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One week in Sydney

Sydney is the capital city of the Australian state of New South Wales, and Australia's largest city. A week in Sydney will help you see many of the sights of Sydney and its surrounds, and understand the city and its culture.

Understand
The following itinerary illustrates a few ways to spend a week in Sydney. These assume that you start from and end your trip where you are staying; These activities, including morning, afternoon and evening itineraries, are designed to be mixed up and changed around to your likings. They do not require you to have a car.

All price estimates here do not include the prices of food, drinks, or transport between your lodging and the location of the first and last destination stated in each itinerary - for convenience, fares and travel to and from starting points is listed as if you were travelling from somewhere in the Central Business District (CBD) and will be more expensive if you are travelling from outside that area. However, if you follow the suggestion below about the MyMulti ticket, you should not have to pay for any extra Government-run public transport at all if it is within the area of your ticket.

Prepare
Travelling in Sydney is very easy, however, a good map will not go astray, especially when walking around the CBD area. As Sydney can get very hot and humid during late spring, summer, and early Autumn (from October-March), sufficient sun protection is advisable during these times, including SPF30+ sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses. This is a good idea even during winter as you can still get sunburnt at those times, depending on the weather. It is also advisable that you carry a bottle of water around with you. Tap water in Sydney is very safe to drink and has no bad taste; alternatively, large bottles of water (1L or more) can be bought from any supermarket, usually for less than $2, and will be a lot cheaper than bottled water sold in restaurants or food outlets.

Sydney has a smartcard ticketing system known as Opal which is similar to Oyster in London or MyKi in Melbourne. Although Opal's pricing is a little more complicated, if you follow the below itinerary, you maybe able to save money through the various caps, and possibly unlock free travel from day 4 onwards. You can also buy single tickets at stations.

Morning - Historical Sydney
To begin your itinerary in Sydney, we'll begin by taking a walking tour of the eastern side of the Central Business District to see the sights. As you have a long day ahead of you, start early, although most attractions won't open until 9AM. You won't have time to visit everything here in detail, so read through here first and take your pick of attractions.

Take the train on the City Circle to Museum Station ($3.40 from anywhere in the CBD). Wait on the platform until the train has departed and admire the view - the station was built in the 1920s and was designed like a London Underground station, and is kept in the old-fashioned style, even down to the advertisements on the walls. Take the exit to Elizabeth/Liverpool Street and walk around to Hyde Park, a green area in the middle of the city. Head towards the ANZAC Memorial (which is free). You can enter the building via the side entrance at the ground level. There is a small museum to the right and ahead is a statue of a dead soldier being carried by the grieving women left behind in his life. Read the explanatory plaque, then head upstairs to the main chamber where the eternal flame burns. Exit the Memorial and walk around to the reflecting pool.

Walk down the path towards Park Street, which cuts through the middle of the park. On your right across College Street, in the sandstone building on the corner, is the Australian Museum ($12 adult/$6 children, $30 family (2+2)). This museum, which focuses on natural history, is worth a visit in its own right if you have more time in Sydney and will take a couple of hours to explore. It is a great museum for children. Otherwise, continue down the central path of Hyde Park and cross Park Street. Note the amazing canopy of trees as you walk towards the Hyde Park Fountain. This is a beautiful place, especially on a sunny day when rainbows form in the spray from the fountain. Head east towards the Cathedral and cross the road.

Enter St Mary's Cathedral (free), which is the largest cathedral in Australia via the main stairs off the plaza, and have a look around. The layout of the cathedral is unusual in that it runs north-south, rather than the usual east-west. You need to purchase a photography permit from the cathedral shop before you can take photos of the interior. The crypt underneath is especially beautiful and well worth a look. You can exit the Cathedral via the shop on the left side. Head north until you reach Macquarie Street (at the north end of Hyde Park), which runs down the eastern side of the CBD.

The first building you will come to is the Hyde Park Barracks ($12 adults, $8 concession, $30 family, children under 5 free) which was built in 1817 and was the principal male convict barracks in New South Wales until 1848. The museum is a fascinating insight into Australia's early history and will take around 45 minutes to an hour to look around. Guided tours are available. If you don't want to pay the admission fee to the museum, you can still enter via the front door and have a look at the first room on the left, which shows some of the historical uses of the building over the years, and have a look at the museum shop.

Exit back onto Macquarie Street. Directly across the street is Queens Square. On the left of the square is St James Church (which is open to the public during the daytime (free)) and on the right is the Supreme Court of NSW. The square is fronted by a large statue of Queen Victoria, facing a matching statue of Prince Albert in front of the Barracks. Look south for a magnificent view along Hyde Park's esplanade of trees, past the Archibald Fountain, towards the ANZAC Memorial. The next building as you head north along Macquarie Street is the Sydney Mint, built in 1816, in which you are free to look around and contains a nice cafe, followed by Sydney Hospital.

Across the road from the Hospital is Martin Place, one of Sydney's pedestrian plazas within Sydney. It extends right down to George Street in the west of the CBD; halfway down is the fountain featured in the "woman in red" scene in the film The Matrix. The white marble building at the top of the street on the left is the Reserve Bank of Australia, Australia's chief bank. There is a free museum on Australia's monetary system, accessed via the building's main lobby.

For a spot of lunch, there are a couple of cafés on Macquarie Street; alternatively, head down Martin Place to find some cheap eateries. Attached to Martin Place station (underneath the street) are the Colonial Centre and the MLC Centre, both of which have a food court. If you have your own lunch, head to The Domain to eat it. You can cut through from Macquarie Street by the walkway between the Mint and the Hyde Park Barracks.

Afternoon - Botanical Gardens & Sydney Opera House
Once you've eaten, head back to Macquarie Street, and continue walking down the street on your right. You will come to a historic building with a large iron fence in front of it. This is the New South Wales Parliament House (free), the home of the State Legislature. Free guided tours are available when the Parliament is not sitting; if Parliament is sitting and you enjoy politics, sit in on Question Time in the Legislative Assembly. It begins at 2:15PM on sitting days (check the website). Be warned - the New South Wales Parliament is notoriously rowdy and is known as the "Bearpit" because of the small room and the rowdiness of the politicians.

One building further on is the State Library of New South Wales (free), the main library for New South Wales. The building is in two parts, the modern State Reference Library and the older sandstone Mitchell and Dixon Wing. There are often interesting historical, art or cultural exhibitions in the top floor of the State Reference Library (enter via the Macquarie Street entry), but the library is worth a visit only if to just see the beautiful Mitchell Reading Room. To access this, walk along Macquarie Street to the end of the block. Turn right and admire the sandstone entry, then enter via the main doors. The Reading Room is straight ahead. If you want to go inside, you will need to leave your bag in one of the lockers; they are accessible via the stairs that head down - just ask the attendant at the front where to go. The café between the two buildings is good for a spot to eat.

Head across the road and into the Royal Botanic Gardens (free), one of three botanic gardens in the Greater Sydney area. The gardens, used originally by the Cadigal people as an initiation ground, were set aside as the Governor's private reserve shortly after the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, and at times were used for a zoo and for a massive exhibition palace, the Garden Palace (which burnt down in a large fire in the 1880s, but the gates still survive). Today, they are the home for thousands of different species of plant found in and area the Sydney area. The gardens contain a tropical glasshouse, a herbarium and other interesting areas. There's plenty to see or do here, or you can just walk through. Take the paths that lead down to Farm Cove on Sydney Harbour.

Walk up and around to the Sydney Opera House, located on Bennelong Point. This magnificent building, one of the things Sydney is well known for, was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and was completed in 1973. It contains a large concert hall, large opera theatre, several smaller halls for theatre and drama, a reception room and several restaurants, among other things. The best way to see inside the Opera House is in one of two ways - to attend a show, or to take a tour. After a couple of anti-war activists scaled the sails a couple of years ago, the Opera House massively increased its security, so there's not much to see unless you are there for a good reason. Normal tours (also available in French and German), which last for 1 hour and run between 9AM and 5PM cost $35, but if you book online and in advance the price reduces by around $5. Backstage tours are also available, though they only run at 7AM and cost $155, but you see a lot more than the normal tour. Tours are also available in Mandarin, Korean and Japanese ($24, 30 min). If you don't want to go inside, just take a walk around the outside and admire the architecture. There are some places to eat and drink inside or on the western side of the Opera House underneath the main level.

For dinner, there are places to eat in and around Circular Quay, ranging from the cheap cafe to the expensive restaurant. Enjoy dinner looking out over Circular Quay.

Morning and early afternoon - CBD West
On Day 2, it's time to return to the CBD, this time to explore the western part of the CBD, starting at Wynyard in the north of the CBD. Like the itinerary for Day 1, you're not going to have the time to cover everything here, so start early, plan your itinerary well and select the things you like.

Start at Wynyard Station, and head up to the exit at George Street (through the Wynyard Arcade). Turn right, cross at the next set of traffic lights, and keep walking until you see a large plaza area. This is the other end of Martin Place which you would have seen yesterday. The George Street end has some historic buildings; take the time to admire the sandstone buildings. Chief among these is Sydney's General Post Office. The entire building used to be used for postal services; while those services are still offered in a small part of the building, the remainder has been taken up by a number of up-market bars, restaurants and shops. Go inside and admire the former courtyard inside, now turned into an atrium. In front of the GPO is Sydney's Cenotaph, the site of ANZAC Day services and Remembrance Day services each year.

Head one block up Martin Place (to the end of the GPO), and turn right into Pitt Street and walk until you come to the Pitt Street Mall. The Pitt Street Mall is the other major pedestrian zone in the CBD and contains a number of large shopping centres, containing many fashion outlets and many other shops. If shopping is your thing, there's plenty to do and see here. On the right, halfway down the mall is the Strand Arcade, one of the original Victorian shopping arcades that used to dominate this area. At the far end of the Mall, on your left is Westfield Centrepoint, which contains the lifts to take you to the top of Sydney, in Sydney Tower which commands fantastic views over the city and beyond ($28/$19, up to 40% discounts available by booking online beforehand). On clear days (most of the time!) you can see out to the Blue Mountains. If it's cloudy or raining, it's probably best to skip this and come back on a day when the weather is better.

