Voltaren City2Surf will take over the city this week, causing major road closures from Sydney CBD to Bondi Beach.
Impacted areas include the CBD, the City to Edgecliff, Double Bay to North Bondi and the Bondi Beach area.
We’ve summarised all the road closures that Sydneysiders need to be aware of, plus how to get home after the race.

City2Surf is one of Sydney’s favourite events— if you’re running it. But if you live in the inner city or Eastern Suburbs and aren’t taking part, the widespread road closures can make it a bit of a headache.

The course stretches 14km from Sydney CBD to Bondi Beach, meaning major roads along and surrounding the route will be closed throughout the day. This includes the roads around Hyde Park and the Start Line Area, the City and Edgecliff, Double Bay and North Bondi and Bondi Beach. City roads will begin to reopen from around 11:30am, with Eastern Suburbs roads reopening from 1pm, 2pm and by 4pm in Bondi.

Read on for advice on how to get to the start line, all road closure times and our top tips for getting out of Bondi post-race.

Our expert tips for navigating the day

Many of us on the Sydney Travel Guide team have tackled City2Surf ourselves, so we’ve picked up plenty of insider tips to help you navigate the city and survive the day with minimal stress.

City2Surf road closures — City2Surf runners

Getting to the start line:

The best thing about City2Surf is that travel on public transport is free for City2Surf participants and volunteers on certain transport services. These include all Sydney trains, bus services, metro services, light rail services and Sydney and Newcastle ferries.

Just show your race bib or volunteer pass to transport staff, and you’re good to go.

Our City2Surf experts strongly advise against driving to the start line. If you’re planning to get dropped off, expect to walk part of the way. A good option is to get dropped off near Oxford Street in Surry Hills, then walk straight down to the start area.

The Start Line is strategically placed in an area with plenty of train stations, bus stops and metro stations. If you’re getting the train, you can get off at St James, Museum and Town Hall stations. Wynard, Martin Place and Central are also options; however, the walk from these three is a bit further.

Gadigal Metro Station is super close to the start line, connecting those from the Inner West and North Sydney to the course. Again, Martin Place and Central Metro Stations are also an option if Gadigal is too busy.

Give yourself plenty of time to get to the start line. While there are numerous public transport options available, with around 90,000 participants expected, services will be extremely busy.

Leaving Bondi:

You’ve finished the run, congratulations! Now it’s time to get out of Bondi, which is heaving with City2Surfers clutching their medals and a well-deserved schooner.

If your legs can take it, we’d recommend walking out of Bondi and getting transport out of the Eastern suburbs from a different area. A post-City2Surf cooldown jog or walk to Tamarama or Bronte would mean a less crowded bus, or potentially a Lime bike. You could also walk up to Bondi Junction and access rail services there.

There are also plenty of dedicated shuttle buses running from Campbell Parade at the southern end of Bondi Beach directly to Bondi Junction. Our advice? Don’t get put off by the crowds. These buses are frequent and are usually run very efficiently. If you join a huge queue for these buses, they’ll likely go a lot faster than you’d think.

This map shows transport routes out of the finish area.

bus queue city2surf road closures — Don’t be put off by long bus queues. (Image supplied).

Key City2Surf road closure times:

Hyde Park and Start Line Area will roads close the earliest, at 3:30am
The City and Edgecliff will close from 6am.
Double Bay and North Bondi will close from 7am.
Bondi Beach (near the finish line) will close from 6am.

1. Sydney CBD

The Sydney CBD will be closed between 3:30am and 12pm. Specific roads affected will be sections of College Street, Macquarie Street, Park Street and St James Road.

2. Woolloomooloo and Edgecliff

These roads around Woolloomooloo to Edgecliff will be closed from 6am to midday: William Street from Yurong Street through to New South Head Road at Ocean Avenue.

There will be no access to the city via New South Head Road, west of Ocean Street, until 12pm, and drivers are encouraged to use an alternative route via Oxford Street.

The Cross City Tunnel will be closed eastbound, however, drivers can access the Cross City Tunnel westbound and Craigend Street via McLachlan Avenue at Rushcutters Bay.

From the Eastern Distributor, there is no access to William Street or the Cross City Tunnel westbound.

3. Double Bay and Rose Bay

New South Head Road from Ocean Avenue to Dover Road will be closed from 7am to 1pm.

4. North Bondi

New South Head Road from Dover Road to Old South Head Road will be closed from 7am to 2pm, as will Old South Head Road from New South Head Road to Oceanview Avenue and Military Road from Old South Head Road to Blair Street.

5. Bondi Beach

Between 6am and 4pm, Campbell Parade from Hall Street to Blair Street will be closed, as will Campbell Parade from Dudley Street to Hall Street and Lamrock Avenue.

Sections of Wairoa Avenue, Hastings Parade and Wallis Parade will be closed from 7am.

Queen Elizabeth Drive will have restricted access from 1am to 1pm, before fully closing until 4pm the following day.

6. Bondi Junction

Bondi Junction will be impacted from 9am to 4pm, with sections of Grafton Street, Grosvenor Street and Oxford Street around Bondi Junction.

William Street during City2Surf. (Image supplied).

Reopening Schedule

City roads will begin to reopen from about 11:30am.

Roads in the Eastern Suburbs will reopen progressively from 1pm, 2pm and by 4pm in Bondi (where all the post-run action will be).

Parking Restrictions

There will be special event clearway parking restrictions in place on both sides of the course, along detour routes and on surrounding streets. Vehicles parked in these restricted areas will be towed.

For live details on the day, head to livetraffic.com.au

City2Surf 2025

Where: Starts at the intersection of Park Street and College Street, Finish line is on Queen Elizabeth Drive at Bondi.
When: Sunday, August 10, the first group starts at 7:35am and the last group starts at 9:27am.

city2surf.com.au

City2Surf road closures: how to beat the crowds and get home