The list starts with the places every source we compared puts first and works outward from Katoomba. Each item says how long it takes and whether a tour adds anything. Most of it is free. Where a tour genuinely helps, we say which one; where the train and your own feet do the job, we say that instead.
We built this guide from four traveller and tourism videos filmed on the ground, set against the 98 day trips that sell the same places.
Things to do in the Blue Mountains
1. Echo Point and the Three Sisters
This is the stop every visitor makes, and all four sources we compared put it first. The lookout sits at the end of Echo Point Road in Katoomba, a walk downhill along Katoomba Street from the station. NSW National Parks rates it easy, with wide boardwalks and a few steps.
Aquarius Traveller’s advice is to come more than once. Before sunset the cliffs turn orange; early in the morning, low cloud can sit on the valley floor below you. Late morning is the worst time, because that is when the tour buses arrive together. Jamie Does Life filmed it packed.
Cloud is the other risk. On an earlier visit, Jamie Does Life saw nothing at all, waited 10 minutes in the gift shop and came out to clear sky. The lookout stands in the land of the Gundungurra and Darug people, the traditional custodians of the Three Sisters, which is a declared Aboriginal Place. The short side walk to Honeymoon Bridge on the first sister is closed for rockfall hazards, with no reopening date in the park alerts.
Every day trip from Sydney stops here.
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10 hours
Prices and availability update live from Viator. Free cancellation and duration come from each listing.
2. Scenic World
Scenic World is Katoomba’s big paid attraction: a glass-floored cable car across the gorge, a cableway down into the rainforest, a boardwalk at the bottom and the Scenic Railway back up. The railway runs at a 52 degree incline and calls itself the steepest passenger railway in the world.
Aquarius Traveller thought it looked touristy and then rode the railway about four times. Doing everything properly took 2 to 3 hours. Scenic World opens at 10am on weekdays and 9am at weekends; be there at opening, before the queues build.
Aquarius Traveller’s pass covered all the rides. Josh Goes Slow warns that food inside costs more because there is nowhere else to eat. The lower boardwalk takes under an hour and is shaded, which makes it a good hour on a hot day.
A day trip with Scenic World included.
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10 hours
3. Wentworth Falls
Wentworth Falls is the first big stop as you come up from Sydney, and the Sydney tourism channel starts its day here. The lookouts start at the Wentworth Falls picnic area. NSW National Parks gives the Weeping Rock circuit 1.6 km and about an hour, past Jamison, Wentworth Falls and Fletchers lookouts, where the falls drop about 100 m into the valley.
The Wentworth Falls track is shorter, 1.4 km return, but takes about 200 steps down to Fletchers Lookout and the same back up. Aquarius Traveller allowed 1.5 to 2 hours for the area. The deeper tracks below the falls, including parts of National Pass and Wentworth Pass, are closed in the park alerts.
Flow depends on rain. After a few dry days the falls are a trickle. After a wet week they are one of the strongest sights in the region. The station is a short walk away, so this works on the train too.
4. Govetts Leap at Blackheath
The Sydney tourism channel calls Govetts Leap arguably the best lookout in the mountains, and Aquarius Traveller ranks it second only to Echo Point. It looks over the Grose Valley rather than the Jamison Valley, so the view is different, not more of the same. Bridal Veil Falls drops 180 m to the base of the cliff, and accessible paths lead to the lookout.
Blackheath sits north of Katoomba on the same railway line and has its own station. Most day tours do not come this far. That alone makes it quieter at the times when Echo Point is full.
5. Katoomba Falls and the cliff walk to Echo Point
If you want one walk that shows you the edge of the escarpment without a big climb, take this one. Jamie Does Life started at the Katoomba Falls Reserve, two bus stops from town, and walked to the Three Sisters in about an hour. It is 1.6 to 2 km, with a few steep sections and about 30 steps up at the end.
On the way you pass Witches Leap Falls, Orphan Rock and the Katoomba Cascades. This stretch is part of the Prince Henry Cliff walk, which NSW National Parks lists at 7 km one way from Katoomba Cascades to Gordon Falls near Leura, via Echo Point. Aquarius Traveller also liked the shorter Round Walk from the Scenic World car park, 45 minutes to an hour.
6. The Grand Canyon track
This is the walk for people who came to hike. It starts at the Grand Canyon car park off Evans Lookout Road at Blackheath, drops into the canyon past giant ferns and cascades, and climbs out at Evans Lookout. NSW National Parks lists it as a 6.3 km loop of 3 to 4 hours, grade 3 and challenging.