If you've finished with Pitt Street Mall, walk to the other end of the Mall (Market Street) cross Market Street and turn right until you come to the major intersection with George Street. On your way, pop into the State Theatre and admire the beautiful art deco foyer. The State Theatre puts on a number of musicals and other theatrical performances throughout the year. Across George Street you will see the Queen Victoria Building (QVB). The original site of one of Sydney's markets, the building was almost demolished in the 1970s and replaced by a carpark. Thankfully, public reaction to that plan saw the building preserved and transformed into one of Sydney's boutique shopping centres with many of the major fashion brands having a store inside. There are also some nice cafes inside. Make sure you check out the large dome in the centre of the building.

At the other end of the QVB is the equally beautiful Sydney Town Hall. Sydney's Town Hall is one of its grand old buildings and has been renovated. The Town Hall is not normally always open to the public, but group tours ($5 donation) are available of the building by prearrangement; see the website for details. At times, there are recitals on the grand organ (and tours available afterwards) which are not to be missed. Next door, and open to the public during the day, is St Andrews Cathedral, Sydney's Anglican Cathedral. While much smaller than its Catholic equivalent, it is worth a look inside, and services take place regularly during the week.

While you're walking, and you are after a spot of lunch, there are food places available in Town Hall Square, accessible from the back of the square between the Cathedral and Town Hall; this arcade links to Town Hall station from where you can find more food shops on the bottom floor of the QVB or the bottom floor of Galeries Victoria. Sydney Central Plaza also has a food court underneath the Myer department store.

Evening - The Rocks
To end off the day, we'll explore the northern part of the CBD in The Rocks then cross the harbour as the sun sets over one of Sydney's most famous icons, the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Walk up George Street until you come to the Circular Quay rail overpass. Alternatively, take the train to Circular Quay Station. Circular Quay is a busy interchange at the harbour end of the CBD, and is the terminus for ferries and buses and a busy railway station. Look up and admire the skyscrapers, especially the shorter AMP Centre (the short one), which was Australia's first skyscraper, which now looks rather short compared to the buildings next to and behind it.

From Circular Quay railway station, walk under the railway overpass towards George Street (as if heading towards the Bridge). When you get to George Street where the railway line disappears into a tunnel (where you'll be if you walked here), turn right through The Rocks, one of Sydney's oldest areas and full of shops and interesting places to visit. Head north towards the Harbour Bridge. When you get to Argyle Street, turn left and head uphill. Ahead of you, you will see the Argyle Cut, a large opening in the sandstone cliff, carved out by convicts, which has since been covered over by the roadways of the Harbour Bridge above.

On just beyond the Argyle Cut, on the left, is a roadway heading up to Observatory Hill. This is a popular picnic spot for Sydneysiders, as well as for wedding photos. You can see why, as there is a fantastic view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and across the harbour to Sydney's northern suburbs. If you have time, you can check out Sydney Observatory, which was the original observatory for the colony, and, although now affected by the bright lights of the city, still is open for amateur astronomers and for tourists to explore its grounds. The timeball on the top of the tower drops at precisely 1PM each day.

Return to the Argyle Cut, admiring the beautiful Garrison Church on the other side of the road as you head back. On the Rocks side of the Argyle Cut you will see a archway with the words "Argyle Steps" on it. Head up those stairs, cross the road (Cumberland Street) and you will see a sign pointing to "Bridge Steps". Head up those steps and there will be signs showing you how to get onto the roadway. The pedestrian walkway is on the eastern side, and unfortunately you are not able to traverse the western side unless you have a bicycle. Take the walk along the bridge roadway, admiring the eastern harbour, the Sydney Opera House, and the setting sun. If you get here before 5PM, you may be able to visit the Pylon Lookout ($11.00/$4.00 (under 4s free), 10AM-5PM) which is located in the south-east pylon of the Bridge and contains a lookout from the top of the bridge. While not the spectacular view you may get from the BridgeClimb, it's much cheaper and much less effort!

At the end of the bridge you will arrive in Milsons Point. If it's not dark yet, take the time to go and have some dinner - Kirribilli (on the other side of the roadway, accessible through the gaps in the roadway tunnel) has a number of nice restaurants and cafés.

Once it's dark, head over to the Kirribilli side of the bridge and head down to Bradfield Park by the water. The view over to Circular Quay and the city skyline with the bridge on your right is spectacular in the evening and a great photo spot - one reason why Bradfield Park is a favoured spot for many Sydneysiders to see in the new year. Walk around the shoreline to your right and admire the Luna Park face. On most Friday and Saturday nights, Luna Park is open late and entry is free (though rides cost money). Alternatively, you can walk further past Luna Park around the foreshore to McMahons Point on the other side of the bay and admire the western side of the city at night. Admire the controversial Blues Point Tower which sticks up from the point.

When you're done, take the train back to the city from Milsons Point station ($3.40), or ferry from Milsons Point wharf (just outside the entrance to Luna Park) or McMahons Point wharf ($5.60). Check the Sydney Ferries timetables before you go here if you are planning to catch the ferry, as ferries can be less frequent and take different routes at night, and ferries from Milsons Point and McMahons Point can go to either Darling Harbour or Circular Quay wharves.

Morning - Darling Harbour
On Day 3, it's time to head down to Darling Harbour. Take the train to Town Hall Station to start off with ($3.40 or MyMulti). Darling Harbour is accessible by walking down Druitt Street (the street to the side of the Town Hall, find the Druitt Street exit from Town Hall Station), and over the bridge across the freeway.

There's lots to see and do at Darling Harbour. If you're after a bit of a walk in the morning sun, take a walk around Darling Harbour itself, and across Sydney's Pyrmont Bridge, the world's oldest electrically operated swingspan bridge. It was used for cars until the 1980s as one of the main entrance routes into Sydney, but it is now open solely for pedestrians and cyclists. The bridge is opened on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 10:30AM, noon, 1PM, 2PM and 3PM. An alternative is to relax in Tumbalong Park at the southern end of Darling Harbour, one of the largest park areas in the Sydney CBD, which has play equipment for the kids, and gardens, fountains and sculptures for all to admire.

For those who want something else to do, on the western side of Darling Harbour is the Harbourside Shopping Centre with a wide display of shopping places and fast food outlets, as well as the National Maritime Museum which displays Australia's vast shipping history. You can see the museum ($7/$3.50), but some outdoor vessel exhibits cost more ($25/$10) (and are well worth it) Entry is free to the galleries on the first Thursday of each month. On the eastern hand side of Darling Harbour, north of the Pyrmont Bridge are WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo and SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium (both $35/$20 - though discounts available for booking online and combination passes available) a popular zoo and aquarium located close to the city and enjoyed by children.

Late afternoon and evening - Ferry to Manly
Now that you've done a fair bit of sightseeing in the City, it's time to head off somewhere else and enjoy Sydney's best asset - its harbour. The best and cheapest way to do the eastern side of the Harbour is to catch the Ferry to Manly in the far east of the Harbour on its northern side, and a popular destination for Sydneysiders and tourists alike.

Head back to Town Hall station and catch the train to Circular Quay. Alternatively, a ferry ($5.60 or MyMulti) can take you around the Harbour to Circular Quay, passing under the Harbour Bridge as you go.

Head to Wharf 3 for the ferry to Manly. If you don't have a MyMulti, tickets are $7.00 each way for an adult (additional to a ferry from Darling Harbour). If it's not raining or too cold, sit outside, and be prepared to take some spectacular photos of the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, and the CBD from the Harbour, and then take in the sights and sounds of the Harbour. Sydney's Ferries are more than just a means of transport, they are iconic to Sydney and go hand in hand with its harbour. The Manly trip is the most popular.

On your ferry trip you might notice a few things:
 * As you pull out of Circular Quay, if you're not too busy taking photos, look ahead towards the north. You might see a white building on the opposite side of the Harbour with lots of columns. This is Admiralty House and is the Sydney residence of Australia's Governor-General. Behind this, with a green gabled roof, is Kirribilli House, the Sydney residence of Australia's Prime Minister.
 * You will also notice the fort in the middle of the Harbour as you pull out from Circular Quay. This is Fort Denison which was built to defend Australia in the Crimean War.
 * Further on and to your right you will see Garden Island, Sydney's naval base.
 * Shortly after this on your left you might see Taronga Zoo on your left if you look hard.
 * On your right is the top of Sydney's eastern suburbs. Admire many of the big harbourside mansions.
 * You will cross Sydney's Heads, South Head on your right, Middle Head on the left, and North Head on your right shortly afterwards. The old buildings on North Head are the original quarantine station where imhumans to Sydney were taken. In a big storm this area can get pretty choppy, but is spectacular in fine weather.

You will arrive at Manly shortly after you pass the Heads. Alight at the wharf (the ferry goes back to Circular Quay and you will be asked to get off anyway) and cross the road. Head up The Corso, Manly's restaurant and entertainment area. We'll come back here later for dinner but it's time to do other things. When you get to the end of the Corso, cross the road and head to Manly Beach. Manly Beach is actually two beaches, North Steyne and South Steyne, but it's a beach that many Sydneysiders come to and it's a little less packed with tourists than Bondi. Enjoy the water, the sand, or whatever you'd like to do. There are plenty of shops in and around Manly for you to explore in the relaxed beachside suburb.

After an exhausting day, dine at one of the restaurants in and around Manly. There's plenty to choose from. If you feel like a drink, there's plenty of bars around too to satisfy your thirst.

When you're done for the night, head back to the wharf and catch the ferry back to Circular Quay. After 8PM the ferry runs approximately every 40-45 minutes, the last ferry is at 12:20AM M-Th, 12:55AM on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11:40PM on Sunday nights. On Friday and Saturday nights the 151 bus operates approximately every thirty minutes from the bus interchange next to the wharf and heads back to the City (Railway Square, near Central Station) and runs until 5AM.

Morning and afternoon - The Blue Mountains
After three days of exploring the CBD, it's time to get out to explore the natural attractions of the Sydney region. The most famous of these is the Blue Mountains. The Mountains are a couple of hours' drive from Sydney but just as easy by train. You will be doing some bushwalking today, so it is recommended you take at least a litre of water (and more if it is hot) and some food to eat on the way.

