Mansard roofs, sandstone turrets, wrought-iron trimmings and over-the-top balustrades: the French Second Empire wedding-cake exterior of the Town Hall (built 1868–89) is something to behold. Unless there's something on, you can poke your head into an ornate hall inside; for further access you'll need to take the two-hour guided tour ($5, Tuesdays 10.30am). The wood-lined concert hall has a giant organ with nearly 9000 pipes, once the largest in the world. It's used regularly for recitals, some of which are free.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. St Andrew’s Cathedral

0.05 MILES

Sporting beautiful stained glass and twin spires inspired by England’s York Minster, squat St Andrew’s Anglican is the oldest cathedral in Australia (1868…

2. Queen Victoria Building

0.12 MILES

Unbelievably, this High Victorian Gothic masterpiece (1898) was repeatedly slated for demolition before it was restored in the mid-1980s. Occupying an…

3. State Theatre

0.17 MILES

The ostentatiously ornate State (1929) is Sydney’s most beautiful theatre. Originally built as a movie palace during Hollywood’s heyday, it’s now a…

4. Great Synagogue

0.2 MILES

The heritage-listed Great Synagogue (1878) is the spiritual home of Sydney’s oldest Jewish congregation, established in 1831. It’s considered the Mother…

5. Darling Walk

0.23 MILES

The environmentally conscious Darling Walk development is one of Darling Harbour's newer blocks of restaurants and offices, all wrapped up in a curvy…

6. Sydney Tower Eye

0.25 MILES

The 309m-tall Sydney Tower (still known as Centrepoint by many Sydneysiders) offers unbeatable 360-degree views from the observation level 250m up. The…

7. Cockle Bay Wharf

0.25 MILES

The showpiece of the innovative redevelopment of the southeastern corner of Darling Harbour in the late 1990s, this bar and restaurant precinct occupies…

8. Ribbon

0.27 MILES

Due to open in 2020, this striking building will incorporate the current Western Distributor flyover and add office space, a sizeable business hotel and…