Planning to visit the Blue Mountains by public transport? We have created an easy to follow itinerary for visiting the Blue Mountains by train to help you explore this UNESCO wonderland without a car. Departing from Central Station in the centre of the city, we show you how to see some of the mountain’s top sites for less than $20!
Last updated 26 October 2024
An itinerary for visiting the Blue Mountains by public transport
This itinerary starts with a 2-hour bushwalk before you take a well-earned rest at lunchtime. After lunch, choose one of three options for the second half of your day.
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Update: We took this trip again in mid-April 2024 to confirm the details are up to date. Check for track work updates here before you travel.
Tip: If your budget is tight, then it’s hard to beat the value of travelling to the Blue Mountains on a weekend and taking advantage of the Opal Friday to Sunday deal. The full-day will cost you less than $10.
The downside of such a bargain is that the train and the mountains themselves will be more crowded than other days of the week. However, if you are trying to keep costs down, it’s certainly the way to go.
This same outing using only public transport on a weekday will still cost you less than $20.
Start the day by taking an early train from Central Station to Katoomba.
Trains depart from platforms 5-12 in the older section of the station. The trip usually takes about two hours. Try to aim for the 6:24am or for late risers the 7:25 am (7:54am on weekends) train for a full day to explore. In summer, when days are longer you could leave a little later. Check the train times on Trip Planner.
On arrival, walk to the 686 bus stop outside the Carrington Hotel on Katoomba Street.
If you are on a really tight budget, pack a picnic lunch. You could also pick up supplies on arrival in Katoomba at Aldi or the White Cockatoo bakery.
If in the end you decide you don’t want to use the public buses you can book a HOHO Blue Mountains Explorer bus.
Katoomba and the Three Sisters
Aim to arrive by 8:40am or check the bus timetable for later bus times.
8:48 am – Take the 686 bus from Katoomba Street to Scenic World and follow the instructions below.
For a shorter walk, get off at the Blue Mountains Tourist Park, Katoomba Falls Rd and begin your walk from behind the Katoomba Falls Cafe. You will begin at the Prince Henry Cliff Track.
The 2km Katoomba Falls circuit starts near the car park and is well signposted. It will take you about an hour and a half to complete. It is especially good after it has been raining, but this waterfall has some water year-round regardless of rainfall.
You begin by following signs to the Katoomba Falls access track between the car park and the main building.
We will start by taking the Round Walk to Katoomba Falls; this was one of the first tracks to be opened for tourists in the late 1800s. This circuit will rejoin the Prince Henry Cliff walk but is worth the diversion as it offers so many pretty views.
The walk passes several lookouts including
- Vanman’s Lookout – a magnificent view of the Falls and the Three Sisters
- Juliet’s Balcony – a full-length view of the Upper and Lower Katoomba Falls
- Witches Leap – a small, but pretty waterfall
- Rainforest lookout – especially lovely lookout over lush ferns and the upper falls.
From here we will return to the Prince Henry Cliff Track.
The Prince Henry track takes you past the top of Katoomba Falls and the Katoomba Cascades before moving on to:
- Cliff View Lookout
- Lady Darley Lookout
- Queen Elizabeth Lookout at Echo Point
Detailed instructions here
Once at Echo Point, you will be rewarded with the classic Three Sisters view.
There are two lookouts at Echo Point. The one on the lower level is usually less busy once you are done make a quick stop at the visitor’s centre for any free maps of the park you might need before it’s time to head out onto the Three Sisters themselves and take a closer look.
The walk down to the rock formation is about 1km and will take you approx 45 minutes return. It is a relatively easy walk to a small bridge called Honeymoon Bridge. This bridge will take you out onto the first sister and let you check out the cave in this formation. The track is suitable for most people, but there are quite a lot of stairs down to the bridge.
Time for lunch
By now, I am assuming you are pretty hungry. The closest option is The Lookout at Echo Point. The bar area looks out over the valley and is a nice place to relax. It’s not exactly a budget eat, with a burger and chips setting you back about $25, but you have saved money on your tour costs, so why not splurge!
If you would prefer takeaway lunch, I suggest heading to Katoomba where there are several affordable options like Hominy Bakery, 8 Things and several sushi shops and cafes.
Our favourite place to eat in Katoomba is The Bowery. Located in a beautiful old church they offer indoor and outdoor dining, an interesting menu and a great range of drinks. I enjoy the food here so much I would drive up from Sydney just for lunch.
Related: Check out our list of 50+ things to do in the Blue Mountains for more ideas.
Choose an afternoon walk
Time to walk off that lunch. Choose from one of these three villages to explore, Leura for shops and gardens, Wentworth Falls for a waterfall walk or Blackheath for epic views of the Grose Valley.
Option 1 – Explore Leura
Don’t feel like any more big walks?
If you don’t feel like any more long walks, you could take the bus to Katoomba Station and either change buses or head one-stop east on the train to Leura.
There is plenty to see and do in Leura, from exploring the shops and galleries to checking out more lookouts. You might also want to drink a few Aussie brews at the local pub after all that walking.
If you are visiting in spring, I suggest a stroll past Cherrydell, a beautiful private garden that is often open in October and then on to Everglades ($17) or just continue on to Sublime Point Lookout. You can return to Sydney from Leura Station.
Related: 3 Blue Mountains bush walks in Leura
Option 2 – Wentworth Falls
Fancy more walking?
If you have stopped at Katoomba for lunch, then you can take the 685 Katoomba to North Wentworth Falls bus, ask the driver to drop you at the Fletcher St & Falls Rd stop. From here walk 850m to the Wentworth Falls Track.
