Cost for your party

How to get around Sydney: sightseeing bus or public transport

The short version

To get around Sydney, tap a bank card or Opal card on trains, buses, ferries and light rail with daily fare caps, and keep the sightseeing bus for a day with commentary.

Transport essentials

  • Adult day cap AUD 19.30 Monday to Thursday3
  • Bus up to 3 km AUD 3.30 at peak4
  • Off-peak bus, train and light rail 30% cheaper19

Weigh up 3 options

What the sightseeing options cost your group

Pick how many are coming and compare starting prices with a capped Opal day.

2 people
  1. Sightseeing bus24 or 48 hours · per visitor from $53

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    View
  2. Harbour boat5 stops · per visitor from $29

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    View
  3. Guided city bus3.5 hours · per visitor from $34

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    View

Starting prices from GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB reference rate. You will see the exact price when booking.

Sydney has a capped, tap-and-go network of trains, buses, ferries and light rail. Here is what it costs, how it works with a bank card, and when the sightseeing bus still wins.

Editorial team, sydneyhoponhopoff.com · Updated November 8, 2026 · Quick read: 7 min

Summary view

  • Pay as you goUse an Opal card, a contactless bank card or your phone at the readers.1,2
  • Daily capAdults pay no more than AUD 19.30 Monday to Thursday, AUD 9.65 Friday to Sunday.3
  • Bus faresFrom AUD 3.30 at peak for up to 3 km, AUD 2.31 off-peak.4
  • Ferry faresAUD 7.35 for trips up to 9 km, AUD 9.20 beyond.5
  • Sightseeing busFrom $53, with commentary and 2 routes past the sights.

The basic choice: a ticket with a route, or a tap-and-go network

Sydney gives visitors a real choice in how they move between its sights. The sightseeing bus sells you a route: open-top buses on 2 routes with 23 stops, recorded commentary in 8 languages, and 24 or 48 hours to ride. Public transport sells you the whole city: metro, train, bus, ferry and light rail, all on a single tap-and-go system with a daily ceiling on what you pay.3

The public system is easy for visitors. You can tap on and off with the same American Express, Mastercard or Visa card or phone, and you pay the same Opal fare and get the same benefits as with an Opal card.1,2 If you prefer a card, Opal cards are sold at train stations, at the domestic and international airport, and at many shops across the city.6 A bank card is charged the adult fare.7

So the question is not which gets you there, since both do, but what you want from the ride. The bus is a tour that happens to move you; public transport is transport that happens to pass the views. Most visitors end up using both, and this page shows where the line falls. It covers the network, the fare table, the caps that make a busy day cheap, and the cases where paying for a sightseeing seat is still the better deal. Fares here are in Australian dollars, as Transport for NSW publishes them.

The fare table

Adult Opal fares by mode

ModeDistancePeakOff-peak
BusUp to 3 kmAUD 3.304AUD 2.314
Bus3 to 8 kmAUD 4.494AUD 3.144
Light railUp to 3 kmAUD 3.3020AUD 2.3120
Train or metroUp to 10 kmAUD 4.3318AUD 3.0318
FerryUp to 9 kmAUD 7.355Same fare
FerryOver 9 kmAUD 9.205Same fare

Transport for NSW adult fares; daily caps of AUD 19.30 Monday to Thursday and AUD 9.65 Friday to Sunday apply on top.3

Does Sydney have good public transport?

Does Sydney have good public transport? For a visitor, the network covers the places you are likely to go. Central Station at Railway Square is the main terminus, and trains run north across the harbour, east to Bondi Junction and south to the airport.12 The airport itself is about nine kilometres south of the city centre.13

Light rail fills the gaps the trains miss. The L2 Randwick line and the L3 Kingsford line both start at Circular Quay and run south through the city.8 The metro line between Chatswood and Sydenham has stations at Barangaroo, Martin Place, Gadigal, Waterloo and Crows Nest, which makes Barangaroo a short hop from the centre.14

The ferries are the network's showpiece. From Circular Quay, the F2 runs to Taronga Zoo, another harbour route serves Rose Bay and Watsons Bay, and the F1 or the Manly Fast Ferry crosses to Manly.11 Late at night, NightRide buses replace most train routes between midnight and 4.30am.15 Circular Quay ties it together as the main ferry terminal and a hub for light rail, trains and buses.16,17

Peak adult fares

What a single trip costs by mode and distance

  • Bus up to 3 km3.30
  • Bus 3 to 8 km4.4
  • Bus over 8 km5.77
  • Train up to 10 km4.3
  • Ferry up to 9 km7.35
  • Ferry over 9 km9.20