From Central Station, take the unbooked Blue Mountains train (one of the "InterCity" trains, check the timetable before boarding) from the Intercity platforms (4-15) to Katoomba Station ($8.20 single, $16.40 return, covered by MyMulti-3). Any train with the destination "Lithgow", "Katoomba" or "Mount Victoria" will get you there. The journey from Central will take around 2 hours, trains are hourly after peak hour, and you want to make the most of the day, so start early. The 7:21AM train from Central to Mount Victoria (arriving at 9:24) or the 8:24AM train from Central to Lithgow (arriving Katoomba at 10:19AM) are recommended trains. The 8:24AM train is an express and is slightly faster than the others which stop at all stations once into the Blue Mountains. You can also pick up the train from Strathfield, Parramatta, Blacktown and Penrith stations in Sydney and may stop at other stations on some services.

On your way up to the mountains, admire the scenery, particularly as the train crosses the Nepean River into Emu Plains, then begins to head up into the mountains, also look out for the small villages which make up the City of the Blue Mountains. On your way up you may catch glimpses out of the train into the spectacular World Heritage listed valleys to the south.

Once you get to Katoomba, exit the station towards the town centre and head up to Katoomba Street. Cross the road and head for the Carrington Hotel, an old-looking grand hotel just a few doors up the hill on the right, and look for the bus stop on the street outside (the bus heads towards the station to start off with, so don't wait on the other side of the road). Wait for the Route 686 bus, run by Blue Mountains Bus Company. Some of these meet up with the train from Sydney (e.g. the 8:24) so don't waste too much time in getting there. If you have time to wait, the Paragon Cafe (the next building along the road after the bus stop) is an old-style cafe with fantastic food and the Carrington Hotel itself has a nice bar on the ground floor. The bus will take you away from Katoomba to the Edge Cinema (a type of IMAX theatre but also displaying movies about the surrounding area) but will then head back to Katoomba and will head down to Echo Point, which is where you want to get off. The bus fare is covered by MyMulti tickets, but will cost $2.10-3.50 per ride if you don't.

At Echo Point, head straight for the lookout and admire the views of the Jamison Valley and the Three Sisters rock formation. In the distance you will see the Ruined Castle (a small rock formation sticking up above the valley), and the much larger Mount Solitary behind it. Although you can walk out to these, it can take a great number of hours, which you don't have the time to do, and you will be doing a much easier walk down into the valley below.

After exploring the lookout and perhaps the adjacent shopping complex that sells souvenirs and the like, look for the signs to the Giant Stairway. You will be doing the Echo Point to Scenic World walk, which will take around 3 hours altogether (less time if you are fitter). This walk is not suitable for people with a fear of heights, or those with heart or breathing difficulties. If you're not able to (or don't want to) do the walk, take the next 686 bus to the next stop, Scenic World, where you can catch up on this itinerary later (and take the Scenic Railway down and back up) - but if you can do the walk it is highly recommended.

You will begin by passing through the stone archway and then climbing down the Giant Stairway, which was built out of the cliffs (as well as added onto) in the early part of the 20th century, opening in 1932. The stairway is of over 800 steps and descends 300 m (1000 ft) into the valley below. On your way down you will have the chance to walk out onto a viewing platform on one of the three sisters and have a different view out into the valley. Be careful as you descend - besides being steep, the stairway can be slippery if it has been raining, or it can be extremely windy as you descend.

When you get to the bottom, you will be on a track called "Dardanelles Pass". Keep the cliff on your right and keep going. Eventually you will come to an intersection with signs to "Federal Pass" and a sign to the scenic railway. Turn right. You are now following the "Federal Pass" track, one of the main bushwalking routes through this part of the mountains. Admire the sheer cliffs towering above you, listen to the native birds, and be on the lookout for native wildlife.

You will pass underneath the Three Sisters formation, and later across the waterfall known as Katoomba Falls. There is a picnic table here and it is a good place to stop. You then head southwest away from the falls and will pass a large tree known as "Turpentine Tree", before arriving at an intersection with "Furber Steps" track. Don't head up the steps, but follow the signs to the Scenic Railway, keeping the handrail on your left.

Eventually you will arrive at the Scenic Railway bottom station. Originally a line used to haul oil shale out of the valley, the track was rebuilt and is now one of the steepest railways in the world. It includes a natural tunnel through the cliff. You can take the train up, or continue on the track a little further for the Scenic Cableway (a 545-m cable car out of the valley). Both cost $11/$6 for a one-way ticket. After exploring the Scenic World shops at the top, head out the front to the bus stop and take the next 686 bus back to Katoomba Station.

From here, you have the choice of exploring Katoomba township, which has a collection of interesting (and at times eclectic) shops, taking the next train back to Sydney, or you can choose to explore the next town down the mountains, Leura and experience the "village" feel of the Blue Mountains. Leura has a number of cafes, gourmet food shops and other specialty stores and is well worth a visit. From the same stop you left to go to Echo Point, take the Blue Mountains Bus Company 685 or 695 bus (check the timetable beforehand, services may be infrequent, especially on weekends), or the train one station to Leura Station. The bus should drop you in the main street, and from the train station, head down the hill to Leura Mall and Megalong Streets, the main shopping streets. There is plenty to see and do here and you can spend most of the afternoon exploring the shops - the lolly shop (Shop 6, 178 Leura Mall) is especially popular.

When you have finished, walk back to the station and hop on the next train to Sydney. Trains run hourly for most of the day and any train stopping at Leura will get you back to Central Station.

Evening
For this evening, dinner is your choice after a long and exhausting day. Try to find somewhere in the city to eat, check out the "Eat" section of the main Sydney article if you need suggestions.

Morning - Light Rail to Lilyfield
On Day 5 we'll begin by exploring one of Sydney's many multicultural precincts, the inner western suburb of Leichhardt, home to Sydney's Italian community. Take the train to Central Station ($3.20 from anywhere in the CBD, covered by MyMulti). At Central, walk up to the large waiting hall opposite the InterCity and Country train platforms and look for the directions to the light rail platform, which is through the glass doors on the opposite side of the platform area. From there take the Metro Light Rail service ($4.50 single/$6.00 return, children $3.50/$4.50) - all the way to the other terminus at Lilyfield Station. Total travel time will be about 25 minutes. If you want to get on and off at any location on the way, you may wish to purchase a Day Pass on the light rail if you do not have a MyMulti ($9, but check the website as they often offer specials in particular months).

On your journey out to Lilyfield you will see a number of interesting sights which are part of Sydney:
 * The light rail will first run on the street through the inner city precinct of Haymarket and past the Capitol Theatre (on your right) which displays a number of large-production shows from time to time.
 * You will then pass across George Street, after which on your left you will see Paddy's Markets, a flea market selling all sorts of items from fresh produce to souvenirs (open W-Su and public holidays which fall on a Monday, 9AM-5PM). On your right will be Sydney's Chinatown, home of Sydney's Chinese community and a great place to find good restaurants and cheap places to eat.
 * The light rail vehicle will then head off the streets onto its own tracks. This is Sydney's original goods railway out to Darling Harbour, which was constructed out of the Sydney sandstone in the 1860s but reopened in 1997 as a light rail line. You will travel through the back of Darling Harbour (seeing on your right Sydney's Exhibition and Convention Centres), then underground through the suburb of Pyrmont, passing by Star City Casino and through massive cuttings built into the sandstone, then past the Sydney Fish Markets.
 * Finally the light rail vehicle will pass over a number of viaducts and a long tunnel through the suburbs of Glebe and Annandale, both of which are historic suburbs of Sydney with lovely architecture and a number of great cafes and restaurants in their own right, before arriving at the terminus at Lilyfield in the old rail yard.

Lilyfield station is next to the City West Link, one of the main traffic arteries into the Sydney CBD, but it's actually quite close to Norton Street despite what you may feel when you exit the station. To walk, turn left at the station exit, cross the City West Link (straight ahead) then turn right and walk up the hill until the second set of traffic lights, which is Norton Street then turn left. The "Italian" part of Norton Street doesn't start until further down the road, so keep walking until you start to see the Italian restaurants and cafes. The walk from the station until the very end of Norton Street is about 2km, but it should take you around 20 minutes to get to the main part of Leichhardt. As an alternative to walking, the 445 bus runs frequently between Lilyfield station and Norton Street ($2.10/$1.00) and you can get off at any stop you like. Don't catch the 470 bus from Lilyfield as it will take you back into the CBD.

Spend an hour or two exploring the area, known colloquially as "Little Italy" - there's plenty of good cafes, shops, and other places to keep you interested here. For those who can't decide, find the Italian Forum (23 Norton Street) located at the end of Norton Street and admire the Italian-themed architecture while eating gelato. Berkelouw's Books (70 Norton Street) is an interesting store with both new and rare old books, and a good cafe inside. The Palace Cinema (99 Norton Street) specialises in arthouse and foreign films. For the architecture fans, the Town Hall and All Souls Anglican Church display some of the older architecture in the area.

Once you've finished exploring here, walk to the other end of Norton Street from where you started and catch the next bus heading into the city ($4.30). The route 10 MetroBus covers this route frequently, and departs from within Norton Street but it is not the only route into the city - other routes run from Parramatta Road. If you'd prefer to walk back to Lilyfield and catch the light rail back to the city you can do that too.

Afternoon and evening - Glebe
For the afternoon, we'll be exploring one of Sydney's inner suburbs, Glebe, as well as the grand architecture of one of its educational institutions, the University of Sydney.

Make your way to Glebe Point Road. If you've caught the bus, ask the driver to alert you where to get off. If you've caught the light rail, you can either get off at Glebe Station station, follow Bridge Road up and around to Glebe Point Road, then walk back down to the Parramatta Road end (a fairly long walk - 20-30 min) or you can ride all the way to Central, walk down to the Railway Square Bus interchange, and catch a bus along Parramatta Road to Victoria Park (Glebe Point Road is on the opposite side of the road) - the Route 10 Metrobus is an ideal bus to take, though any bus going along Parramatta Road will allow you to stop there.

Cross the road and head down Glebe Point Road, and spend some time exploring the local area. Glebe was a suburb a large amount of whose land was originally owned by the Anglican Church. In the 1970s the Commonwealth Government bought a large amount of it to provide housing for the needy. It has retained many of its 19th century housing. Today there are a number of trendy cafes and shops along the main street, but the old character of the suburb still is very evident. Some of the interesting shops include the popular Gleebooks which has both new and second-hand books, and Da Capo Music, an antiquarian music shop.

