Two Different Kinds of City
Sydney gives you big-city polish without big-city stress. You can spend the morning on a sandstone clifftop path above the Pacific, eat oysters for lunch at Watsons Bay and be back in a harbor-view suite by late afternoon. Few cities put that much coastline within reach of public transportation. It suits couples who like occasions: the Opera House concert hall, the top of the Harbour Bridge as the light fades, fireworks over the water.
Melbourne is a city for long lunches and late dinners. Its appeal lies in small discoveries: a laneway bar behind an unmarked door, a perfect flat white, a gallery you had not planned to visit. One of you might spend a morning at the National Gallery of Victoria while the other watches a football match at the MCG or rides the bayside bike path. Then you meet for dumplings.
If landmarks and scenery move you most, choose Sydney. If you get your best travel memories at the table, choose Melbourne.
Getting There From the US
Sydney is the easier arrival. Sydney Airport (SYD) has nonstop service from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Honolulu. Flights usually land in the early morning. The Airport Link train reaches Central and Circular Quay in roughly 15 to 25 minutes. A taxi to the city usually takes 20 to 30 minutes outside rush hour.
Melbourne Airport (MEL) has nonstops from Los Angeles and San Francisco, typically around 15 to 16 hours. Many couples instead fly into Sydney and connect, which takes about 90 minutes. The SkyBus runs frequently to Southern Cross Station, about 30 minutes away by road.
Neither city needs a car. Sydney's trains, light rail, buses and ferries accept a contactless credit card or phone, with daily and weekly fare caps. Melbourne's trams are free within the central Free Tram Zone. Rent a car only for day trips. Remember that Australians drive on the left.
Whichever city you choose, plan an easy first day to reset your body clock.
Hotels Worth the Splurge
In Sydney, Circular Quay and The Rocks put you at the center of the postcard. Park Hyatt Sydney sits right on the water beneath the Harbour Bridge, with rooms often from around $850 a night (approximate). Rooms facing the Opera House are worth the upgrade. Capella Sydney, in a restored sandstone government building, is quieter. Pier One Sydney Harbour sits over the water in calmer Walsh Bay. Beach lovers can split the stay with a few nights in Bondi or Manly.
In Melbourne, the CBD puts you near the laneways, theaters and best bars. Park Hyatt Melbourne sits on a quiet edge near St Patrick's Cathedral, often from around $330 a night (approximate). The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne has its lobby high in a tower with views over the city and bay. South Yarra and Prahran feel residential and leafy. St Kilda puts you by the bay and the palm-lined Esplanade.
Luxury generally costs less in Melbourne than in Sydney. Both cities book up for major events, so check dates before you commit.
Food, Coffee and Nights Out
Sydney eats well at every price point, with seafood as its strength. Order Sydney rock oysters, smaller and brinier than Pacific oysters, plus barramundi, Moreton Bay bugs and kingfish. For a special dinner, Quay looks straight across to the Opera House. Bennelong sits inside the Opera House's smallest sail. Icebergs Dining Room hangs over the Bondi ocean pool. Sydney Fish Market makes a casual sashimi and prawn lunch by the bay.
Melbourne is the food capital. Brunch is a local religion, from ricotta hotcakes to smashed avocado. Lune Croissanterie in Fitzroy draws lines worth joining. Flower Drum has served Cantonese banquets since the 1970s. Lygon Street in Carlton is the old Italian strip. Victoria Street in Richmond is known for Vietnamese pho. Many of the best bars hide down laneways and up stairwells, with rooftop cocktails above the CBD.
In both cities, book your most important dinner reservations before you leave home. Popular tables release weeks ahead. Mention the honeymoon when you book.
Beaches, Bay and the Outdoors
This is Sydney's clear advantage. The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk covers about four miles of clifftops, ocean pools and small beaches. Swim at Bronte or Clovelly along the way. Take the ferry to Manly and walk the Manly Scenic Walkway to the Spit Bridge, or ride to Watsons Bay for sunset at South Head. At Bondi or Manly, swim between the red and yellow flags. Wear sunscreen even on cloudy days, since the UV index is high most of the year.
Melbourne's outdoors is gentler. Walk the Royal Botanic Gardens and picnic by the Ornamental Lake. Watch little penguins come ashore at dusk on the St Kilda breakwater, where volunteer guides help protect the colony. Ride a sunrise hot air balloon over the city, a local specialty when the weather allows. Soak at Peninsula Hot Springs on the Mornington Peninsula.
If both of you want sand and surf as part of the city stay, Sydney is the one.
Weather Through the Year
Sydney is pleasant most of the year. March through April brings warm seas, settled weather and thinner crowds. September through November has mild days in the 70s, with jacaranda trees blooming purple across the suburbs in late October and November. Summer, December through February, is beach season but can be humid with afternoon storms. Prices jump around Christmas and New Year's Eve. Winter is cool rather than cold, with highs in the low 60s, whale watching and the Vivid Sydney light festival from late May into June.
Melbourne is more changeable. March to May is the best stretch, with mild autumn days and golden parks. November and early December come a close second. Summer is mostly warm, but heat waves can push past 100 degrees Fahrenheit before a cool change blows through. Winter is cool and gray, with highs in the mid-50s.
Pack layers for Melbourne in any month. Plan around the Australian Open in late January and the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November, when rates climb.
Day Trips and Wine Country
Both cities have excellent escapes within a couple of hours.
From Sydney, the Blue Mountains rise about two hours west by car or train. The view from Echo Point in Katoomba over the Jamison Valley and the Three Sisters is best in late light. A night in Leura or Blackheath adds cozy guesthouses and log fires in winter. The Hunter Valley, about two and a half hours north, is Australia's oldest wine region, known for Semillon and Shiraz, with sunrise balloon flights over the vines.
From Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is a classic day out for sparkling wine and cellar-door lunches. The Mornington Peninsula pairs wineries with hot springs and bay beaches. With extra time, the Great Ocean Road west of the city is one of Australia's best-known coastal drives.
For wine, the two are evenly matched. Book a driver or a small-group tour so neither of you has to skip the tasting.
Visiting Both Cities
Many couples do. The cities are about 90 minutes apart by air, with frequent flights all day. A smart plan is to land in Sydney, spend three or four nights recovering from the flight with ferries, coastal walks and a BridgeClimb, then fly to Melbourne for three nights of eating and drinking.
After that, head somewhere completely different. From Sydney, couples often continue north to Port Douglas or the Whitsunday Islands for the Great Barrier Reef. From Melbourne, Tasmania is a short flight away. Uluru works from either city as a two or three night side trip.
If you only have room for one city, think about the rest of the trip. If your honeymoon already includes a beach resort, Melbourne adds variety. If the city stop is your only taste of the Australian coast, Sydney gives you more of it.
Either way, two cities and a reef or outback stay makes a balanced Australian honeymoon of about twelve to fourteen nights.
