This route trades the whole continent's scale for its three most rewarding bases, linked by short domestic flights. Sydney opens on its harbour and beaches, Melbourne answers with laneways, galleries and coffee, and Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the ancient Daintree rainforest. Seven days is enough to feel the contrast between the country's two great rival cities and its tropical far north without spending days on the road. See the full itinerary.
From the same hand-researched library as our Australia itinerary. Last reviewed 2026-08-21.
Beyond the Opera House and the Bridge, Sydney rewards slower wandering: the sandstone lanes of The Rocks, the terrace-lined creative quarters of Surry Hills and Newtown, and a chain of harbour and ocean walks. Three days leave room for its major art collections and a coastal cliff walk alongside the obvious icons.
Australia's cultural capital hides its best self in graffiti-splashed laneways, Victorian arcades and a ring of leafy neighbourhoods. Two days cover its world-class galleries, the garden belt around the centre and the espresso culture that made the city's name, with the Great Ocean Road within day-trip reach.
Tropical Cairns is the launch point for two of Australia's great natural wonders sitting side by side: the Great Barrier Reef offshore and the Daintree, the world's oldest surviving rainforest, to the north. Two days allow a full reef day-trip and a rainforest excursion, bookended by the city's waterfront lagoon.
Museums, parks, and neighborhoods are on the full Australia itinerary, sequenced into a realistic day-by-day plan with transport between cities.
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