Iconic architecture First off, the architecture is incredible. The sails of the Opera House are a masterpiece, and the view from the harbor is stunning. It’s definitely a spot you have to check off your list when in Sydney.
However, I felt that the actual experience didn’t live up to the hype. I went on a guided tour, and while the guide was knowledgeable, the tour itself was fairly short and didn’t cover as much as I expected for the price. I also wish there was more access to the inner spaces — a lot of areas are off-limits unless you're attending a performance.
Speaking of performances, I didn’t catch one during my visit, but tickets seemed pretty expensive, so I opted out. It’s clear that the Opera House is a major cultural hub, but for tourists just passing through, I found it a bit touristy and commercialized.
All in all, it’s worth a visit for the photos and the architecture, but don’t expect a deep or immersive experience unless you’re really into the arts and willing to pay for a show.

Not worth it The tour only showed the two concert halls with a bit of history thrown in. The tour did not take us to the famous aborigine painting. Not good value for money

Must do tour I highly recommend the Sydney Opera House tour to anyone visiting Sydney. It's a must-do that combines stunning views, rich history.
We bought our tickets just inside the Opera House. The process was smooth, and the staff was friendly. Our guide was fantastic—passionate and articulate—clearly conveying the rich history and fascinating stories behind this iconic landmark.

The views from the Opera House are truly unique!
After the tour, we were thrilled to discover that we could purchase discounted tickets for a performance of "La Bohème" because of our earlier tour. This was a delightful bonus! The opera itself was a stellar experience, making our visit even more memorable.

Sydney Opera House Guided Tour I'd 100% recommend this tour to anyone who wants to learn more about the Opera House. It was so varied, informative and you really come away with a thorough understanding of its history. Shelia, our guide, was so friendly, professional and a brilliant storyteller. Nick, who I met at the Welcome Center, was also so helpful and friendly. Thank you!!

Excellent short tour to understand the history of Sydney Opera House The your, at 1hr, is just the right length to gain an understanding of the inception, construction, politics surrounding the building of Sydney Opera House. But alongside thst, you get to see elements not generally open to the general public, plus a glimpse of each of the halls.

I travelled alone, but it really doesn't matter, with a very engaging and informative guide (Tim) and many opportunities to ask questions, take photos etc along the way.

A must see in Sydney What an amazing building. Despite the challenges, that Utzon experienced, his masterpiece is an impressive statement of brilliant architecture.

A bit tired? The rocks is a must visit in that it is just about the oldest neighbourhood in Sydney and one of the first areas developed when Sir Arthur Philips and the first settlers landed in 1788
I’ve visited Sydney from the uk a few times over the last 30 years and always came here - I thought this visit the Rocks and the Ricks Market in particular were looking tired?

Overrated It think this one is overrated. Yes it is a nice neighborhood to walk around in, but we didn't find it all too special. We also went to the famous Rocks Market, which was also somewhat disappointing. Mostly similar style handcraft work, nothing outstanding.
But ok for a few hours.

lost its historical feel Sadly, the place has lost the feel of its history and its now a yuppified modern area for food and the market. The buildings are interesting regarding how things were done way back when, and to see under the harbour bridge was also good. If history is what you enjoy, the rocks doesn't really offer that any more, if expensive restaurants and modernness is your preference the rocks will tick all of those boxes.

The Rocks is a Great Place to Wander, Dine, and Shop The Rocks became established shortly after the colony's formation in 1788. The original buildings were first, traditional vernacular houses, of wattle and daub, with thatched roofs, and later, of local sandstone, from which the area derives its name. However, the area had a reputation as a slum and the arriving convicts' side of town, often frequented by visiting sailors and prostitutes. After November 1790, many of the inhabitants were also Aboriginal.

In 1823, the district had a population of about 1,200, though the area was dominated by a gang known as the “Rocks Push” until the 1870s.