When you've finished exploring, head back to Parramatta Road and cross the road into Victoria Park, then find the grand steps up to Sydney University and take some photos of the vista up to the sandstone quadrangle. Sydney University is Australia's oldest tertiary institution, and the main quadrangle building you see before you is one of the original buildings which survives today.

Walk up to the tower and look up, then turn around and view the vista down into the neighbouring Victoria Park and towards the city. The tower you are standing in front of contains one of Australia's two carillons (the other is in Canberra, Australia's capital city). At lunch times and in the afternoons you can sometimes hear it being played. Walk into the quadrangle and admire the architecture, which is modelled half on the University of Oxford in England and the other half on the University of Cambridge in England.

While you are here, take the time to visit one or more of the University's museums. If you are standing in the middle of the quadrangle, facing away from the main tower you came in, to your left inside the building before you exit the building on that end is the Nicholson Museum, a museum of archaeology and history, which contains a number of Graeco-Roman and Egyptian antiquities and is well worth a visit. To your right, in the tunnel and up the stairs is the University Art Gallery containing samples of the University's 3000-piece art collection. Further to the right, in the neighbouring building across Science Road is the Macleay Museum, a museum of natural history with a fascinating insect collection. All of these close at 4:30PM on weekdays, so choose wisely and be prepared to come back on another day if you would like to visit more.

After visiting the museums, exit the quadrangle via the main clock tower and turn right, head across to the pedestrian walkway (Eastern Avenue) and walk along here until you reach the gates of the University, admiring the different styles of architecture along the way. Turn right and walk along the main road here (City Road), you will go past an oval and some houses before you reach the suburb of Newtown. Newtown is a very eclectic suburb in Sydney with many different sights and sounds. Interesting shops include Gould's Book Arcade on the other side of the road, a chaotic used bookshop with some interesting specialities which is open until midnight every day. Have a stroll and explore up and down King Street, the main shopping strip.

When it's time for dinner, choose something that you would enjoy. Newtown is known for its multicultural delicacies, including a large array of Thai restaurants. There is lots to pick and choose here, the Inner West page will help you if you can't decide.

To get back to the city, you can take a bus back from City Road towards the city. Alternatively, if you are down far enough, Newtown Railway Station (about a kilometre from the start of City Road where you came from) has frequent trains back to the city.

Morning and afternoon - Homebush Bay & Sydney Olympic Park
Sydney is a very large city, and we haven't spent much time outside of the inner suburbs, apart from what you would have seen on the way to the Blue Mountains. On Day 5 we'll explore one of Sydney's parkland areas in the Sydney Olympic Park at Homebush Bay.

If you're up for exploring the area by bike (one of the best ways to do so as much of it is parkland), take the train to Concord West station on the Northern Line (red line on the Sydney Trains map - about 20-25 minutes from the city on a direct train). Exit the station on the western side (on your left if you got off the train from the city) and walk down the street, under the motorway and into Bicentennial Park. A polluted wetland for decades, this area was one of the first parts of the Sydney Olympic Park area that was rehabilitated in the 1980s and 1990s. Today it is a popular outdoor spot in western Sydney.

(If you don't want to ride, but are happy to walk around this area, you can skip going to Concord West and take a train directly to Olympic Park Station (about 25 minutes). Olympic Park is located on its own line (T7), a short spur line off the T1/T2 Line. From Central Station there are some direct trains, which usually stop at Redfern and Strathfield stations, but most of the time the easiest way is to take a Western Line (yellow line on the Sydney Trains map) train to Lidcombe Station, and change to "Platform 0" (yes, that's correct!) for the "Olympic Park Sprint" service. Platform 0 is at the eastern end of Platform 1 on the other side of the overbridge.)

To find the bike hire place, follow the paths to the Waterview Café - cross the creek bridge, turn left and then follow the paths down towards the cafe - see the map if you get stuck (they are also posted around the park). From here you can hire a bicycle and explore some of the 35km of cycle paths in the area. There are a range of bikes available, ranging from $10 for a child's bicycle for up to 1 hour, to $75 for a tandem bicycle for a whole day (8-24 hours). Hiring for 2-4 hours should be sufficient to see the area properly with time for breaks.

A good place for riding is to ride through the mangrove areas up towards the Parramatta River and along the foreshore. There is some interesting birdlife to be seen along the river, as well as the mangroves that used to cover a large amount of the Parramatta River foreshore. Inside Homebush Bay you might also see some evidence of the former shipping industry that used to inhabit this area - remains of some old wrecked vessels can be found at the head of Homebush Bay.

If you ride up to the River and west along the foreshore, you will eventually reach Blaxland Riverside Park, where there is Newington Armory, an old naval armoury that is now a park and artistic precinct, and which is open on weekends, as well as a cafe by the waterside where you can enjoy some lunch or morning tea (open every day). Look out for the rail tracks from the armoury that spread out into the surrounding area - they used to carry ammunition to the various bunkers in the area, but have been retained for tourist rides on weekends.

An alternative ride or walk is through the Olympic Park area itself. Once the home of the State Abbatoir, a brickworks, numerous factories and a rubbish dump, the area was spectacularly rehabilitated for the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, and remains a sporting precinct as well as now home to offices and homes. The main thoroughfare in the Sydney Olympic Park area is "Olympic Boulevarde". Many of the main sporting arenas in Sydney are now found along here - dominated by ANZ Stadium (formerly Stadium Australia) - where tours are available ($28.50/$18.50)), the Qudos Bank Arena (formerly the Sydney Superdome) and the Aquatic Centre. Around the edge of the sporting precincts can be found other places to explore, such as the Brick Pit Walk(home of the endangered Green and Gold Bell Frog) or the Sydney 2000 Olympic Cauldron which has been preserved as a fountain.

Evening
When you have finished exploring Sydney Olympic Park, return to either Olympic Park or Concord West station and return to the city. Don't forget to return the bike you hired.

Since you are already in western Sydney, a good suggestion for dinner is one of the nearby suburbs for another multicultural Sydney experience. Check out the Sydney/Eat page for some suggestions. Depending on the line you came in on, Eastwood, Strathfield, Auburn, Ashfield and Petersham are suburbs not far away from Sydney Olympic Park or on your way back to the city and all of these are accessible by public transport. Some of Sydney's suburbs have some hidden delights in multicultural food.

title: One week in Sydney


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Oni

Oni is a town in the Rioni region of Georgia.

Understand
Oni is a very pretty, rustic town on the Rioni River up in the mountains that was for millennia a center of Georgian Jewish culture. Today it is becoming a major tourist destination for domestic travelers as well as attracting adventurous foreign travelers attracted to its natural beauty, remote setting and a local culture that has not seen the effects of tourism yet. The town is about 3 km long, between the left bank of the Rioni River and hills to the East.

Get around
The town is easily handled on foot.

To travel further into the mountains hire a car at the station where you were dropped off by the marshrutka. Or make arrangements through your guesthouse.

See

Do
The most popular activity for visitors is hiking or climbing in the mountains and there are many trails for this.

Eat
Most visitors will want to have their meals at the guesthouse they are staying at, since there is a very limited choice of restaurants in the summer, and none are open in the winter.

Sleep
There are several nice guesthouse options in town and one new hotel.

 * Family Guesthouse and Gallery – A beautiful house with hand made balconies that has been furnished and decorated by the owners who run the local art and woodworking school. The owners speak Georgian and Russian and their teenage son speaks excellent English and is able to act as a guide for local hikes.
 * Family Guesthouse and Gallery – A beautiful house with hand made balconies that has been furnished and decorated by the owners who run the local art and woodworking school. The owners speak Georgian and Russian and their teenage son speaks excellent English and is able to act as a guide for local hikes.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Oni


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Onizah

Onizah (Arabic:عنيزة, also transliterated variously as Unaizah, Onaizah, or Unayzah) is a city in the Nejd region of Saudi Arabia. It is the second city in Qassim (Gassim) province.

By plane
You can fly to Qassim International Airport (ELQ) (officially named Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Regional Airport) that is around 40 minutes away from the city.

By car
There is a highway that connects Riyadh to Qassim. The highway continues to the west, connecting Qassim to Madina. The trip from Riyadh to Qassim takes around 3 hours.

See

 * Green Squares: On the outskirts of the city, there are areas where the locals hangout on the weekends and holiday times. Ask for "Almostahat alkhadraa or Montazahat Alhajeb" for Green Squares in Arabic. There are food stands there.
 * Sand Duning: If you have a pickup truck or a crossover, you can go to the sand dunes around the city and enjoy the dunes. Ask for "Montazahat Alghada" or Alghada parks. The area is called Alghada.
 * Clock Square: or in Arabic Meydan Alsaah, is a landmark of the city that is very famous. It is the center of the city.

Drink
As alcohol is banned in the country, people manage to enjoy other kinds of drinks.

Juice shops

 * Sami Juices: or in Arabic "Aseerat Sami" is of the most famous juice shops in the city. They have more than one branch. The easiest to find is infront of Alwaha Hotel on King Abdulaziz Street (the street that links Buraidah with Onaizah and Almithnab) Their juices are reasonably priced and offer many varieties.

Coffee shops

 * Coffee Time: Located near the Clock Square, next to Panda Supermarket. Offers seating area and daily newspapers.
 * Starbucks Like anywhere in the world, there is another Starbucks! Located in Onaizah Mall in the downtown area.

title: Onizah


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Onjuku

Onjuku (御宿) is a fishing town on the Pacific coast of Chiba prefecture, Japan and a popular spot with surfers and holiday beachgoers.

Understand
Nestled in a sweeping bay, Onjuku is one of the best-known small towns on the Pacific coast of the Bōsō peninsula. The regional industry of commercial diving for abalone and lobster started around here, though yields have declined. Until the 1960s, the abalone diving was done by young women called "ama" who dove with no breathing apparatus, and bare-chested. You can see statue of an ama on the Onjuku station platform.

Tourist Information Site
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site, ここどこ御宿.

By train
Onjuku is on JR's Sotobō Line. Most Wakashio and View Wakashio limited express trains from Tokyo station stop here. These trains, which depart from the underground Keiyo Line platforms, make the run to Onjuku in about 80 minutes (¥3700). All of these trains, which can be taken at no charge with the Japan Rail Pass, also stop at nearby Ohara and Katsuura stations.

