Sydney Shore Excursion: The Original Guided Walking Tour Of The Rocks

While the tour itself might have been good, the guide we had (Dee) was horrible. I nearly walked out during the tour because she was so inarticulate. I think she may have known her material, but had too much trouble trying to convey the message. In addition, the tour started very late due to issues with her audio setup that should have been checked before the tour. We’d have understood and been more forgiving if this was a volunteer for a free tour, but we paid good money for this (it was over $50 and there were 20 people on the tour - do the math!) and we should have been provided with a good guide.

Paul is very experience not only he knows the history of the city but also the way he handle and engaged with audiance is very nice along with Jokes and comments that makes you live the history

Vickie was a very good guide, and overall the tour was pleasant and informative. The stories were interesting, and she was happy to answer questions throughout the walk. However, one aspect made me uncomfortable. When discussing the brutal punishment of convicts, it was suggested that this was understandable at the time because it helped maintain order. I appreciate that historical context is important, but I felt this point could have been handled with more sensitivity, especially given the seriousness of the suffering involved. Overall, the tour was helpful and well delivered, but I think more care could be taken when discussing morally difficult parts of history.

My husband and I had a wonderful tour today with George. We are visiting from the US and this was our first time in Sydney. George was extremely knowledgeable and a great story teller. We learned so much about the very early history of Sydney and how it impacted the development of Sydney. George added personal histories of the people that made the tour more memorable. We both highly recommend this tour!

We learned so much on our walking tour with Vickki. The audio headsets made a big difference—being able to hear her clearly over the busy street noise kept us fully engaged. She brought the history of The Rock to life, weaving stories with the photos she shared, which helped us better understand the grit and hardship that went into building this country. This tour is an excellent choice for anyone with an interest in history, and we highly recommend it.

What a fantastic experience! I’ve lived here my whole life, yet I never realised how much history I’ve walked past every day. It was fascinating to learn about the significance of Australian history and how this colony developed and grew. A big thank you to our guide, Max so knowledgeable and engaging, providing great context by connecting local events to what was happening around the world at the same time.

Claudia was an excellent guide Very informative & knowledgeable Told without having her own agenda regarding history of Australia

Really good, interesting tour around the Rocks. Lasts about 1.5 hours. Well worth doing if you don’t know Sydney well.

Really lovely guide, who was very knowledgeable and made it a very enjoyable tour. A definite must when you’re in Sydney.

Our guide had so much knowledge of the area. It was an easy walk and even though we had had a look around prior, she took us into little nooks and crannies only the locals know about. Thoroughly enjoyable, thank you.

Great personalized walking tour do yourself favor and do this tour as you will learn a lot - strongly recommend

This is an awesome walking tour to learn history of Sydney. Our guide was extremely thorough, knowledgeable and walking was an easy pace. Definitely fit this excursion to a visit to Sydney.

The history of this area is amazing. This was our first time here and did not realize how this area developed and what types of people came and lived here to create this part of Australia.

Great introduction to the Rocks! Paul was very knowledgeable and overall a nice experience. Thanks so much!

Anne was a wonderful tour guide and brought the story alive for us all. She had interesting photos too and her enthuasism was infectious.

Nice small group. Easy to locate meeting point. Fiorella did an excellent job of explaining all about the history of The Rocks. It was easy to hear her and her explanations were simple yet comprehensive. We felt we learned a great deal about the Rocks' history and its relationship to Sydney's past and present.

Our guide Vickie was wonderful. She was well spoken, well researched and welcomed questions from us all. I learnt a lot and I am Australian.

We signed up late the same day and just squeezed onto the PM tour as it was so popular. The guide was excellent in being clear and informative with the information as we walked around the Rocks area. We had mics/headsets so we could hear him. Excellent 1.5hrs spent and we learnt a lot whilst taking in the sights. A really nice part of Sydney with great bars and restaurants.

I’m a Sydney local who has lived here for 30 years. I had been to the Rocks many times but thought I’d do a tour to learn the history of the area. Our guide was Edith- she was amazing. Very knowledgeable and had many interesting stories about the area and original settlors. Highly recommended

Anne was a great guide! very knowledgeable about all things historical in the area. We had a great time as 'tourists in our own town'

Great introduction to the area. A lot of historical information about the original English transports. Anne was wonderful.

The Rocks Walking Tour was for the most part interesting and enjoyable. Our guide used a portable speaker attached to her waist. This made it challenging to clearly hear her informative commentaries about local history unless you were standing next to her mostly due to local traffic and construction noises. It would have been nice to have personal hearing devices. While there are many levels to the Rocks area, the stairways and pace of walking were very comfortable for us.

Tour was terrific. We got to learn so many things about The Rocks before and after colonisation. Tour guide was knowledgeable and obliging. I would recommend this tour to others.

Could have covered more territory at the top end and towards the bridge itself. But reasonably interesting

Excellent, informative, knowledgable. Really brought the place alive. Well worth the ticket price! Why do you insist I write more?

An insightful and informative tour with Brian as our guide which far exceeded our expectations many thanks

i am a local, this was a great tour, Sally was an excellent guide, very educational and lots to see, i learnt so much about early Sydney, the tour is great value for money

Helen gave a very informative and enjoyable narration of the history of the Rocks. I wouldn't have known some of the unique spots and out of view places we visited were even there. Highly recommend to both visitors and residents of Sydney.

The day of our tour was just like a summer day in Indiana, 100 F and 100% humidity, but with Brian as our guide we didn't notice. He shared a wealth of information with a touch of humor, so I barely noticed the weather. It helped that he ensured our stops were in the shade. Those 90 minutes flew past, but Brian made sure we had all our questions answered. I would put this on your "to-do" list when visiting Sydney.

I thoroughly enjoyed the walking tour today. Vickie, our guide was incredibly knowledgeable, and brought the history to life. She was very thoughtful about the needs of her group and answered all questions with considerable ease. Would thoroughly recommend.

Great walking tour by Vicky! She knew her stuff! Interesting to learn about the convict history of Sydney.

Great tour with our guide Julie. Very knowledgeable. Patient with all of our questions. Very concerned with our comfort. Added a bonus trip along the waterfront since no cruise ships were docked.

Had a lovely 90+ minute walking history lesson of Sydney’s early start. Our guide Anne was so knowledgeable and passionate about everything we saw. Highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting Sydney!

As an Australian, there was just so much that I learnt today that I didn't know! Brian is knowledgeable, humorous, and just so entertaining! This hour and a half will make your Sydney trip all the more memorable; leaving you connected to this beautiful city, with a wealth of Australian history, and a smile on your face (and a top recommendation or two)!

I had such a great time leaning the history of Sydney. Our guide Vickie was incredibly knowledgeable and obviously has a passion for the history of Sydney. So was also so incredibly kind and even showed me my way to the train. Such a sweet person. Definitely would recommend.

Brian infused us with his passion for Sydney's history and encyclopedic knowledge. When the tour ended, I felt like I'd stepped out of a time machine.

Brian was a very informative guide with great stories about the European history of Sydney. The added humor made the 90 mins fly by. We will definitely return when we have visitors in Sydney.

Brought the old Rocks district to life with informative historical facts and tales of amusing characters.

Hi We attended the walking tour Wednesday 1.30 pm What a great tour sally was our guide her knowledge,information, kindness and care to each and everyone was outstanding what a lovely lady who obviously loves our city One of us is from Sydney the other originally from Sydney but now living in Brisbane We can only think how much knowledge the tourist from overseas would have gotten from our tour Sally you are outstanding and so passionate about your job it was an amazing experience Thank you so much Regards Karen & kerryn