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Adelaide is bursting with culture, things to do, food to eat and wine to drink! Australia’s hidden gem, the city of Adelaide is a warm and friendly city, with lots to do and see. Not as cramped as Sydney or expensive as Melbourne – south Australia is a unique and beautiful and definitely should be high on your ‘to-do’ list.
This article will break down where best to stay in Adelaide, as well as what to do there! You may find our post on Adelaide’s top tourist attractions helpful.
Glenelg
Glenelg is a hustling and bustling beachside suburb with many fantastic accommodation options, fantastic restaurants to suit any palate and easy and affordable public transport into the CBD.
There is a sandy white and sprawling beach, beautiful heritage hotels and bustling shops, sidewalks cafes and summer entertainment. You can also swim with wild dolphins, go diving or snorkelling or join a fishing charter. Trace Glenelg’s history in the galleries and museums, join in the fun of various festivals and meander along the coast to neighbouring beach towns.
No trip to the beach is complete without an ice-cream or gelati – or two – and you’ll find plenty of opportunities to treat yourself at Glenelg. The Glenelg Foreshore playground are hives of activity throughout the summer months, offering a huge range of family-friendly entertainment and sporting activities. Look out for the bungee trampoline, pedal cars and talented buskers. Hire a bike or just walk to the coast path.
To get to Glenelg, jump on the vintage tram that has been shuttling passengers from Adelaide’s North Terrace since the 1920s. It drops you at Moseley Square, right behind the jetty. You can trace the historic changes in Holdfast Bay in Glenelg Town Hall’s discovery centre.
The popularity of Glenelg as a seaside destination certainly hasn’t waned over the years, as you’ll see when you wander the buzzing dining and shopping strip of Jetty Road. Browse some of the hundreds of specialty stores or dine in an al fresco restaurant. For more stylish dining, head down to Holdfast Marina, a great place to enjoy Glenelg’s magnificent sunsets.
Check out the Oaks Apartments for apartment-style living, or the Stamford Grand for a more traditional hotel experience also along the beach.
Adelaide CBD
The city of Adelaide is where it all happens in South Australia! If you’re looking for entertainment you won’t be hard pressed to find it – with the Convention Centre, Entertainment Centre and the redeveloped Adelaide Oval all easily reached on Adelaide’s brilliant public transport system.
Get your pulse raising at the Adelaide Oval Roof Climb, indulge your sweet tooth with Haigh’s Chocolate Factory Tour, check out the city on the water with the excellent Popeye Cruises, drop in at the Adelaide Zoo (one of, if not the best in Aus), and visit the always awesome Adelaide Central Market.
Check out the Oaks Embassy for modern apartment-style living, the Intercontinental Hotel for opulence, or the Mayfair which is newer and very upmarket!
McLaren Vale
The beautiful southern wine region is a short and scenic 45-minute drive from the CBD and offers some world-class wineries, unbeatable views as well as some local and tasty local produce. The beaches are also stunning and amazing for a day out.
McLaren Vale boasts more than 80 cellar doors and vineyards, and although best known for its Shiraz, also excels in the production of ultra-premium grenache and Cabernet varieties, frequently winning awards at international wine shows.
You can walk or cycle the Shiraz trail – an eight-kilometre path which follows an old railway line between McLaren Vale and Willunga. Taste the region’s signature Shiraz along the way at wineries such as the globally renowned, where you can try and make your own blend of the winery’s famous Church Block label.
Every Saturday morning without fail, almost one hundred farmers and food producers set up at shop, selling everything from chocolates, cheeses and chutney, honey, fruit and vegetables, flowers and milk. The region is also famous for its olive oil, which you can buy in abundance!
Kangaroo Island
One of the best places in Australia to view wildlife, Kangaroo Island is brimming with native animals, some of which aren’t found anywhere else. It is also home to an established artisanal food scene, and one of the world’s best hotels. Kangaroo Island Sealink operates a daily ferry service from mainland South Australia to Penneshaw, a major town on Kangaroo Island. The ferry departs from the town of Cape Jervis, which is a 90-minute drive south of the CBD.
You can walk among rare sea lions, eat some amazing food, see the island’s beautiful rocks and visit a conservation park!
One of the country’s proudest and most beautiful locations, if you’re planning on visiting Adelaide then stopping off at Kangaroo Island is a must!
Barossa Valley
The world famous Barossa Valley is an hour and a half from the CBD. The Barossa’s winemaking and grape growing heritage date back to 1842, when the first vines were planted by European immigrants. They left a distinctive legacy in the food and wine traditions and architecture of the region. Today the region is home to sixth-generation winemakers who work with some of the world’s oldest vines, as well as a dynamic community of artisan food producers.
As well as its 70+ wineries, the Barossa is home to award-winning restaurants, stone churches and heritage buildings, in a uniquely Australian landscape of gum trees and vineyards.
The Barossa (zone) consists of the lower, warmer Barossa Valley (region), which is suited to producing award-winning Shiraz, and the cooler higher Eden Valley (region), famous for its Riesling.
The Barossa region produces a great variety of wine, with the main styles being Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillon, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.
Tour the Barossa and you’ll see well preserved 160-year-old villages, chateaus and churches, gracious heritage towns, century-old cellars and some of the world’s oldest Shiraz vineyards. Listen carefully and you might even hear the local German ‘Barossa Deutsch’ being spoken.