Local trains from Tokyo cost only ¥1890 and take about two hours if your train connections are timed right, otherwise you may face a hefty wait and the travel time could be up to three hours.

By bus
Highway buses depart from the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station, taking the Aqua Line tunnel under Tokyo Bay, and winding through the mountains across the peninsula. Travel time is around 2 hours and 10 minutes. Three per day, with an additional three going to Katsuura, the neighboring train station.

See

 * The Tsuki no Sabaku (月の砂漠, "Desert of the Moon") statue is Onjuku's landmark. Located on the beach, it depicts a prince and princess in Arabian garb on camels, and was erected in 1969 to commemorate a 1923 song inspired by this beach.
 * The Mexico Commemorative Tower (メキシコ記念塔) is on the promontory north of the town. It commemorates an event in 1609, when a Spanish ship bound from Mexico to the Philippines was shipwrecked and the crew were rescued by the people of the village. That historical event led to a modern-day friendship with Mexico, and Onjuku is a sister city of Acapulco. Erected in 1928, the obelisk was painted black during World War II to foil American B-29s who used it as a landmark on their way to bomb Tokyo.

Do
Summertime in Onjuku means enjoying the beach and surfing. Young surfers from Tokyo come out year-round, though the waves are quite tame by world standards.

Eat
There are a number of restaurants and coffee shops on the main street leading out from the train station. If you're feeling rich, pop into a sushi shop and try some spiny lobster (伊勢海老, ise-ebi), sushi or abalone (あわび, awabi).

Sleep
During the tourism season, there are plenty of small inns and private homes with rooms to let. Many of these offer lodging only (素泊まり, sudomari), with no meals. There is a small tourism office to the left as you exit the train station.

Go next

 * Katsuura
 * Isumi
 * Otaki
 * Mutsuzawa
 * Ichinomiya
 * Kamogawa
 * Minamiboso
 * Tateyama
 * Chosei

title: Onjuku


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Ono

Ōno (大野市 Ōno-shi), also called Echizen Ōno (越前大野, capped with old province name), is a historic castle town in Fukui prefecture, Japan, known as the 'little Kyoto' of Echizen province. About one fifth of Fukui Prefecture lies within its borders.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a multilingual guide site.

Get in
With the exception of buses to Katsuyama, the only way in by public transport is through Fukui. As such, the nearest airport is Komatsu, though Nagoya-Centrair and Osaka-Kansai may be better options, especially for international travelers.

By train
There are nine local trains per day on the Etsumi-Hoku Line (also known as the Kuzuryū Line) from Fukui to Echizen-Ōno, 1 hr ¥670. Trains are covered by the JR Pass, the Hokuriku Arch Pass, the Hokuriku Area Pass, and the Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass.

By bus
Keifuku Bus runs 17 buses a day from Fukui (Stop 5 at the station) to Ōno, 1 hr ¥990. They also run 9 buses a day (5 on weekends) to Katsuyama, 30 min ¥580.

Go next
Ono offers many options for outdoor lovers. There are several ski areas within a 45-min drive of the city. In summer the Kuzuryu River and Manahime Lake are beautiful spots for kayaking or camping. By public transport, the only places to go from Ono are Fukui by train and Katsuyama by bus.
 * Gujo
 * Sabae
 * Eiheiji
 * Ikeda
 * Hakusan
 * Echizen City
 * Minamiechizen

title: Ono


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Ono (disambiguation)

There's more than one place called Ono:

Japan

 * Ōno (Echizen Ōno) - a historic castle town in Fukui prefecture

Wallis and Futuna

 * Ono (Wallis and Futuna) - the largest village on Futuna Island (Wallis and Futuna)

United States

 * code for Ontario Municipal Airport

title: Ono (disambiguation)


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Onogawa Onsen

Onogawa Onsen (小野川温泉) is a hot spring village in Yamagata, Japan. It belongs to the city of Yonezawa but is covered separately here.

Understand
Onogawa crops up regularly on lists of snowy hot springs, with a high probability of heaps of the stuff as early as December. It's reasonably accessible from Tokyo, boasts one of the better-preserved "olde Japan" villages in the north, and makes a decent base for low-key skiing in winter as well as firefly-spotting and hiking in summer.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site with an additional page in English.

Get in
The nearest train station is Yonezawa, two hours from Tokyo by Yamagata Shinkansen, while the nearest airport is in Sendai. Yamakō Bus runs from Yonezawa station to Onogawa, but the service is very infrequent: six buses per day, running roughly every two hours 8:05AM-6:35PM. The trip takes 20 min and costs ¥600. If you miss the bus, it's around ¥3000 by taxi.

Get around
Onogawa can be covered quite effortlessly on foot.

See
Not much, to be honest. In summer, fireflies (蛍 hotaru) can be seen at night near the river. There's also a little shrine devoted to the hot spring (湯の神社) and an even smaller temple of the "Tofu Jizo" (豆腐地蔵), but both are often snowed in and inaccessible in winter.

Do

The main thing to do in Onogawa is hot spring hopping. All inns sells a "Yumeguri Plan" (夢ぐりプラン) ticket that lets you sample any three baths in town for ¥1000, either at hot spring inns or the two public hot springs, Amayu (尼湯) and Takiyu (滝湯). If it's outdoor hot springs you're after, Kajikaso (河鹿荘) and Kameya Mannenkaku (亀屋万年閣) will be your best bets, but check schedules beforehand as hours are limited (noon to 4PM only at most inns).

In addition to full-body baths, there's a scattering of ashiyu (足湯) foot baths, which are handy for defrosting your feet after stomping about in the snow.

If you're here in winter, there's one more amusement option:

Buy
There are a couple of souvenir, alcohol and convenience stores along the main road. Local products of note include tamakon kon'nyaku (devil's tongue) jelly balls and mamemoyashi bean sprouts.

Eat

Most visitors will have breakfast and dinner at their inns, but there are a couple of simple eateries and izakayas in town.

Connect
There is a small tourist office in the center of town, although opening hours are sporadic.

Go next

 * Shirabu Onsen is 10 km away by car, but getting there by bus will require backtracking to Yonezawa.
 * Yonezawa

title: Onogawa Onsen


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Onomichi

Onomichi (尾道) has been called "Japan's hometown", a quiet port city of temples and literature along the Seto Inland Sea.

Understand
Though under the radar of most foreign tourists, Onomichi has dozens of ancient temples and monuments, which are connected by two enjoyable walks, and the start of an exceptional bike trail to Shikoku. It has been the home of a number of Japan's more famous authors, such as Shiga Naoya, Takahashi Gen'ichirō, and Hayashi Fumiko. Better preserved than most towns of its kind, Onomichi has also been the setting for a number of movies and TV dramas, including Yasujiro Ozu's 1953 classic Tokyo Story, and a 2005 anime series, Kamichu!

The administrative city of Onomichi also covers a number of islands in the Seto Inland Sea that are destinations in themselves, including "Lemon Island" Ikuchijima.

Tourist information

The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site.

By train

The centrally-located JR Onomichi Station is on the San'yo Main Line, between Hiroshima to the west and Okayama to the east. Shin-Onomichi Station is on the San'yo Shinkansen, but it's only served by the all-stops Kodama. Buses run from Shin-Onomichi to the city center (15-20 minutes, ¥170).

Alternately, if you're traveling by Shinkansen, transfer to the San'yo Main Line at Fukuyama — all Kodama and Hikari trains stop there, as does one Nozomi per hour — and complete the trip to JR Onomichi Station from there (20 minutes by regular train).

By ferry
Ferries travel to islands in the Seto Inland Sea, and also to Imabari on Shikoku, which is not far from Matsuyama. The harbor is next to JR Onomichi Station. Shuttle ferries also run from the harbor across the strait to Mukaishima (2 minutes, ¥100 one-way for foot passengers, and an additional ¥10 if you have a bicycle)

By bus
Two daytime buses run from Osaka (approx. 4 3/4 hours, ¥3870 one way, ¥7020 round trip). Shuttle buses also run from Tokyo (Shinjuku), Kobe (Sannomiya), Hiroshima, and Hiroshima Airport (80 minutes, ¥1120).

Get around
A convenient bus shuttles through the town, with a terminal outside JR Onomichi Station.

See
Onomichi is best known for two walks. The Path of Literature (文学のこみち Bungaku no komichi) is the shorter of the two, winding its way downhill from Senkōji Park back to the city. It features 24 stones, carved with memorable quotes from Japanese authors linked to Onomichi; alas, they're all in Japanese, but it's a pleasant stroll through woods, temples, and shrines just the same.

At the bottom of the hill, the path merges with the well-signposted Old Temple Loop (古寺めぐり Koji-meguri), which connects 25 of Onomichi's better-known temples in a 2km east-west walk. The western end is a short distance from the train station, beginning with the stone gate of Jikoji (持光寺); to start at the eastern end, take the bus to Jodoji-shita and head to Kairyuji (海龍寺).

Do
There is a handful of onsen in the vicinity of Onomichi, and there is also at least one sentō (public bath) in a downtown hotel.

Buy

Eat

The local specialty is Onomichi ramen, a variation of the ubiquitous noodle soup that would look suspiciously like the ordinary soy-flavored kind if not for the hint of fish paste in the stock and the gobs of melted lard floating on top. The cylindrical restaurant at the top of the Senkō-ji ropeway will happily serve you a bowl, as will nearly any restaurant in the station/harbor area.

Drink
Onomichi is not long on nightlife. Several of the ramen shops serve beer as well. If you'd just like a drink, do as the locals do — grab something from a convenience store and claim a bench by the harbor.

Sleep
Unless you have a keen interest in Pure Land Buddhism or Japanese literature or you want to be ready to early in the morning for the Shimanami Kaidō bike-way, it's probably not worth your while to spend the night in Onomichi. Most people opt to day-trip from Hiroshima or Okayama.

