What you can see on a Sydney Harbour Sunset Dinner Cruise

What you can see on a Sydney Harbour Sunset Dinner Cruise

Already as pretty as a picture, Sydney Harbour becomes a masterpiece when splashed with the kaleidoscope of colours that make up a Sydney sunset. Depending of the time of year you visit, witness the sky and sparkling water change from blue, pink and gold hues as the light fades into the west and the city lights and stars bring sparkle to the night. The colours, the romance, the celebration of another great day in Australia’s beloved premier city.

Savour it all from the best seats on the water when you step aboard super-cruiser Sydney 2000 for a Sunset Dinner Cruise with Captain Cook Cruises.

Dine surrounded by Sydney's stars

There's so much to see as you cruise Sydney Harbour. Accolades of the most beautiful harbour in the world are well deserved. This natural harbour extends 19 kilometres (11 miles) from the entrance on the Tasman Sea.

Lined with pretty coves and secret beaches, and dotted with 13 islands, the sparkling calm and sheltered waters of Sydney Harbour are fringed with craggy headlands, national parklands, botanic gardens, opulent suburbs and historic homes.

There is something to catch your eye and provide a backdrop to your photos, not to mention the beloved attractions of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Whether you are a Sydney local or have travelled from halfway around the world, these views are priceless.

A stellar menu

The Sunset Dinner Cruise menu has been carefully curated for you. The three-course menu is prepared in the kitchens aboard the ship, using fresh local produce in keeping with the seasons. Offering two dishes per course, the meals are served alternatively.

Think smoked salmon accompanied with herb salad or pear and walnut garden leaf salad topped with Grana Padano. Relish a main dish of gremolata rubbed Barramundi accompanied by a medley of roasted vegetables or crispy skin chicken with creamy potato cake, roasted pumpkin, honeyed carrots and baby spinach.

Your sweet tooth will be tantalised with lemon and lime tart served with double cream or chocolate raspberry coconut pebble with raspberry sauce.

Delicious dining to compliment the delicious views from your top deck dining room is a popular experience, make sure you book well in advance.

Toast the setting sun

The cocktail list toasts Sydney's local characters with a Sydney Espresso Martini or a Hugo Seabreeze. Toast the sunset with a Red Summer Skies Margarita that matches the burnished sky, or raise your glass as you drift under the Sydney Harbour Bridge with a Coathanger Collins or The Bondi G&T.

Celebrate life with local sparkling wines and prosecco or that special event with French champagne. Complement your dinner with a comprehensive selection of reds and whites from renowned Australian and international wine regions.

Iconic uninterrupted views

Aboard the flagship Sydney 2000 you’ll find three decks of celebration, fine dining and fun, each with their own galley, bar and dancefloor. Atop the vessel is the spacious Sky Deck, where you can enjoy a cocktail before you dine, and take in unhindered 360-degree views of the city, the water and those iconic attractions.

As the sun starts to dip, capture the golden glow behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge where the laughing facade of Sydney's Luna Park vies to be the happiest face in your photos. Enjoy the balmy breezes of hot summer evenings or the cool fresh air of the winter.

Inside, your dining room has expansive windows that bring the views to your table, whether you are dining beside the window or at one of the raised centre tables. You’re spoilt for superb views wherever you are seated.

A Sydney Harbour Circuit

Your 2-hour dinner cruise makes a circuit around Sydney Harbour so you will get to see all the sites while you also enjoy each other’s company. Cruising at a gentle 4 knots, pass the historic Rocks and Sydney Park Hyatt and under Sydney Harbour Bridge toward the sunset (don’t forget to look up!); spot Goat Island ahead.

Observe Millers Point and the finger wharves at Walsh Bay. Witness patrons enjoying a sunset drink before a performance at the Bangarra Dance Theatre. As the ship turns into Darling Harbour, spot people walking, jogging or cycling along Wulugul Walk that connects Barangaroo reserve to 11 km (6.8 mi) along the Sydney Harbour foreshore. Watch the sunset glitter in the windows of the luxury 75-storey Crown Hotel Sydney.

As you return into Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera house is in full view on the right, her shiny sails glittering in the glow of final sunlight. Watch for people on the balcony under the main sail as you cruise by this World heritage-listed artistic monument of outstanding architecture and universal value, breathtaking at every turn.

Cruise alongside the foreshore of the Royal Botanic Garden and pass the iconic lookout at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. In the middle of the Harbour you’ll pass the historic island fort and penal site, Fort Denison and cruise between Clark Island and pretty McKell Park.

The vessel begins to turn at Point Piper, home to a past prime minister and the secluded Lady Martin Beach. With Rose Bay in view, watch for Shark Island and on land Milk Beach and Neilson Park on the point, both accessible on the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Heritage Walk.

As the journey turns, the north shore is in view, where green parklands sit above the cliffs of Bradley’s Head with the lighthouse on the point. Here is the home to Taronga Zoo Sydney, accessible from the harbour, boasting its magnificent views toward the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Pass by the pretty Cremorne Point and cruise toward Kirribilli Point, where the historic Admiralty House can be seen from the water. The Sydney home of the Governor General of Australia adjoins the Sydney home of the Prime Minister of Australia - Kirribilli House. You get to see all these points of interest as well as the yachts and ferries that give life to the harbour waterways.

Year-round sunsets

We all know the sun sets every single day, but the time of day changes with the season, and the latitude. Visitors to Sydney wishing to make plans for day and night might want to know that contrary to how the world views Australia, it's not all sunshine and warm weather.

In Sydney there are four seasons. In winter (June - August) the sun sets as early as 4.54pm, the day extending as far as 5.47pm by the end of the season. From September to November (spring) the sunset occurs at 5.47pm at the start of the season but by the end of November the day extends as long as 7.51pm, with added light of daylight savings. By the end of the summer in February the sun sets at 7.33pm and dips earlier again in the autumn (fall), from March to May, when the clocks go back an hour and the days shorten; the sun sets again at 4.54pm.

Departure Points

Embark on Captain Cook Sunset Dinner cruise from Darling Harbour King St Wharf No.1, a short walk along the promenade from Sea Life Aquarium, or at Circular Quay where Sydney Ferries dart across the water, taking commuters and travellers to scenic harbourside suburbs.

If you are staying in the city or at a hotel on Darling Harbour or Barangaroo, it’s a short walk or quick trip by taxi to either location. Sydney’s premier cruising restaurant, the 65-metre modern super-cruiser Sydney 2000 is air conditioned and offers multiple dining levels and outdoor decks, so be sure to take plenty of photos of those iconic Sydney views to post for family and friends to see as you cruise!

Cocktail Hour

Don’t have time for dinner? Don’t miss the experience! Take in the stunning colours of a Sydney Harbour sunset onboard the Cocktail Harbour Bar cruise. Begin your evening with a cocktails and a premium Australian cheese & charcuterie board to share between two.

Enjoy the sights and colours of the setting sun from the comfort of your premium reserved lounge seating on Ocean Deck of super-cruiser Sydney 2000.