The fastest way to get to central Sydney is 19,48 aud on the T8 train. Bus routes are also available at lower prices, for example to Coogee Beach.
Read below to find out exactly where the buses go, how to pay for your ticket and how much taxis or car hire cost.
T8 train
Sydney's city centre, Central Station and Circular Quay are all accessible by the city's T8 train. Official information about this link can be found on the website: airportlink.com.au.
The train stops at the underground stations under International Terminal 1 and National Terminals 2 and 3 (a shared station for both terminals).
Fares and tickets
The easiest way to pay fares is with your own Visa, Mastercard or American Express card. This method has the same prices and advantages (e.g. daily fare limit) as the previously widely used Opal transport card.
Currently, the Opal Card is not worth purchasing, but it is still possible. At the ticket office, you can purchase a card on which you load any amount (at least 35 aud), which will be charged gradually.
The price of tickets to the airport is higher than prices for travel to other stations. There is a surcharge for drop-off/pick-up at airport stations.
The price varies according to the time of day. The following periods of the working day count as Peak Hours: 6:30-10:00 and 15:00-19:00. Weekends and public holidays count as off-peak throughout the day.
| Peak Hours | Off Peak | |
|---|---|---|
| Green Square | 14,78 aud | 13,58 aud |
| Central | 20,68 aud | 19,48 aud |
| Circuar Quay, Museum, Town Hall, Martin Place, St. James, Milsons Point |
21,65 aud | 20,15 aud |
For the current price, use the Sydney Transport Finder: transportnsw.info.
Timetable and route
The T8 train goes to the city centre, but also the other way from the airport towards the western suburbs. So pay attention to the signage and the correct platform.
- Frequency - 7 to 15 minutes
- Journey time - 21 minutes to Circular Quay; 13 minutes to Central Station (2 minutes less from the domestic terminal)
- Last train from the International Terminal - 23:57 (0:57 Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday nights, 23:42 Sunday to Monday nights)
- First train from Central Station - 4:20 (4:55 on weekends)
- Connection search: transportnsw.info
Hotels at train stations
Conveniently book a hotel right by the T8 train station so you don't have to search for accommodation when you arrive.
- Pullman Quay Grand Sydney ***** - At Circular Quay Station, a hotel overlooking Sydney Harbour
- The Sebel Sydney Martin Place **** - near Martin Place Station, right in the middle of Downtown
- Rydges Sydney Central **** - near Central Station
Buses
There are also two bus routes to the airport. The stops are outside terminals 1 and 3 clearly marked with a "B" on a blue background.
You can also pay the busfare with your own contactless card (or through the Opal Card). The card is attached to the reader when boarding and alighting. Also on the bus there is a time-based fare differentiation (Peak and Off-Peak), see details above in the train description.
- Line 350 - only runs from Terminal 3 directly east to Maroubra Beach, Coogee and terminates at Bondi Junction Metro Station where you can change to bus 333 towards Bondi Beach.
- Off-Peak Price - 2,90 aud
- Peak-Hour price - 4,15 aud
- Frequency - 6 to 10 minutes
- Travel time to Coogee Beach - 65 minutes
- Hours of Operation - 4:15 a.m. to 12:47 a.m.
- Schedule: transportnsw.info/routes/350
- Line 420 - the bus stops outside both terminals 1 and 3 and goes to places such as Mascot train station (where it is cheaper to travel downtown than from the airport) or to neighbourhoods in western Sydney.
- Off-Peak Price - 2,24 aud to 2,90 aud
- Peak-Hour price - 3,20 aud to 4,15 aud depending on distance
- Frequency - 15 minutes (20 to 40 minutes on weekends)
- Operating Hours - 4:55am to 11:44pm
- Timetable: transportnsw.info/routes/420
Night bus
Night services are provided by the N20 bus service from the city centre (Town Hall and Central stations). From Town Hall station, buses leave on the hour from 1:00 to 4:00, and from the airport to the city centre on the hour from 0:25 to 4:25, see current timetable and stop map: transportnsw.info/routes/n20.
The line stops only at International Terminal 1. The fare from downtown is 2,90 aud.
TIP! To the city centre cheaper...
If you don't want to pay the high price of a train ticket, where you only pay a surcharge for using the airport station, you can get to the city centre significantly cheaper with 1 change.
Take the 420 bus from both terminals to the final stop at Mascot, where you change to the T8 train in the direction of the centre. However, there is no airport surcharge from/to Mascot station.
- Total price Off-Peak - 5,04 aud
- Total price Peak-Hours - 7,20 aud
- Total journey time - approx. 40 minutes
Public transport map
See a clear map of train and bus routes serving Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.
Taxi, Uber
For the most convenient way to get directly to your hotel, use the numerous taxis or the very popular Uber mobile app, which works great in Sydney.
Usually Uber has lower rates than traditional taxis, but the price varies within units of dollars.
As domestic terminals 2/3 are closer to the centre, the price is lower than from international terminal 1. Prices are calculated by combining distance and travel time, so at peak times when there are bigger queues, the price is higher.
Indicative prices are as follows:
- Circular Quay (Opera) – 60 aud from Terminal 1 or 52 aud from Terminals 2/3
- Bondi Beach – 55 aud from Terminal 1 or 47 aud from Terminals 2/3
Car rental
If you're heading straight from the airport outside Sydney on a road-trip around Australia, rent a car right in the terminal, where many car rental branches of well-known and local brands are located.
Weekly rental prices start at prices from 280 aud.
Car rental companies have their counters in the parking garages directly opposite all terminals.