Best Parks in Sydney: Harbour Walks, Royal Botanic Garden and Urban Green Spaces

Sydney is exceptionally well-endowed with public green space, from the Royal Botanic Garden at the heart of the CBD waterfront to the vast national parks on the city's northern, western and southern fringes. The Royal Botanic Garden on Farm Cove adjacent to the Opera House is 30 hectares of garden with direct harbour frontage, free admission and outstanding views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, making it the most visited outdoor space in the city. Centennial Park in Paddington is a 189-hectare parkland with cycling paths, equestrian facilities, duck ponds and extensive picnic grounds that functions as eastern Sydney's primary outdoor recreation space. The Coastal Walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee is a 6 km clifftop path with dramatic Pacific Ocean views and is one of Australia's most walked urban coastal trails. Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park (45 min north) and Royal National Park (45 min south) both offer extensive bushwalking with harbour and ocean views respectively. The Barangaroo Reserve at the foot of the CBD is a recently created foreshore park on the former container terminal site that has become a significant green space for city workers and residents.