Go next

 * Shimanami Kaido Bikeway - This 70km bikeway connects Onomichi with the islands of Mukaishima, Innoshima (for the pirate Suigun Castle), Ikuchijima (for Kosan-ji), Omishima, Hakatajima, and Oshima, ending in Imabari on Shikoku.
 * Fukuyama
 * Sera
 * Fuchu
 * Mihara
 * Takehara
 * Kurashiki
 * Okayama
 * Hiroshima

title: Onomichi


text:
Onslow

Onslow is a port in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of 848 in 2016. Its main trade was historically wool: there's also salt extraction and natural gas but this has never been a big mineral port like Dampier or Port Hedland. The main visitor attraction is diving and fishing off the nearby Mackerel Islands.

The town is named for Sir Alexander Onslow (1842-1908), who was Chief Justice of Western Australia but fell out with the Governor, Legislative Council and press. They tried to fob him off on some other luckless colony such as Cyprus (though South Georgia would have suited better) before hitting upon the obvious solution, to shower him with honours and pension him off.

The Tourist Office is Onslow Tourism & Progress Association on Second Avenue, tel +61 8 9184 6644.

Get in
Virgin Australia fly from Perth three days a week, and Qantas once a week, taking two hours non-stop for a return fare of $600. Aviair the Pilbara regional airline doesn't fly here.

is 5 km south of town. Car hire is based in town but will pick up here.

Integrity Coaches run 3 nights a week from Perth. Two services take 23 hours along the coast via Dongara, Geraldton, Carnarvon and Exmouth, and continue east to Karratha, Port Hedland and Broome. One bus a week runs inland on the Great Northern Highway via Mount Magnet and Newman to Port Hedland, where you change for the westbound coast bus, 38 hours in all. The adult fare in 2022 is $550 return.

is the desolate spot where the bus drops off / picks up, at the layby 500 m south of the Onslow Road turn-off from the NW Coastal Highway, a mere 80 km south of town. There's a ricketty sun-shelter and that's all. You need to book your connection with Onslow Bus & Taxi on +61 429 957 767 - it's not priced into your bus ticket.

By road Onslow is 1373 km from Perth by the North West Coastal Highway, so reckon two days solid driving.

Get around
The town itself is compact, but you need your own car to get around the scattered sites such as Old Onslow. Car hire is available from Avis (+61 8 9184 6604) and Europcar (+61 8 9181 3250).

Mackerel Islands Ferry runs Apr-Oct on Tuesday and Friday. It leaves Thevenard Island at 10AM for a 45 min crossing to Beadon Creek in Onslow and returns towards 2PM. This means island staff can day-trip to town for supplies, but a day-trip out from Onslow is not possible. An adult return is $120. The ferry to Direction Island is not sailing in 2022.

See

 * Onslow Point has a lookout at the end of Second Avenue, with Sunset Beach west and Sunrise Beach east. Here or along First Avenue is a viewing point for the staircase to the moon. This is a natural effect seen on the Pilbara coast March-Oct on the full moon spring tides - water caught between the ripples on the mudflats exposed at low tide creates the image of a golden staircase towards the rising moon. Viewing times are published locally, eg by the Tourist Office.
 * stud the landscape as you drive into town. You're encouraged to pull into the viewing area, to let the termites have a good look at you. You then cross the salt lagoons that fringe Onslow, lurid lagoons and glistening white pyramids.
 * is an oil and gas facility on the coast 12 km west of town. Operated by Chevron, it extracts from four fields 225 km offshore, in 70 m of water. The gas is purified and cooled into LNG then piped to the tanker port at Karratha. Tours are available once a month May-Oct, check with the Tourist Office for dates and bookings.
 * is a ghost town, the ruins of the original settlement of 1885. It exported wool through its jetty on the Ashburton River, but this suffered repeated cyclone damage and silting. In 1924 a new jetty was built at Beadon Creek, and Onslow moved to its present site, leaving the winds to sough through the old town. The main ruins are the gaol, courthouse, police station and quarters, and cemetery. They're free to wander 24 hours.
 * is 22 km north of Onslow, a low scrub 6 km long by 1 km wide. At its east tip are a resort hotel, airstrip, jetty and desalination plant, plus some ugly remnants of the offshore oil and gas industry which are gradually being removed. The reason to visit is the excellent coral reef, for diving, snorkelling and fishing. Thevenard is the largest of ten atolls and islets unofficially called the Mackerel Islands.
 * is the second largest, lying 10 km out from Onslow. It's 1 km across, the shape of a flounder not a mackerel, and has basic cabin accommodation. In 2022 this is closed and the ferry is not running, but the island is within range of boat trips from town.
 * is 50 km out; this has given it some protection from introduced species and it's a nature reserve. Liveaboard boat trips sometimes visit for fishing, but it's beyond a day-trip. There's a large Chevron oil and gas facility and only company-authorised visitors may land. See Karratha for the Montebello Islands further northeast.
 * is 50 km out; this has given it some protection from introduced species and it's a nature reserve. Liveaboard boat trips sometimes visit for fishing, but it's beyond a day-trip. There's a large Chevron oil and gas facility and only company-authorised visitors may land. See Karratha for the Montebello Islands further northeast.

Do

 * Diving is great around the Mackerel Islands, but you need to be self-sufficient, the nearest dive shop is in Karratha.
 * Onslow Rodeo is held in mid November. Dates for 2022 are tba.

Buy

 * The supermarket and liquor store is at 35 Second Ave by the Tourist Office. It's open daily 8AM-5:30PM.
 * The filling station is at 23 Second Ave, open daily 6AM-3PM. Don't leave town with less than half a tank.

Eat
No free-standing restaurant here, try the hotels. The filling station doubles as a cafe.

Drink
Same story, try the hotels.

Connect
As of March 2022 you might, just might, get a mobile signal in Onslow town from Telstra, but not from other carriers. There's no signal on the approach highways between Karratha to the east and the turn-off for Exmouth west. 5G has not rolled out in Pilbara.

Go next

 * Karratha is the next town east. It's industrial, but by Murujuga National Park, with an impressive collection of Aboriginal petroglyphs.
 * Port Hedland is even more industrial, yet turtles nest on its beaches.
 * Exmouth to the west has Ningaloo Reef and is the route to Cape Range National Park.

title: Onslow


text:
Ontario

Ontario is Canada's second-largest province, and the most populous, with more than 14 million inhabitants. It is home to the Canadian capital city of Ottawa, and Toronto, which is Ontario's capital and Canada's largest city. Stretching from the shores of Hudson Bay (an arm of the Arctic Ocean) in the north to four of the five Great Lakes in the South and from Manitoba in the west to Quebec in the east, Ontario is truly massive at over a million square kilometres (almost half a million square miles).

However most of that area is remote wilderness untouched by tourism, apart from camping, fishing, and hunting. Most visitors stay in the more densely populated southern part of the province which is at the same time a fertile farming region, Canada's main industrial area, and English Canada's political, media and cultural hub. The national capital, Ottawa, features numerous monuments and museums, of course. The pre-eminent urban region, however, is Greater Toronto, the seventh most populous metropolitan area in North America with more than six million people or almost half of all Ontarians. Here one finds the usual suite of amenities associated with big-city life but with the added twist that Ontario is one of the world's greatest magnets for international migration, drawing people from around the world in huge numbers since Canadian immigration laws were relaxed in the 1960s: in 2014, 51% (a majority) of Torontonians were born outside of Canada, with more than one in ten people being immigrants even in smaller centres such as Kitchener, London, or Windsor. It isn't too much exaggeration to say that it is possible to see "the world in miniature" in Ontario, just by visiting its diverse urban neighbourhoods, and especially their range of different ethnic restaurants.

However, even southern Ontario is known as much or more for its rural landscapes, particularly its clean lakes and rivers within a day's driving distance of Toronto, the so-called "cottage country" where many lakeside properties are available for short-term rentals, but also natural landmarks like Niagara Falls, and even a few wine regions in the southernmost regions of the province.

Regions
The Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton and the Niagara Peninsula are usually described as the Golden Horseshoe. These are, together with Southwestern Ontario, described as "Southern Ontario".

Cities
Ontario has many cities. Here are nine of the major ones.

 * — Canada's largest city and capital of Ontario with 6.1 million people, simultaneously a globalized international hub and the media and cultural metropolis of English Canada.
 * — Canadian federal capital with 1.19 million people, home to Parliament and the main national museums of art, military history, and nature.
 * — a rust-belt-esque industrial city of just over half a million inhabitants, now gentrifying and therefore perfect for urban trend spotting
 * — briefly a major military base and colonial capital of Canada from 1841 to 1844, it is now known mostly for its universities and historic ambience, population 123,798 (2016)
 * — the capital of German culture in Canada, population 233,222 (2016) but centre of a larger region including tech hub Waterloo sprawling Cambridge
 * — a leafy mid-sized city (population 383,822 in 2016) formerly industrial, now known for insurance.
 * — once the honeymoon capital of the world and still a major draw for sightseers, population 88,071 (2016)
 * — the gateway to Ontario's north, population 107,909 (2016)
 * — directly across the river from Detroit, home of Canada's automotive industry, with a population 217,188 (2016)

Other destinations

 * Lake Huron Beaches — including Grand Bend, Sauble Beach, and Wasaga Beach, the world's longest freshwater beach.
 * — southwestern Ontario's last major forested area, home to a national park, and endpoint of the Bruce Trail.
 * — a huge, isolated expanse of rugged backcountry forests and lakes, but near the main cities.
 * — countless stop-offs, some with castles, on the St Lawrence River bordering New York.
 * — historic waterway, now used for pleasure craft, connecting Kingston and Ottawa.
 * — a pretty place to break up the 24-hour drive across northern Ontario
 * — an island in Lake Ontario that is like the whole province in miniature with beaches, wine growing, and quaint villages.
 * – Canada's only mixed (i.e. natural and cultural) world heritage site

Understand
In addition to being Canada's most populous province, Ontario is also a major tourist destination, especially around the Niagara Falls. More than 90% of the population resides in the four regions that make up Southern Ontario, which covers a much smaller land area than the expansive north, making them worlds apart in topography and local culture. Due to its massive size, Ontario can provide the visitor with access to Canada's most populous city, Toronto; the world's largest freshwater lake, Lake Superior; and even a polar bear park in the Subarctic. While English is the first language of most people, one will find historic French speakers and some signage in French, many other immigrant languages in the greater Toronto area, and First Nations peoples' native tongues still being spoken, though dwindling.

