Follow this CitiTrail in your phone:
Track difficulty: Really easy
Terrain elevation: Flat (except for steps taken to go up the Harbour Bridge)
Estimated time: 40 minutes (non-stop). 1 hour and 10 minutes (stopping for pictures)
Steps: 7,607 approx.
Need: Ice cream cone from any store around Circular Quay
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Not every spot is a good one to take a picture of famous Sydney Opera House. Once you realise you are next to Australia's icon, you understand the need to be further away to appreciate the beauty of it. Have a go with this trail taking you across 9 different shot angles.
1: Bordering Sydney Botanic Gardens
This is top notch spot. My favourite one personally. The perfect angle as pictures taken are normally done from the West side, not the East side. Hands down, the path bordering Sydney Botanic Gardens its a very nice stroll as well. You can get as many pictures as you want avoiding the overcrowd of other tourists wanting to take pictures.
2: In front of the Opera House
This is not any typical angle you may have seen the Opera from. You will find 3 outstanding lazy-shaped triangles in front of you. These are the pictures taken by people that have actually been to the Opera House. This is not TV or Google Image taken and cut to perfection as they might not be as appealing as the other angles.
3: Just on the side
You come to understand that the Opera gets better when admired from afar. I've seen many people wanting to take pictures close to it. But the beauty of this monument is realised when you take a bunch of steps back. The white colours of the tiles that make every single piece of it turn to be yellow cream. Not the best for posting this in your IG. Just another perspective.
4: Next to the Opera restaurants
Friendly reminder you can come and enjoy some food with a gorgeous view. A lot of people take this spot as the panorama also offers the Harbour Bridge fitted in the photo as a bonus. "I have made it to Australia!" And that's the picture they'll send to you. Pretty awesome huh?
5: Circular Quay Station
This train station is world recognised for having a unique view. Even if you don't come by train, you can come in and get out and you won't be charged (unless you take a train). You get to the balcony area and ask any commuter to take you a picture. Opera is further this time, but the ferries and the Harbour Bridge make their presence as well.
6: From First Fleet Park
Get the ice cream cone here (or the fish & chips) and take the photo. This spot is popular as music performances happen along the way and people either take the route to the Rocks, or keep walking towards Circular Quay. Happens to be that the Opera is angled in a way that you can capture it with or without the City landscape as well. Your choice!
7: From the very end of the Overseas Passenger Terminal
Its is quite unfortunate if a cruise has arrived to the passenger terminal as you won't be allowed to be in this area and rather it'd be closed. If you are lucky, you'd be as close as you can from the other side of the shore. I recommend to start taking the 'portrait mode' out of your camera and get the shots going.
8: Next to fine dinning Campbell's Cove restaurants
I struggled with this one personally as the Opera is gorgeous as usual but the camera failed here for me. You can get a really good picture if no boats are around, but my luck was not good this time. I enjoyed this spot personally as I used to work in one of these restaurants here with such a view. Probably you can have a better shot than I did this time.
9: Before starting trailing onto Hickson Road Reserve
This is a recommended one. I cannot insist how much you need to take one picture here. You stand next to the Opera at a 1:1 size (you are not smaller nor bigger than it). You are the perfect match and the shot says that! One of my favourites and with so much less effort than the other ones.
Final thoughts
Sydney Opera House can be seen from almost anywhere around the Harbour. This does not mean every single angle is good to take a picture. This trail proves why. It is in my experience that I'd recommend to take shots from afar as this is a landmark that gets better once you take some distance of it. The whole display of 'concrete shells' is hard to enjoy if you are extremely close to it! Thankfully, CitiTrails has you covered with some evidence :)
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