Blue Mountains without a car: Can I visit by train from Sydney?

You do not need a car to visit the Blue Mountains – the area is well-served by public transport from Sydney. Regular train services depart from Sydney to Katoomba and other Blue Mountains towns.

The classic day trip from Sydney is the Blue Mountains. You can see a lot on a small group day tour. But if you’ve got time, the region best explored over two or three days.

It’s a region rather than one or two particular sights, and is made up of a series of villages and small towns, some more appealing than others. Hiring a car makes exploring several villages (and taking on a variety of walking trails, waterfall views etc) much easier, giving you a greater degree of freedom. Also, if a particular area has been hit by bushfires, you can always drive to another.

7 Blue Mountains experiences you should pre-book

The Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains.

Scenic World tickets – combine dramatic train rides, cable cars & forest walks.
The Blue Mountains hop-on, hop-off bus – get around Katoomba and Leura’s top sites hassle-free.
Guided stargazing with an astrophysicist – learn how to read the clear night skies.
Give canyoning a try – jumping, climbing and sliding through Empress Canyon.
Take a half day abseiling adventure – in the Blue Mountains National Park.
Indulge in a local produce tasting experience – with beers, wines & meats.
Get adventurous – on a 4WD tour to the world’s second largest canyon.

Blue Mountains attractions you need a car for

A few attractions – most notably the Jenolan Caves and Breenhold Gardens – are only realistically accessible via car or tour bus. But the Blue Mountains offers proof that you don’t need a hire car for an Australian holiday.

But if you can’t drive, or simply don’t fancy battling along the Great Western Highway in a rental car, it is perfectly possible to tackle the Blue Mountains via public transport. NSW Trainlink runs train services through the area along the Blue Mountains Line from Sydney’s Central Station. The services aren’t exactly high speed – there are plenty of stops in Western Sydney along the way – but they do stop at several Blue Mountains towns and villages. These include popular spots such as Blackheath (good for spotting kangaroos) and Leura, but most importantly Katoomba.

The Blue Mountains from Echo Point in Katoomba. There are a lot of eucalyptus trees that can catch fire, here… Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

Blue Mountains public transport: Sydney to Katoomba by train

Katoomba is the biggest settlement in the Blue Mountains. A good chunk of the region’s tourism industry is based there. The famous ‘Three Sisters’ rock formation is there, as is the clifftop walk along the escarpment overlooking the Jamison Valley. Scenic World’s collection of novelty transport is also found in Katoomba.

Trains from Central Station to Katoomba take two to two-and-a-quarter hours. They can be ludicrously cheap, too. At time of writing it was $4.43 one way when using the Opal card.

Accommodation within a short walk of Katoomba station includes the historic Carrington Hotel and the backpacker-centric Katoomba Mountain Lodge.

5 fab ways to explore: Which Blue Mountains tour should I book?

There are dozens of Blue Mountains day tours leaving Sydney every day. The best choice will come down to personal preference and what’s included. Almost all include Echo Point and the Three Sisters – it’s just the rest of the itinerary that varies. These tours are the best bets.

Good value tour including Featherdale Wildlife Park, Scenic World & Parramatta River cruise.
Similar itinerary, but with small group and lunch included.
Wildlife-focused tour including Calmsley Hill City Farm, Govetts Leap lookout & Blue Mountains Botanic Garden.
Small group tour including bushwalks, Featherdale, Glenbrook lookouts and Govetts Leap.
Crowd-avoiding sunset tour including Euroka campground kangaroos & Wentworth Falls bushwalk.