Circular Quay and Ferry Rides
Circular Quay
Alfred Street
Sydney
Australia
Sydney Ferries Corporation
Sydney
Australia
Captain Cook
Sydney
Australia
Tel: 61 2 9206 1100
Sydney Showboats
Sydney
Australia
Tel: 61 2 8296 7200
Flagship Charters
Sydney
Australia
Tel: 61 2 9555 5901
Concierge.com's insider take:
It may be the name of Sydney Harbour's busy ferry hub, but Circular Quay also encompasses the wide sweep of foreshore jammed with boutiques, restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, and a convenient (though ugly) train station. The ferry terminal, with six wharves, is right in the middle and is the place to board ferries to Manly, Darling Harbour, and Taronga Zoo as well as catch the RiverCat to Parramatta.
The state government–owned ferries are the cheapest way to get around Sydney Harbour. In addition to regular commuter services from Circular Quay, there are three daily harbor cruises with sightseeing commentary. The one-hour morning and one-and-a-half-hour evening cruises make a circuit of the harbor, while the two-and-a-half-hour afternoon cruise winds around the bays of the exclusive Eastern Suburbs, explores Middle Harbour, and goes through the Spit Bridge (yes, through it, because it opens up to let water traffic pass) and into little-known bays. Private companies, including Captain Cook Cruises and Sydney Showboats, have a variety of lunch, dinner, and "entertainment" cruises, with offerings ranging from skimpily clad showgirls to opera singers. For a more sophisticated day out on the water, an outfitter such as Flagship Charters offers stylish yachts—there's even a classic Italian wooden speedboat to create a vintage James Bond moment.