5-hour harbour cruise
from $27
1.5 hours with live skipper commentary and tea, coffee, biscuits and fruit on board.
Your match
The 1-hour sightseeing cruise
from $25
A 1-hour cruise from Circular Quay Wharf 6 with an English audio guide.
Half of Sydney is water, and the bus cannot reach it. Here is how the optional harbour cruise works, where it stops, and how it compares with the public ferries.
Editorial team, sydneyhoponhopoff.com · Updated November 8, 2026 · Quick read: 8 min
Summary view
- The add-onA harbour cruise valid for 1 calendar day, bundled with the 48-hour bus combo.
- Its stopsWharf 6, then Manly, Watsons Bay, Shark Island and Taronga.
- Full circuitRoughly 80 min when nobody gets off.
- Cruise aloneThe hop-on hop-off harbour cruise starts from $29.
- Public ferryAdults pay AUD 6 to AUD 10 per crossing.1
What the cruise option adds to the bus ticket
The bus listing on this site has an option that adds water to the road. That option joins the 48-Hour bus pass to the evening ride and to a boat pass, the harbour explorer run by Captain Cook Cruises. There are departures daily from the quay (Wharf 6), the pass is good for 1 calendar day, and the circuit runs out to Manly and back by way of Watsons Bay, Shark Island and Taronga. Stay aboard for the whole loop and it takes about 80 min.
That changes what the day can hold. The bus covers the city streets and the road out to Bondi, while the boat reaches places the bus routes never touch: a zoo on a headland, an island picnic ground, a fishing village turned seaside suburb, and an ocean beach town across the harbour. On a 48-hour ticket the natural split is a bus day and a water day, with the night tour on whichever evening you have energy left.
The cruise day is a calendar day, not a rolling 24 hours, so start early. You switch on the bus pass in the operator app; a rider with the combo spent the opening day on the red line and the evening ride, saving the beach loop and the boat for day two. Whatever order you choose, keep the water day for the forecast with the least wind.
Boat options side by side
Cruise add-on, cruise alone or public ferry
| Option | From | Stops | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus combo cruise | In the combo | Taronga, Shark Island, Watsons Bay, Manly | Yes |
| Hop-on hop-off cruise | $29 | 5 stops | Yes |
| Sightseeing cruise, 1 hour | $25 | No stops | English audio |
| Public ferry | AUD 6 to 10 a ride1 | Manly, Taronga, Watsons Bay12 | No |
Listing prices are starting fares; public ferry fares follow distance and the Opal daily cap.13
The harbour stops and the stories behind them
Taronga Zoo is the stop most people plan around. The state tourism site counts more than 4,000 animals there, set above the harbour, and puts it 12 minutes from Circular Quay by ferry.3 The cruise listing notes that the zoo opens daily from 9.30 AM to 4.3 PM, so a cruise day that includes it should start in the morning. Zoo entry is a separate ticket.
Shark Island is the quiet stop. The state visitor site describes it simply as a lovely place for a picnic, a small island in the middle of the harbour.4 Watsons Bay has a darker past. Off South Head in 1857 the passenger ship Dunbar was wrecked, and Hornby Lighthouse, with its red and white stripes, went up in 1858 after the disaster.2,5 Today it is a sheltered, easy-going corner of the eastern suburbs, with a lawn by the wharf where you can wait for the next boat.
Manly closes the loop. Manly staged the first world surfing contest, in 1964, and its long ocean beach still fills with learners and families.6 Mid-harbour sits Fort Denison, its sandstone Martello tower a design found nowhere else in the country.7 The harbour is also known as Port Jackson, and seeing it from water level shows how tightly the city wraps around its coves and headlands.8
The harbour cruise sold on its own
You do not need the bus to ride the boat. The Sydney Harbour hop-on hop-off cruise is also sold as a separate listing, from $29, with commentary on board. A round trip takes 60 to 90 minutes, there are 5 stops to hop off at, and you start at Circular Quay Wharf 6. It holds 295 reviews averaging 4.3.
Its validity works differently from the bus combo. The ticket runs from the moment you exchange the voucher, for the length you choose, and the listing is valid 1 to 2 days. That gives a slower traveler a second day on the water, for example the zoo on the first and Manly on the second. You can reserve now, pay later and cancel for free up to 24 hours before.
