Sydney
+23%€74median tour
€36middle half of tours€124
- 38% under €50
- #36 cheapest of 50
Oceania · 12 cities
Things to Do in Australia
Twelve Australian destinations in one place: how far apart they really are, when the reef and the tropical north are actually open, and what a guided day costs in Sydney.
3,772 tours listed by Viator 12 cities we cover Median tour €74–€74 Free cancellation
Where to go
Cities of Australia
In the order Viator’s own catalogue puts them — most-booked first, not alphabetical.
Full list
All cities, by region
Grouped by region using Viator’s own map of the country. The first block is the places it files directly under Australia.
What it costs
What tours cost in Australia
From our own price index — 2,400 tours across 50 cities, collected August 2026. Medians, not averages: a couple of multi-day packages drag an average into fiction.
Vertical line is the global median, €60. Full table for all 50 cities in the Tour Price Index.
Practical info
Know before you book
The things that change a decision — not a retelling of the guidebook.
The distances are the whole problem
Sydney to Cairns is a three-hour flight; Sydney to Perth five, which is longer than London to Dubai. Australia is roughly the size of Europe with a fraction of the population. Two cities in ten days is realistic; four is a holiday spent in airports.
Outer reef or inner reef is the real reef decision
Cairns and Port Douglas are the access points. Inner-reef day trips are cheaper and reach patchier coral; outer-reef pontoons and liveaboards get the coral everyone has seen in photographs. From November to May you also wear a stinger suit — box jellyfish season is not optional.
The tropical north has a wet season
Darwin and Cairns run November to April as the wet: heat, humidity, cyclones and roads in Kakadu that close for months. The same months are high summer and peak season in Sydney and Melbourne. The country does not have one season at a time.
Uluru is a long way from everything
Five hours by road from Alice Springs, or a direct flight to Ayers Rock airport, which is what most people take. Climbing the rock has been prohibited since 2019 at the request of the Anangu traditional owners; the base walk and the sunrise viewing are what the visit is now.
The UV here is the highest in the world
Burn times in summer are measured in minutes, not hours, and the risk is real even on overcast days. Hat, long sleeves and high-factor sunscreen are ordinary local behaviour rather than caution — Australians are taught this from childhood.
December and January are the domestic peak
School summer holidays run from mid-December to late January, and the whole country travels. Coastal accommodation, campsites and flights book out and prices rise sharply. February and March give the same weather without the crowd.
When to visit
Australia through the seasons
What is open, how busy it gets, and when to book ahead.
Summer
Dec–Feb
- Best for
- Southern beaches, Sydney and Melbourne outdoors, Tasmania at its best.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- The tropical north is in its wet season and the school holidays fill the coast.
Autumn
Mar–May
- Best for
- The best all-round months: warm south, drying north, reef conditions improving.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- April and May are the quiet favourite for combining the cities and the reef.
Winter
Jun–Aug
- Best for
- The tropical north and the Red Centre at their best, whale watching on both coasts.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- This is the dry season in Cairns and Darwin — peak season there, low season in the south.
Spring
Sep–Nov
- Best for
- Wildflowers in the west, comfortable temperatures everywhere, the reef still dry.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- October is arguably the best single month in the country as a whole.
Frequently asked
Australia: common questions
How many days do you need in Australia?
Two weeks minimum if you are coming from Europe or North America. Four days each for Sydney and Melbourne, plus four for the reef around Cairns, is a full and sensible fortnight. Adding Uluru or Perth means a third and fourth internal flight.
What does a tour in Australia cost?
Sydney sits at a median of €74 in our index of 50 cities, against a global median of €60 — above the world average. Reef day trips and Uluru experiences are at the higher end again; harbour cruises and city walks are ordinary prices.
When is the best time to visit?
March to May and September to November, when the southern cities are comfortable and the tropical north is dry or drying. June to August is the right time for the reef, the Red Centre and Darwin. December and January are hot, wet in the north and at peak domestic prices.
Where do you visit the Great Barrier Reef from?
Cairns for the widest choice and the cheapest trips, Port Douglas for a shorter run to better outer-reef sites and a nicer town. The Whitsundays, further south, are the sailing version of the same reef. All are flights from the major cities.
Can you climb Uluru?
No. The climb closed permanently in October 2019 at the request of the Anangu, the traditional owners. The ten-kilometre base walk, the Field of Light installation and the sunrise and sunset viewing areas are what the site offers now, and guided walks with Anangu guides are the most worthwhile of them.