Your efforts will be well rewarded, especially after the rain when the falls look spectacular.
There are a few walks here that allow you to view the Jamison Valley from a different angle. We recommend you take the track to Fletchers Lookout and then do the Weeping Rock circuit.
These are both relatively easy. After you walk over the top of the falls, you can continue a little further along the National Park Track and look back at the falls. Once you are done, retrace your steps and head back the way you come.
There is an excellent video on YouTube by the blogger Sensatious Hiatus that might convince you it is worth the effort to walk to the base of the falls.
The walk to the base is NOT a simple walk, so read the track notes before you start and make sure you carry water. If you prefer, you can begin your day here and complete the morning’s walk in the afternoon.
Option 3 – Blackheath
Blackheath is actually our favourite Blue Mountains town. It’s the furthest west we suggest for anyone travelling by public transport and along with some great food, small galleries and antique shops the views from Govert’s Leap are second to none.
Take the 698 bus from Katoomba to the Blue Mountains Heritage Centre, Govetts Leap Road. Spend a few minutes exploring the heritage centre before you head off on the Fairfax Heritage Track to George Phillips Lookout and then on to Govetts Leap lookout.
This is a simple walk and if you fancy something a little more challenging talk to the staff at the visitors’ centre and they will help you choose the best walk for the time you have.
We recommend the Cliff Top Track. Once you are finished walking here you can take the bus back to Blackheath Station for the train to Sydney or if you are a feeling cashed up jump in an Uber to the station.
Before you go
Exploring the Blue Mountains by public transport really isn’t difficult, but if you decide you want an easier day, then check out the HOHO bus pass.
- Check the weather forecast before you leave. It can be entirely different from Sydney.
- Download the National Parks and Wildlife app (available for iPhone or Android) to access maps offline.
- If you are a cyclist, you can also explore some off-road mountain bike tracks. You will need a train ticket for your bike too.
Stay overnight in the Blue Mountains
If you can spare a night, I highly recommend staying in the Blue Mountains for a night or two. This will allow you to check out some of the lookouts, do the Katoomba night walk and enjoy more of the mountain’s fantastic food.
See our full list of recommended places to stay in the Blue Mountains here. If you would like us to help curate a weekend or extended stay in the mountains please get in touch.
Have questions about things to see and do in Sydney?
Head over and join our Facebook Group and we will be happy to help.
Thank you so much for this information. I followed all your suggestions, mapped out the walks and had a brilliant day in the Blue Mountains today. I wouldn’t have had a clue where to start without this so it really is super useful. Thank you for putting the time in to create and share this.
We did exactly as you recommended and it was great. We were able to leave earlier than we had originally planned and it was a good thing we did. From about 9 am to 11 am we had the Round Walk pretty much to ourselves, but when we hit the Prince Henry Cliff Walk it began to be more crowded and after 11:30 am it was a madhouse. I suggest you go as early as you can force yourselves out of bed to avoid the crush. Echo Point was mobbed and not enjoyable by noon. Of course we did go on 27 Dec 23, so it was a holiday week. Traffic in Katoomba was stopped for a half hour at a time and the buses couldn’t get through. We had planned to go to Everglades but the buses were so late we didn’t get there in time, so wandered around Leura instead. Again, too crowded to really enjoy ourselves. But that was our fault for going this week! Thank you so much for your itinerary – it was extremely useful. Just try not to go between Christmas and New Years.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Sorry about the crowds, the week between Christmas and NYE is the busiest week in the mountains. Glad you got to experience the Round Walk in relative peace. Enjoy the rest of your time in Sydney.
Thank you for these! I visited Blue Mountains by train this week and this has been very useful.
So glad to hear this Marcin… that is always our goal!
Thanks for sharing! 🙂 Will this itinerary be ok for winter? As I will be visiting next month.
Yes this works year round but please take a very warm jacket! It is very cold in the mountains in the winter.
Hi Paula,
Thanks for the tip. I will be arriving next month. Hope to enjoy this Blue Mountains trip on my own.
Hi and thank you for your info. We will be in Sydney in June and look forward to the trip to the Blue Mountains. What is the advantage of the Hop on Hop Off bus? Given the expense of nearly $100? Look forward to your reply
Hi Pamela, the HOHO bus gives commentary and stops at some places that the public bus does not however most of the key sites can be reached using local buses. I have mentioned the route numbers in the article. If you have the time and patience then you can easily have a great day out on the local bus. I would download the opal app or Tripview or similar and save the bus route numbers so you can check times during the day and not be waiting around too long. Have a fun day whichever way you decide to go.
The local bus page is here https://cdcbus.com.au/ and the reasons why I think the bus is worth it are here https://sydneyexpert.com/blue-mountains-tour-or-train/
I will be coming on Dec 15th. I would like to do the train and public transportation option.
I am most interested in Scenic World (all 3 rides and the rainforest walk) and the area around the 3 Sisters and Echo Point. What would be your best suggestions on how to do it?
Is it better to see Scenic World in the afternoon after the haze clears up or first thing in the morning?
Other areas would be nice, but these are the must do.
I could possibly stay over or come back the next day and add Featherdale on the way back
Thanks
Scenic world in the late afternoon is lovely, if you time your visit to about 90-120 minutes before closing most of the tour buses will have left for the day and the afternoon light in the valley is lovely. I would suggest you take the train to Katoomba and perhaps stay there – the Metropole hotel and the YHA are both good budget options as is 14 Lovell Street if you dont mind a shared bathroom. Catch the local bus or walk down to Katoomba Falls Reserve and take the Prince Henry Cliff walk to Katoomba cascades then continue on to Echo Point. From here you can join a bus to Scenic world or continue walking.