10 Tips to make the most of your visit to Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden

No visit to Sydney would be complete without exploring and enjoying Sydney’s magnificent Botanic Garden.

Fast facts

The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney sits on a prime location, right at the Sydney Harbour and next to the CBD, and it is huge! The gardens, including The Domain (a botanical parkland surrounding the Botanic Garden), measure 64 ha; enormous! In that area you will find almost 9.000 plant species.

The Garden dates back to 1816 and is the oldest botanical garden in Australia.

Both The Garden and The Domain are free. While the Domain is open to the public always, the Garden closes after sunset till 7 am the next morning.

You can easily spend a couple of days to explore the entire grounds, but most of us don’t have that time. So what’s the best way to enjoy the gardens to the max?

My Top 10 Tips to make the most of your visit to Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden

1. Get yourself a free map

The map gives you an overview of the whole area and makes it easy for you to choose what appeals to you most. From there you can set out a trail for yourself.

2. Join a guided tour

If finding your own information and path seems too much work for you, you can find out which tours are available on that day and join one of them.

3. Have a picnic

The Botanic Garden is a picnicker’s paradise! So many lovely places to sit. On the grass, on a bench, on a picnic-cloth that you brought along. Sitting on the grass and having a picnic on the lawns is even encouraged; how cool is that?!
You can bring your own food and drinks from home or grab a takeaway on your way to the park or from inside the Garden (cafe). There are even companies that deliver hampers to your picnic-spot.
Bring an appetite and good company and you’re all set.

4. Simply enjoy the garden

The garden has different areas, like a rose garden, an oriental garden and -my personal favorite- a succulent garden.

Information is provided on location. Educate yourself a bit, while taking in the beauty and smells of the flora around you.

Get up close and personal with the plants and flowers and smell the roses (pun intended).

5. Relax

The gardens are very tranquil. Bring a book to read, write a letter to a loved one or sleep a bit while lying in the grass.
Daydream, enjoy the views and nature around you, chat with the company you brought along or do some people-watching.
Do some yoga and be zen.

6. Get active

The Royal Botanic Garden is spacious and there are paths everywhere. That means that the Gardens are a jogger’s favorite, especially on the edges of the gardens and in the Domain. You can walk, jog or do other sports. I know, ironic, this tip, coming from the biggest sports-hater in the world. But in my defense: I DO walk a lot!

Group doing exercises in the Domain.

7. Bring your camera and snap away

The place is a photographers’ paradise. Bring your camera along and your different lenses, if you have those. Entertain yourself by photographing the flora (macro pictures), the landscapes (other lens, please), the vistas, birds and other animals (zoomlens-time!) that frequent the Royal Botanic Garden. Make selfies and welfies in this beautiful decor. Which I totally forgot that day, by the way, like I often do:-(

8. Get artistic

If you are an artist, bring along your sketchbook. If you’re not an artist, also bring along a sketchbook ;-).
If you are an art-lover, make a walk along the many sculptures in the park.

9. Check out the Gardens events and courses

Look up their calendar of events and courses and see if anything catches your fancy. When I was there, I ran into this decor.

It turned out that they were going to perform Verdi’s Aida, open air, and I was very tempted to buy a ticket. We did not go in the end, but I’m sure it was awesome!
The Royal Botanic Garden is available for hire (well, specific locations, that is) for your own venues too, by the way, like a wedding or a private party.

10. Keep your children entertained

The Gardens have special activities and programs for children. Some areas will speak to children more than others. Bring play material for them to keep them entertained while you ly in the grass, being lazy chilling out;-).

Three extra tips

11. Bring sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat or umbrella (or both) and some insect-repellant

The hole in the ozon-layer is above Australia, folks; do I need to say more?!

12. Drink enough water

Sydney can be hot. Very hot. There is water available on-site, by the way. So if you didn’t bring any, no worries, mate! You can buy it in the Gardens.

13. Wear comfy shoes

You will find yourself walking quite a bit in the Gardens and you’re not looking for blisters, are you?

Do you like parks and gardens? What’s the best park/garden you ever visited?