Frequently Asked Questions

Answers, advice and tips on our daily private tours from Sydney

Read on for some curly FAQ’s we get asked for effortless travel whilst visiting Sydney. Please email us for any other tips and advice on our Sydney, Blue Mountains, South Coast and Hunter Valley tours.

Why book with Personalised Sydney Tours?

We are a small privately owned Australian business specialising in bespoke Sydney daily tours personally hosted by Ben Barry - a licenced professional tour guide with over fifteen years experience in the industry.
All day tours are run by Ben - unless stated otherwise, so rest assured you’re not touring with an apprentice.
All bookings, email correspondence and social media posts are made by Ben and not an outbound agent or travel company based outside of Australia.
Personalised Sydney Tours is great value and includes entry fees into the national parks, lunch with drink plus bottled water throughout the tour.

To Learn more about Ben Barry and Personalised Sydney Tours read the About Us section.

What’s Sydney like?

Sydney is an exhilarating city famous for its friendly people, beautiful beaches and stunning harbour. Its blessed with iconic architecture such as the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, thrilling arts and entertainment, lovely gardens and parks for lazy days, numerous national parks for strenuous hikes or easy strolls, and a plethora of great bars, cafes and restaurants serving any cuisine you can wish for.
Sydney is one of the Most Liveable Cities In The World and a must visit for atleast 3 or 4 days when visiting Australia.
Greater Sydney has a population over 5.4 million people consisting of over 650 suburbs and 40 local government councils scattered around the world’s biggest natural harbour and numerous ocean inlets. So it’s extended metropolitan area makes it one of the largest cities in the world.

More than a pool. Iceberg’s has a gym, two cafe’s, two drink bars and a fine dining restaurant.

Who can travel and how many can travel on each tour?

Any one can travel with us. All our tours are private and ideal for solo travelers, couples, families with babies, toddlers or teenagers, friends or work colleagues travelling together leisure or business.
We can seat a minimum of one to maximum of 11 travelers.

Where do our travelers come from?

We have had bookings from visitors from over 35 nationalities from every corner of the globe. Every one is more than welcome.

Do our private tours see more than the big bus tours or shared group tours?

Definitely! When there’s less people involved it’s easier logistically to get into the more unique roads that are off the beaten track and tighter areas that larger buses can’t legally get access to. So many of our hidden secret spots have been discovered from many years of exploring quiet trails and local stomping grounds.
With private tours there’s just the one pick up point and the one drop off point. This is a huge time saver at the start and end of the tour, especially with the one way streets, not to mention the traffic. So there’s no frustrating waiting time sitting on a bus at the start and end of your tour.
There’s no waiting for large groups jumping on and off the bus and any extra stops some guests may request like cigarette breaks and long bathroom stops.

Does it matter if I’ve never been on a private tour before

Not at all. There’s a first for everything. And once you’ve switched from shared touring there will be no turning back.
All tours are fully personalised and don’t follow a script like larger bus tours. You can decide if you’re wanting a tour loaded with information, or one with just everyday interesting conversation with a local Australian. We are adaptive to your personalities and realise every one takes private tours for different reasons; entertainment, education or a mixture of both.

“Experience the best of Sydney:
it’s history, people, architecture, neighbourhoods, beaches, gardens, cafes, markets, wineries and wildlife.”

Local wine and cheese on the South Coast of NSW

Can the tours be customised and can we change the tour as we go?

For sure. That’s the beauty of being a private personalised tour. We can change the itinerary on the run depending on how you’re feeling, the time, distances and recommendations from Ben once he’s met you and found out more of your interests.
You can also decide on any optional excursions with Ben on the day of the tour (season depending), make less touring stops, or extra stops; perhaps for a refreshing drink or another coffee.

What’s the best time to travel to Sydney?

Sydney is a destination that can be visited all year round with warm to hot summers and cool to mild winters.
Our recommended periods are throughout February to late May, and September to mid December with consistently pleasant days of around 20-28 degrees celcius (68 - 80 degrees fahrenheit). This avoids our busier times in the heat of summer (December to February) and cooler wetter days (June to August.)

“Immerse yourself you in all of Sydney: the city, coast and mountains.”

