Hotels near Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most recognisable buildings on Earth. Designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and completed in 1973, the building's sail-shaped roof shells contain multiple performance venues - the Concert Hall (2,679 seats), the Joan Sutherland Theatre (1,507 seats), and several smaller spaces hosting over 1,500 performances each year. Even if you skip the interior, walking the forecourt and circling Bennelong Point to view the building from every angle takes a satisfying 30 minutes.

Guided tours run daily from AUD 43 per adult and take you inside the main halls, backstage areas, and onto the lower podium level. The 1-hour architecture tour is the most popular, but the backstage tour at 7am offers a quieter, deeper look. The Opera Bar on the eastern side is one of the best spots in Sydney for a drink with harbour views - open daily until late.

Pro Tip: Book a performance at the Concert Hall instead of a tour - tickets for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra start at AUD 40, and you get to experience the acoustics Utzon designed the building around.