Last Updated on October 30, 2019 by Jon Algie
Bondi Beach is the most well-known beach in Sydney, and it’s easy to see why. The beach itself is great, but the area surrounding it means you’ll want to spend a decent amount of time there on your trip to Sydney. There are heaps of things to do in Bondi and I think it’s one of the best places to base yourself while exploring the city. It has a real holiday vibe to it and the streets behind the beach are packed with cool places to eat and drink. Throw in one of the world’s most iconic coastal hikes and you have a special destination.
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Things to Do in Bondi
Hang out at Bondi Beach
The most obvious thing to do in Bondi is hang out at the beach – you won’t be alone though! It’s one of the busiest beaches I’ve ever visited but there is plenty of room and you’ll usually be able to find a quiet spot. My favourite part of Bondi Beach is the southern end, close to Bondi Icebergs. There are some rocks there and the water is calm and clear. You can also walk up the hill above the beach for some great views. Bondi is also a popular surfing spot — I don’t surf so I can’t say much more about that.
Hang out at Bondi Icebergs
They love a beach-side pool in Australia, and they don’t come much more iconic than Bondi Icebergs. It’s a pool / beach club where you can grab a drink, some food and relax with some awesome views. After that you can go for a swim (I guess you should wait a while after eating though). It costs $8 to use the pool, but you can walk in and see the views for free (and get a photo, just in case you want to write a blog post about it like I did).
Do the Bondi to Coogee Walk
The Bondi to Coogee Walk is what enticed us to visit Bondi in the first place. It didn’t disappoint – there are so many stunning views on this track and the beaches are just as nice (if not nicer) than Bondi Beach. It’s a fairly easy walk but there are some uphill sections. There isn’t a lot of shade either. I wrote a post about this walk, so I won’t go into much detail, but this is definitely one of the things to do in Bondi that you won’t want to miss.
Eat and Drink
After seeing Bondi and doing the walk to Coogee, we decided to spend our last night in Sydney in Bondi (after going down to Jervis Bay for a few days). A massive part of Bondi’s appeal is the variety of food on offer. There are heaps of nice cafes, bars, restaurants and dessert shops – even the fussiest of eaters will find something worth raving about. We ate at a couple of cafes — Lamrock Cafe and Speedos Cafe — which were great. Lamrock Cafe has outdoor seats and has one of the best views along the Bondi beachfront area. We also had lots of ice-cream — there are heaps of shops to choose from!
Street Art and Architecture
There are heaps of interesting murals painted the walls backing Bondi Beach – you’ll notice them when walking along the path close to the beach and it’s fun to stop and look at the sometimes bizarre artwork. We also saw a wee bit of street art on the streets behind the beach, as well as some old buildings. The Bondi Pavilion is also famous – I’m not entirely sure why though but it’s an interesting building I guess.
Visit the Mall
Bondi Junction is a short bus ride from the Beach and you’ll most likely pass through there on the way. Again, there are lots of places to eat and drink and there’s also a big mall. If you’re staying in Bondi for a few days and want to see a movie or do some mall shopping, it’s a good option. There’s also a cool Lego shop on the ground floor.
Shopping
There are lots of boutique shops to spend your money at in Bondi. The whole vibe of the streets near the beach is similar to places like Seminyak in Bali. Whatever you’re looking to buy, you’ll probably find – don’t expect Bali prices though! Gia bought some opal jewellery – opals are unique to Australia (well, 95% of the world’s opals are sourced there) and there are some nice pieces on sale. Make sure to bargain!
Spot Famous People
Bondi is known as one of the hippest areas of Sydney and attracts its fair share of celebrities (and wannabe celebrities). We didn’t see any famous people but saw lots of people who probably class themselves as semi-famous Instagram influencers. That would be enough of a reason to avoid this area completely, but you can easily ignore them. The Sydney Roosters rugby league team are based in Bondi so you might spot some of them from time to time.
Where to Stay in Bondi
Where you stay in Bondi depends greatly on your budget. There are plenty of upmarket options with great views, but budget travellers are well catered for as well. We were looking to keep the costs down by this point of our trip so tried to find a cheap room pretty much anywhere in Sydney. The best deal we found was in Bondi — $65 a night with a private bathroom, just a couple of minutes’ walk from the beach! Check out The Village Bondi Beach or one of these other hotels in Bondi.
Getting to Bondi
There are some direct buses from other areas in Sydney, or you can catch a bus or train to Bondi Junction and then another bus to the beach. It’s easy to reach but might take a while in traffic. It’s an easy place to get to from the airport – catch the 400 bus to Bondi Junction then another bus to the beach – very easy and much cheaper than taking the train from the airport. You do need to buy an opal card for this service though, so make sure you do that at the airport before heading to the bus stop.
Are you planning a trip to Bondi? Do you know of any other fun things to do in Bondi? Let me know in the comments below!
Jon Algie
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