Adult peak fares from the Transport for NSW fare tables; off-peak bus, train and light rail fares are 30% lower.4,18,5,19

What Sydney buses cost, and the rest of the fare table

What Sydney buses cost depends on how far you ride and when. Every mode is split into distance bands.22 On buses, an adult trip of up to 3 km costs AUD 3.30 at peak and AUD 2.31 off-peak; 3 to 8 km costs AUD 4.49 or AUD 3.14; and longer trips AUD 5.77 or AUD 4.03.4 Light rail uses the same bands and prices for its shorter distances.20

Off-peak matters. Metro, train, bus and light rail fares are 30% cheaper on Fridays, weekends, public holidays and outside peak times.19 Trains and the metro start at AUD 4.33 at peak and AUD 3.03 off-peak for up to 10 km.18 Ferries do not get the off-peak cut on the fare table: AUD 7.35 up to 9 km and AUD 9.20 beyond.5

Some rules catch visitors out. Opal single tickets, the paper backup, are sold for metro, train, ferry and light rail but not as a bus option, so on a bus you need a card or phone.23 And if you forget to tap off, you are charged the maximum possible fare for that trip.24 A card or contactless tap is always cheaper than a single ticket anyway.21

Pick your way

The right way round Sydney for your day

Say what today looks like and see the way to get around that fits it.

  • If It is my first day in Sydney

    The sightseeing bus

    Both loops with commentary in 8 languages.

  • If I am exploring on a weekend

    Tap and go

    From Friday to Sunday an adult day costs AUD 9.65 at most.3

  • If I want the harbour beaches

    Public ferries

    From the quay the F1 goes to Manly, and another ferry serves Watsons Bay.11

  • If I am carrying luggage today

    Train or taxi

    The sightseeing bus allows no suitcases or carry-on bags.

  • If I am out late

    NightRide buses

    They replace most train routes from midnight to 4.30am.15

Ways to move

Bus ticket, bank card, or both

For your first day

The sightseeing bus

Route, commentary, open top

  • From$53
  • Routes2 routes, 23 stops
  • LuggageNo suitcases
See this option

For every day

Tap and go

Bank card or Opal card

  • Weekday capAUD 19.30
  • Weekend capAUD 9.65
  • ModesTrain, bus, ferry, tram
See this option

For the water

The harbour boat

Hop-on hop-off cruise

  • From$29
  • Stops5 to hop off at
  • Round trip60 to 90 minutes
See this option

Caps, transfers and the Opal day

The caps are what make public transport cheap for sightseers. Fares for an adult freeze at AUD 19.30 on any Monday to Thursday, at a holiday-and-weekend rate of AUD 9.65 from Friday, and at AUD 50 across the week.3 The day for those caps runs from 4am to 3.59am the next morning, which covers a late dinner across the harbour.61

Changing between modes earns a discount. Each transfer between modes in one journey takes AUD 2 off an adult fare, or AUD 1 for child, concession and senior fares.58 Several trips with transfers within 60 minutes count as one journey.62 The Manly ferry is more generous, allowing 130 minutes, which suits a slow lunch by the beach before the ride back.63

Paper single tickets do not share these benefits. They work only on the day you buy them, up to 4am the following morning, they are single use, and you cannot break a journey or buy a return.64,65 For a visitor, the simplest plan is to tap the same bank card every time, so every trip counts toward the same cap.1 Keep it apart from other cards in your wallet, so the reader always charges the same one. Pick the card with the lowest foreign transaction fees, as you may tap it many times in a busy day of sightseeing.

Route map

Both bus loops, the night tour and the cruise stops

Tap a loop to see its stops in riding order, then a pin for the times and what is next to it.

Open 30 stops

Both bus loops, the night tour and the cruise stops

Select a route, then press a pin or stop to read its note and open Google Maps.

Map of the red city loop of the Sydney sightseeing bus, stops 1 to 15, from Phillip Street past the Opera House, Central Station and Darling Harbour to The Rocks

  1. Stop 1 is the change point outside the Justice and Police Museum: the first red bus leaves at 09:00 and the first blue bus at 09:30.