By the early 20th century, many of the area's historic buildings were in serious decay. In 1900, bubonic plague broke out and the state government took over the areas around The Rocks and Darling Harbour, with the intention of demolishing them and rebuilding them. More than 3,800 houses, buildings, and wharfs were inspected and hundreds demolished, but the continuation of these plans were brought to a halt, due to the outbreak of World War I.

During the 1920s, several hundred buildings were demolished during the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. And, while they wanted to keep demolishing in 1971, efforts were halted by local residents, both to keep rents low and to preserve history. It took four years to do so though, they won and the government was forced to restore the remaining buildings.

TODAY: Almost all of the remaining settlement buildings are still in-tact and if you wander into any of the shops, you will see how these working-class families lived. One such shop was Hathi Jewellery. If you see the old safe in the attached pics it's little pieces of history, like this, that make you want to wander into every building to see what treasures it still has.

Try one on The Rocks Whenever we are in Sydney we visit the Rocks.
Swing part of the city with lovely eatery's and stalls full of clothes to keep the Pld Girl happy.
It sure is lively

Our Valentine’s picnic at Macquarie’s Chair with Graze & Gaze was an absolute dream! The setup was breathtaking—so romantic, luxurious, and thoughtfully designed. Every detail felt magical, but the most special moment was when my partner proposed! It was truly unforgettable, and we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect setting. Thank you, Graze & Gaze, for creating such a beautiful experience—we’ll cherish it forever!

An absolutely amazing experience from start to finish! The customer service was exceptional, and the final product was simply stunning. Truly a day to remember. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to make their special day unforgettable!

Such a great experience, I love the punctuality and the views the team even thought I had to set up a tent to protect us from the weather.

This was an absolutely amazing experience for my wife & I! Special and big thank you to Laura and Leila for creating such memorable moments! The organisation, attention to detail and passion towards creating such a beautiful scene was the best we could have imagined. Will highly recommend to others moving forward. Thank you again Graze & Gaze!

So interesting and passionately delivered. Definitely worth going on, you learn so muchabout the Opera House that don't think you would pick up if the tour was on your own. Guide fantastic and so passionate about it. I do wish that I could remember her name.
The over head earphones fantastic.

A Sydney Icon Incredible history, stunning architecture, spectacular views and great coordination by guide Olivia made our experience an incredible one.
Audio was good, so we could hear clearly.
We liked it so much that we booked for a concert and dinner here.

Don’t skip this one! Love, love, loved it! Can’t say enough good things about it! Even the breakfast was great and well worth the early alarm clock!

We received this as a wedding gift a few years ago, but used this as an anniversary gift yesterday. The whole experience was amazing, from the booking, including some changes we had to make, Laura was very understanding. Leila set up our site at Kirribilli and it was perfection. We could not have asked for anything more. Such a wonderful concept, and would definitely do it again.

We had an amazing picnic at Observatory Hill to celebrate my wife’s 50th birthday. The experience was beautiful and the attention to detail and the end to end customer experience was fabulous. We will recommend it to all our friends.

My husband organised a birthday surprise luxury cocktail making picnic at the Kirribilli location through Graze and Gaze. The site was easy to use, and there were plenty of add ons available to make the experience perfect for us. The communication and customer service were fantastic in the lead up, on the day and afterwards. The team were very accommodating and friendly. The picnic itself was divine, the flavours and ratios of the cocktails were perfect! We cannot fault our experience with Graze and Gaze. Thanks again for a spectacular day.

Last week my partner surprised me with this beautiful picnic! Graze and Gaze provided an unforgettable picnic experience! The setup was stunning, with elegant decor and cozy touches that created the perfect atmosphere. The grazing board was delicious, featuring fresh, high-quality cheeses, fruits, and charcuterie, tailored perfectly to our preferences. Their team made everything effortless—from seamless communication to complete setup and cleanup. All we had to do was show up and enjoy. Highly recommend for any special occasion—professional, creative, and worth every penny! Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The passion of architectural design Our guide (12:00 on 12/27) was fantastic. He was clearly knowledgeable and communicative about the Opera House’s origin, design and operations. He spoke passionately about design and its connections with different eras. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in architectural design.

