The Sydney Harbour Bridge climb is a highly rated attraction, and considered a must-do when visiting Sydney. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the tenth-longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 m (440 ft) from top to water level. The views are amazing from the top of the bridge. You can basically see all of Sydney, from the Eastern coast all the way to the Western suburbs.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge climb lasts between 2.5 and 3 hours. But, the first 30 minutes or so are devoted to putting your stuff in storage lockers, putting on the bridge climb gear, and a short training session on how to use their climbing harness anchors. Note about what goes into the lockers…you aren’t allowed to carry anything (phone, purse, wallet, backpack, camera, etc) on the climb. They are very concerned about the risk of dropping things on the trains and people crossing below the bridge. Also, since we were there in February, the temperatures were warm enough that they recommended we wear only our underwear under the overalls they give you for the climb. By the end of the climb we were all glad we did what they suggested.

The tickets for the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb are sold online, and also at tourist outlets all over Sydney. But, it appears there is only one BridgeClimb Sydney organization, so all the tickets ultimately come from there. The tickets are also priced by time of day, with more sought after tickets like sunrise and sunset times costing as much as double of the tickets in mid-day. We chose a less expensive mid-day ticket, which cost us roughly $235 USD per person. Some of the more desirable times were $400+. You can find BridgeClimb ticket sales at BridgeClimb Sydney.

While we thoroughly enjoyed the climb and the views, we thought the tickets were significantly overpriced in comparison with other attractions. That’s even if you don’t include the $59 AUD up charge if you wanted the digital photos they took on the climb. We thought the photo package was almost compulsory, since you aren’t allowed to bring cameras or cell phones on the climb. Considering that point and the high cost of the tickets, we thought the photos should have been included.

If we had known about it earlier we would likely have chosen to visit the the Pylon Lookout and Museum. The Lookout and Museum is located in the Southeast bridge pylon and includes a climb to the top of the 285 foot (87m) tall bridge pylon where there are similar 360-degree city views. There is no elevator in the pylon, but it is only a 200-stair climb in comparison with the 1,004-stair climb to the top of the bridge. Tickets for the Pylon Lookout and Museum also only cost $29 AUD per person. You can find the tickets at Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon Lookout.

Another less expensive option is the Sydney Harbour Bridge walk. The walking path on the Eastern side of the bridge is open to pedestrians, and the Western side is open to cyclists. You can access the walking path from the Bridge stairs on Cumberland Street in The Rocks. The walk is approximately 15-20 minutes each way, depending on how fast you walk.