Sydney Private Custom Tour: Highlights & Hidden Gems With A Local

Peter was absolutely the most awesome guide. He showed us the sites in Sydney, adjusted the tour to accommodate our pace and interests. Peter was knowledgeable, professional, personable and went out of his way to allow us enjoy and appreciate Sydney. He showed us historical sites that only a local guide would know about. He taught us how to use the Light Rail and the Metro. Which made it very easy for us to utilize. I would recommend Peter to anyone that wants the most awesome guide in Sydney.

Ross Prestitino was an outstanding Sydney tour guide. You should request him if you can. Enjoyable and knowledgeable!

We had an amazing day touring Sydney with Peter. I highly recommend this tour. We learned a lot and had so much fun. Peter also was a great guide to help us continue using the public transportation options as we explored on our own the next day. Thanks for the memorable photos!

What a wonderful experience to see this beautiful city of Sydney. Mike was an absolute delight and showed us so much in such a short amount of time. We really enjoyed everything and hope to come back again some day.

We met Peter at our hotel in Sydney for the tour. After suggesting we change into something more hot-weather appropriate, he explained what he intended to show us. We made our way through the Central Business District stopping as Peter pointed out interesting buildings, sites, shops, outdoor markets, and, of course, the bridge and opera house. Why, he even provided details on Sydney’s amazing public transit system, including how to take the Metro and Ferry. We covered a lot in our time together and are grateful to have had such an amazing guide who truly loves his home and life in Sydney. We won’t forget Peter or Betty Windsor II!

We enjoyed our excellent walking tour of Sydney with our delightful guide, Peter, whose love of his hometown was evident as he contacted us in advance to make sure he could personalize the tour and show us parts of Sydney that we wanted to see. Peter is very knowledgeable about all things Sydney; including its history, culture, education, health, & political systems. We learned so much from him in the short time we spent sightseeing. He was so helpful in showing us how to get around using the tram, ferry & train systems. This was especially helpful when we later went on our own to visit the Sydney Fish Market & back to the Rocks for dinner. Thank you, Peter, for a memorable tour!

Peter was fabulous. It was a wonderful way to start our trip and explore the beautiful city of Sydney.

1st Rule: Book with Peter on the 1st or 2nd day with Peter! You’ll thank him later and it will make your trip in Sydney more enjoyable . You need more than 2 hours with him. Peter is very knowledgeable and knows his business! Great guide to get to know your way around Sydney! Thanks Peter!!!

Malcolm was great..walked at my pace & took me to all the sites in downtown, taught how to ride trains & great history knowledge. Wonderful tour!

Malcom was great!! Loved getting to know all the history of Sydney & Australia and how to get around on the rail system

Our Sydney highlights tour today with Malcolm was a great mix of walk and talk history, layout of the city, current state of affairs, and suggestions for our remaining days in town. He was very engaging and easy to talk to.

We did this tour our first day in Sydney, and it was a great way to get the lay of the land. Our guide, Tim, picked us up from our hotel and took us all over downtown through the botanical gardens and by the opera house and harbor. He had some great recommendations for food which we followed. He gave us a great overview on current Sydney culture, only wish I could have heard more detailed history regarding the buildings and founding of the city.

Peter exceeded every expectation during the tour! What an absolute pleasure. His depth of knowledge and attention to detail during the tour was beyond amazing! I use a motorized wheelchair and he made certain that I did not miss a single thing on the tour. We rode the light rail, the rapid metro and a ferry across the harbor! At each highlight he shared a wealth of information and shared historical and cultural insights along the way. I learned so much! He pointed out great photo opportunities and showed me many hidden gems! I would absolutely highly recommend Peter for a tour.

Peter Thank you again for an incredible tour today!!!! We had a great time!!!! This is what I wrote for your review.... We had an incredible experience exploring Sydney with our tour guide Peter! From start to finish, Peter was friendly, professional, and incredibly knowledgeable about the city's history, culture, and hidden gems. He made every stop interesting with fascinating stories and local insights that you wouldn't find in a guidebook. The tour was well-paced, organized, and tailored to the group's interests, making it enjoyable for everyone. His enthusiasm and passion for Sydney really stood out and made the day unforgettable. If you're looking for a memorable way to experience Sydney, I highly recommend this tour. Thank you for making our visit so special—we'll definitely recommend you to friends and family!

Absolutely loved our private tour with Pipster! It was the first thing we did after arriving to Sydney. We loved being able to customize our tour to exactly what we wanted to see and do. She loves her city and it shows! She offered great suggestions and after the tour, we felt confident about how to navigate the city using public transportation. (That was most important to me!) Thank you Pipster for such a fun 3 hours!

Guide was a perfect match for me. We were both female and had similar travels and interests. She was very caring and took care of an 80 year old solo traveller. Vie

I had a one on one 4 hour tour with Peter in Sydney. It was amazing. The pace was perfect with the right combination of information, humour and charm. I would definitely recommend doing a tour with Peter.

