As the partner of a Melburnian living in Sydney, the Sydney versus Melbourne question is one that comes up often.
In truth it took a while to get my loyal Melburnian to even consider living in Sydney – the city rivalry is real, people. But we chose Sydney in the end for a number of reasons; including the fact that it would be a new and challenging experience for both of us and because we will always have the option of moving to Melbourne should Sydney life no longer suit us.
I sometimes think I would be better suited to life in Melbourne. I definitely dress like more of a Melburnian; 12 years in the temperamental weather of London prepares you for the ‘4 seasons in a day’ that Melbourne is known for. I’m more at home wearing dark colours and sipping coffee in hidden laneways than I am exposing limbs and sipping smoothies on Bondi. But one doesn’t move overseas to feel at home do they?
Choosing a city to live in versus one to visit for a city break is a whole other story though. This week Skyscanner New Zealand asked me to bat for Sydney on a post about which is better out of the two for tourists and it really wasn’t hard to build my case for Sydney.
Although my truthful response to anyone coming to Australia for the first time is that you have to do both Sydney and Melbourne, if you can only squeeze in one of the two cities Sydney certainly has some superstar attractions.
Melbourne has the Yarra River but Sydney has the world’s most famous harbour. Melbourne has history whilst Sydney’s got iconic buildings. They got laneways, arcades and street art and we got internationally acclaimed beaches and insta-worthy coastal scenery. To eat out I’d say Melbourne offers more value (and dim sims) for your money and Sydney’s irritating lock-out laws do make bar hopping as you would in Melbourne almost impossible. But overall my heart says Sydney.
Hop over on to Skyscanner New Zealand to read the full debate between myself and Melbourne-loving Beverley from Pack Your Passport. Then cast your vote in the poll at the bottom because the final say is all yours. I’m intrigued to see which ones comes out on top!
I totally fell in love with Melbourne, but it was Sydney for my husband 🙂
Ha! That could have got awkward 🙂
I stayed two weeks in Sydney and two months in Melbourne. And I’d choose Melbourne. It’s less busy and has more atmosphere and vibe in my opinion.
I love the vibe in Melbourne too but as a tourist feel the sights in Sydney are so much more iconic. Who can forget seeing the Opera House or Harbour Bridge for the first time?