Must do
Fast facts
- Asian and Spanish food and festivities
- Located adjacent to Darling Harbour
- 15-minute bus trip from Circular Quay
Why go there
Capturing the colour and excitement of Asian streetlife, Chinatown and Haymarket offer an exciting mix of restaurants, food halls, noodle bars and quirky gift shops. Bargain-shops and Asian supermarkets also bring many visitors to the area, especially on weekends.
Haymarket has become a late-night entertainment precinct, with bars, theatres and cinemas pulsating into the night. The lively Spanish Quarter, an 80-m stretch of pizzaz, is close by.
Things to do
- Eat yum cha, a brunch/lunchtime tradition, where you choose from trolleys piled high with assorted Chinese "steam baskets".
- Explore the Spanish Quarter, the place to buy jamon and chorizo and to try paella and Spanish dancing.
- Be a star at a karaoke bar.
- Dine at any time of the day at one of 80 Asian restaurants (some cook until 3 am).
- Consult a Chinese herbalist for an Eastern remedy.
Don’t miss
- Paddy’s Market, Sydney’s favourite flea market.
- Shopping for discounted designer fashion at one of Market City's factory outlets.
- Catching a show at the Capitol Theatre or Sydney Entertainment Centre.
- Chinese New Year in February.
- Spanish Quarter Street Festival, in November, for Spanish cooking, flamenco, tapas and sangria.