It is not a day tour walk. Most day trips give you up to 90 minutes on a track, and the climb back out is steep. There is no water on the track, so carry your own. Check the park alerts first, and never walk the canyon before, during or after heavy rain, because the creek floods.
If you would rather go with transport from Sydney and someone who knows the closures, book a guided hike instead.
A day from Sydney with short guided bushwalks.
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10 hours
7. Sublime Point and the Leura lookouts
Sublime Point, south of Leura, is one of the three lookouts Aquarius Traveller would keep if time is short, alongside Echo Point and Govetts Leap. Eaglehawk Lookout sits closer to Katoomba.
An honest note from the same source: after a few lookouts, they start to blend together. Three good ones, at the right time of day, beat eight in a rush. Pick by light, not by count.
8. Sunset at the cliffs
Sunset is when the sandstone glows, and both Aquarius Traveller and the Sydney tourism channel end their day at Echo Point for it. Searches for Blue Mountains sunset spots run to several hundred a month, so you will not be alone.
Echo Point works for the Three Sisters. Govetts Leap faces a different way and catches the glow on the Grose Valley walls. Check the sunset time on the day and arrive 30 minutes early.
9. Katoomba Falls night walk
A 1.3 km trail lit by Blue Mountains City Council, from the Katoomba Falls Kiosk car park down to the Duke and Duchess Lookout. The Blue Mountains Gazette reported 13 spotlights and 390 path lights, on from dusk until 10:30pm and 11pm. Aquarius Traveller heard from a local that some lights are often broken and found sections very dark, so bring a torch.
It is worth it if you are staying the night. It is not worth staying an extra night for.
10. Minnehaha Falls
A quieter waterfall in North Katoomba, about 1.5 km each way on a moderate track with rocky steps near the end. Check it is open first: one walking guide lists it as closed by the council over an unstable rock overhang. Aquarius Traveller liked it less than the others: the lookout sits a little far from the falls. Locals swim in the pool on hot days. Save it for a second visit or after heavy rain.
Things to do in Katoomba
Katoomba is the main town and the one most people mean when they say the Blue Mountains. The station sits at the top of Katoomba Street, and the street runs downhill toward Echo Point. Walking it is, in Josh Goes Slow’s words, the best and cheapest way to see the town.
It was a mining town first. Jamie Does Life found photos of the old quarry days along the street, and the town turned to tourism when the mines ran out. Today the strip is cafes, outdoor gear shops and antique stores.
- Beverly Place. The Street Art Walk, a laneway of murals near the town centre that opened in June 2015. Five to 10 minutes, free, and Aquarius Traveller calls it one of the things most visitors miss.
- Breakfast before the crowds. Jamie Does Life ate breakfast in town before walking down, and found most of the pastries gone when they came back to a bakery in the afternoon.
- Echo Point and Scenic World. Both are inside Katoomba, at the bottom of the hill. See items 1 and 2.
- Katoomba Falls Reserve. Two bus stops from town, and the start of the cliff walk in item 5.
Parking is the town’s weak spot. Aquarius Traveller found street spaces near Echo Point full at peak times and hotel parking tight overnight. If you are only here for a day, the train removes the problem.
Things to do in Leura
Leura is one stop east of Katoomba and a different mood: smaller, greener and slower. The Sydney tourism channel stops here mid morning for its food shops and galleries, and calls it a mountain village.
- The Mall. Leura’s main street is lined with food shops, a chocolate maker and galleries. An hour is plenty unless you are shopping.
- Gardens in spring and autumn. Leura’s private gardens are the region’s best known, and some open to the public in season. Check the visitor information site for dates.
- Sublime Point. The quieter lookout on Leura’s southern edge. See item 7.
- The cliff walk to Katoomba. The Prince Henry Cliff Walk links Leura to Echo Point along the escarpment. You can walk one way and take the train or bus back.
Leura and Katoomba are close enough that most visitors do both on the same day. The train between them takes a few minutes, and the cliff walk joins them on foot.
Free things to do in the Blue Mountains
Almost everything in the mountains that is worth seeing costs nothing. The lookouts, the cliff walks and the waterfalls sit inside Blue Mountains National Park, and the walks start from public car parks and bus stops.
- Every lookout on this page. Echo Point, Govetts Leap, Sublime Point, Evans Lookout and Wentworth Falls Lookout are free and open all day.
- The cliff walk from Katoomba Falls to the Three Sisters. About an hour, and it shows more of the escarpment than Echo Point alone.
