If you've only got one day in Manly — or even one weekend — these are the five things to actually do. Skip the lists that send you to fifteen places you'll never reach. Do these five well, in roughly this order, and you'll have seen the best of the suburb.
1. Take the ferry from Circular Quay
Don't drive. Don't bus. Get on the Manly Ferry at Circular Quay and ride a Freshwater Class boat for thirty minutes past the Opera House, under the Harbour Bridge and out through the Heads. It costs the same as a city bus, and it is one of the great urban journeys in the world.
Sit on the upper deck, port side on the way out for the bridge view, starboard on the way back for sunset on the city skyline. The ferry is the holiday before the holiday begins.
2. Walk to Shelly Beach via Cabbage Tree Bay
From Manly Wharf, head south along the promenade past South Steyne, up the path behind Fairy Bower and down into Shelly Beach. It's about twenty minutes at a stroll.
Shelly is a calm, west-facing cove inside the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve — a no-take marine zone full of blue gropers, wrasse, and (if you're patient) the occasional turtle or grey nurse shark. Bring a mask and snorkel; the visibility is some of the best in Sydney. Order coffee at The Boathouse on the way back.
3. Surf, or learn how
The main beach has more than two kilometres of consistent beach breaks from Queenscliff in the north down to South Steyne. The water is generally a touch warmer than Bondi, the banks rotate to suit every level, and the lineup is markedly less aggressive.
Never surfed before? Manly Surf School and Manly Surfboards both run group lessons on the sand most days. Already surf? Hire a board for an hour, paddle out at South Steyne and you'll have your pick of waves before lunch.
4. Eat and drink along the wharf and South Steyne
The food has caught up with the view. For lunch, Hugos Manly on the wharf does pizza and Aperol over the harbour. For coffee, Sourdough Bakery behind the Corso has the best pastries in the postcode. For sunset drinks, the rooftop at The Henson or the deck at Manly Wharf Hotel both face the right direction.
For dinner, Hello Auntie (Vietnamese, on East Esplanade) and Chica Bonita (Mexican, on the Corso) are reliable. Pilu at Freshwater is the special-occasion play — Sardinian, set on a headland, twenty minutes' walk north.
5. Hike Manly to Spit Bridge
If you have half a day and decent shoes, do the Manly Scenic Walkway. It's about 10km west around the harbour, through bushland, sandstone outcrops, hidden coves and a couple of small Aboriginal heritage sites. You'll pass Reef Beach, Forty Baskets and Clontarf, and finish at Spit Bridge where you can grab a bus back to the city.
It's longer than the Bondi-to-Bronte walk, much quieter, and feels more like a proper hike than a beachside stroll. Take water and start before lunch.
A sensible day
If you do all five in one go: ferry over at 9am, swim and snorkel at Shelly by 10:30, surf or coffee at South Steyne by midday, lunch on the wharf at 1:30, then either the Spit walk in the afternoon or a slow drink and the ferry back at sunset. That's the shape of a perfect Manly day.
