Arriving in Sydney is always an exiting experience for travelers. The first place you will set foot on is Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, which is a home for both Sydney international and domestic airport.

It is located not far from Sydney Central Business District, hence traveling to and from the airport will only take somewhere between 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the traffic condition that day. Ways to travel to the airport:

• Bus
• Train (The train will probably the fastest way, however it does not come cheap. For around trip, expect to pay AUD$15)
• Car

There are numerous accommodations available through out Sydney and in Australia in general. It varies from budget hotels, hostels as well as hotels from low end to high end five stars. Please have your accommodation pre-booked before your departure, especially during summer and busy periods as they tend to be fully booked.

Click here for accomodations and flights online booking

Most of the banks in Australia operate on Monday to Thursday from 9.30am – 4pm and Friday it closes one hour later at 5 pm. Some banks also offer extended business hours and some even starts to operate on Saturday mornings. You may want to confirm your bank for this.

If you are traveling with Travelers Cheques, good news! Most banks will be happy to exchange your cheques to Australian dollars, although of course, there is a fee incurs in foreign currency exchange (check your bank for details once you are in Australia). Piece of an advice though, shop around different banks, as fee may differs although not much.

The currency can be broken down into two, dollars and cents. The notes are: $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills, and the coins are: 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, $1 and $2. For the current exchange rate, and conversion to other world currencies, use this currency conversion guide.

There is no known real health risk in Sydney as well as most parts of Australia for foreign visitors. Restaurants and eating places are by law required to maintain a high standard of hygiene in all food preparation, and the city is generally clean with most tap water is available to drink directly (although some old buildings with older pipes are recommended to have water boiled before consumption). The air is less of a problem when compared with other big cities such as London, Hong Kong and Bangkok, but is still quite high. The sun exposure could be a problem for those who are fair-skinned. Therefore during summer apply appropriate sunscreen onto skins to avoid burns.

As far as Medical cost is concerned, Australia is not exhorbitant like in the United States and Europe, but travel insurance is still recommended. However, it is a wise decision to travel in Australia with a private health insurance for rainy days. For more information you can log on to World Nomad Travel Insurance, as they have an extensive and good coverage of health insurance which is specially designed for travelers.

In Australia, electricity runs on 240V, so make sure your electronic gadgets you bring, such as cell phone charger, notebook charger can handle it. As soon as you arrive it is recommended to get Plug adaptors with transformers as this would come handy and make sure you get the adaptors with multi country plug standard so it can be used in other countries.

Sydney Visitor Centres are available for you to plan your holiday easy. One of the visitor centre is located at the corner of Argyle and Playfair Streets in The Rocks, it offers great variety of information for visitors, providing comprehensive details on tours, accommodation and entertainment, in and around Sydney at the time of your visit. The centre opens from 9.30am to 5.30pm daily except Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Information kiosk in Martin Place, near Castlereagh Street, although has limited range of information compared with Sydney Visitor Centre, has essential information for your adventures in Sydney as well. It opens from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

There are information booths at the top of Sydney Tower and at Darling Harbour, both open seven days a week.

Shopping centres and malls as well as general stores open from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday; 9am-9pm, Thursday; and 8.30am-4pm, Saturday. Shops in tourist areas may be open on Sundays, and convenience stores most open 24 hours, but please be aware of the price in convenience stores as it cost a lot more when essentials are bought from other stores.

• New Years Day Tues, 1 January
• Australia Day Sat, 26 January
• Good Friday Friday, 21 March
• Easter Saturday Saturday, 22 March
• Easter Monday Monday, 24 March
• Anzac Day Friday, 25 April
• Queen's Birthday Monday, 9 June
• Bank Holiday Monday, 4 August (Not State wide)
• Labour Day Monday, 6 October
• Christmas Day Thurs, 25 December
• Boxing Day Friday, 26 December