To and from Airport
You have a few options getting to and from the airport to your accommodation depending on where you're staying.(All prices quoted in AUD.)
Hotel Transport - Cost range from $0 - $60 per trip per person. Minimum travel time 40min if just your party, at least 1.25 hour if sharing.
First thing, check with your hotel if they include airport transport in your package so it might be 'free'. Some may arrange for you at an extra cost, refer to Shuttle Bus and Taxi for price comparison.
Shuttle bus - Costs about $13 per trip per person. Minimum travel time 1.25 hour.
If you are taking transport by yourself or group of 3 or less, this is more economical than a Taxi and more convenient than the Public Transport. You basically share a mini-bus with other travellers, and if you are staying in a hotel in the city they will get you door to door. Each shuttle service have a different meet up spot so read up on it and keep their contact number with you so you can call them because they operate independent of the airport. A few things to keep in mind, this will take longer than a taxi because it depends on the pick up/drop off of other passengers, so allow extra time heading to the airport. If you are staying across the Harbour Bridge (e.g. North Sydney) there might be a surcharge for the bridge toll.
Here are a websites to check out to book.
http://www.airportconnect.com.au/
Taxi- Costs about $50-$60 per trip. Minimum travel time is about 40 minutes without traffic.
If you have a group of 3 or more, this is might be a slightly better option. You can only catch them at the Taxi Rank. They have minivans called maxi-taxis and the fare costs the same. This will get you door to door without the extra wait time except for traffic. There is an airport toll and if they take the Harbour Bridge or the Eastern Distributor then these extras are added at the end. Airport toll is about $3.50, Harbour Bridge toll is $4.00, and Eastern Distributor is $3.50. So you'll be looking at an extra $10 on top of the regular meter fare. Also, credit cards attract a surcharge of about 10%. So it can really add up. Below is approximation of costs from airport to the respective areas published by the Sydney airport:
Sydney City $50
North Sydney $65
Manly $103
Parramatta $165
Liverpool $114
Cronulla $89
http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/go/by-taxi.aspx
Public Transport (Bus/Train) - Costs $12.30 per trip per person. Minimum travel time is 12 minutes to Central Station.
This can be a bit difficult to navigate especially if you're not staying near a station and your smart phone doesn't have data roaming. Transferring trains with your luggage or transferring to a bus can be difficult which is why I would recommend the shuttle even though it takes longer you don't have to worry about where you're going and it's a flat fee so you don't have to worry about running up the meter.
Below is the public transport site, it's very user friendly in helping you plan your route.
http://www.131500.com.au/plan-your-trip
Rental Car
If you are staying longer than a weekend and your hotel offers parking you may want to get a rental car. This would be worth it if you want to drive out to the Blue Mountains or Hunter Wine Valley, otherwise parking in Sydney is a massive pain. Below is the airport website with all the rental car agencies. If you are planning to rent a car let me know as I have an Entertainment Book that gives rental car discounts codes and offers.
http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/go/car-rental.aspx
Getting Around the City
There are lots of ways to get around the city and are similar to the airport transport options above, e.g. taxi and public transport.
By foot - Free! Be prepared to do some walking here, think San Francisco without the hills. Bring comfy shoes / flip flops.
Public Transport
This ranges from Bus, Train, Tram, and Ferry. Tickets can be purchased from 7-11 or convenience stores, Newsagents, Train station or transport office.
If you are staying for more than 2 days I would recommend getting a weekly pass for the train as each ride is about $5-6 dollars depending on time of day for within the city (excluding North Sydney). A city weekly pass will set you back $27.
For the Bus, get a Travel Ten which gives you 10 rides at a discount. One of these will cost about $18 and you can share these but not the train tickets. You can pay per ride in cash with the driver or buy your tickets from places listed at the top.
Ferry travel has 2 rates based on distance and a one-way trip can range from $6-7. A ferry Travel Ten is about $46 to $58. I probably wouldn't recommend one because you probably won't use it that much and you cannot share like the bus ticket.You can pay per ride in cash onboard for some of the shorter routes or buy your tickets from places listed at the top.
Trams run a loop out between Central Station to Pyrmont (where we are) and to inner west suburbs. They also only have 2 zones so a one-way trip ranges from $4-5. A weekly pass is about $22 but you cannot share. You buy tickets onboard with the conductor and I think it's cash only. Here's a link with more details.
Useful Links:
Plan your routes http://www.131500.com.au/plan-your-trip
Ticket prices and where to buy http://www.131500.com.au/tickets
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