Experience We experienced what it was like to work and be inside the opera. It was fascinating. Truly an experience to remember. Highly recommend.

Great Way to get over jet lag! I booked this for a 3:30 pm tour with some reservations, as we were landing in Sydney at 7:30 am after a 15 1/2 hour plane ride from the US. So glad I did! I had been to Sydney before and was enchanted with the opera house but never took the tour. The tour was fantastic and as wonderful inside as it is out! Didn't even feel our jet lag as we were so engrossed in our tour, the wonder of the architecture, and history of the place. If you are interested in architecture, as we are, this is a not to be missed tour.

I organised a picnic for my wife's birthday at Blues Point with Graze & Gaze, and it was just spectacular. I was able to customise a cake. The set-up was so beautiful and neat. There were heaps of pillows, and I never felt uncomfortable. Kelly was accommodating and friendly. Overall, it was more than I expected. Just beautiful.

The picnic was absolutely wonderful, the day was quite rainy and the team set it up in prep of that which avoided me so much stress on the day. The grazing boxes were nice variety and delicious. Would 100% recommend and book with them again. Thanks so much! You made my special day so much better, easier and prettier!!!

Our experience was absolutely wonderful, Kelly who had set up the location was very sweet, and Laura kept continuous communication leading up to the picnic. Very grateful for the team, unfortunately our experience had to be cut short as it was quite cold, despite this Kelly was incredibly understanding. Definitely will be booking again

Laura and Kelly were both amazing with planning our picnic and setting it up. They were very flexible and accommodating; and it felt like they had thought of everything! We had an amazing time. Thank you Graze and Gaze team!

The best gift we could be given in Sydney. Thanks to the staff for going out of their way for us. We absolutely loved every minute of it together. Thanks Graze and Glaze for starting our weekend in class. Your service and the whole process was highly appreciative. We’ll be back 🤩

Kelly was amazing setting up our experience and communicating with us before and after. Laura was extremely accommodating and helpful with moving our experience due to the weather. We had the most romantic birthday/anniversary thanks to the graze and gaze team.

I was gifted a graze and gaze experience as a wedding present, and was able to customise my location to one that was special to me. Laura was amazing and helpful throughout the whole process, and very quick at responding to texts while organising. The picnic was beautifully set up and comfortable, with ample blankets and pillows, as well as hand sanitiser, speaker etc., and the food was delicious! Would definitely recommend and will be doing again

Kirribilli was such a lovely location. Leila set it up to perfection and we are glad we had chosen this for our anniversary Thanks Craig and Donna

Amazing experience with stunning views Had an amazing time doing this bridge climb today with a friend.
We were the only ones in our group so effectively got a private climb with the instructors Kate and Ellidy.
Amazing experience, Kate and Ellidy were very friendly, knowledgeable and all round great guides.
The photos they took were great and well worth the purchase.
Would definitely recommend to all who visit Sydney!

Amazing experience… loved the set up and the view very much… the team were very responsive and supportive with any changes required… it is a must try for your special events to give that personalised lovely touch… would definitely book an experience again :)

Awesome views and amazing guide! We went on 30th March for the 10.45 bridge climb with Shaun. He was amazing very knowledgeable and funny! The safety precautions are top notch and the views are out of this world!! Definitely worth a visit

This was just what we needed, a nice afternoon by the harbour just the two of us with an amazing picnic. Laura and her team set up the most beautiful little area for us, complete with cozy blankets and pillows, a large picnic rug to sit on and a little table to eat from. The cheese board option we chose was great, full of variety of different cheese and meat and delicious seasonal fruit, completed with a couple chocolates for dessert. It was the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

Billion Dollar Views This was an awesome experience. My husband was nervous but Ian (our wonderful guide) put him at ease and he happily completed the walk/climb without issue. The safety precautions in place and the time taken to ensure that everyone understood what was happening made all of the difference.
The views!! WOW!!!! We were lucky as it was a clear day. We could see to the Blue Mountains to the West and the sea line out East. It was an experience like no other.
We were also with a 17 year old - who loved the experience as well. Whilst we are all fit, it was not overly difficult to navigate this climb. I would strongly recommend this activity.