History
Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the region was inhabited by Algonquian (Ojibwe, Cree and Algonquin) in the northern/western portions, and Iroquois and Wyandot (Huron) people more in the south/east.

The French explorer Étienne Brûlé explored part of the area in 1610–12. Samuel de Champlain reached Lake Huron in 1615, and French missionaries began to establish posts along the Great Lakes. The British established trading posts on Hudson Bay in the late 17th century and began a struggle for domination of Ontario with the French. After the French defeat during the Seven Years' War, nearly all of France's North American possessions were ceded to Britain in 1763, including most of what is now Ontario.

The first big wave of European settlement occurred in 1782–1784 when 5,000 American loyalists arrived following the American Revolution. The British also set up reserves in Ontario for the Mohawks who had fought for the British and had lost their land in New York state.

American troops in the War of 1812 invaded Upper Canada across the Niagara River and the Detroit River, but were defeated and pushed back by the British, Canadian fencibles and militias, and First Nations warriors. Upper Canada was an active theatre of operation during the conflict. After the War of 1812, relative stability allowed for increasing numbers of immigrants to arrive from Europe rather than from the United States. It was a mostly agrarian-based society, but canal projects and a new network of plank roads spurred greater trade within the colony and with the United States.

Meanwhile, Ontario's numerous waterways aided travel and transportation into the interior and supplied water power for development. As the population increased, so did the industries and transportation networks, which in turn led to further development. By the end of the century, Ontario vied with Quebec as the nation's leader in terms of growth in population, industry, arts and communications. An economic boom in the 1850s coincided with railway expansion across the province, further increasing the economic strength of Central Canada. With the repeal of the Corn Laws and a reciprocity agreement in place with the United States, various industries such as timber, mining, farming and alcohol distilling benefited tremendously.

A political stalemate between the French- and English-speaking legislators, as well as fear of aggression from the United States after the American Civil War, led the political elite to effect a broader federal union of all British North American colonies. In 1867, the Dominion of Canada was established three colonies: Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. The Province of Canada was divided into Ontario and Quebec.

Ontario emerged into the economic powerhouse of the new nation. Manufacturing and industry flourished. Mineral exploitation accelerated in the late 19th century, leading to the rise of important mining centres in the northeast. The province harnessed its water power to generate hydro-electric power and created the state-controlled monopoly. The availability of cheap electric power further facilitated the development of industry. The motor vehicle industry became the most lucrative industry for the Ontario economy during the 20th century.

The post-World War II period was one of exceptional prosperity and growth. Ontario has been the recipient of most immigration to Canada, largely immigrants from Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, and a massive influx of non-Europeans since the 1970s. From a largely ethnically British province, Ontario has rapidly become culturally very diverse. The nationalist movement in Quebec in the 1960s and 1970s led to many businesses and English-speaking people leaving Quebec for Ontario, and Toronto surpassed Montreal as the largest city and economic centre of Canada.

Tourist information

 * Discover Ontario website

Talk
English is the official language of Ontario, and is widely spoken throughout the province. French is spoken in some parts of the province especially along the border in eastern and northern Ontario, and has been officially recognized as a minority language by the provincial government. Services are available in both English and French at all federal and provincial government offices, and some municipal government offices. Many businesses, especially in Ottawa, offer services in French although this is not mandated by law, so don't expect it. The closer one gets to Quebec, the more likely one is to be able to receive service in French in stores, restaurants and other businesses. Some businesses also offer service in Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) or Punjabi, particularly in Ottawa and Toronto.

By plane
Most visitors arrive by way of Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga (just outside of Toronto). The airport is Canada's busiest and a major hub for most Canadian air carriers. If your destination is in Southern Ontario, you will likely pass through Pearson at some point. The airport is served by multiple daily flights from major Canadian and American cities, as well as nonstop flights to major European and East Asian cities. Pearson is a very expensive airport, however, so alternative airports in smaller cities (such as Hamilton, or even Buffalo across the border) are popular with travellers on a budget.

For destinations in Eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Valley, flights from within Canada, from the United States, and the United Kingdom are also available to Ottawa. Many American hubs have daily direct flights into Ottawa.

Montreal's Trudeau Airport is another option for Eastern Ontario, especially for destinations not served by Ottawa Airport; Montreal is just two hours away from Ottawa by road or train. Some carriers run their own buses; for example KLM sell an Amsterdam-Ottawa ticket that flies to Montreal then uses a bus the rest of the way. There are other buses direct from the airport. Via Rail's Dorval station is close to the airport and has trains to Ottawa, Cornwall, Kingston, Toronto and other Ontario towns.

In Southern Ontario, there are airports at Windsor, Sarnia, London, Hamilton and Kingston that are served by Air Canada and/or WestJet to various Canadian destinations (but most commonly only to Toronto). There is also an airport at Kitchener that is served by WestJet to Calgary and Flair Airlines to domestic destinations. You could also land at Detroit Metro Airport just across the border from Windsor.

If you plan to travel to Northwestern Ontario or the North of Superior region, then Thunder Bay International Airport is your best bet. Air Canada's direct flights include those from Toronto and Winnipeg, and WestJet has flights from Hamilton and Winnipeg.

By car
Driving from the USA, border crossings include: International Falls, Minn. to Fort Frances, Ontario; Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to Sault Ste Marie, Ontario; Port Huron, Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario; Detroit, Michigan to Windsor, Ontario; Buffalo, NY to Fort Erie, Ontario; Niagara Falls, New York to Niagara Falls, Ontario; Lewiston to Queenston; Cape Vincent to Wolfe Island (seasonal), Wellesley Island NY to Hill Island (Lansdowne), Ontario; Ogdensburg to Prescott; Massena to Cornwall.

If you are coming from the St. Lawrence River valley in Quebec, the southern routes are Autoroute 20 to the Highway 401 (Windsor-Quebec corridor to Toronto) or Autoroute 40 to Highway 417 (through to Ottawa). Between Montreal and Ottawa, Autoroute 40 and Highway 417 are part of the Trans-Canada Highway. If your intentions are northerly, the Ottawa route is the most direct. From Hull, five local bridges lead south into Ottawa; from l'île aux Alumettes a bridge on highway 148 leads south into Pembroke. From the westernmost portions of Québec (Rouyn-Noranda and Abitibi-Témiscamingue), regional highways lead to North Bay, Temiskaming Shores, and the Trans-Canada Highway (11).

From Manitoba, there really is only one option by car (unless you are coming via the USA), and that is Highway 1, which becomes Highway 17 in Ontario. Both Highway 1 and Highway 17 are part of the Trans-Canada Highway.

By bus

 * Service Montreal to Toronto via Kingston.
 * Service Montreal to Toronto via Kingston.
 * Service Montreal to Toronto via Kingston.

 * The route from Winnipeg travels directly to Thunder Bay.

By train

 * Train routes entering Ontario:
 * The Canadian between Vancouver and Toronto via Kamloops, Jasper, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Sudbury. Two to three trains per week.
 * Route between Quebec City and Ottawa via Montreal. Several trains daily.
 * Route between Montreal and Toronto via Kingston. Several trains daily.
 * Route between Ottawa and Toronto via Kingston. Several trains daily.
 * Route between Toronto and Windsor via London. Several trains daily.

On foot or bicycle
A few central points in Ottawa (such as the Byward Market, Centretown, Parliament Hill, the National Gallery and Major Hill Park) are within walking distance from Hull. There are paths on the Québec side, suitable for cycling, which easily reach the Alexandra (Interprovincial) bridge to Ottawa-Lowertown.

There is no easy way to enter Windsor from Detroit on foot or by bicycle. Tunnel Bus is a possible alternative, but bicycles may need to be partially disassembled to lie flat for transport if there's insufficient space on the bike racks (and may not be able to be brought aboard at all if the bus is full).

It is possible to cross from New York State on foot using the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. It is possible to cross by seasonal ferry to the Thousand Islands (Cape Vincent, New York to Wolfe Island, Ontario) with a bicycle; crossing on foot there makes little sense due to the rural distances involved.

By car
Ontario is a large province and, as a result, the car is nearly the most convenient way to explore it. If you are arriving by plane, cars are easily rented if you are over 23, but easiest if you are over 25 years of age. There is more to Ontario than Southern Ontario and Toronto (or Hamilton, or Niagara), and driving to and through the vast and varied regions of Ontario can be an adventure. Coming from the USA, your options are numerous.

In Northern Ontario, the car is a must if you wish to get from place to place. In most cases, you will be driving the Trans-Canada Highway (a cross-Canada network of highways, often offering more than one route), either on Highway 17 or Highway 11.

Even by car, you will be unable to access the northern half of Ontario. Roads are the exception, not the rule, and you will rely on plane and train nearly anywhere north of Lake Nipigon.

Speed limits are posted in metric. Roadways are usually in good condition. Controlled-access highways (numbered 400-427,and the QEW) have posted speeds of 100 or 110 km/h (62 or 68 mph). Other provincial highways (numbered 2-148) generally have posted speeds of 80 km/h (50 mph). You will likely find that the average speed of traffic exceeds these limits by 10-20 km/h when conditions are good as drivers do not expect to receive a speeding ticket at these speeds. Fines for speed escalate rapidly at higher speeds. Anyone caught exceeding the speed limit by 50 km/h or more, or making certain undesirable driving manoeuvres such as racing, preventing others from passing or rushing to turn left on a fresh green light before the oncoming lanes have moved, can be hit with an automatic fine between $2000 and $10,000, a seven-day licence suspension and a seven-day vehicle impound. Ontario outlaws radar detectors.

Lane discipline by drivers is considered mediocre at best. Although it is widely known that passing should be only done on the leftmost lanes, drivers routinely pass on the rightmost lanes, mostly due to slower drivers failing to change lanes to the rightmost lanes.

Ontario has High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on Highways 403 and 404. Cars and even motorcycles require at least two occupants per vehicle to use them around the clock. Motorcycles without passengers are banned from Ontario HOV lanes.

By bus
Around the Greater Toronto Area, GO Transit buses serve many cities and towns as far as Barrie, Niagara Falls, Peterborough, and Waterloo. GO buses often complement GO Transit rail service for destinations or time periods not covered by trains. A few GO bus terminals are at stations along Toronto's subway system.

