On the surface, Sydney is Australia’s glitzy showgirl, priding herself on her cosmopolitan flair, epic oceanfront walks, bustling harbor, warm climes and tourist-baiting icons. Visitors can wander World Heritage sites, climb the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge, spy surfers at renowned Bondi Beach, stroll through the stately Royal Botanic Garden or sift through treasures at myriad outdoor markets.

The city’s postcard views line its main waterfront along Sydney Harbour, namely at Sydney Cove, where didgeridoo players, jugglers and other buskers compete for tourist dollars, taking advantage of the endless stream of visitors embarking on ferries and harbor cruises from the Circular Quay.

Jutting toward the harbor, the Sydney Opera House stands in all its elegance, luring camera-wielding travelers to its steps. Inside, it offers tours of its theaters, though its exterior, described as everything from broken eggshells to boat sails, is its main draw.

At dusk, the nearby Opera Bar fills with gawkers waiting for the sun to set on the Opera House and behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The top of the bridge offers even more dramatic views of the harbor, but only for those daring enough to sign up with Bridge Climb for heart-stopping tours over the arch as traffic whizzes by underfoot.

A walk behind the Opera House connects to the back entrance of The Royal Botanic Garden, bordered by open space called The Domain. A true link to Sydney’s past, it originally served as the buffer between the governor’s residence and the penal colony.

On the opposite end of Sydney Cove, paths lead to Sydney’s oldest English settlement, The Rocks. Cobbled laneways wind around sandstone buildings housing a variety of souvenir and craft shops, upmarket restaurants and historic pubs like the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel, still sporting chisel marks convicts made on the quarried stone.