Scenic World on your own

About this experience

Scenic World is the ticket most Blue Mountains tours are built around, sold on its own. It is a privately owned, family-run attraction that the Hammon family started in 1945, when Harry Hammon turned the coal skips of the old Katoomba Colliery into a passenger ride. It is not part of the national park. The Unlimited Discovery Pass gives you one day of rides on all four: the Scenic Railway down a 52-degree incline, the Walkway's rainforest boardwalks, the 545 m Cableway back up, and the Skyway across the gorge about 270 metres above the valley floor.

There is no transport, no guide and no meal. You get to Katoomba yourself. Trains from Sydney Central take about two hours, and local buses and the hop-on hop-off Explorer Bus link the station with Echo Point and Scenic World. By car, guests park free in Scenic World's multi-storey car park, which has a 2 m height limit. Scenic World opens 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, NSW school holidays and public holidays, every day of the year.

Book a session ahead. Scenic World says sessions are selling out in advance, each one has a 30-minute arrival window, and in school and public holidays tickets are often online only. Once inside, each ride takes about five minutes and leaves about every ten. Food and drink are not part of the pass; you can bring your own or buy them at the cafés on site. The pass does not cover Echo Point, but you do not need it to: the Three Sisters walk is free.

• Unlimited rides all day on the Scenic Railway, Skyway and Cableway
• Rainforest boardwalks on the Scenic Walkway, with 10, 30 and 50-minute loops
• A railway Scenic World bills as the world's steepest passenger train
• Your own pace: stay as long as you like
• Free parking for guests on site

How the day runs

1. Your session timeArrive at Scenic World

   Corner of Violet Street and Cliff Drive, Katoomba. Arrive within your 30-minute session window.

2. About 5 minScenic Railway down

   The 52-degree ride down through the cliff into the Jamison Valley.

3. 10 to 50 minScenic Walkway

   Rainforest boardwalks on the valley floor; choose the 10, 30 or 50-minute loop.

4. About 5 minScenic Cableway up

   The 545 m cable car back up to the top.

5. About 5 minScenic Skyway across

   The cabin across the gorge, about 270 m above the valley floor.

6. Any timeRide again, or walk to Echo Point

   The pass is unlimited, so repeat your favourite. Echo Point and the Three Sisters are free and close by.

What's included

Who it suits

What guests say

Tips before you book

• Book the earliest session you can reach. Opening is 9 a.m. at weekends and in holidays, 10 a.m. on weekdays.
• Allow at least two hours. The Walkway loops alone run up to 50 minutes, and the pass lets you ride twice.
• Pack a layer. Katoomba averages about 5 degrees cooler than Sydney.
• Need step-free access? The listing asks guests with disabilities to contact Scenic World about their needs before the visit.
• Pair it with the free Three Sisters walk at Echo Point, 0.8 km return.

Read next:

• Scenic World
• By train

Frequently asked questions

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