Central Station to Circular Quay

Six and a half kilometres of footpath from Central Station to Circular Quay, through Haymarket and up the George Street spine to the harbour. The deciding fact for anyone with a dog: you can walk this route, but you cannot catch the train that shares its name. Pets are banned from Sydney Trains stations and trains outright, so the walk is the whole trip, both ways, or you plan a different way home.

The rules. The route runs almost entirely on City of Sydney footpaths and roadways, where dogs are welcome but must be leashed at all times. That holds through Haymarket, Chinatown, George Street and the Quay forecourt. Transport for NSW is the other authority here, and its position is firm: no pets on Metro or Sydney Trains stations and trains. Light rail, which runs the same George Street corridor, will carry a pet only with permission from light rail staff and only if the animal stays confined in a box, basket or other container. Buses and ferries work the same way, at driver or crew discretion, and staff can refuse if the service is filling up. Never treat any of them as a guaranteed ride home.

The walk. AllTrails logs 6.6 km and about an hour and a half, and rates it moderate, which is fair for pavement: the distance and the crowds do the work, not the gradient. It is a one way route, so the honest planning number is 13 km if you walk back.

Hazards. Heat is the real one. Dark pavement in a street canyon holds warmth long after the air cools, and there is almost no grass between Central and the Quay to step onto. Test the surface with the back of your hand before you commit. Crowds are the other. George Street between 7.30am and 9am, and again from 5pm, is shoulder to shoulder, and a cruise ship in at Circular Quay turns the forecourt into a crush.

Nearby with the dogs. At the harbour end, Writers Walk picks up where this route finishes and adds a flat lap of the Quay. Munn Reserve at Millers Point is the closest real patch of grass, with CAVA a short walk from it. At the Central end, Cook + Phillip Park is the nearest green break and The Ultimo Sydney puts you minutes from the start. Pyrmont to Darling Harbour Foreshore is the longer waterside alternative.

When to go. Early. Before 8am on a weekday the footpaths are clear, the pavement is cool and the Quay is yours. Sunday morning is the other window. Good for confident city dogs who take noise in their stride, and hard work for nervous ones.

Sources

• City of Sydney · www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
• Travelling with animals and pets · transportnsw.info

Compiled from public sources and verified listings. Always confirm current rules with the venue or council before you travel.