- The Weeping Rock Circuit at Wentworth Falls. A 1.6 km loop, about an hour.
- The Grand Canyon track. Free, a 6.3 km loop of 3 to 4 hours.
- The Beverly Place street art in Katoomba. Ten minutes.
- The Katoomba Falls night walk. Free, if you bring your own torch.
- Window shopping in Leura Mall. Free until the chocolate shop.
The only things you pay for on a self-guided day are the train fare, food and Scenic World. Josh Goes Slow did the whole day without planning any tickets in advance and called it a great day out. Scenic World is the one paid stop most people add, and it is optional.
Things to do in the Blue Mountains with kids
Scenic World is the obvious one, and it earns it. The railway ride takes about three minutes by Scenic World’s own count, and children want to go again, much as Aquarius Traveller did. Scenic World says the Cableway, the Skyway and a 500 m stretch of boardwalk are wheelchair accessible. The Railway is not, and it has 22 stairs to board and leave.
Echo Point suits families because the main platform is reached on wide boardwalks with only a few steps. Hold small hands at the railings; the drop is real.
For walks, pick short and flat. The Weeping Rock circuit at Wentworth Falls is 1.6 km and about an hour. The Katoomba Falls Round Walk takes 45 minutes to an hour. Skip the Grand Canyon track and the stairs below Wentworth Falls with young children, because the climb out is long.
Kangaroos are the other thing children ask about. Wild ones graze at dusk on the edges of the mountains, and the two sunset tours we compare from Sydney are built around finding them. Day trips with a wildlife park stop add koalas, at the cost of an hour of mountain time.
Pack layers. It is colder up here than in Sydney, often by a full jacket.
Things to do on a rainy day
Rain is common in the mountains and it does not ruin the day. It changes it.
Waterfalls are the winner. Wentworth Falls and Katoomba Falls after a wet week are a different sight from the trickle Aquarius Traveller found after dry days. The Weeping Rock Circuit gets its name for a reason.
Scenic World works in light rain. The cableway cabin is enclosed with floor to ceiling glass, and the lower boardwalk sits under the rainforest canopy. In heavy rain, cloud may fill the valley and the Skyway view goes white.
The towns are made for wet afternoons. Katoomba Street has cafes, antique shops and a brewery; Leura Mall has the food shops and galleries. The Sydney tourism channel ends its day at a Katoomba brewery for dinner.
What a rainy day costs you is the long view. Cloud can sit on the Three Sisters for an hour or clear in 10 minutes, as it did for Jamie Does Life. Keep Echo Point flexible and go when it lifts. Skip steep tracks in heavy rain; wet sandstone steps are slippery, and the parks service closes tracks after storms.
Getting around, when to go and how long to stay
By train from Central
This is the free alternative to a tour, and for many visitors it is the better one. Trains to the Blue Mountains leave Sydney’s Central station, and Jamie Does Life left from platform 5. The ride to Katoomba takes about 2 hours, and the views change as the line climbs west into the national park.
Josh Goes Slow recommends the one express train of the morning, which took 1 hour 45 minutes when he filmed in March 2023. Regular services take about 2 hours and run roughly hourly. He left at 6:50am, caught the 4:20pm home and was back at Central at 6:20pm.
Once you arrive, you have three ways to get around.
- On foot. Walk down Katoomba Street to Echo Point, along the cliff walk to Katoomba Falls and over to Scenic World. Josh Goes Slow called walking the best and cheapest way.
- Local bus. Buses loop the main sights from Katoomba station. Jamie Does Life used one to reach Katoomba Falls, two stops from town.
- Hop on hop off. The Blue Mountains Explorer bus starts at the station and, per Aquarius Traveller, stops at about 30 places including Scenic World and Echo Point.
Trains back run every 20 to 40 minutes in the afternoon, by Jamie Does Life’s count. Check the Transport for NSW trip planner for times on your day, because weekend trackwork sometimes swaps trains for buses.
What the train cannot do well is Govetts Leap and Evans Lookout in the same day as Katoomba, or a 4 hour walk with a 2 hour ride each way. That is where a car, or a tour, wins.
By car
The drive is 90 minutes from the CBD according to the Sydney tourism channel, or 1.5 to 2 hours each way according to Aquarius Traveller. A car makes it easy to string Wentworth Falls, Echo Point, Leura and Govetts Leap together. Parking near Echo Point and in Katoomba is the catch at peak times.
On a tour
A day tour solves the transport and costs you control. Aquarius Traveller put it plainly: tours run to a strict schedule but stop at the major highlights. Our Blue Mountains tours from Sydney page compares 98 of them, including a budget day that comes home by river ferry.