Buy it alone when the water matters more than the streets. If you are staying near the quay, walk to most city sights and want a relaxed harbour day with stops, this listing does the job without a bus ticket. If you want both the city loops and the harbour, the bus combo keeps them in a single booking; set your group size in the calculator to price each route onto the water.
Ways onto the water
Combo, hop-on boat or a short cruise
Boat only
The harbour boat
Hop-on hop-off cruise
- Round trip60 to 90 minutes
- Stops5 to hop off at
- Valid1 to 2 days
Most reviewed
The tea cruise
Morning or afternoon
- Length1.5 hours
- On boardTea, coffee, biscuits
- CommentaryLive, by the skipper
The public ferries on an Opal card
Sydney's public ferries cover much of the same water for less. The public routes that matter here: the F1 and the Manly Fast Ferry for Manly, the F2 for the zoo, and the Watsons Bay ferry for Rose Bay and Watsons Bay.12 Allow 30 minutes on the water to Manly and less than 20 minutes to Watsons Bay.10,9 These are working commuter boats, so they run on a timetable rather than a sightseeing loop, and you will share the deck with locals heading home or out to the beach. The upside is frequency and price; the downside is that nobody tells you what you are looking at.
Fares depend on distance. On the adult fare table, ferry trips up to 9 km cost AUD 7.35 and longer trips AUD 9.20.13 The state visitor site puts a single adult ferry ride between AUD 6 and AUD 10, with weekend travel capped under AUD 10 for the whole day.1 A tap of your own contactless bank card earns exactly the Opal fare and Opal benefits.15
There is a perk for Manly too. Transfers normally count as one journey within 60 minutes, but the Manly ferry allows 130 minutes.17,16 What you give up on a public ferry is the commentary and the hop-on circuit: each ride goes to its own wharf, and you plan the links yourself. Captain Cook also runs ferries between Watsons Bay and Manly and out to Shark Island, which fills gaps in the public network.18
Price the water
Compare the boat options for your group
Enter the number of travelers to line up the opening fares.
Weigh up 4 options
Compare the boat options for your group
Enter the number of travelers to line up the opening fares.
- Bus, cruise as add-onCombo option · per visitor from $53
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View - Hop-on hop-off boat5 stops · per visitor from $29
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View - Tea cruise1.5 hours · per visitor from $27
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View - Short cruise1 hour · per visitor from $25
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View
Starting prices from GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB reference rate. You will see the exact price when booking.
A bus and boat day
Streets in the morning, water after lunch
Morning
City loop by bus
Red buses pull away from the quay every 30 min, the listing says.
Late morning
Back to the quay
The full city loop takes about 1 hr 30 min.
After lunch
Board at Wharf 6
Boats leave Wharf 6 at the quay every day.
Afternoon
Hop off at Watsons Bay
Near here, off South Head, the Dunbar went down in 1857.2
Evening
Night tour, if booked
It leaves stop 1A at 6:00pm and runs non-stop.
Sightseeing cruises with commentary
If you only want the classic views with someone explaining them, a short sightseeing cruise may beat a hop-on pass. A harbour sightseeing cruise from Circular Quay Wharf 6 starts from $25, with an audio guide in English and wheelchair access. Its record lists four 1-hour slots, at 10:50 AM, 12:35 PM, 1:45 PM and 4:10 PM, and no departures from Darling Harbour.
A longer option leaves from the Eastern Pontoon at Circular Quay. The morning or afternoon harbour cruise starts from $27 and lasts 1.5 hours, with live commentary from the skipper and tea, coffee, biscuits and fruit on board. It has the most reviews of the cruises on this page, 1,606 of them averaging 4.6.
Neither lets you step off at the zoo or Manly. They are loops for looking, not for exploring, and that suits a traveler with a short stay or little appetite for wharves and timetables. Pair a cruise with the bus on the same day: ride the city loop in the morning, then board at the quay for the afternoon views.
Video
The ferry ride from Circular Quay to Manly
Josh Goes Slow on YouTube · Tap play to load the video; not before.
That means you can hop between Circular Quay, Manly, Taronga, Watsons Bay, Cockatoo Island and the Parramatta River for less than the price of a single paid harbour cruise.
