Blue Mountains Budget Travel guide: How to get from Sydney to the Blue Mountains for cheap without driving
Australia’s Blue mountains are a world-famous mountain range in New South Wales that are known for their rugged beauty and dramatic landscape. Due to the fact that it is located just 120km away from Sydney, the Blue Mountains are a popular day trip from the city however visiting these mountains can come at a steep price. A Blue Mountains tour can set you back $100 AUD or more, but here’s a secret- you can do the Blue Mountains as a day trip from Sydney for just $2.70 per person, and you don’t have to drive anywhere either.
How to visit the Blue Mountains from Sydney for $2.70 AUD (and without driving)
Take the train from Sydney’s Central Station to Katoomba Station
The day that you travel is vital when it comes to scoring a cheap deal to the Blue Mountains. While on most days, a return train ticket will set you back $6.80 each way or $8.69 before or after nine, on Sundays all public transport in Sydney is capped at only $2.70 for unlimited travel. This includes ferries, buses and trains leaving from Sydney, meaning that you can get to the Blue Mountains and back for next to nothing.
To travel by train and all other forms of public transport in Sydney, you’ll need an Opal transport card. You can get one of these at the ticket desks, at most newsagents and Seven Eleven’s. Simply load your card up with as much money as you want and then tap in through the barriers.
There are hostels at Katoomba town centre so you could stay longer if you wanted to however the Blue Mountains are perfectly doable in a day. We left Sydney on the train at nine in the morning and got back at around seven in the evening. You can check out the train times here.
What to do when you get to Katoomba Station
You will arrive at Katoomba Station which is located in the centre of the town. There will be people outside the station waiting to sell you all of the most popular tours from the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus, a bus that drops you off at various points in the mountains for $50 pp, or tickets to Scenic World, giving you access to the cableway and skywalk. However if you’re just interested in spending a few hours hiking in the mountains then you don’t need to purchase any of this.
Entrance to the Blue Mountains is completely free and it’s only about a 20 minute walk from Katoomba Station and up Katoomba Street to Echo Point, where you can then follow various trails in the mountains. There are plenty of lookout points, waterfalls and wildlife to spot along the way.
Things to bring
I know, I didn’t think Australia got cold either but it actually can get quite chilly in the Blue Mountains so, be sure to bring a jumper, raincoat and long bottoms. Wear good walking Shoes if you plan on going on any of the trails and bring plenty of water and food in a backpack. It’s also worth heading into the Information Centre located just opposite the train station in Katoomba to pick up a map.
Do you have any more questions about visiting the Blue Mountains? Feel free to drop me a message or leave a comment below.
You can read more about my Working Holiday and travels in Australia here.
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