The perfect Christmas Island itinerary

Christmas Island is famed for its rugged landscapes and nature-based spectacles. Here’s how to make the most of your holiday with our essential list of things to do.

Although Christmas Island is best known for its annual crab migration, there is a lot more to surprise and delight. From its dense untamed jungle and deep, cerulean waters filled with wildlife, to its beautiful wild beaches, and cliffs that resemble incredible architectural feats, a week-long stay here is like diving headfirst toward the exceptional and unexpected.

Any visit to Christmas Island will almost certainly include a combination of colourful aquatic life, wilderness walks and rich and colourful cultural components. Here’s our list of carefully curated things to do on Christmas Island over the course of seven days.

Day One

Breakfast at Idah’s Kitchen, at the Malay Club

The lids on the pots in Idah’s Kitchen are always clattering, as it is one of the best (and busiest) places to eat on Christmas Island. Do as the locals do and order delicious roti, pulled straight off the stove, and torn into strips to dip into a bowl of spicy chicken curry.

Malay Roti, Indian Ocean Fest, Christmas Island — Celebrate the melting pot of local Malay and Chinese flavours.

Visit the blowholes

The Blowholes is another one of Christmas Island’s natural treasures. You will definitely find other camera-toting travellers here, but this hotspot is also popular with friendly locals who enjoy the intermittent drama of water blasting through the rocks.

The Blowholes, Christmas Island, Australia — One of Christmas Island’s natural treasures is the Blowholes.

Accommodation tip: The Christmas Island Bali Style Retreat on Phosphate Hill.

Day Two

Dive & Snorkel Christmas Island

Day two is a choose-your-own-ocean adventure with a half-day CI Wet n Dry Adventures or Extra Divers tour or experience, where you can admire colourful fish, vibrant corals and dolphins just metres from shore, take a boat trip to one of the many idyllic diving and snorkelling spots, or take an underwater seascooter snorkelling tour with Salted. Snorkelling and diving obsessives also feel a mystical pull to dive off Christmas Island alongside whale sharks (between November and March).

Colourful fish, diving and snorkeling in Christmas Island, Australia — Admire colourful fish when you go for a dive.

Lunch at Lucky Ho

Look for the Chinese lanterns and balustrade coloured like a set of crayons outside Lucky Ho restaurant, located in Poon Saan. This popular lunch spot is known for its pan-Asian fare: think Thai fried rice, Mongolian beef, sweet and sour pork and fried wontons.

Sunset drinks at Martin Point walk

Some 63 per cent of Christmas Island is blanketed in national park, so it’s compact enough for forest bathers to well and truly get their fix. Ease into it with sunset drinks and BYO canapés at Martin Point, where you can watch the bright orange sun roll over the horizon and sink into the soft folds of the sea.

Pink skies, Martin Point, Christmas Island — Watch the sky change colours as you relax in Martin Point at sunset. (Image: Wondrous World Images)

Accommodation tip: Splurge on a night at Swell Lodge one of the most unique places to stay in WA.

Day Three

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

Fuel up on coffee at Smash Espresso Bar

Smash down a few perfect piccolos at the Smash Espresso Bar, which has a servery window and a few tables, chairs and stools set outside. You’ll find locals on the footpath eating bacon and egg burgers and chatting to the owner in the narrow doorway of the cafe, which is made colourful with lanterns and wall hangings.

Smash Espresso Bar, Christmas Island, Australia — Smash down a few perfect piccolos at the Smash Espresso Bar.

Visit sites of Second World War history

Nineteen Second World War sites have been located on Christmas Island after the Japanese occupation of the island in 1942. You can still find traces of World War 2 history on the island in an old cave and ruins used to store ammunition as well as a restored gun emplacement.

Swim at Greta Beach

You will need to take a 4WD tour to cover some ground and get to Greta, which, on a hot day, will be calling your name. Pack a picnic.

landscape views of Greta Beach, Christmas Island — Pack a picnic and head to the serene Greta Beach. (Image: Rebecca Dominguez)

Accommodation tip: Captain’s Last Resort on Christmas Island is best suited to solo travellers or couples.

Day Four

Book a guided snorkelling tour from Flying Fish Cove

Enjoy a savoury breakfast of egg roti or samosas with a Malaysian coffee at the Flying Fish Cafe before padding barefoot to Flying Fish Cove where you can snorkel just metres from shore. Book a snorkelling tour with one of the local operators on Christmas Island and look for octopus, turtles, manta rays and spinner dolphins.

Snorkeling, Christmas Island, Australia — Book a snorkelling tour with one of the local operators on Christmas Island.

