Sydney’s best Instagram locations

This post was originally published on A Globe Well Travelled in 2018. The content has been revised and updated with fresh information.

In my opinion, Sydney is one of the most photogenic cities in the world.

Sydney’s good looks are one of the reasons that I love calling it home. Even after spending years living here, I’m still discovering new scenic viewpoints and picturesque spots around the city every time I venture into a new suburb or location.

If you’re looking to find the best Sydney Instagram locations, here’s my suggestions for filling your Insta feed while exploring Australia’s biggest (and in my view, also the prettiest) city!

1. Sydney Opera House
2. Mrs Macquarie’s Point
3. Botanic Gardens
4. Hickson Road Reserve
5. Pylon Lookout
6. Observatory Hill
7. Manly Ferry
8. Luna Park
9. Cahill Expressway
10. Bondi Icebergs (not shown on map)
11. Newtown (not shown on map)

Pro tip: If you’re looking to get a ton of photos of yourself, it may be worth hiring a Sydney photographer while you explore some of the areas in this list. This will ensure you get high quality photos (because lets face it – other tourists just can’t take good photos!) and the photographer will be able to point out the best places to pose for your shots!

1. Sydney Opera House

Let’s start with the obvious choice for Sydney photos – the Opera House! This unique building was completed in 1973 and has been an iconic part of Sydney ever since. It’s also one of the best spots for viewing the Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks.

The best locations to get some ‘grams around the Opera House are on the front steps, or standing anywhere out front (on the city side) of the building. This spot can get very busy with tourists during the day, so go first thing in the morning if you want to avoid the crowds.

2. Mrs Macquarie’s Point

Mrs Macquarie’s Point has some of the best views in Sydney, as it’s the only place near to Circular Quay where you can get a great view of both the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in the same shot. To get there, just walk through the Botanic Gardens until you reach the end of the point.

This place is very popular for sunset shots, and you’ll definitely see some other photographers around here getting photos. Just mentally prepare yourself for the busloads of tourists that will probably be sharing the space with you!

3. Botanic Gardens

There are plenty of places to get some ‘grams in the Royal Botanic Gardens. Follow the waterfront path around the bay and you’ll walk by a beautiful pond, various flower gardens, as well as a large grassy lawn that has the city skyline behind it.

The photo above, which features a long row of stone arches decorated with greenery, is located just in front of the Botanic Garden Cafe.

4. Hickson Road Reserve

This small park underneath the south end of the Harbour Bridge is one of the best photo spots in Sydney. If you stand or sit along the waterfront, you can frame the photo so that the Harbour Bridge is towering over you.

From here, follow the boardwalk back towards the city and you’ll find a few more great photo spots along the way! My favourite is the boardwalk in front of the Park Hyatt Hotel.

5. Pylon Lookout

The Pylon Lookout is a seriously underrated attraction in Sydney, in my opinion. For a small fee, you can walk up through one of the pylons of the Harbour Bridge (on the city side) and at the top there is a 360 degree viewing platform that looks out over downtown and Circular Quay. I took tons of photos up here on my last visit!

6. Observatory Hill

This is one of my absolute fave photo spots in Sydney as it’s relatively unknown to tourists! Located just behind The Rocks, Observatory Hill is topped with a park that has a killer vista of the Harbour Bridge. Don’t worry, it only takes 10 minutes to climb up this small hill to access the rewarding views.

Because this location requires a little more effort to get to, it’s likely that there will only be a handful of other people around. It’s a nice place to sit in silence and stare at the view for a while!

7. Manly Ferry

The public ferry from Circular Quay to Manly takes you right in front of the Opera House and provides fabulous views of the city. It’s like doing a harbour cruise for a fraction of the price! Once you get to Manly, there’s plenty of ops for beachy snaps, too.

8. Luna Park

Luna Park has been a feature of Sydney’s north shore since 1935 and has a similar aesthetic to New York’s Coney Island. This amusement park is great for whimsical carnival-style photos, and it has the added bonus of having the Harbour Bridge and city in the background.

It’s free to enter Luna Park, which is open late on weekends so try visiting in the early evening to avoid throngs of pram-wielding families and also get some epic sunset shots!

9. Cahill Expressway

This is a kind of weird one, as the Cahill Expressway is just a massive ugly road that cuts right through the middle of Circular Quay. You can access the expressway by taking an elevator located to the right as you exit Circular Quay station facing the harbour, or you can walk up a set of steps that come off Cumberland Street in The Rocks.

Up on the expressway you’ll find a viewing platform with epic views of Circular Quay, the Harbour Bridge, and the Opera House. Walk a little further along towards The Rocks and stop above George Street for the photo above, which shows the historic buildings lining the road and the Harbour Bridge standing proud in the background.

10. Bondi Icebergs

Bondi was recently named the most Instagrammed spot in Australia, and it’s easy to see why. This beach is unbelievably photogenic, and even though it’s very popular with tourists, there’s plenty of space for everyone to move around.

Some popular spots for photos are Bondi Icebergs (the famous swimming pools at the south end) and the murals that line the concrete boardwalk which stretches along a large section of the beach. It’s basically impossible to take bad photos around Bondi!

11. Newtown

Newtown is a trendy suburb with loads of amazing street art. If you walk along King Street from the train station, you’ll spot various murals as well as cute shops and historic architecture that look great in photos.

A few more photo spots in Sydney:

• Darling Harbour – Walk along Pyrmont Bridge and to the Maritime Museum for great views of the city skyline.
• The CBD – Some of my favourite spots are Angel Place (which has hanging bird cages perched above the street), the GPO in Martin Place (post office building with beautiful sandstone arches), and Hyde Park for some trees and park shots.
• Taronga Zoo – The zoo actually has some really nice views of the harbour as it’s positioned on the side of a hill.
• Kirribilli – Walk around the streets near the waterfront for nice views back towards the city.