The #1 thing on my To Do List in Australia was to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge—the world’s largest (but not longest) steel arch bridge. Since BridgeClimb Sydney started in 1998, it’s become one of those iconic Sydney must-dos. One octogenarian Sidneysider has climbed it 56 times, and a number of couples have become engaged—some have even gotten married—atop the Bridge.
There are three different group climbs to choose from. Since I was short on time, I chose The Express Climb, which is the fastest way to the top and takes 2.25 hours, as opposed to the 3.5-hour original climb. The Express Climb route takes you up through the structure of the Bridge, so that you get to see its inner workings. "The distance to the water is 440 feet," our group leader, Alfie, told us at the top. "Or, for those of you who don’t do feet, 134 meters. Or, for those of you who don’t do feet or meters, 6.7 seconds.”
The 360-degree views of Sydney, including the Opera House, were as spectacular as you’d expect. And the climb was as fun as you’d expect. So I thought I'd share with you what I didn't expect:
The climb is not that strenuous
You don’t need to be an athlete. You’re not climbing ladders or using ropes. All you’re doing is walking up steps, most of them shallow and punctuated by ramps and horizontal catwalks. There are also plenty of stops where you take a breather and listen to your guide tell you about the Bridge. The only part of the climb where the steps get steep is at the very end, as you ascend to the summit. Supposedly there are 1,002 steps, but it didn’t feel like it. Climbing the 670 steps to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower was much more physically taxing (probably because the stairs are steeper and I was chasing kids). According to Alfie, the non-express climb is more strenuous (it involves 1,332 steps).
You can climb the Bridge at night
You can climb it at dawn too. Alfie said that the night climb is the coolest because you get to see Sydney all lit up. He also recommended the twilight climb, which begins in daylight and ends after dark, so you get both daytime and nighttime views. (If you’re lucky, you get a sunset too.)
All climbers are breath-tested
You must register a reading under 0.05% blood alcohol level. Of course you must also sign medical forms saying that you’re in good health.
You can’t take your camera
You must leave it in a locker at the base, along with your jewelry, watch, hair clips, and anything else that could conceivably fall from or blow off your body. You wear a BridgeSuit and, if you like, a BridgeClimb baseball cap that they’ll attach to your suit in case the cap blows off (which mine did several times). You wear a safety harness and are attached to the Bridge via a cord throughout. You also wear headphones and a radio, so you can hear your group leader up on the Bridge. It was surprisingly windy up there; at times the wind was so loud that we couldn’t make out what Alfie was saying, despite the radio and headphones. Alfie was not only group leader, safety monitor, Bridge historian, and comedian, he was also photographer and videographer.
You get a free 7-second video of yourself atop the Bridge (see mine, below)
You also get a free group photo and a certificate of achievement, you get to keep your BridgeClimb cap, and you get free entry to the Pylon Lookout, a part of the Bridge that offers more great Sydney views. (If you want a photo of yourself alone on the Bridge, you need to pay for that.) Climb rates vary by type of climb and time of day, week, and year. My Express Climb cost $235 and, in my opinion, was well worth it.
If you've got any questions about the Bridge climb, post them below and I'll do my best to answer.