Indulge in a bout of forest bathing

There’s no better place to forest bathe than in the enchanted atmosphere of Hughs Dale. Enjoy cooling off at the end of the waterfall walk under the gleaming rocks and branches of Tahitian chestnut trees, which have gnarled roots with green fuzzy moss growing on them.

Waterfall walk, Christmas Island, Australia — Enjoy cooling off at the end of the waterfall walk. (Image: Chris Bray)

Enjoy a sunset cruise

Grab a group of friends as the sun starts to turn red and project brilliant gold reflections over the sea and sky on a sunset cruise with Extra Divers. Enjoy a swim then kick back onboard as the sun sinks over the horizon and the water turns navy blue. You will usually find Extra Divers’ boat Nemo moored in Flying Fish Cove. Smaller dive groups can also say cheers to the sunset with CI Wet n Dry Adventures with tailored trips and private charters available.

Accommodation tip: The Diver’s Villa is one of the last pre-war bungalows built by the Christmas Island Phosphate Company and a convenient place to stay.

Day Five

Enjoy a pot of (hot) iced tea

Order a glass of iced tea from The Chinese Literary Association cafe Le CLA located in The Settlement and it will be served hot, over ice, which is, according to the locals, a Christmas Island speciality. Sit outside on the breezy veranda at this Malaysian-Chinese-Australian restaurant and tuck into waffles for brunch to fuel your day’s adventures.

Foshan Chicken, Le Cla, Christmas Island — You can also try the traditional Foshan Chicken at Le Cla.

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View a temple or two

You will find several Chinese temples and shrines scattered around Christmas Island as well as Christian churches and a mosque. You will also hear people speaking a second language such as Mandarin, Malay, Cantonese, Min Nan and Tagalog, which reflects the island’s colourful cultural heritage.

Catch a film at the outdoor cinema

The Christmas Island Outdoor Cinema was built in the 1970s and the scene here skews local. Join local families and tourists with sand still stuck to their feet to watch cult classics and new releases on a giant outdoor screen. Held every Saturday.

Film screening at The Christmas Island Outdoor Cinema — Join local families and tourists to watch cult classics and new releases on a giant outdoor screen.

Day Six

Chill out in a natural spa

Sit in the sheltered embrace of the Dolly Beach spa as white foam swirls around the natural plunge pool like a lacy skirt. When the humidity is thick as soup, you can make your way to the sandy-floored sea cave known as the Grotto after dark. But do take a torch: robber crabs loom all around, their hunched bodies like giant dust mites.

Look for birds in the trees

Christmas Island covers 135 square kilometres, of which about 63 per cent has been declared national park. Look up high in the branches of the trees or head to the clifftops to spot birds that take it in turns to squawk, as if there’s a conductor nearby holding a baton. Look for the rare Abbott’s Booby and giant Christmas Island frigate birds.

Golden Bosun, Bird watching, Christmas Island, Australia — A Golden Bosun is one of the many remarkable birds to be seen on Christmas Island. (Image: Kirsty Faulkner)

Enjoy a cold beer at the Golden Bosun

The Golden Bosun is a CI institution. The thing to do here is order pineapple pizza and a few pots of beer to enjoy on the breezy balcony overlooking the sea until the stars light up the night sky. Enjoy the star-spangled sky and the convivial atmosphere before wandering back to your room.

The Golden Bosun, favorite spot of locals at Christmas Island, Australia — Enjoy a cold beer at the Golden Bosun.

Accommodation tip: The Sunset has a pool and dreamy sea views.

Day Seven

From little things, big things grow

If you’ve timed your visit to Christmas Island between October and January chances are you will witness the mass migration of Christmas Island red crabs and, for triple bonus points, the phenomenal sight of endangered whale sharks that gather off the island’s coast to feed on the crabs’ larvae.

Whale Shark, Christmas Island, Australia — Catch the phenomenal sight of endangered whale sharks.

Visit Rumah Tinggi Tavern

The Rumah Tinggi tavern is a huge hit with visitors and locals who converge here on a Saturday arvo for pub grub such as fish and chips and steak sangas. Watch the sun set over the sea with your new friends and vow to start planning your next trip to Christmas Island upon your return.

This winter, these secret Sydney harbour suites are the staycation we’ve been looking for.

Whether it’s the crisscrossing ferries or the white sails of the Opera House rising out of blue depths, Australia’s biggest city lives for its harbour. But while locals might glance at that watery expanse on their daily commute across the Bridge, it can still be hard to truly connect with Sydney’s maritime soul. The secret: seeing the harbour eye-to-eye, right at water level. And what better place to submerge yourself in that energy than sleeping there? That’s where Pier One Sydney Harbour comes in (and with new all-inclusive bed and breakfast benefits, there’s even more to love).