    Google Maps

  2. Stop 2, on Macquarie Street by the underpass, is the one for the Opera House and the harbour foreshore.

    Google Maps

  3. Stop 3 sits beside the Hyde Park Barracks; the cathedral plans major upgrade works from March 2027.

    Google Maps

  4. Stop 4 is outside the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where general entry costs nothing.

    Google Maps

  5. Stop 5, on Macleay Street in Potts Point, faces the El Alamein Fountain.

    Google Maps

  6. Stop 6 is on Cowper Wharf Road outside the Woolloomooloo Hotel, by the old finger wharf.

    Google Maps

  7. Stop 7 is where the red and blue loops meet on William Street; the museum is free and opens 10am to 5pm.

    Google Maps

  8. Stop 8 is on Eddy Avenue, at the exit outside Central Railway Station.

    Google Maps

  9. Stop 9 is outside the new fish market on Bridge Road, open daily from 7am to 10pm.

    Google Maps

  10. Stop 10, on Darling Drive by the convention centre, serves Darling Harbour and the Maritime Museum.

    Google Maps

  11. Stop 11 is on Harbour Street outside the Chinese Garden.

    Google Maps

  12. Stop 12 is on King Street beside SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium.

    Google Maps

  13. Stop 13 is at the Barangaroo Station bus stop; the reserve nearby holds 75,000 native plants.

    Google Maps

  14. Stop 14 is on Hickson Road under the bridge, next to the Pier One hotel.

    Google Maps

  15. Stop 15, outside Campbell's Stores, is the last on the red loop; its last bus comes at 18:22.

    Google Maps

Base map © OpenStreetMap contributors

A capped day out

A weekday of sights on a single bank card

  1. Morning

    Light rail to the quay

    The L2 and L3 lines both start at Circular Quay.8

  2. Late morning

    Ferry to Taronga

    A 12-minute crossing from Circular Quay.9

  3. Afternoon

    Ferry to Watsons Bay

    Less than 20 minutes from the quay by ferry.10,11

  4. Evening

    Train east

    Trains run east as far as Bondi Junction.12

  5. End of day

    The cap kicks in

    On a weekday the adult total stops at AUD 19.30.3

A day of sights on Opal against a day on the bus

Picture a weekday of sights by public transport. A ferry from Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo takes 12 minutes, a ferry to Watsons Bay less than 20, and each adult ferry trip up to 9 km costs AUD 7.35.9,10,5 Add a light rail hop through the city and a train out to Bondi Junction, and you reach the AUD 19.30 weekday cap quickly; after that, every ride that day is free.3,12

On a Friday, Saturday or Sunday the same day is capped at AUD 9.65.3 The state tourism site points out that a capped weekend day takes you from Circular Quay to Manly, Taronga, Watsons Bay, Cockatoo Island or up the Parramatta River, all for less than a paid harbour cruise costs.66 On cost alone, public transport wins every time.

The bus day costs more, from $53, and gives something different. Its city route runs about 1 hr 30 min past the sights and its Bondi tour about 1 hr 15 min, with commentary throughout. There is no planning, no transfers and no tapping, and the route itself is designed as a tour. That is worth paying for on a first day; it is rarely worth paying for every day.

Video

How to get around Sydney and buy an Opal card

Josh Goes Slow on YouTube · Tap play to load the video; not before.

Using an Opal card or Contactless card is always cheaper than buying an Opal single ticket
Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info)21

Tap smart

Rules that save money on Opal

Every trip3

  • Tap on and off with the same card or phone1
  • Forget to tap off and pay the maximum fare24
  • No paper single tickets as a bus option23

Save more3

  • Off-peak bus, train and light rail: 30% less19
  • AUD 2 off each transfer between modes58
  • Weekend cap AUD 9.65 a day3

Families and access3

  • Children aged three years and under free59
  • Companion Card: carers travel free60
  • Sightseeing bus listed wheelchair accessible

When the bus wins and when public transport does

The bus wins on your first day, when you do not yet know the city, and on any day you want explanations. Travelers who find stairs and platforms hard also do better on it: the listing calls it wheelchair accessible, and a single seat carries you from sight to sight. Families with small children gain too: infants aged 3 and under ride free.

Public transport wins on cost, on reach and in the evening. It goes to the airport, across the harbour by ferry, and out to suburbs the bus never visits, and it runs through the night on NightRide buses.12,11,15 It also wins on luggage days, because the sightseeing bus allows no suitcases or carry-on bags. And it wins on long stays, when the weekly cap of AUD 50 for an adult turns a week of harbour ferries, trains and light rail into a fixed and modest cost.3

Driving is the weakest option for sightseeing. A hired car spends most of a sightseeing day parked, and in the city that meter runs from AUD 2.50 up to AUD 8 each hour, depending on the street and the time.67 Taxis, water taxis and rideshare services such as Uber and Didi fill the gaps for a late return or a heavy bag.68 For most visitors the winning mix is the bus for a day, then taps for the rest.