Peter was a FANTASTIC guide! He really treated us like his personal guests. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this trip. Very personalized! Peter is the best!

Peter was a great tour guide. He took us first to the old customs office to see a model of Sydney so we could orient ourselves. Then he showed us how to use the tram and took us to some hidden gems in the city. We went to the Rocks district, the opera house, Chinatown and the new seafood market.

DK is an amazing guide. She is both knowledgeable and professional as well as warm and engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed my tour and highly recommend DK.

We had a great time seeing the city. We learned so much and we would recommend to anyone who is visiting Sydney!

Michael was very friendly and knowledgable. It was a relaxed and informative tour. .

I loved my walking tour. The company does a great job of tailoring the tour to your liking. I requested history and nature and this tour guide was phenomenal. It was one of my best days while visiting Sydney. I would highly recommend.

We greatly enjoyed our afternoon with Michael who showed us around St Andrews, QVB, Sydney’s harbor areas and the Rocks. Informative and highly personable.

Our guide Ania was excellent. She walked around al the ares we had hoped for and more. She had great stories and command of information and history. We highly recommend Ania.

While visiting Sydney for just one day on the Island Princess during our 54-day cruise, we wanted to experience as much of the city as possible. We booked a four-hour walking tour with Graeme Cole, and it proved to be the perfect choice. Experience: This tour delivered both depth and variety—exploring The Rocks, crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and ending at Manly Beach. Graeme’s commentary was rich with history and personal insight, making every stop meaningful. Admission Fee: The tour offered excellent value for money given the quality and duration of the experience. Length of Visit: At approximately four hours and about 15,000 steps, the tour felt comprehensive but very manageable. Graeme efficiently adapted the pace for my husband, who moves slower due to needing a knee replacement, so we never felt rushed. Atmosphere: We enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day with clear views of Sydney’s landmarks. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly—Graeme’s warm personality made the experience feel like spending time with family. Crowd Size: Fortunately, crowds were lower on our tour day than they had been the day before. That allowed us to cover more ground comfortably and take in the sights without feeling overwhelmed. Staff: Graeme was exceptional—professional, accommodating, and deeply knowledgeable. His passion for Sydney was evident, and his genuine care for guests made the day truly memorable. Best For: This tour is ideal for first-time visitors, cruise passengers with limited time in port, and anyone who wants a well-rounded introduction to Sydney’s history and highlights. Graeme also shared suggestions for what to explore if we return with more time, and we absolutely plan to do just that. After this unforgettable experience, we’ll be back to see more of Sydney and its surrounding areas.

This is a great tour to get introduced to Sydney and how to navigate. It can also be personalized based on your interests which is a major plus.

Took this tour on our 1st day immediately after arriving in Sydney and loved it, wonderful way to get your bearings on the city, so you can set up the balance of your stay. Having a private guide means you can ask as many questions as you want, when you want and you can better focus on what you want to see. Not inexpensive but I would definitely recommend it

After 453 reviews, this is the first time I have given anyone only 1 star. I booked the tour in November, 2025 and was assigned a tour guide.  In January I was informed that my tour guide had retired and another was assigned to me.  In February, the new tour guide had to cancel due to medical issues, and I was assigned another tour guide.  The morning before the tour they told me that the latest tour guide couldn’t do the tour and that they were looking for another one and would get back to me shortly.  At 3:00 PM they finally admitted that they couldn’t get us a guide.  They offered to switch to another, which wouldn’t work because we had a different tour our only other day here.  Since that didn’t work, they gave us a refund.  Had they told us earlier and quit stringing us along, I might have been able to move things around or arrange for a different tour.  In all my years of booking private tours, I have never had anything like this happen.  It was very disappointing. We ended up doing a self-guided tour on our own; but we missed all the valuable information and direction a good tour would provide. If you are looking for a private tour in Sydney, I recommend that you avoid City Unscripted.

Great walking tour and introduction to Sydney. Peter was wonderful and very knowledgeable. Definitely recommend.

Peter was wonderful to spend a few hours with. Very knowledgeable and just a joy for our first Australia experience. Definitely suggest this tour.

This was an opportunity to lean about Sydney from someone who lives here, knows the history and is very proud of their community. Ross was incredible and we loved hearing his knowledge about the building of the Opera House and his favorite places to eat. We went to one of them after the tour and his recommendation was incredible!

Olivia is amazing, we had her as tour guide. She was personable, punctual and professional. Thanks to her we saw koalas up close at the Taronga Zoo. She escorted us to Bondi Beach. She showed us how to use public transportation. She gave us some history on Sydney. As we traveled to Bondi, she told us about the different area of Sydney. She gave us suggestions for the rest of our stay in Sydney. Thank you, Olivia.

Wonderful tour guide! Very knowledgeable on the history and the location as well. We met at our accommodation, and Ross was very friendly and understanding especially given we had only landed that morning. Pleasant walking tour with lots of helpful tips, including how to use the public transport which we used for the duration of the trip. Thanks!

