Discovering Manly: A one day itinerary!

Manly is only 20 minutes away from Sydney by Ferry and it is super easy to access! We went for one day and were able to visit the most beautiful parts of Manly. Here is our itinerary!

To go to Manly from Sydney is super easy. Just get yourself to Circular Quay, right next to the opera house and take the Ferry to go to Manly. The ferry costs 8.99 dollars for one way, so overall it will cost you $18 there and back. However, if you can go on Sundays, do so -- the price will only be $2.50 there and back! The ferry only takes 20 minutes to arrive. I would recommend you to go to the back of the ferry in order to have the nicest views of the opera house. After 20 minutes, you will then arrive to Manly Wharf.

Manly has beautiful beaches but also an incredible national park for you to walk through. I would definitely recommend you to do a little of both. Start the day early in order to be able to do everything!

From Manly Wharf walk through the Corso, which is the main street full of places to eat and shops. At the end of the Corso, you will find the famous Manly beach.

Chill at the beach, then go grab a bite right next to the Corso. There are many little restaurants around the area, but I can really recommend the Moo gourmet burger restaurant if you are up for burgers. They are delicious! If you dare, they also have kangaroo burgers (I'm way to weak to try it), which is apparently pretty good. If you are up for a dessert, go to the Ben&Jerry's store located right next to the Moo burger restaurant!

After your lunch, head up to Shelley beach. This is a 15 minute walk from Manly beach and a very nice one. You will be walking on the coastline and might be able to see Australian Water Dragons -- which is Australia's largest dragon lizard.

Shelley beach is another main beach of Manly. It is way smaller and more quiet than Manly beach, but there are also a lot more turkeys running around freely to find food (Yes, that's a normal thing in Australia).

From Shelley beach walk up the stairs to the beach parking and enter the Sydney harbour national park walk. From the beginning of this walk to the end you will have amazing view points, beautiful nature, and if you are lucky, you can run into some pretty amazing animals! We were lucky to see an Echidna on our way.

Continue your walk to the North Head. Overall, this walk took us about 2-3 hours, depending on the time you take at each view point. On your way, you will also be able to see historical sites, such as gun positions. Cross the North head sanctuary to see the memorial walk.

Finally, go to the most beautiful view point, the Fairfax lookout. In order to get there, go to the Fairfax track. Don't forget to take your binoculars. If you are lucky, you will be able to see whales, dolphins, or even seals playing around in the water! This is also a great place to see the sunset.

Then head back to Manly Wharf, grab yourself a drink before the Ferry then back to Sydney!

Overall, Manly is beautiful and I would definitely recommend anyone to go. I would however advise you to go on a sunny day in order for you to enjoy not only the beach, but also a more pleasant walk!

Love,

Jil