Food Art And Culture How To Get The Most Out Of Sydney

Sydney is full of art and culture, much of which can be enjoyed outdoors. Explore and enjoy the city’s sub-tropical climate with these markets and tours.

Sydney, the capital of New South Wales and Australia’s largest city, has a vibrant and popular cultural scene. To experience the best of what it has to offer, you don’t need to stay inside galleries or museums. From open-air markets and street-art tours to sculpture parks, there is a plethora of culture to be found al fresco in the Emerald City. This curated selection of experiences will help you discover the best of outdoor Sydney.

1. Admire the Architecture of St Mary’s Cathedral

Cathedral, Church

One of the world’s finest English-style Gothic cathedrals, St Mary’s is well worth a visit on a free day in Sydney. Following a devastating fire in 1865, Archbishop Polding commissioned architect William Wilkinson Wardell to design a new cathedral. Constructed of dressed Sydney sandstone, Wardell’s building is grand in every way. The biggest place of worship for the Catholic faith in the city, St Mary’s stretches 107 metres (351 feet) in length and 75 metres (246 feet) in height, thanks to the spires built in 2000. It’s also home to a beautiful crypt with a stunning terrazzo floor. Even the most secular among us will feel an emotional reaction to this building, which will be of interest to anyone with a love of history or architecture. Following the 10.30am Mass on Sundays, St Mary’s Cathedral offers a free guided tour; for a small fee, guided group tours are available during the weekdays.

2. Browse the Stalls at Orange Grove Market

Farm Shop, Farmers' Market, Market, Vegetarian, Vegan, Healthy

If good, sustainable and organic produce is your thing, then you’ll be in your element at Orange Grove Market. The weekly market takes place in the outdoor space of Orange Grove Public School in Lilyfield, Sydney, offering the area’s best meats, eggs and cheese, plus quality fruits and vegetables. As well as stocking up on all the best ingredients, you might leave this market with something new for your house or yourself, as the stallholders have recently started including independent jewellery brands and art prints. If you begin to feel a little peckish during your visit, the market also has vendors selling a range of street food and ready-to-eat items, including fresh oysters and vegan options.

4. Look for Foley’s art playground in Redfern Park

Park

The sculptures in Redfern Park aren’t just for admiring – children can climb and play with them. Fiona Foley’s art playground took inspiration from the natural landscape around its location to create art that evokes the imagination and encourages play. Geared towards children under the age of seven, the park features stainless-steel-and-bronze lotus flowers that spray kids with water, playhouses and bouncers that are inspired by seed pods and a red climbing frame that spells out the Aboriginal word for “creator”.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.