Can You Walk Across the Sydney Harbour Bridge?

Yes, and honestly, it is one of the best free things you can do in Sydney. Walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge gives you a whole different view of the Opera House, the harbour and the skyline, and it costs nothing. Here is everything you need to know before you go.

How to Walk Across the Sydney Harbour Bridge

The bridge has a dedicated pedestrian walkway on its eastern side, separated from the traffic. There are stairs and ramps up to it from both ends:

• From the CBD: take the stairs near Cumberland Street in The Rocks, or the lift from the corner of Cumberland and Harbour streets
• From the north side: access the walkway from Milsons Point or Kirribilli, near Milsons Point train station

You can walk it in either direction, but if you want the Opera House in front of you the whole way, walk north to south, finishing in The Rocks where you can keep exploring.

How Long Does It Take?

The walk itself is about 1.2 kilometres and takes most people 20 to 30 minutes one way. Give yourself longer though, because you will stop. A lot. The views over the harbour, the Opera House and Fort Denison are constant, and the photo opportunities start as soon as you climb the stairs.

Is It Open 24 Hours?

Yes. The walkway is open 24 hours a day, every day, and it is free. At sunrise and sunset the light on the harbour is spectacular, and at night the bridge and city lights make for a great walk. It is well lit and popular with runners in the early mornings.

Walking vs the BridgeClimb

The famous BridgeClimb takes you up over the top arch of the bridge, and it is brilliant, but it costs a few hundred dollars and needs to be booked ahead. Walking the pedestrian path does not go over the top, but you still get:

• Close-up views of the steel structure from inside the arch
• Uninterrupted harbour views the entire way
• Total freedom: no booking, no harness, no time slot

If the climb is out of budget, the walk genuinely gives you the best of it for free.

The Best Photo Spots

• Milsons Point end: the classic shot looking back at the bridge with the Opera House behind you
• Mid-span: the highest point of the walkway, looking down on ferries crossing the harbour
• Dawes Point at the southern end: under the bridge itself, great for catching the full structure
• Kirribilli's Jeffrey Street: a local favourite for framing the bridge from below

Make a Loop of It

My favourite way to do it: start at Circular Quay, walk the foreshore through the Royal Botanic Garden to Mrs Macquarie's Chair for the postcard Opera House view, then cross the bridge north to south... or actually, cross south to north, take in Luna Park and the Kirribilli waterfront, and catch the ferry back to Circular Quay from Milsons Point. Ferry home, bridge views both ways, still completely free.

Walking the Harbour Bridge is a Sydney must-do, and the fact that it costs nothing makes it even better. Do it once at sunset and you will understand why Sydneysiders never get sick of it.