Peter was an incredible host to Sydney. His communication BEFORE the tour was outstanding - making recommendations regarding money exchanges before even arriving, restaurants, keeping me informed regarding the opening of the new fish market (and sending YouTube videos), etc. The day of our tour, after disembarking the cruise ship and arriving at our hotel, Peter came and met us there to start our journey. He taught us how to use the tram system (which we did use a number of times over the next 4 days), took us to the Opera House (where they were setting up and rehearsing for the next day's Australia Day festivities), around The Rocks area, ferry ride to Manly Beach, walk through the downtown area (hidden gem - the "bird cages"), over to Darling Harbor, and ending at the new Fish Market (opened earlier that week)...and so many more sites - too many to mention. You will need good sneakers to keep up with Peter, as he is anxious to show you everything this magnificent city has to offer. Absolutely worth doing this tour, and try and get Peter as your guide - you will not be disappointed!

We had the best day. Peter was amazing! Kind, friendly, professional and very knowledgeable. The personal communications we had with him, prior to the day were very helpful and reassuring. We were excited to meet him. We had a wonderful experience and learnt so much about beautiful Sydney. It was also super to understand the ferry and light rail (tram) systems. We really recommend Peter and this tour. Thank you Peter, it was a pleasure.

We enjoyed a very informative 3 hour tour with our guide Peter. He made sure to customize the tour as much as possible and was extremely knowledgeable. We really appreciated that he met us at our hotel and taught us how to use the light rail and ferry system.

The guide never showed up. When I contacted Trip Advisor they said she had the wrong date. I said we came halfway around the world and she could not get the date right. She is not dependable and should not be used again by the company.

We loved this tour with Ania and City Unscripted. We filled in a brief survey about our 'likes' and Ania designed a tour that was spot-on! So glad we did this and not a routine tourist tour.

This was a great tour. Our guide Peter was wonderful. Lots of excellent info about Sydney and Australia. I would definitely take this tour again. This is a walking tour so wear comfortable shoes.

We had the 8 hour tour for two couples. Peter was our tour guide. He met us at our hotel and went over thr plans for the day. Peter is an amazing tour guide. Very informative and great sense of humor. We had another tour right after ours and he took us to where we were supposed to meet. We would definitely do this tour again.

We had a wonderful tour with Peter. He was informative, fun and very helpful with all our future plans in the city.

Peter was an outstanding tour guide. He was very knowledgeable on the city and Australia overall. I would highly recommend him to anyone wanting to learn about the city. Also, he was friendly, well spoken and very personable.

Malcolm was an amazing private tour guide. He knows the city and was very open to what we wanted to see. I love tours on foot versus bus. I highly recommend this tour.

Peter was an outstanding guide and great ambassador for Australia and Viator. This over 4 hour included tram ride, ferry ride, Sydney Opera House, and museum. Great review of Sydney and Australia's history and growth. Peter was very knowledgeable and build the tour according to what we wanted. Thanks Peter for a great afternoon.

Graeme was personable, flexible and knowledgeable. He knew history of Sydney and Australia . A smart well read man. My friend and I loved walking and hearing stories. Graeme was great at pointing out sites. We visited much including Sydney bridge, nurses walk, The Rocks, Manly beach and Victoria Building. Graeme was very accommodating.

An amazing day with an outstanding guide. Ross contacted us in advance and created a personalized tour of Sydney. He introduced us to the many public transportation options in the city. We covered many sites in the city and area…and still enjoyed a relaxing lunch with a lovely water view. Our remaining 2 days in Sydney were much more enjoyable and relaxed because of our experience on this guided tour. Sydney is a beautiful city that deserves to be explored. This private tour was indeed a treasure…and our guide Ross…a gift! Thank you!

Peter was an excellent guide! He designed the itinerary with our interests in mind. We learned how to navigate the transportation, saw the highlights, and leaned alot about the history of Australia and current culture. Loved the tour!

Ross met us at our hotel. Well before we met he corresponded with us to inquire as to what we were going to see prior to our tour while in Sydney and also to inquire about anything we wanted to absolutely see. I appreciated the communication. We started off by going through parts of Sydney Harbor that my wife and I had not yet experienced and heard about the history of this area and of Australia. We next headed to Bondi Beach, which was the one place we definitely wanted to go to. He smoothly guided us on and off trains, buses and railways to get to the beach. We spent time walking the beach and hearing about some of the history there and at the Bondi Iceberg’s Club. We went to downtown and midtown and Ross showed us all of the significant historical sites all the while explaining their significance both in the past and currently. We spent 4 hours walking and seeing many wonderful historic sites and hearing about the history of Australia from its beginning to now. It was a great combination of history and current uses of places. Ross was great as our guide - very friendly, very knowledgeable and very adaptive to our ‘wants’. We enjoyed the morning!