Getting to Blue Mountains from Sydney by train

I’m sure there are many things to do in Blue Mountains, but I only have 3 simple goals going there. As long as these requirements are fulfilled, I’m happy to go home. Does this sound like you? Then you are at the right place;)

Goals

1. See Three Sisters (stone)

2. Take cable cars in Scenic World

3. Walk around and see the beauty of the World-Heritage listed mountains.

Table of Contents

• Departure

• Journey

  • Get breakfast

  • Scenic World

• Return

  • Get lunch at Cattlefish

Departure

If you stay in Downtown Sydney, you can take a train from Central Station to Katoomba. You don’t have to buy ticket in advance since it’s not reserved seat train. I just paid with Apply Pay and hopped on the train at 5:24am. I know it’s early for many people. But in order to have a seat on train so I can sleep 🤭 , and to avoid the crowd in Blue Mountain, I chose to do so. It turns out I made the right choice. 😁✌️

• Travel time: 2.5 hours

• Price: AUD$7.23 (adult ; non-rush hour) / AUD$9.35 (adult ; rush hour)

• Payment method: Contactless accepted

• Official timetable & more info here

Journey

Get breakfast

When I arrived at Katoomba Station, it’s early at 7:30am and was a bit cold (14℃), which is opposite from what I heard - “it’s hot in Summer in Blue Mountains.” Anyway, since the time slot I selected for Scenic World entrance was at 9:30am, I decided to go get some breakfast first. I dashed into a Cafe and was happy to have a cup of coffee to warm up, but suddenly the staff turned on the fan and I felt cold again…

Scenic World

There are 3 things to keep in mind before going (official source here):

1. Better book online in advance as peak periods like public and school holidays, bookings are often only available online.

2. They don’t accept cash so you’ll need to prepare your credit/debit card.

3. They don’t sell one-way ticket so you’ll need to get Unlimited Pass or others.

For going to Scenic World from Katoomba Station, you can either walk (35 minutes) or take Bus 686 (15 minutes). I chose to walk 35 minutes to the entrance and return by bus, so I could slowly explore the area. In Scenic World, there are 3 ways to explore the mountains: Skyway, Railway and Cableway. To save some time & energy, I followed this path:

• 1. Skyway (Yellow) → 2. 686 Bus → 3. Railway (Red) → 4. Cableway (Blue)

I first took Skyway going to Echo Point, which is the closet lookout for Three Sisters. When you arrive at Skyway East Station, you’ll have to walk for 20 minutes to the Echo Point. In the 20-minute walk, you are able to immerse in the nature and appreciate its beauty. I personally was super satisfied with the walk, so I preferred not walking back to the station, rather, taking 686 Bus back to the entrance of Scenic World.

After reentering, I took Railway going down to Jamison Valley, explored for a bit and took Cableway back to Scenic World entrance. There are multiple trails you can walk in Jamison Valley, but after all the walk earlier, I decided to take Historic Coal Mine leading to Cableway Base Station directly.

Return

Just check the train timetable in advance (through Google or official website) and plan the time to take 686 Bus back to Katoomba Station, you’ll arrive Sydney safe and sound for sure.

Get lunch at Cattlefish

As a vegetarian (80% of the time, 20% of the time pescatarian), I don’t usually get burgers as my meal because the option is either relatively limited or Beyond Meat kind, which isn’t my favorite.

But Cattlefish’s mushroom burger is beyond expectation! There’s no fake meat inside but their house-made crumbed mushroom. The bun is good, the ingredients are rich and most importantly, it’s juicy!

I highly recommend it if you happen to be in town and would want to try some veggie options! (PS. I am not strict vegetarian, so I didn’t ask the owner if the mushroom burger contains any meat ingredient, such as if the oil is animal-free. You may want to confirm with them if you are a strict vegetarian!)