A coastal city famous for icons such as the Opera House, Skywalk, and beautiful beaches, Sydney is an excellent place for day trippers and globetrotters alike to visit. Like the rest of Australia, Sydney is touched by the country's rugged outdoor lifestyle in spite of the city, and it's a good idea to pack your belongings with this in mind.
Sydney is in a temperate subtropical climate and enjoys a long summer with warm weather. The temperature ranges from 60 to 80 degrees in summer, with occasional hot spells of over 80 degrees. Humidity in summer ranges from 60 to 70 percent. Lightweight clothing, in general, is suitable attire for Sydney's climate. Summer evenings can be humid, but you will definitely need a warm jacket or pullover by nightfall. If you're planning on doing any bush walking through the nearby national parks, a sturdy pair of comfortable hiking shoes is a must. Sun protective clothing, a broad-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen will save you from getting too much sun if you plan to spend some time on the beach.
Being in the Southern Hemisphere, summer in Sydney lasts from December to March and winter from June through August. Winters in Sydney are fairly mild, with temperatures becoming a little chillier towards the Blue Mountains. Many travelers suggest a jacket with jeans and a long sleeved top underneath for the city and a scarf with gloves and boots for traveling in more mountainous areas. A great advantage to being in Sydney during the winter is that it will also be "winter" in the Northern Territories if you plan to explore there, which means it will be warm to hot, but not unbearably humid.
Australians in Sydney dress quite casually in the summer, so unless you're going to Sydney for a business trip, you definitely won't stick out like a sore thumb if you wore a simple pair of beach shorts with a tank top. Bring your backpack with you too, because in Sydney there is a lot to see.
Australia typically has over 100 days of sun per year, but when it does rain it's usually a very heavy downpour. The rainiest time of year is between February and June. The Australians commonly refer to this heavy rain as "it's raining cats and dogs!" so make sure you bring some wet weather gear so that you don't get completely and totally soaked. It's often not the kind of rain that you can easily walk through without getting too wet, such as in London. So make sure to bring your rain jacket, an umbrella, and good gripping shoes. When the pavement gets wet, it sometimes gets very slippery.
Editor's Note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about what to pack in Sydney.