Royal Botanic Gardens

Easy to access by foot if you’re staying in the city, the Botanic Garden is full of amazing picnic spots, from the lily ponds on the lawn near the water to the Rose Garden off Macquarie Street, which is perched a bit higher and offers gorgeous views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The Rose Garden pavilions are quite handy if it’s raining. The garden is open dawn until dusk. Be there when the sun is setting to see feeding cockatoos and the flying foxes—giant bats—that migrate from here to Centennial Park. If you want to extend your picnic after the park closes, head to the harbourfront outside the gates or to Mrs Macquaries Chair nearby.