Several bus companies serve the busy corridor between London, Toronto, Kingston, and Ottawa, with several stops in between. Some routes continue further west from Toronto to London, Niagara Falls or Windsor:

Fewer bus companies operate to the north of the Greater Toronto Area, but many destinations are served along the major corridors through the province.

Some specific destinations are served by seasonal bus services. For example, Park Bus serves Algonquin Provincial Park, the Bruce Peninsula National Park, and some popular outdoor destinations in southern Ontario through the camping and summer hiking season. Aucoach serves the Village at Blue Mountain ski resort during winter.

By boat
Ontario contains many excellent recreational waterways including: the Great Lakes, the Rideau Canal, the Trent-Severn Waterway, the Ottawa and St Lawrence Rivers. The St Lawrence River includes the Thousand Islands region and the St Lawrence Seaway system.

The Niagara River is one of the wonders of our natural world although it is most definitely not a recreational waterway! The river includes the great cataract, Niagara Falls, and is bypassed for navigational purposes by the Welland Ship Canal.

By train
VIA Rail services many areas of Ontario, from small towns to the largest cities. Many of the larger stations are served by several trains each day. Stations are often in the downtown area of some cities, and are sometimes served by local public transit. In Toronto, car rentals are available from within Union Station.

Within and near the Greater Toronto Area, GO Transit offers train service on several routes radiating from Toronto's Union Station. There is daily train service (including evening service) between Burlington and Pickering with more limited service to other destinations, some having only rush-hour, peak-direction service. GO Transit bus service often complements the rail service for destinations or time periods not covered by GO trains. On Weekends year-round, GO Transit runs the Niagara Weekend GO Train Service between Toronto and Niagara Falls.

The big exception to the above is if your destination is Northern Ontario (such as Moosonee or Lake Superior Provincial Park). There are train services to these areas that are your only options, excepting planes.

By plane
Toronto Pearson International Airport, as the province's largest airport, is a major hub for most Canadian air carriers with regular service to regional airports throughout Ontario. More locations are served by Toronto's City Centre Airport.

Ottawa has the Macdonald Cartier International Airport for destinations in Eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Valley.

In Southern Ontario, there are airports with scheduled service at Windsor, and London.

If you plan to travel to Northern Ontario, airports include Thunder Bay, Sudbury , Timmins , Sault Sainte Marie , and many smaller airports. The larger carriers serving Northern Ontario from airports in Toronto and Ottawa include Air Canada Express, Bearskin Airlines, and Porter Airlines.

By snowmobile
Snowmobile is a viable means for getting around some regions in the province, especially if you want to experience the countryside and the wilderness. Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) provides information and operates trails and a user-pay system in cooperation with local clubs.

See
Niagara Falls will be at the top of the list for many travellers. More water goes over the three falls here per minute than over any other falls in the world. The city of Niagara Falls has many other places of interest, from beautiful gardens, to butterfly conservatories to ticky-tacky tourist traps. The Niagara region is the most important of the Wine Regions of Ontario.

Toronto is a busy, cosmopolitan, multicultural city with theatre, museums, galleries, shopping, professional sports, and restaurants offering the cuisines of the world (half of Torontonians were born outside of Canada). If the view from the observation deck of the CN Tower, which was the tallest tower in the world from 1975 to 2017, doesn't take your breath away, you can take a step outside (with a harness), and walk around the edge of the building 356 m above the city.

Ottawa, Canada's capital city, is rich in historical buildings and museums, including the National Gallery of Canada, Canadian War Museum, and the Canadian Museum of Nature. The city comes alive with festivals in the summer. Further afield, Old Fort William in Thunder Bay, is a historical fort with the best historical reenactments available in Ontario. The lighthouses and beaches along the Lake Huron coastline makes for a relaxing summer vacation.

Sainte-Marie among the Hurons: 1½ hours north of Toronto on Hwy 12. French Jesuits settled here for 10 years until they fled in 1649 after attacks from the Iroquois.

Explore the Historic Nipissing Road now part of the Great (Trans Canada) Trail. You can drive the road as well as hike it. See Magnetawan.

Itineraries

 * Bruce Trail — the oldest and longest marked footpath in Canada
 * Rideau Canal — a scenic waterway linking Kingston and Ottawa
 * Windsor-Quebec corridor

Do
Ontario offers many outdoor activities every season of the year. In the northern part of the province, you can hike the Sleeping Giant, a series of mesas that resemble a human figure, near Thunder Bay, hike through Temagami's Old Growth Forest, or climb the Fire Tower and canoe Lake Temagami.

At Fathom Five National Marine Park at Tobermory, you can dive around or take a boat tour of shipwrecks. Nearby Bruce Peninsula National Park has great camping opportunities, and neighbouring Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater lake island in the world.

Visit one of Ontario's freshwater sandy beaches: Wasaga Beach, Sauble Beach or Grand Bend in Southwestern Ontario; Pancake Bay Provincial Park in Northern Ontario. Also visit these Ontario Parks for great beaches: Sandbanks, Lake Superior, Awenda, Charleston Lake, and the Pinery. The Bruce Trail offers 850 km of hiking from Niagara Falls to Tobermory. If you still have some energy left, try the Ontario sections of the Trans Canada Trail.

The province's extensive provincial parks provide many opportunities for camping, hiking, canoeing and rock-climbing. Algonquin Park is a great place to start.

There are several heritage railways in Ontario operated by rail-fans using vintage rail equipment.

Wine lovers can explore the Wine Regions of Ontario, starting with the Wine Road from Exit 78 on QEW to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Ontario makes some excellent cold-climate wines, including the spectacular ice wine, and many wineries have excellent restaurants and B and Bs. Ontario is an enthusiastic participant in the craft brewery craze, too.

Try Walleye and Bass fishing in Ahmic Lake in Magnetawan.

Many cities and towns, such as Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto, offer extensive biking and hiking trails with beautiful views of trees, birds.

Eat
The Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, Golden Horseshoe, and Niagara Falls/Niagara Peninsula each offer you a wide variety of Indian, Chinese, Thai, Italian, Latin American, Japanese, fast food, and French cuisines (all formal and informal). Toronto and Ottawa have large immigrant populations, and have an unusually high variety of quality specialty cuisines, that cater to Western, Asian, European palates.

Drink
In Ontario, the legal drinking age is 19. In Southern Ontario, you will find a great variety of beer and spirits at your disposal, while in Northern Ontario your options are usually limited to the most common North American standards. Drinking in public is discouraged by law in Ontario and most parts of Canada, exceptions being licensed patios and the like.

Where
Beer is available from the Beer Store (run by Molson, Labatt and Sleeman), while beer, wine and other alcohol is available from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, commonly called the LCBO (run by the government). In Northern Ontario, you will typically only see the LCBO (and this will also be the case in some rural areas of Southern Ontario). Alcohol in a grocery store is very rare; beer was introduced to a handful of large grocery stores in 2015. A few rural villages unable to support a free-standing liquor store operate an LCBO agency as a sideline in an existing store. You will never find alcohol in convenience stores in Ontario. You can also buy wine at the Wine Rack in some areas; some of these outlets are attached to large supermarkets. Alcohol may not be easily available outside of LCBO and Beer Store hours, so stock up on alcohol ahead of holidays and store closures.

Of course, pubs and bars are no rarity in Ontario. In nearly every community, you will be able to find at least one tavern or bar. A domestic bottled beer will typically cost around $3.50 and a cocktail-type drink around $4.50 or more. Expect the prices to vary, with prices being much higher in urban centres. Drinks are served "smart-serve" in Ontario, so they will never be made free-pour, every (single) serving of liquor, beer and wine would have approximately the same amount of alcohol (though in reality, particularly strong beers or wines will have more alcohol per serving)

Beer
Ontario has an active beer culture. Despute globalization of the big breweries, craft brewing has boomed in the province, brewpubs have become increasingly popular in some cities throughout Ontario.

Wine
The Niagara Peninsula is Ontario's premier wine-production region. Prince Edward County in Eastern Ontario is the second-largest wine region, and there are many wineries in Essex County in the southwest.

Ontario has a comparatively young wine industry that is expanding rapidly. Ontario, and Canada in general, is renowned for its consistent and unique ice wines. It is also gaining increasing recognition for its world-class premium table wines.

Its wine regions are right in the middle of the northern grape-growing belt – between 41° and 44° north. That puts southern and eastern Ontario just south of the famous Bordeaux Region in France, and parallel with northern California wine regions. Ontario is considered a "cool climate region" – which means at harvest time grapes are blessed with more concentrated flavours and balanced acidity which makes them wonderfully food friendly. That's why cooler climate wines typically have a livelier flavour than those from hotter climates.

The Vinters Quality Association (VQA) is an association of wineries that provide insight into the quality of Ontario wines. When purchasing wine made in Ontario, look for a "VQA" logo on the bottle - this tells you the wine has been approved by the association. Wines made outside of the three main regions are not certified, but that doesn't mean it's poor wine, and wines made from some varieties of grapes are automatically excluded from VQA consideration. On the other hand, wines labelled as "cellared in Ontario" or "international Canadian blends" are made from imported juices, and are usually of lower quality.

Buy
In Ontario, the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) is 13% (5% federal, 8% provincial). Exceptions do apply. Basic necessities such as hygiene products, unprocessed fruits, vegetables and meat, bread (6 or more) and children's clothing are tax-exempt. Fast food which is under $4 are charged only at 5% tax. As is the case for rest of Canada, visitors cannot claim tax refund on their purchases.

Smoke
Smoking any substance is prohibited in indoor workplaces in Ontario - including bars and restaurants, the workplaces of bartenders, waiters, and chefs. Depending on the city, it might or might not be legal to smoke on a restaurant's patio.

Since 2018 buying, selling, and using recreational marijuana have been legal across Canada. However, any building or public space where that tobacco is restricted, marijuana is also restricted. It is still illegal to take marijuana outside of Canada, including into the State of New York where marijuana is legal as this counts as drug trafficking and it will cause serious punishments.

Go next
To the east, Quebec's vibrant francophone culture and rich history present another side of Canada's character.

Head west to Manitoba to start your journey into the Canadian Prairies. If you go by road or rail, however, be prepared for a long trip; Toronto to Winnipeg via the Trans-Canada Highway is over.

Ohio, Michigan and New York State to the south have borders with Ontario, and are good starting points for exploring the United States.

title: Ontario