Planning a Blue Mountains day trip by train? This easy day trip from Sydney is a rite of passage for tourists and locals.
It couldn’t be any easier to visit the city’s nearest mountain range, with a direct two-hour train from Sydney Central Station to Katoomba, the Blue Mountains’ main tourist town.
Taking the train is a quick and cheap way to see some of the national park’s incredible scenery, including the Three Sisters and Wentworth Falls.
In this blog post, I’ll explain exactly how to take the train from Sydney to the Blue Mountains, along with a detailed one-day itinerary.
I spent a total of four days exploring the region so that I could fully understand what is and isn’t worth a spot on your Blue Mountains day trip by train.
‘Doing’ the infamous Sydney to Brisbane road trip too? Feel free to take inspiration (or steal my whole itinerary) in my separate blog post.
Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. If you decide to click through and make a qualifying purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you – thanks for your support.
QUICK INFORMATION
Best time to visit: September to February
Where to catch the train: Sydney Central Station
Want to skip public transport?
1. Check car availability on Discover Cars 🚗
2. Try a Blue Mountains group tour – the best way to make friends! ⛰️
Is One Day in the Blue Mountains Enough?
The Blue Mountains is a vast mountainous region with hundreds of hiking trails, waterfalls and viewpoints.
Therefore, one day in the Blue Mountains barely scratches the surface.
In one day, you will have just enough time to visit the famous Three Sisters viewpoint (Echo Point) and the adjacent Giant Stairway, both in Katoomba.
The Three Sisters and Echo Point
If you arrive early enough, then you should also have time to do a hike from Katoomba.
Options include the Federal Pass to Katoomba Falls and Scenic World or the Leura Cascades bushwalk, each lasting two to three hours.
The Giant Stairway to the Federal Pass
Leura Cascades bushwalk
Even then, there’s enough time to grab a late lunch before taking the 15-minute train to Wentworth Falls.
Of course, spending only one day in the Blue Mountains means that you don’t have time to explore other incredible hiking trails and waterfalls…
Grand Canyon
Lincoln’s Rock
Minnehaha Falls
Empress Falls
On my four-day Blue Mountains itinerary, I hiked the Grand Canyon Walking Track (open since 1907), the Leura Cascades and Minnehaha Falls.
I also took the popular Empress Falls canyoning tour in the Valley of the Waters, which included a 30-metre waterfall abseil.
Pros and Cons of Taking the Train to the Blue Mountains
The main advantages of taking the train to the Blue Mountains is that it is quick, easy and cheap.
The train stops at Wentworth Falls, Leura and Katoomba, where many of the best-known attractions are.
On the downside, these are the busiest parts of the Blue Mountains.
By taking the train to the Blue Mountains, you are entirely dependent on public transport schedules.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔ Budget-friendly (8 – 20 AUD) | ✘ It’s harder to visit remote hikes |
| ✔ Quick two-hour train | ✘ Reliant on train and bus schedules |
| ✔ Easy to visit the Three Sisters and Wentworth Falls | ✘ Limited time |
| ✔ Access to several hiking trails | ✘ Harder to get off the beaten track |
If you want to explore areas that are off the beaten track — and slightly more remote — then it is best to have a van.
If you’re not comfortable driving a van, you can also check car hire availability in Sydney on Discover Cars.
HIRING A VAN? 🚐
Check campervan availability on Travellers Autobarn. This iconic campervan brand is everywhere in Cairns – the models come equipped with sleeping and kitchen facilities!
How to Take the Train from Sydney to the Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains train (Mount Victoria via Parramatta) departs from Central Station in Sydney.
It also stops in Strathfield, Parramatta and Blacktown.
I tapped on and off the train using my contactless debit card. You can also use the Opal card.
If you don’t have a contactless or Opal card, you can pay at the counter using American Express, Mastercard or Visa debit/credit cards.
The train takes two hours to reach Katoomba.
There are additional stops in the Blue Mountains, including Leura and Wentworth Falls.
Blue Mountains Day Trip by Train: Full Itinerary
1. Take the train from Sydney to Katoomba
To make the most of your one-day trip to the Blue Mountains, I suggest that you board the train as early as possible.
If you catch the train at 7am, you’ll make it to Katoomba by 9am ready to grab coffee and beat the worst of the crowds.
Exit the station onto Katoomba Street.
2. Grab coffee on Katoomba Street
At the top of Katoomba Street, you can take the 686 or 686G bus directly to the Echo Point viewpoint overlooking the Three Sisters.
Instead, I recommend that you walk down Katoomba Street. This gorgeous main street is lined with Art Deco buildings and masses of coffee shops, restaurants, second-hand bookshops and antique shops.
I always grab my morning coffee at Pomegranate before going hiking.
The Paragon is another popular pick; the Art Deco building has been open since the beginning of the 20th century. It also has a coffee shop.
It’s a 40-minute walk from the station to Echo Point, so after grabbing coffee, you can always jump back on the bus if you don’t want to walk the rest of the route.
3. Visit the Three Sisters (Echo Point)
Echo Point is a large viewpoint on the edge of Katoomba. It overlooks the Jamison Valley and the Three Sisters, the park’s famous trio of sandstone boulders.