An eastern grey and two red kangaroos in Port Stephens

Where do the tours start and end?

Tours start and end with a pick up and drop off at your Sydney based hotel. This includes all airbnb accommodation as well.
If you’re on a cruise ship we pick up and drop off at both The Overseas Passenger Terminal in Circular Quay and White Bay Terminal.
We also pick and drop off at the Sydney International and Sydney Domestic Airports for an extra fee of AUD$50 for each way. We have special access to pick you and your luggage up from opposite the arrivals gates for an easy and quick transition.
The Blue Mountains tour can conclude with an optional scenic ferry ride on Sydney Harbour back to either Circular Quay or Barangaroo in the Darling Harbour area and not with a drop off back at your accommodation. After the ferry ride you will have to make your own way back to your accommodation. Ending some of our other tours with a ferry ride can be arranged and is an enjoyable way to return to Sydney.
We don’t offer separate transfers to and from the airport that aren’t attached to a tour.

What vehicle is used?

We drive a Hyundai Imax 9 seat people mover with air conditioning, large windows for excellent viewing and plenty of leg room for taller people. There’s lots of space in the rear for numerous larger suitcases ideal for starting or ending the tour at the airport or cruise terminal.
For groups between 8 and 11 a larger mini van is used.
Do you provide child seats in the vehicle?
All children under 7 are permitted to be fixed in a children’s seat or booster seat as per Australian law. Personalised Sydney Tours will provide all the children seats.
Should I drive myself?
Traveling around Sydney can be quite difficult to navigate given it’s hilly terrain, numerous bridges, undergound tunnels, twisting highways and one way streets. On top of that Australians drive on the left hand side of the road which can be quite confusing if you haven’t experienced driving on this side before. Personalised Sydney Tours takes the stress out of all of this.

Thick fog gives the Blue Mountains a ghostly atmosphere

Can each tour be lengthened into a two day experience?

Yes, and even into a three day adventure. The Greater Sydney area has an abundance of natural sights perfect for joining adjacent regions for extended touring. It’s also a great way to experience a night or two in a smaller regional Australian town or an outer suburb of Sydney.
Examples: a 2 day Blue Mountains tour can include an overnight stay at the Jenolan Caves and a visit to the Blue Mountains Botanical Gardens, Mt. Wilson’s high altitude gardens and the Hawkesbury region. This can also be extended into a 3 day tour if wanting a couple of longer hikes and a tour of the glow worms.
A Manly & Northern Beaches Tour can be joined into a Hunter Valley, and/or a Central Coast, or a Port Stephens adventure for a 2 or 3 day experience.
Any of our tours can be lengthened into two days if you would like to take up a few of the optional excursions, take some longer walks/ hikes, or go at a slower pace.

Is there an inclement weather policy?

Tours will go ahead in all weather conditions – torrential rain, hail, lightning, wind, fog and extreme heat. Safety is our number one priority and each tour has flexibility with changes to indoor activities during inclement weather.
Bad weather can actually create quite memorable experiences. Foggy and stormy weather on the coastal areas and in the Blue Mountains add an interestingly eery edge and is great for photography.

What if any optional excursions are cancelled?

Unfortunately that’s beyond our control but the cost of the cancelled part of the tour will be refunded in accordance with the third party booking and cancellation terms. You can then decide if you would like to book a different optional activity or spend the time seeing extra secret sights on the tour. We have numerous alternatives so you wont miss out.

What is the history of Sydney?

Sydney has a dynamic history. There is evidence Sydney has been occupied for over 30,000 years by the local indigenous Aboriginal population of the Cadigal clan and the Eora people.
In the late 18th Century it was settled by the British as a penal colony and hundreds of thousands of mainly petty criminals arrived constructing roads, buildings, churches, pubs and hotels.

A quick summary of other major events: in the 1850’s gold was found west of the Blue Mountains, Sydney locals fought in both world wars, the great depression hit in the 1930’s, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was built in 1932, the Sydney Opera House was completed in 1973, the summer Olympics was hosted in 2000, and since the 1950’s, swathes of migrants from all over the world created their new home - a spectacular and vibrant internationally recognised city.