Before you board
On a harbour day
Plan the day3
- Go early, the boat pass lasts 1 calendar day
- Board the cruise at Circular Quay Wharf 6
- Taronga opens 9.30 AM to 4.30 PM
On public ferries3
Bring along3
- Hat and sunscreen for the open deck
- A windproof layer for the crossing to Manly
- Your phone with the ticket ready to show
Planning a Sydney hop-on hop-off bus and ferry day
Circular Quay is where a Sydney hop-on hop-off bus and ferry day comes together. Here the main ferry terminal meets trains, buses and light rail, and from 9:00am a red city bus sets off from the quay every 30 min, by the listing's timetable.19,20 On the east side of the cove stand the Opera House and the botanic garden, and on the west the bridge reaches across.21
A practical order is bus first, boat second. Ride the city loop of about 1 hr 30 min to get your bearings, step off back at the quay, eat, and board the cruise at Wharf 6. If the zoo is on your list, flip it: take the boat in the morning so you reach Taronga with time to spare before it closes at 4.30 PM.
For a longer river trip, the public ferry from Circular Quay to Parramatta takes about 90 minutes and calls at Cockatoo Island and Sydney Olympic Park on the way.11 Between May and November, whale-watching cruises also leave the quay for the open ocean outside The Heads, a separate paid trip worth checking if your visit falls in that window.22
Which option suits a short or longer stay
With a single free day, the water usually loses to the streets. Take the bus, ride the city loop, and add a single public ferry, such as the F2 to Taronga or the ferry to Watsons Bay, for a taste of the harbour.12 That keeps the cost down and the day realistic. You still see the Opera House and the bridge from the water, and you are back at the quay in time for an evening walk along the foreshore. If the weather turns, the ferry is the easier part of the plan to drop, as you have spent only a single fare on it.
Over a weekend, the combo makes sense if you would use all of it: the bus, a full cruise day and the night tour. The cruise also calls at Shark Island, a stop the public Manly, Taronga and Watsons Bay ferries do not make, and the commentary turns the harbour into a story rather than a commute.12 If you would skip the night tour, compare the combo with the bus plus the separate harbour cruise from $29.
On a longer stay, mix freely. Use the bus once, then ferries on capped weekend days, when an adult day costs no more than AUD 9.65 across all modes.23 Keep a sightseeing cruise for a calm afternoon, and save a clear evening for the harbour lights from the foreshore. A longer stay also lets you wait for good weather: book the bus and cruise for the brightest forecast, as free cancellation up to 24 hours before leaves room to move the date.
FAQ
Brief questions, brief answers.
Does the hop-on hop-off bus include a ferry?
Only the combo option.
In the 48-Hour bundle you also get a boat pass good for 1 calendar day, plus the evening ride.
Where does the harbour cruise stop?
At the big harbour sights.
Its loop from Wharf 6 takes in Manly, Watsons Bay, Shark Island and the zoo.
How long is the harbour cruise loop?
About 80 min.
That is the full circuit without getting off; each stop you make adds time ashore.
Can I buy the harbour cruise without the bus?
Yes.
The hop-on hop-off harbour cruise starts from $29, with 5 stops and a 60 to 90 minute round trip.
Is a public ferry cheaper than the cruise?
Usually, yes.
An adult crossing is AUD 6 to AUD 10, and on weekends the day total stays under AUD 10.1
How long is the ferry to Manly?
Can I take the cruise to Taronga Zoo?
Yes, it stops there.
Plan a morning start: the zoo opens from 9.30 AM to 4.30 PM, and entry is paid separately.
Is there a short cruise with commentary?
Yes, from $25.
A 1-hour sightseeing cruise leaves Circular Quay Wharf 6 with an English audio guide.
Sources
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Free things to do in Sydney ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Watsons Bay ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Top attractions in Sydney ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Sydney Harbour ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Watsons Bay ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Manly ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Sydney Harbour ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Sydney Harbour ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Watsons Bay ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Manly ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Transport in Sydney ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Transport in Sydney ↩
- Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Adult Opal fares ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Free things to do in Sydney
- Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Contactless payments ↩
- Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · How Opal fares work ↩
- Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · How Opal fares work ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Transport in Sydney ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Circular Quay ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Circular Quay ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Circular Quay ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Circular Quay ↩
- Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Adult Opal fares ↩
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