Booking one for the first time? This is how a day tour booking works, from payment to pickup.
Two ways to do the day without driving.
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10 hours -
10 hours
When to go
All year works. Autumn, from March to May, has the clearest air for lookouts. Summer brings long days, crowds and the chance of fire closures. Winter is cold and short, with fog in the valleys. Spring brings the gardens in Leura and fuller waterfalls after rain. Whatever the month, go early or late in the day at Echo Point and avoid late morning.
How long to stay
One day covers Echo Point, a cliff walk, Scenic World and Leura. Jamie Does Life spent just over 4 hours on the ground and was back in Sydney by the evening. Two days let you add the Grand Canyon track or Govetts Leap, a sunset and the night walk without rushing any of it. Three is for hikers.
If you only have one day
This is the train version. It needs no booking and covers the places every source puts first.
- 6:50am. Train from Central to Katoomba, about 2 hours. Josh Goes Slow’s express left at 8:48am and was faster, but you lose the early start.
- 9:00am. Breakfast on Katoomba Street, then walk down past Beverly Place.
- 10:00am. Take the local bus two stops to Katoomba Falls Reserve.
- 10:15am. Walk the cliff track to Echo Point, about an hour, ahead of the late morning buses.
- 11:30am. Echo Point and the Three Sisters. If cloud is in, go to the gift shop and wait 10 minutes.
- 12:30pm. Walk or bus to Scenic World. Lunch, then the rides and the boardwalk, 2 to 3 hours.
- 3:30pm. Back up the hill to the station, coffee on the way.
- 4:20pm. Train home, back at Central around 6:20pm.
Want the sunset instead? Skip Scenic World, take the train to Leura in the afternoon, walk the cliff path back toward Echo Point for the evening light and catch a later train.
With a car, swap the bus for a 9:00am start at Wentworth Falls and add Govetts Leap after lunch.
FAQ
What is the best thing to do in the Blue Mountains?
Echo Point and the Three Sisters, then a walk along the cliffs. All four sources we compared start there. Aquarius Traveller says that if you only visit one lookout, make it Echo Point, and adds Govetts Leap and Sublime Point if you have time for three.
What is there to do in Katoomba?
Katoomba holds Echo Point, Scenic World, Katoomba Falls and the cliff walk between them, plus a main street of cafes and the Beverly Place murals. Most of it is within walking distance of the station or a short bus ride away, so you do not need a car once you arrive.
What is there to do in Leura?
Leura is the village for food shops, galleries and gardens, one stop east of Katoomba. Sublime Point is on its southern edge, and the cliff walk links it to Echo Point. An hour or two covers the Mall; add a lookout and it fills half a day.
Can you see the Blue Mountains in one day from Sydney?
Yes. A train day gives you just over 4 hours on the ground, as Jamie Does Life found, which is enough for Echo Point, a cliff walk and either Scenic World or Leura. The one day plan on this page shows the timing.
What are the best things to do in the Blue Mountains with kids?
Scenic World's railway and cableway, the boardwalk at Echo Point and short walks such as the Weeping Rock Circuit. Leave long tracks with stairs for older children. A sunset tour adds wild kangaroos at dusk.
Where is the best sunset in the Blue Mountains?
Echo Point for the Three Sisters glowing orange, and Govetts Leap for the Grose Valley walls. Aquarius Traveller and the Sydney tourism channel both end their day at Echo Point. Arrive 30 minutes before sunset and bring a warm layer.
What can you do in the Blue Mountains for free?
Almost everything: the lookouts, the cliff walks, the Grand Canyon track, the waterfalls and the Katoomba street art. Scenic World is the main paid attraction. On a train day your costs are the fare and food.
Is there a hiking map of the Blue Mountains?
NSW National Parks publishes track details and maps for each walk on its Blue Mountains National Park pages, along with current closures. Check closures before you set out, because tracks shut after storms and rockfalls.
Do I need a car in the Blue Mountains?
Not for Katoomba and Leura. The train, local buses and the hop on hop off bus reach the main sights. A car helps for Govetts Leap, Evans Lookout and stringing several lookouts into one day. Aquarius Traveller found parking near Echo Point tight at peak times.
How do I get from Sydney to the Blue Mountains?
By train from Central to Katoomba in about 2 hours, by car in 90 minutes to 2 hours, or on a day tour with hotel pickup. The train is the cheapest. A tour covers the most stops in one day.