My wife loves shopping and she loves nothing better than finding a cheap flight to Sydney for a weekend of shopping. And the food is pretty good there too. For me I prefer the sight seeing. I just love walking around the harbour foreshores and taking in the views.
My wife is not so interested in the tourist attractions Sydney has to offer, for her it is all about the shopping. Like all great cities, Sydney has something for all tastes and budgets. You can find all the big international luxury brands or you can uncover some hot new designs from a local fashion designer. You may also discover beautiful artworks from a whole swag of artists. There is also fantastic jewellery choices and so many shoes you need to a truck to take them home. You may want to go for the budget buys you can find in a local market or the more upscale version at Paddy’s. And don’t forget there are many souvenirs you can take back home that have that true Aussie flavour. Whatever you fancy you can find it while on vacation in Sydney.
If you are vacation in Sydney and have been out to the attractions you probably are not wanting to be heading all over Sydney for your shopping experience. Lucky for you Sydney offers many options all within a compact area in the heart of the city. When we fly into Sydney we go from the airport and check-in to the hotel. After a short break it is off to Market City in Haymarket. Here you will find many fashion shops. At the bottom of the building is the very popular Paddy’s Market. In the market you will find a wide variety of goods. There is also a fresh food market. The market is open 9am to 5pm Thursday-Sunday and all public holidays. If the shopping makes you hungry you can head upstairs to the to of Market City to the food court.
After some time in Market City it is usually time to head north up either George Street or Pitt Street. There are so many shops along the streets. If you go up George Street you will end up at the historic Queen Victoria Building. I love going there just to see the old world architecture. My wife loves it for the shops. Little did we know that there is an underground city of shops that you can enter from the old building. Once you head underground you can walk your way towards the Pitt Street Mall. You will come across many different fashion lines including well known brands as well as small lable shops. Eventually you will come to a food court which is situated below the Myer city store.
If you go up you will discover a huge Myer shop with many floors of retail therapy. The lower level has cosmetics from all the big names, moving up you will come across the shoe section. They have everything from the low end of the spectrum up to the high end of town. I saw shoes that were selling for close to one thousand a pair. Keep going up for the girls and women’s fashion areas and then finally something for the male shopper. Electronic gadgets, that’s my kind of shopping. Myer has a huge range of the latest in electrical and entertainment. There is also a huge kids toy area. Something for everyone.
Once you have had enough of Myer you can head out of there and cruise through Pitt Street Mall. If you like fresh air you can follow the outdoor mall or you may choose to head back underground in one of the many malls. Just near the Myer exit that goes out to Pitt Street you will find the entrance to Sydney Tower. Now might be a good time to take a break from the shopping and head up the tower if you have not already done so on your Sydney vacation.
Normally by now I have had enough shopping and seeing Pitt Street runs down to Circular Quay I tell my wife it is time to have a break from shopping and head down to the harbour. It is not far to the spectacular Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. I suggest a lazy walk around the quay to take in the scenery.
After you sightseeing you can either catch a bus, take the train or walk south back towards the main shopping district in the heart of Sydney. If you still have time you could walk along Pitt Street until you come across a Monorail station. You can then jump on the Monorail and then head on over to Darling Harbour. Here you will find a great variety of shops combined with dining choices for all tastes. You can also just stroll around and admire the great views looking across the water over to the Sydney skyline.
The shopping can be pretty fantastic. Just keep in mind if you are flying out of Sydney don’t go too crazy as you will not want to have to pay excess baggage to the airlines. It can be pretty pricey. I have seen people at airports going through there luggage just to find things they can toss into the garbage in order to avoid the sky high excess baggage charges.
If you have any favourite shopping spots in downtown Sydney why not share them by adding a comment at the bottom of the page.