Children, seniors and companions on public transport

Kids pay child fares between ages 4 and 15, and travel free up to the age of three.59 To pay child fares you need a Child/Youth Opal card, as a bank card tap is charged the adult fare.69,7 Child caps are AUD 9.65 a day from Monday to Thursday, AUD 4.80 from Friday to Sunday, and AUD 25 a week.70 Adult fares start at age 16.71

Seniors need an entitlement. The Gold Senior/Pensioner cap is AUD 2.50 a day, but interstate seniors must apply for a Gold Opal card to get discounted fares, and visitors without an Australian entitlement pay the adult fare.70,72 On the sightseeing bus, check the booking box for the age bands on your date.

For travelers with a disability, the Companion Card means the person helping them rides without paying.60 Because the sightseeing bus is marked accessible on its listing, it makes a gentle first look at the city before you tackle the stations and wharves. Seeing the layout from a seat first makes the trip planner far easier to use on the days that follow, as the stop names start to mean something.

FAQ

Brief questions, brief answers.

How do I pay for public transport in Sydney?
Tap a bank card, phone or Opal card.

Use the same American Express, Mastercard or Visa card or device to tap on and off; you get the same Opal fares.1,2

How much is a bus ride in Sydney?
From AUD 3.30 at peak.

That is up to 3 km for an adult; off-peak it is AUD 2.31, and longer trips cost more.4

Is there a daily cap on fares?
Yes, AUD 19.30 on weekdays.

That weekday ceiling falls to AUD 9.65 for adults from Friday to Sunday and on holidays.3

Can I buy a paper ticket for the bus?
Not as a bus option.

Opal single tickets are a backup for metro, train, ferry and light rail; on buses, tap a card or phone.23

How much is the ferry?
AUD 7.35 up to 9 km.

Longer ferry trips cost AUD 9.20 for an adult, and the daily cap still applies.5,3

Do kids travel free on Sydney public transport?
Up to age three.

Up to age three they ride for nothing; from 4 to 15 they need a Child/Youth Opal card for child fares.59,69

Is the sightseeing bus cheaper than Opal?
No.

The bus starts from $53; Opal caps adults at AUD 19.30 a day Monday to Thursday.3

Is there public transport late at night?
Yes, NightRide buses.

They replace most train routes between midnight and 4.30am, so a late dinner is no problem.15

Sources

  1. Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Contactless payments ↩
  2. Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Contactless payments ↩
  3. Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Adult Opal fares ↩
  4. Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Adult Opal fares ↩
  5. Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Adult Opal fares ↩
  6. Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Transport in Sydney ↩
  7. Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Transport in Sydney ↩
  8. Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Transport in Sydney ↩
  9. Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Top attractions in Sydney ↩
  10. Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Watsons Bay ↩
  11. Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Transport in Sydney ↩
  12. Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Transport in Sydney ↩
  13. Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Transport in Sydney ↩
  14. Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Transport in Sydney ↩
  15. Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Transport in Sydney ↩
  16. Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Circular Quay ↩
  17. Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Circular Quay ↩
  18. Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Adult Opal fares ↩
  19. Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Adult Opal fares ↩
  20. Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Adult Opal fares ↩
  21. Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · How Opal fares work ↩
  22. Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · How Opal fares work ↩
  23. Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Opal single tickets ↩
  24. Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Adult Opal fares ↩
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  26. Big Bus Tours · Bondi Tour Route - Blue (page captured 19 May 2026)
  27. Big Bus Tours · Sydney Tour Route - Red (page captured 18 April 2026)
  28. Big Bus Tours · Sydney Tour Route - Red (page captured 18 April 2026)
  29. St Mary's Cathedral Sydney · St Mary's Cathedral
  30. Big Bus Tours · Sydney Tour Route - Red (page captured 18 April 2026)
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  33. Big Bus Tours · Sydney Tour Route - Red (page captured 18 April 2026)
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  36. Big Bus Tours · Sydney Tour Route - Red (page captured 18 April 2026)
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  38. Sydney Fish Market · Sydney Fish Market
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Related guides

More to read before you ride

GuideSydney hop on hop off prices and ticketsGuideDiscounts, deals and free alternativesGuideBus plus harbour cruise or bus onlyGuideIs the Sydney hop on hop off bus worth it

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