Laid back but stylish large multi-level bar, in Sydney CBD. Better on weekdays. Tuesday salsa night is pretty hot - great dancing guys and girls, charged and sexy.

Main bar can have occasional losers, but mostly good. Service can be tricky, but atmosphere is worth it. Upstairs, chilled-out Hemmesphere bar is about lounging, cushions, cigars, good wine, good staff - all in all a good spot. Where Sydney unwinds.

252 George Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Telephone:
00 612 9240 3000
www.worldsbestbars.com/public/venue_listing.jsp?categoryId=46&currentVenueId=1076

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I actually don't recommend it. It is AWFUL!!! Rude staff. Over-priced. Noisy. With delusions of grandeur. It is on a suburban beach in Australia and imagines itself to be some cool nightclub.

Arden St Coogee

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Great bar near Bondi.

Campbell Parade

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You'll get advertising for Tooheys and Carltons rammed down your throat - avoid like the plague unless you really are a cheap drunk. Instead, try one of James Squire's beers (www.malt-shovel.com.au). My personal favourite is the Golden Lager, but they do a nice Porter and India Pale Ale as well. No, I don't work for them!

Most good pubs in the east, city and inner west stock it.

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The Excelsior is just a short walk from the SCG and is one of two offical England supporters pubs for the Ashes. There are rooms available for $20 a night, but weekly discounts are given.It has great beer and superb food for pretty cheap prices. Plenty of screens to watch matches and live bands most evenings. Open late at weekends. *****

64 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills, Sydney
www.happychappytravellers.com
+61292114945 nearest station-Central

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Modern Vietnamese restaurant and bar. The bar is great if you want a cocktail/beer and some nibbles, try the crispy squid. The restaurant has a outdoor terrace filled with chinese laterns and has very reasonable beautifully presented food. Try the sticky ribs/scallops on papaya salad.

1 kellet st, Kings Cross. 3 mins from Kings Cross station. check out website, www.libertine.net.au

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It's close to the SCG, the beers are reasonably priced and the staff and regulars are friendly. Oh, and you can get a decent meal there too.

Crn Moore Park Rd & Flinders St, Sydney.
www.thecaptaincookhotel.com.au/index.htm

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Bar and cafe; amazing location, good food and drink (reasonably priced considering its location) and the most breathtaking views from the terrace. Great flathead and chips, risotto, wine, cocktails etc. Also, if you happen to be around on a Sunday afternoon they also have live jazz.

Terrace below Opera House, nearest station Circular Quay.
www.operabar.com.au

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Glorious Sydney suburb with excellent pubs, bars, cafes, restaurants and harbour views. Recommend drinks in the Welcome Hotel, the Exchange, the William Wallace, the Bald Rock and for any homesick Cockneys a beer on the balcony of the London with the harbour bridge in the background. Birchgrove Oval is probably the best place to kick a football (Association) or chuck a few balls down in the nets.

10 mins by ferry from Circular Quay to East Balmain, Balmain Thames street or Birchgrove. Any bueses from the Queen Victoria Building - 441 or 442.

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Whether you’re into dirty funky beats or retro classics, the Cross is the place to be, more for sinners than saints.

The World Bar is an eccentric place, serving alcoholic beverages in tea pots and cool cocktails that slip down a treat. With a comfortable atmosphere, live music and friendly people it’s definitely the place to begin the night’s proceedings.

Down the main street, take your pick from Moulin Rouge, Plan B, YU and Dragonfly, which are just a few of the clubs that will have you dancing till the early hours of the morning.

Moulin Rouge has a seductive feel to it as you enter, with a voluptuous red and gold interior that surrounds you. A small but intimate dancefloor sees the ladies and gents strut their stuff.

If you’re into some thing a bit more deep and progressive then head down to YU, situated off the main street. It’s a dark club with a twist of contemporary art. “Mirror, mirror on the wall you are the fairest of them all”, adorns the toilet area: different, yet somehow it works. The club always pull in a friendly crowd, and is certainly a place to get your groove on.

Trains from Central, Town Hall and Martin Place to Kings Cross are probably the quickest way to get there. Taxis also.

The World Bar: 24-26 Bayswater Rd;
Moulin Rouge: 39 Darlinghurst Rd;
YU: 171 Victoria St;
Plan B: 22 Darlinghust Rd;
Dragonfly: 1 Earl Place

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The Opera Bar, situated under the Opera House, has the most stunning views in the world. It could therefore serve bad food and drink and charge a premium for the pleasure, but it doesn't.

Food is bistro-style, very reasonably priced and of decent standard. Bar staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Cocktails are mixed without pretension but with care. My bloody mary was the best I've had outside my house.

Lower concourse level, Sydney Opera House;
tel: 9247 1666;
www.operabar.com.au

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An excellent institution, which sometimes confuses European visitors. The acronym means "bring your own", i.e. alcohol when you dine at a restaurant.

Formerly almost ubiquitous, the practice is becoming less common - some say even dying out - no doubt to the pleasure of many Sydney restaurateurs.