Best view of Sydney I took the twilight tour which gave phenomenal views of the sunset over the city. Everyone was really helpful. Safety and fun were their priorities. This was a must do for me on a bucket list trip. Well worth it.

Go for it. You will love it! This was one amazing experience! The views are so very cool! I was a little worried about how hard the climb might be because my knees are not the greatest. I am happy to report that being older and having bad knees is no real issue. These guys run a really great (safe) tour! There are so many prep steps and safety protocols to go through before you even get out on the bridge, that you are at ease with the process when it is time to go. It is a bit pricey, but well worth the money in my opinion. You are not allowed to take any personal effects on the bridge (except for necessary medication), so bring as little as possible with you. We got rained on the second half of the climb, but that did not really damper the fun our group had. They provide rain jackets in the event you need them. The guides are amazing and great at what they do. If you have any issues or concerns, they will go above and beyond to make your climb enjoyable. Climb this bridge! You will love it!

Amazing Views If you visit Sydney, this experience is an absolute must. It was amazing. We prebooked the trip months ago to ensure we got on it, we were on the 9.25am walk. I'd definitely advise that you book on an early walk due to the heat. We checked in and did our health questionnaire and provided ID (luckily, we had our driving licences on us as ID requirements were not shown on our booking confirmation). We moved into a room to watch the safety briefing and then got ready in one of the suits they provided along with a harness and accessories. You can't take anything on the walk with you. If you need an asthma inhaler, it can be given to your guide who will carry it for you. We had a great guide called Michael (Scottish guy), he was really entertaining all through the walk, he even remembered everyone's names, there were 13 of us on this walk. The guide took all the photos for everyone, you can buy the pack and download it via QR code or visiting their website. I'm scared of heights but I wanted to do the climb to see the views, which are truly amazing and well worth the panic of climbing up the ladders at the beginning and the end of the climb.

A wonderful way to spend a glorious day in this beautiful city with my loved ones. ❤️ Thank you to Laura from Graze and Gaze for setting up such a memorable experience.

I would highly recommend G&G to host a picnic as something fun to do on Sydney harbour. Any extra alcohol was very reasonably priced and the set up was just beautiful. The ability to turn up to it all prepared then just leave it behind afterwards was a treat!

It was just a lovely experience to turn up to Lavender Bay with a couple of bottles of champagne, enjoy our grazing board and then leave. The great part is just that! Bring yourself, enjoy, leave without packing and unpacking. Loved it!

It was amazing. I had booked it for my proposal to my partner and she said that it was the most beautiful set up she had seen. Everything was set up beautifully. There was a forecast for light rain and they set up a fold out gazebo for the picnic. I was greeted by Kelly and she was super nice and friendly. The Graze & Gaze team is amazing and deserve all the support they can get.

Was told about Gaze and Graze by a friend and had a look at their site. Laura was amazing help fitting me in to a busy weekend on short notice and Lorena had set up in Kirribilli amazing! The set up was incredible and was amazing at sunset for the views and photos! 100% would recommend!

The food, setup and views made for a beautiful evening! Laura did an amazing job and I'd absolutely recommend this for a special occasion. I also love that they support OzHarvest! Only tip (which is totally outside of Graze and Gaze's control) would be to avoid picking a night when the outdoor cinema is on if you're going for Mrs Macquarie's point... the volume of the movie was a little ridiculous!

