Most kids are easy to please—just find them a good playground and let them run free! You can sit back as they expend their endless reservoir of energy and get some much-needed exercise. 

For guests at PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney, the nearest playgrounds are the Darling Harbour Children’s Playground and the Tumbalong Park Playground.

If you’re at PARKROYAL Parramatta, you’ll want to visit the Domain Creek Playground. 

Feeling adventurous? Check out the best playgrounds in Sydney, as recommended by Time Out Sydney. 

Get Directions to Darling Harbour Children’s Playground (2 mins’ walk 2-minute walk from PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney)

Get Directions to Tumbalong Park Playground (5-minute walk from PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney)

Get Directions to Domain Creek Playground (6-minute drive from PARKROYAL Parramatta)

Do your kids love candy floss and classic amusement rides? Spend a happy family day at Luna Park Sydney, where you can get on nostalgic outdoor rides like the carousel and ferris wheel, as well as hair-raising adventure rides involving free-fall drops. 

If the weather should turn gloomy during your visit, simply take shelter in “Coney Island,” an old-school funhouse within Luna Park, where you can be enthralled by a mirror maze, giant slides, and Australia’s largest collection of pinball machines!

Get Directions to Luna Park Sydney (7-minute drive from PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney)

Get Directions to Luna Park Sydney (31-minute drive from PARKROYAL Parramatta)

Engage your kids and do your part for the planet at Taronga Zoo Sydney!

Caring for over 5,000 animals from over 350 species—many of which are in danger of extinction—Taronga Zoo has made it a priority to protect and conserve wildlife. This is the perfect place for your family to get better acquainted with Sumatran Tigers, Asian Elephants, African Zebras, and other beasts. 

To get the most out of your excursion, download the Taronga Zoo Sydney app for easy access to maps, performance schedules, and “Wild Squad Missions”—a series of interactive activities to help kids learn about the inhabitants of the zoo and the importance of conservation.

Get Directions to Taronga Zoo Sydney (15-minute drive from PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney)

Get Directions to Taronga Zoo Sydney (34-minute drive from PARKROYAL Parramatta)

A short ferry ride from the Sydney CBD, Cockatoo Island is a popular day trip destination for families. 

If this is your first visit, we recommend that you begin with a guided tour. The Convict Escape Attempts Tour is suitable for all ages, and it promises to be entertaining even for younger kids, as they discover Cockatoo Island’s past as a penal colony. As you might imagine, some of those prisoners tried to test the boundaries, with varying degrees of success—escape attempts involved disguises, wading through sewers, and swimming in shark-infested waters!

The easiest way to get to Cockatoo Island is by public ferry. The F3 and F8 ferry services operate to Cockatoo Island daily, departing from Circular Quay and Barangaroo as well as from wharves along Parramatta River.

View F3 Route Map

View F8 Route Map

For back-to-basics family fun, pack swimsuits and a picnic basket (guests at PARKROYAL Parramatta can order ready-made picnic baskets), and head to Lake Parramatta for a day out in nature. Activities that your family can enjoy include swimming, boating, bushwalking, and picnicking or barbecuing.  

Get Directions to Lake Parramatta (30-minute drive from PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney)

Get Directions to Lake Parramatta (7-minute drive from PARKROYAL Parramatta)

Hesitant to attempt the BridgeClimb Sydney—due to the price, rather than a fear of heights? You’ll be happy to know that BridgeClimb Sydney has been offering generous discounts on their climb packages, along with greater flexibility to change your climb dates!

So grab your whole family for this ultimate bucket-list experience, where you’ll journey to the top of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge to be rewarded with an incredible view of your beloved city. The best part? You’ll be doing it alongside the people you love most.

Book tickets to BridgeClimb Sydney

Get Directions to Sydney Harbour Bridge (3-minute drive from PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney)

Get Directions to Sydney Harbour Bridge (28-minute drive from PARKROYAL Parramatta)

Raging Waters Sydney is the place to create summer memories for the family, with wild water rides and slides to get your adrenaline pumping! It’s also a chance to indulge in friendly competition with the family—try the 360Rush to race against your teens in a looping water slide at 60 km/h, or slide head-first to be the fastest down the H2Go Racers, an eight-lane water racecourse!

Get Directions to Raging Waters Sydney (32-minute drive from PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Sydney)

Get Directions to Raging Waters Sydney (14-minute drive from PARKROYAL Parramatta)