It makes dining far more affordable than when you have to include the restaurant's alcohol mark-up, which is usually greater than on anything else you consume.

It also means you can occasionally splash out on a very nice bottle - of Hunter Valley Semillon, say - to accompany a spread of Sydney seafood without worrying about your starving bank account.

BYO is more common at medium range and casual restaurants.

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The first is that if you take the ferry to Manly from Circular Quay in the dark, you can enjoy the beautiful and eerie sight of phosphorescent algae glowing green-blue in the wake of the ferry.

The second is the Steyne Hotel. Dodgy name, but a fantastic, busy place, about six bars in one, and a real landmark in Manly. Get upstairs and outside on the balcony.

Circular Quay, Sydney - regular ferries

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This is a restaurant precinct near the University of Sydney, and home to lots of goths, gays, upwardly mobile africans, professors and students, and people who like to people-watch. There are some 60 restaurants in the 2 kilometres or so, all of which are reasonably cheap and usually good. You can get a good feed for about $20 a head. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Bring your tastebuds! Several pubs and a couple of backpackers' joints.

Take a bus from the city (438, 426, 423 ,422), go past the university and get off when you smell cooking and see weird folk walking around. Or take a train to Newtown.

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For quintessential Sydney I would recommend Icebergs it really is a must go to place. It has stunning views overlooking Bondi beach and a really good vibe - great if you fancy a night of cocktails and champagne - this is where all the beautiful people go. Try to get there early before sunset so you can take in the amazing views. The restaurant is very good here and great for either a lunch or supper but equally you can just enjoy a cocktail here. The food is fab although it is the view that is king.

Bondi Icebergs Club
1 Notts Avenue
Bondi Beach
www.icebergs.com.au

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Five Ways is a little intersection of, you guessed it, five streets. It's got a whole bunch of fantastic cafes and bars, while still maintaining a low-key feel. It's a great place for buying the Sydney Morning Herald and eating breakfast.

It's in Paddington, so you can walk there easily from Oxford Street

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A traditional local Aussie pub - and with 24-hour opening you'll never need to leave! Forget the over-priced touristy restaurants at Darling Harbour and head to the 'PBH' for a $6 special, hours of fun on the video dukebox and plenty of well-priced alcohol! Prepare for sticky carpets though - this place is authentic!

Nearest metro station: Star City

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A small little bay with a beautiful sandy beach hugged by gorgeous natural vegetation and an amazing view of Manly. A little cafe provides the perfect lunch or dinner venue.
A great place to beat the crowds.

Get the boat to Manly from Circular Quay. Walk through to the beack and turn right and just follow the bay round to Cabbage Tree Bay.

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Everyone who goes to Sydney raves about the beaches at Bondi and Manly and rightly so - they are iconic Sydney beaches.

Yet any trip to Sydney would not be complete without a visit to Cronulla Beach in Sydney's south. This is a beach in wide-scape with something for everyone.

The northern part (known locally as Wanda Beach) is a haven for surfers, fishermen, kite-flyers and groups of young lads who simply want to impress the hordes of bikinied blondes who gather there for the sake of being impressed.

The southern part is the elevated end of Cronulla, adjacent to The Royal National Park, and it's a spot where families picnic in the parks high above the beach.

In between these two points is Cronulla central - where the beach meets the restaurants, cafes, nightclubs and cinemas. By day a place for families to enjoy a stroll along the boardwalk and, after dark, a gathering place for the beautiful people of southern Sydney.

Plane-spotters will also enjoy fabulous views of aircraft landing at, and taking off from, Sydney's Mascot Airport from all parts of Cronulla Beach.

Parking can be a problem. Visitors staying in the Central Business District of Sydney are best advised to take the train to Cronulla from Martin Place (platform 2), Town Hall (platform 4) or Sydney Central (platform 25). Trip time about 50 minutes each way for just a few quid return. A taxi will cost about 20 pounds each way.

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A landmark since 1885, the Oaks houses four bars and two restaurants. The main draw card is the huge beer garden, sprawled underneath the enormous Oak tree. At night, the garden is illuminated by fairy lights wound around the tree's outstretched branches. The Oaks is perennially popular with locals of all ages.

Food wise, choose from the gourmet pizzeria or the Bistro, offering standard pub fare, vegetarian dishes and the option to cook your own steak on big communal barbecue plates. If you love a barbie, the Oaks is the place for you. Huge steaks and chops, delicious sausages - and even kangaroo if you prefer. Add to that a tasty salad bar and fresh bread rolls. A delicious but reasonably priced meal.

Best of all - you can't blame the cook if you're meat is overdone. You're the chef. Two huge grills (one inside and one out in the beer garden next to the huge oak tree from where the pub gets its name adds to the fun.
Look to pay about $20 all in.

118 Military Road, Neutral Bay, Sydney, NSW 2089
Tel: +61 (0)2 9953 5515 Fax: +61 (0)2 9953 9856
australiavideo.com/sydney/oakshotel/

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