On sunny days, you should be able to spot the Blue Mountains’ distinctive blue haze, caused by particles emitted by the valley’s eucalyptus forest.
There are many interesting facts about the Three Sisters, but my favourite is that scientists predict that the sisters will crumble one day.
They are made from sandstone, which will eventually erode as a result of the wind and rain.
The boulders are thought to be approximately 200 million years old, so who knows when it will happen?
The viewing platform has a small café and shop with overpriced snacks. I grabbed an ice cream here, as it was a hot day and I needed plenty of energy for the next part of my itinerary.
4. Explore the Giant Stairway, Scenic World and/or the Leura Cascades
From Echo Point, there are a few different activities that you can do.
Option 1: Easy day – Take the cable car to Scenic World
For the easiest, most laidback day as possible, you can skip visiting the Giant Stairway and head straight to Scenic World, a large attraction with cable cars over the Jamison Valley.
The Skyway East Station is only a 20-minute walk from Echo Point.
Scenic World
There, you can catch the Scenic Skyway over Katoomba Falls (using the one-day unlimited Discovery Pass); the cars have a transparent liquid crystal bottom.
Option 2: Moderate Difficulty – Hike the Federal Pass to Scenic World and Katoomba Falls
The second, and very popular option, is to take the more adventurous route to Scenic World.
This involves walking 20 minutes across the headland to the Giant Stairway, a 800-step steel staircase that descends down the cliffs of the Jamison Valley.
After reaching the bottom of the scenic staircase, you can stroll directly onto the Federal Pass, a trail that will eventually lead you to Katoomba Falls and Scenic World.
It’s 4.7 kilometres from Echo Point to Scenic World along the Federal Pass, which should take the average person two to three hours to hike.
The route is a little hard on the knees, given the 800 steps you need to descend. However, the views from the staircase and trail are truly something.
Just remember, when you arrive at Scenic World, you will need the one-day unlimited Discovery Pass to ride the Scenic Railway (the steepest funicular in Australia) back to Katoomba.
Option 3: Difficult – Hike the Leura Cascades
That brings me to the third activity, the one that I opted for. I’m not a huge fan of crowds or man-made rides, so I was keen to avoid visiting Scenic World.
However, I still wanted to see some of the views from the Giant Stairway. Therefore, I walked 20 minutes across the headland to the beginning of the staircase.
I descended the stairs for around 10 minutes until I reached Honeymoon Bridge, a bridge that stretches over the open valley to another sandstone boulder.
Honeymoon Bridge
Then, I hiked a short section of the stairs back up to the clifftop and set my sights on the Leura Cascades trail.
As you can see from the Katoomba to Leura Cascades AllTrails map, I was able to follow the trail directly from the Echo Point Visitor Information Centre.
To do the trail out and back, you need just under three hours.
This is a significant chunk of your one-day trip to the Blue Mountains but it takes the same amount of time as hiking the Federal Pass.
The hike has 1,515 feet of elevation gain, making it a moderately difficult trail for regular hikers but very challenging for beginners.
However, the views are incredible. I reached several viewpoints that look out over steep waterfalls framed by the thick bush of the Jamison Valley.
Plenty of the trail is shaded by the forest, so I also got to see typical plants and eucalyptus trees up close.
This trail isn’t as well known as the Federal Pass, so it’s less crowded.
I recommend carrying plenty of water and snacks, especially as it’s likely that you’ll be grabbing a slightly late lunch in Katoomba.
Not keen on hiking? Prefer a pit-stop tour?
The Katoomba Lyrebird pass includes a one-day ticket to Scenic World alongside unlimited access to the Blue Mountains’ hop-on and hop-off bus.
Stops: Katoomba (multiple stops), Echo Point, Katoomba Falls, Leura Cascades, Gordon Falls Lookout
5. Take the train to Wentworth Falls
After a lunch break in Katoomba, it’s time to head back to Katoomba station (taking bus 686 or 686G from Katoomba Street if needed).
Instead of going directly back to Sydney, you can take a quick stop at Wentworth Falls.
It’s a 35-minute walk from Wentworth Falls train station to the Wentworth Falls Lookout, which has views over the stunning 187-metres-high cascades.
The three-tiered falls are fed by Jamison Creek.
If you have enough time, you can hike out and back to the waterfalls via the National Pass Walking Trail in one hour (45 minutes if you’re really quick).
Otherwise, this is a nice stop to take in one final view in the Blue Mountains.
7. Take the Train from Wentworth Falls to Sydney
Finally, getting back to Sydney is pips-squeak. You can take the same train back to Sydney from the Wentworth Falls station.
They depart once every hour and take one hour and 50 minutes to reach Sydney’s Central Station.
I hope you found my guide to the Blue Mountains day trip by train useful! Feel free to continue reading for more advice and guides on travelling the east coast of Australia…
- Blue Mountains itinerary: start here!
- Sydney to Brisbane road trip – steal my itinerary.
- Cairns to Brisbane road trip
- 10 Interesting Facts About the Three Sisters