All-inclusive VIP benefits

Who Is Elijah Amenities at Pier One Sydney Harbour — Book in for the all-inclusive VIP treatment.

The hard truth is that it will be very difficult to tear yourself away from your ultra-luxurious harbour home-away-from-home to explore the city. If you want to make leaving even harder, opt for Pier One’s all-inclusive VIP treatment.

The Bed and Breakfast with Suite Benefits package turns up the volume on what is already the ultimate staycation, with complimentary valet parking, daily breakfast for two and turndown service. The biggest perk? Enjoy a bottle of French champagne every day during your whole stay

Pier One Sydney Harbour

The five-star Pier One Sydney Harbour is quite literally old Sydney through and through. Built on what was once a working cargo wharf and the passenger terminal for those heading to the North Shore before the bridge was constructed, the heritage building sits right between the tangle of cobblestones, pubs and alleyways of The Rocks and the historic docking zone of Walsh Bay – at the centre of the city’s old sea trade.

If knowing the hotel’s history isn’t enough to get your sea-longing going, the interior design certainly will. As soon as you step up to the concierge desk in the lobby of the restored building – which underwent a $15 million redevelopment in 2019 – you’re immersed in Sydney’s seafaring tale. Weathered wood panelling and white marble floors surround you, while loop lighting installations hover above the bar island just beyond, ringed with stools ready for intimate, martini-tinted conversations. Steel rivets and timber beams speak to its past, and glass-walled views anchor you firmly in the present-day life on the harbour.

Pier One Suites

Pier One Sydney Harbour admiral suite — Enjoy incredible views from your suite.

Across the 189 rooms and suites built on and over the water, the maritime theme continues. Sculptural aged brass fittings, exposed girders, colour schemes that evoke shifting currents, and mirrors that reflect ripples that – depending on your booking – sit just metres from your pillow.

United on theme yet unique in set-up, each room or suite is different. On the ground floor, dog-friendly rooms with direct access to the pier are all prepped for pampered pups, while others have views and even balconies overlooking Walsh Bay, the Bridge and the Harbour.

But the 19 suites step things up even more. Gaze out through floor-to-ceiling windows, or get even closer. Your private balcony is made for sipping a Nespresso coffee on as the sun comes up – or soaking in the bathtub of the Admiral Suite on the deck, a drink from the locally stocked mini bar in hand. This mini bar was recently completely transformed, so you have more Aussie favourites to choose from, including alcohol and snacks.

Dining at Pier One

Pier Bar Pier One Sydney Harbour — Settle in for an afternoon of good drinks and views.

Once you’re checked in, start your afternoon with a spritz at PIER BAR – or arrive by boat via the private pontoon if the occasion calls for it – and settle into one of the cabanas. Weekdays bring Happy Hour (or ‘sunset hour’ at Pier One); weekends bring the DJs. After an even sweeter experience? The Everyday Creamery and Matcha Kiosk is slinging mango and vanilla soft serve – classic and those spiked with Midori and gin alike.

PIER Dining is an ode to contemporary Australian flavours across the terrace, pier and dining room. On its seafood-leaning menu are Sydney rock oysters from Merimbula, potato scallops with salmon roe and crème fraîche, chicken with melting sundried tomato butter, vodka rigatoni with Shark Bay prawns. And the ‘Pierlova’ – that’s pavlova with chocolate, dulce de leche and banana is worth saving room for. Make sure to ask for the wine list – it’s 100 per cent Australian drops.

Around town

luna park, sydney opera house and sydney harbour bridge — Explore the neighbourhood during your stay. (Credit: Destination NSW)

If you’re strong enough to polish off just one last pastry from the breakfast buffet and walk out the door, we applaud you. Luna Park across the harbour beckons with its wide grin, while a glance upward might spur you to climb the Bridge’s famous iron arches. The Opera House – just across Circular Quay from the Museum of Contemporary Art – sings out for a concert.

You’ll want to book ahead for those hot-ticket performances at Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Dance Company, just a few minutes’ walk south of the hotel. Ten minutes further brings you to the waterfront bars, restaurants and clubs of Barangaroo, or the karaoke, gardens and dim sum of Chinatown further afield.

Keep the mellow of your weekend getaway going with a stop at Barangaroo Reserve, watching the yachts go by – all before returning for that Sydney sundowner at Pier One.

Ready to make that Pier One stay a reality? Book the ultimate Sydney staycation at pieronesydneyharbour.com.au

The perfect Christmas Island itinerary

Christmas Island is famed for its rugged landscapes and nature-based spectacles. Here’s how to make the most of your holiday with our essential list of things to do.

Day One