Spending a Day at Bondi Beach
What To Do in Bondi Beach
Getting to Bondi Beach
Since it’s quite a ways away from the city, getting to Bondi can be a slight hassle. The best way we found from the center of the city is by taking the T4 train line to Bondi Junction, and from there you can hop on a bus that drops you off right in front of the beach. Depending on where you are in town, you can also take a bus from the Circular Quay that is the fastest option at about 40 minutes if the traffic isn’t bad. That being said, if you like walking I can also recommend the walk from Bondi Junction to the beach. It’s about 25 minutes, but it’s a lovely walk. The neighborhood is very beautiful, and we came across several charming local coffee shops, restaurants, and grocers on the way.
Things To Do
The Bondi area has several famous sights. Of course, there is the beach itself, but we’ll get to that in a bit. Just off the beach is Bondi Pavilion, a huge boardwalk and cultural center. Here they have performances, shopping, restaurants, classes, and more. Surrounding the beach are several parks, and even a skate park that looked pretty great. On the south side of the beach is the Icebergs, an absolutely iconic swim club with pools hanging over the cliff. Although it is a swim club, the public can pay to use the pool and sauna, and they have a famous bistro inside as well. Of course, there’s plenty of businesses surrounding the beach. There are even pilates and yoga classes that regularly take place on the rocks on the south side of the beach. There’s truly something for everyone here.
Swimming at Bondi Beach
Bondi is Australia’s most popular beach, so it’s no surprise that it’s a great experience. Since the beach faces the east, it’s the perfect place for an morning sunrise. Of course, it’s a great bathing beach as well, with soft white sand and clear blue water. You probably know that Bondi a popular surfing spot, and we immediately could see why. The day we visited the waves were large, with several surfers coming out in the chilly water as soon as the sun started to rise. Since it was still spring, the beach was a little colder than normal, but as the day went on hundreds of people still came to enjoy the nice weather.
What else should you do when visiting Bondi Beach than swimming of course! The water wasn’t as warm as I thought it was going to be but that didn’t stop anyone from swimming. Even on a weekday the beach was packed, but I guess Australians are built different. We’ve never swam such rough ocean before but it was fine since the tide was coming in. Bondi is famous for rip currents and strong tides, so always be safe and aware of your surroundings. Don’t worry if you’re not a strong swimmer though, the shore is plenty shallow enough to safely wade.
Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk
One of the best things to do is the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk. This is a 3km trail from the south point of Bondi Beach, over the coastal cliffs, and back down to Bronte Beach. It’s very scenic and surprisingly diverse, with cliffside lookout points and tidepools dotting the coast. We set out from Bondi, and it took us about two hours to walk to Bronte and back while taking time to enjoy the scenery. The trail itself is moderate with only a few stairs and uphill sections. It’s definitely worth walking at least a small section, as it’s truly one of the more beautiful coasts we’ve seen.
Places To Eat
The Critical Slide Society
On the way from the train station to the beach, we passed by a cute little surf shop in Bondi. At first I just really liked the aesthetic, but we realized there is a tiny coffee shop inside as well. Michael was dragging a bit, and since we never found a place to get coffee in Bondi he decided to grab a long black. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Sydney, it’s that no matter where you go, the coffee is always at least decent. Here was no exception. His long black was made with good beans from in the city, and we’ve seen some pretty impressive latte art from here as well. It turns out, The Critical Slide Society is a world wide surf brand born in Bondi. The surfing culture really runs deep here, even great coffee can be bought from the surf shop in Bondi!
Blessed Bowls
Whenever we can, we always are on the lookout for a great açaí place. Korea doesn’t have a huge açaí culture so I try to get it when I’m abroad. Blessed Bowls is an average acai shop with plenty of sizes and menu options. When we visited, the location was on the main road near the beach. Now, it is in Bondi Junction, although there is an Oakberry near where it used to be. We got classic acai bowls topped with strawberries, granola, coconut flakes, banana, kiwi, passionfruit, honey, and peanut butter. Their acai hits all the right taste buds and had something wholesome in every bite. The toppings all worked really well together and gave the bowl so many different flavors and textures. It really is the perfect treat after a long swim on a hot day.
I Love Pizza Bondi
I Love Pizza Bondi is a take out pizza restaurant offering a variety of signature pizzas. Since we had an Australian style pizza in Sydney, we wanted to see what Bondi had to offer. They have so many great deals and combos all the time making it affordable depending on the day and time. It is in a great location near the beach and they have options for everyone, including vegan pizzas and calzones.
We ordered one of the signatures, churrasco pizza. It has a tomato base, pulled brisket, chorizo, roasted capsicum, Spanish onions, mozzarella and oregano topped with pesto aioli. The pizza tasted exactly as amazing as the ingredients list sounds. The flavors all worked so well together and the brisket and chorizo really made this pizza stand out. If you are in Bondi and looking for a good pizza, this is definitely a place worth trying.
Final Thoughts
Bondi Beach is really one of the nicest ways to spend a day in Sydney. Close enough to easily get to, with plenty of places to eat great food, take a lovely walk, and soak in the Australian sun. Overall, our day in Bondi Beach was one of the best days we spent on our trip.
