Step back into Sydney’s history while enjoying its many contemporary pleasures in The Rocks. The oldest neighborhood in the city, this is where convicts from Europe first set up shop during the country’s days as a penal colony. Today, travelers can still see remnants of the area’s colonial past in its charming cobblestone streets, shop facades from bygone eras, and historic pubs. The Rocks is also a cultural hub and entertainment hotspot, with must-visit destinations like the Museum of Contemporary Art, lively weekend street markets, and some of the best dining in the city.

Go for a stroll through The Domain, a 34-hectare (84-acre), heritage-listed span of beautiful natural space on the banks of Sydney Harbour. Home to the Royal Botanic Gardens and host to everything from concerts to cultural events, there is always something to see and do at The Domain, even if that “something” is simply drinking in the views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. While in the area, be sure to pay a visit to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, one of the country’s flagship art museums.

Dive into Australia’s natural and cultural history at its very first museum. Founded in 1827, the Australian Museum is also the fifth-oldest museum of natural history in the world. Included in its impressive collection of more than 21 million scientific specimens and cultural articles is one of the most significant assemblages of First Nations artworks, technologies, and objects, representing aboriginal communities from across the country.