Chinatown Sydney, iconic Chinese inscribed gateway, some things haven't changed - haven't visited Sydney in a long time. Tram or walked, Market City, Paddy's Market: fresh vegs + fruit, souvenirs, clothing, yumcha, restaurants & more – great experience. (I have gait/walking challenges (stroke), wear a legbrace.)

We visited Chinatown a few days ago . Plenty of places to get your dose of Chinese culture. Lots of shops selling Chinese things as well as good drinking and eating places. Very busy place, a hive of activity . We enjoyed a nice lunch here.

Chinatown in Haymarket was as bustling and scintillating as ever last month. It was a great place to hook up with friends at. The lucky red-painted arches were particularly attractive and photogenic. We took great numbers of pictures and particularly enjoyed checking out the food stalls.

The heart of Sydney’s Chinatown is a central strip of restaurants along Dixon St, although these days, lots restaurants spill out beyond here also. In fact the whole area has expanded to include neighbouring ‘Thai Town’. We walked through Dixon St recently and I was surprised that it looks a little shabby during the day. It looks a lot more lively at night, when the neons signs and bright lights are out. Historically, Chinatown is marked by large traditional Chinese ceremonial Paifang style gates at either end of Dixon St. Large stone lions sit either side of the gates, guarding the entrance and exit at both ends. The gates have a traditional pagoda style roof, glazed ceramic tiles, and proverbs about friendship and goodwill written in golden Chinese script. Although they are not very old and were only built in 1980, the gates are about to be restored and heritage listed. Overall, if you do not have much time in Sydney, then you will be too busy seeing other sights to visit Chinatown. However if you have some spare time, then you might like to combine it with a visit to Darling Harbour. It’s only a couple of minutes walk from Darling Harbour and the Chinese Garden of Friendship. You’ll also find Paddy’s Market at the other end of Dixon St. It’s a bit down-at-heel these days but it has an endless supply of cheap souvenirs and T-shirts with ‘Australia’ written across them. We also enjoyed stopping at Dragon Pastry, a new shop at the top end of Dixon St. We only bought egg tarts but the displays of colourful cakes shaped like flowers, dragons and swans are fun to look at.

Chinatown Sydney was not as big as some other Chinatowns in the world that we had been. The most interesting area might be Dixon Street where we found the Chinese gate and architecture with some Chinese shops and restaurants. In general, not the place we loved in Sydney.