Nightlife in Sydney
Glitzy nightclubs and cutting-edge dance venues are Sydney's specialities. Join the throngs in Darling Harbour or find intimate lounge clubs in Kings Cross and Darlinghurst. Newtown boasts live bands and jazz. The dress code is smart-casual at sophisticated bars like Blu Bar on 36 but it's generally come as you please. Sydney's famous backstreet pubs close at around midnight but clubs stay open until 4am or later. Smoking is banned in enclosed public areas.
Arthouse Hotel
Heritage-listed bar
Formerly the School of Arts, central Sydney's massive Arthouse Hotel
continues the theme with artworks on the walls and regular exhibitions. The
busy main bar has soaring ceilings and antique plasterwork. Quieter bars
offer sophisticated cocktails and comfortable leather lounges.
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Address
275, Pitt Street, Sydney 2000
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 9284 1200
Four in Hand
Friendly local pub
Sydney is famous for friendly backstreet pubs like the Four in Hand. This
popular pub in Paddington is a classic, with its big central bar and tiled
surfaces. Locals and visitors are welcomed with restaurant-quality food,
regular entertainment and sports-bar atmosphere.
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Address
105, Sutherland Street, Paddington, Sydney 2021
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 9326 2254
Bambini Wine Room
Candle-lit wine bar
Dripping with chandeliers, Bambini Wine Room brings European glamour to
central Sydney. Leather lounges, flock wallpaper and Parisian café tables
make a stylish statement. Bar snacks and cocktails are sophisticated and the
list of wines by the glass is extensive.
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Address
185, Elizabeth Street, Sydney 2000
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 9283 7098
Blu Bar on 36
Cocktails in the sky
Hovering 36 floors above The Rocks, the Blu Bar cocktail bar has
vertigo-inducing harbour views through soaring floor-to-ceiling windows. The
door code is strictly smart-casual, the atmosphere is exclusive and
cocktails are a speciality, prepared by top mixologists.
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Address
176, Cumberland Street Level 36, The Rocks, Sydney 2000
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 9250 6000
Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel
Historic pub and microbrewery
Like its location in The Rocks, Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel oozes history.
Among Sydney's oldest pubs, it's also a microbrewery, producing six
naturally brewed ales on site. There's plenty of 1850s atmosphere, a
tavern-style bar and not a poker machine in sight.
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Address
19, Kent Street, The Rocks, Sydney 2000
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 9251 4044
Opera Bar
Harbour-view drinks
The popular alfresco Opera Bar has spectacular views of Sydney Harbour Bridge
and Circular Quay from its city-centre vantage point beneath the Opera
House. Pull up a table for cocktails, fizz, own-label organic blonde beer
and tapas-style tasting plates.
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Address
Lower Concourse, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney 2000
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 9247 1666
Home Sydney
Harbourside dance venue
Overlooking Darling Harbour, Home Sydney, the city's biggest dance venue, has
three laser-lit floors of entertainment. There's indie on Thursdays,
legendary trance on Fridays, house on Saturday and electro on Sundays.
Couples head to the intimate Rooftop and View Bars.
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Address
101/1, Wheat Road, Cockle Bay Wharf, Sydney 2000
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 9266 0600
The Loft
Clubbing for grown-ups
The Loft's Moorish screens and rich amber tones are complemented by Darling
Harbour views. The atmosphere is upmarket, with banquettes for lounging and
teapot cocktails on the menu. Tunes vary from music for grown-ups to hip-hop
and jazz.
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Address
3, Lime Street, King Street Wharf, Sydney 3000
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 9299 4770
Tonic Lounge
Soul and funk club
Tonic Lounge is a relaxed and intimate speakeasy-style club in a Victorian
terrace house in Kings Cross. The decor has a boudoir style and the
atmosphere is refreshingly unpretentious. Local and guest DJs play
dance-floor friendly soul and funk.
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Address
62-64, Kellett Street, Kings Cross, Sydney 2011
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 8354 1544
Chinese Laundry
Underground club
The subterranean Chinese Laundry under the Slip Inn bar near Darling Harbour
pumps out breaks and drum'n'bass on Fridays and electro house on Saturdays.
Music-lovers can relax in the sandstone cave or rub shoulders on the
vermilion-red dance floor.
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Address
111, Sussex Street, Sydney 2000
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 8295 9911
Transport
Wynyard Train Station
City Recital Hall
Premier classical music venue
The city centre's best venue for classical music is a modern space with
brilliant acoustics. White marble stairs sweep up to the City Recital Hall's
galleries, creating a sense of occasion. The Sydney Symphony and Australian
Chamber Orchestra perform here.
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Address
Angel Place, Sydney 2000
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 8256 2222
The Basement
Underground jazz club
Right by Circular Quay, The Basement is Sydney's premier jazz club. Blues and
funk also feature in this intimate underground venue. With a bistro on site,
make a night of it by combining dinner with a show.
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Address
29, Reiby Place, Circular Quay, Sydney 2000
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 9251 2797
Sydney Opera House
Landmark culture venue
The iconic harbourside Sydney Opera House is Australia's cultural heart.
Several venues are housed under its sails but pride of place goes to the
Concert Hall for symphonies and orchestral performances. The Opera Theatre
hosts opera, ballet and dance.
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Address
Bennelong Point, Sydney 2000
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 9250 7111
Enmore Theatre
Art Deco rock venue
The Enmore Theatre in inner-west Newtown is a classic Art Deco rock venue. It
has played host to countless acts over the years, including Oasis and the
Rolling Stones, and also stages big-name stand-up comedy acts.
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Address
118-132, Enmore Road, Newtown, Sydney 2042
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 9550 3666
Vanguard
New Orleans-inspired music
Vanguard is a New Orleans-inspired live music restaurant in inner-west
Newtown. A sophisticated crowd dine and enjoy cocktails then stay on for
local and international jazz, blues and roots. The decor is upmarket
honky-tonk and the atmosphere is 1920s decadent.
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Address
42, King Street, Newtown, Sydney 2042
Telephone
+61 (0) 2 9557 7992