Great overview of this iconic landmark We wondered if it was worth it to tour the opera house. We were not disappointed. During the one hour tour we were shown views of the venue and of the city we would not have seen otherwise. She had a good mix of history and stories. The microphone system the guide used was excellent. The venue was very busy with tours and events yet we could always hear her and she could keep us together as a group. My only complaint is having to set up an account in order to book tickets online. Sadly we will likely never be back in Sydney so it was a capital waste of time. There should be a “book as a guest “ option for buying tickets.

Very enjoyable one-hour guided tour in the Opera House The Opera House guided tour was a great experience and good value for money. The stories are interesting, the architecture very nice, and many spaces are shown including concert halls. I enjoyed the tight one-hour program with lots of information. The Opera House impressed me as a very open and very lively modern place, definitely not a rusty / exclusive one.

The Graze and Gaze set up was awesome! The fruit platter and sweets platter were perfect and had just right amount. Ineke the lady who set up our Graze experience was lovely. I would recommend to anyone who would like to have a picnic on the harbour without the trouble of setting up!

The service delivery exceeded my expectations. Laura was quite helpful in implementing my vision for the proposal. I had a location in mind but she recommended a different location that we eventually went it and oh my , it came out good. Such an amazing experience.

Fantastic Tour and Sueanne our guide was amazing The 6:50 am start of these tours was a bit daunting while on holidays, but we were up and ready to go. We were met by Sueanne our guide. Her upbeat personality, and enthusiasm made the tour that much better. I realized the reason why it starts so early is that you get to access so many areas that during the day are simply going to be too busy. The history, and story of the opera house is explained so well, and the included breakfast in the Green room was way above what we had expected. It was delicious. Space is limited, and we booked way in advance but it truly was a great experience.

Obviously a must see This famous Iconic building is best viewed from a distance to appreciate its spectacular design - we took the Manly ferry which passes across the front of the building - a great experience

Important Sydney tour The Sydney Opera House official tour is wonderful. The guide brings the tour group to both performance spaces (as long as they aren't in use) and behind the scenes, with lots of information about the construction of the Opera House (a somewhat sad story) and the acoustics. Tour takes about an hour and involves climbing about 200 steps. Great views of Sydney Harbour in addition to areas of the Opera House that are generally off-limits to the public.

Informative and funny Daryl was an incredible tour guide! Very knowledgeable and Funny! The history of the opera house was awesome! 100% recommend! It was just the right length of time after a long day of travel.

Had the most incredible proposal/picnic setup. They went above and beyond to create a beautiful and cozy atmosphere for me and my fiance. The photos turned out stunning. I highly recommend.

Thank You Laura! For an amazing experience!! The Setup! The Food & Wine ! The View! The Weather! Everything came in to play to mark our 35th Wedding Anniversary! One not to Forget!????????????????

Worth taking! Our guide was Zoe and she was great -- very entertaining and knowledgeable. The microphone/headphone system meant we all could hear what she said easily. I wish more tours would do this. Having taken the tour heightened my enjoyment of a performance in the Concert Hall the next day, so I highly recommend it. One thing that wasn't clear was the location of the Welcome Center where one needs to report to start the tour - it's on the lower level on the Harbour Bridge side.

Do it A fantastic tour with a full explanation of the process and time frame of the architecture and engineering of this amazing building. Highly recommend this tour.

Exceptional acoustics and seating, lousy management My wife and I and another couple were lucky enough to get the last few seats available for the Chinese National Symphony Orchestra tour at the Sydney Opera House. We sat in what would normally be the choir loft, but let me tell you they were superb seats. I wish other venues would make the effort to put seats there like Sydney Opera House does.

The only down side is the restrooms are on the ground level and it’s quite a walk from the choir loft to get there. The concert was supposed to start at 2030, but didn’t till 2045 because they wouldn’t open the seating gates till 2015. No way you can seat that many people in 15 minutes. The concession stands didn’t open till 2020, causing more people to be late.