Adelaide took me by surprise. A city in the middle of the southern edge of Australia, it’s far away from just about everywhere with a personality all of its own. A modern city at the street level, above the canopy, we find heritage buildings in just about every architectural style. More importantly, there are plenty of fun things to do in Adelaide.
Adelaide is a city for living. We met and talked to locals everywhere we went, and, unsolicited, nearly everyone told us what a fabulous place Adelaide is to live. The change of season, without snowfall, seemed to dominate every conversation. Although the mention of unbearably hot temperatures in the summer wasn’t softened enough by cooler evenings to entice me to live here.
As a tourist, we found more than enough fun things to do in Adelaide for our five-day visit.
Where is Adelaide?
Located along the southern coast of Australia, Adelaide is the capital of the state of South Australia.
Top things to do in Adelaide
Rundle Mall
Free
Much more than a shopping area, Rundle Mall is a meeting place. Initially established in 1837, you will want to remember to look up to discover many of the city’s historic buildings. Rundle Mall became Australia’s first pedestrian-only mall in 1976.
Fabulous artwork seems to be everywhere, as do laneways filled with cafes and shops. It’s the centre of town life for locals, a must-see in Adelaide for visitors, and on just about everyone’s list of fun things to do in Adelaide.
Art Gallery of South Australia
North Terrace, Adelaide
Open daily 10 am to 5 pm, closed on Christmas Day
Free entry (fee for special events)
One of the most interesting art museums we have ever visited, it seemed each gallery brought with it something unique. From classic to modern, the variety of artworks and collections kept us here far longer than we anticipated.
South Australia Museum
North Terrace, Adelaide
Open daily 10 am to 5 pm, opens 12 noon on ANZAC Day, closed Christmas Day and Good Friday
Free entry
Nestled between the Art Gallery and the State Library sits the South Australia Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of Australian Aboriginal cultural artifacts. This natural history museum also displays taxidermy animals representing both the current and extinct animals of the state.
Central Market
44-60 Gouger St, Adelaide
Hours vary by day, closed Sunday, Monday, and select public holidays
Free entry
With over 70 traders representing over 40 nationalities, the Central Market is Adelaide’s food hub. Established in 1869, it’s a real gem in the city, and one of the southern hemisphere’s largest covered markets. It offers live music on Friday nights.
Botanic Gardens
North Terrace, Adelaide
Open every day; hours vary by season
Free
For anyone seeking nature in the heart of the city, the 51-hectare Adelaide Botanic Garden is the ideal mini getaway. The gardens originally opened in 1857 and feature fountains, artwork, and heritage in addition to a variety of native plant life, other flora, and the Santos Museum of Economic Botany.
There are free guided tours daily at 10.30 am from the Visitor Centre or on Monday afternoons at 2 pm starting at North Lodge on Plane Tree Drive. Our timing was off, so we downloaded a map and followed one of their suggested walks.
Check out the street art
We love street art and have found that many cities have pre-printed street art maps to help you find some of the better-known works. We picked up our map at the i-site off of Rundle Mall, but had we known, we could have downloaded the map.
Two of my favourite pieces are both by Jimmy C. The second one is a portrait of Jamie Goldsmith and was made in collaboration with Elizabeth Close.
Self-guided heritage walk
Free
A city loaded with heritage and folklore, one of our favourite things to do in Adelaide was simply to walk around and enjoy the architecture. One great building after the next, there are tours, but we opted to go it alone. However, if you want the commentary, reserve your often-discounted Adelaide highlights tour here.
More fun things to do in Adelaide Australia
We couldn’t do it all in just 5 days, especially when the first two were spent on Kangaroo Island. However, we tried. Here are some other fun things to do in Adelaide that we missed.
- Head to the beach in Glenelg, and if you are feeling adventurous, join a tour to swim with the dolphins (Reserve your often discounted swim with dolpins tour here).
- Visit the peaceful Himeji Japanese garden.
- See Australia’s only giant pandas at the Adelaide Zoo.
- Discover native Australian animals at Cleland Wildlife Park.
- Try some of the over 120 available wines (Wined Bar) at the National Wine Centre and discover the process from grape to glass.
- Enhance your historical understanding at Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute.
- Brave the aerial obstacle course at Mega Adventure. Reserve your often discounted Mega Adventure here.
Things to do near Adelaide
There’s plenty more to do near Adelaide without going too far.
Hahndorf
As we passed through the Adelaide hills, we stopped in Hahndorf, Australia’s oldest German town. Here, we enjoyed a fabulous bratwurst and sauerkraut lunch washed down with a dark lager. Then, a walk down the main street, passing and enjoying art galleries and artisan shops featuring things like leather, jewellery, fudge, craft beer, and cheese. Everything with a German accent.
If you prefer a tour to Hahndorf from Adelaide, this tour visits Adelaide downtown, the National Wine Centre, as well as Hahndorf.
Kangaroo Island
The trip from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island is a 90-minute drive followed by a 40-minute ferry ride. Kangaroo Island was our first stop after landing at Adelaide Airport. We stayed for two full days, and I wouldn’t have wanted any less.
It’s a big island with slow driving, mostly due to wildlife. We found ourselves stopping for all sorts of animals to cross the road (lizards, echidna, geese, kangaroo), but more often hopping out to get photos.
Barossa Valley
If you’re into wine, head to the Barossa Valley. There are plenty of wineries to choose from here, as the region produces one-fifth of Australia’s wine, according to Australia your way.
Tips for visiting Adelaide
- There are two free buses in the city. The red bus covers just the downtown area, while the green bus goes a bit farther out.
- If you take the tram, your ticket is good for two hours, so if you are heading somewhere for a quick meal, you might be able to return on a single ticket.
- East Terrace and, more specifically, Ebenezer Place and the surrounding area are a great choice for food and drink. We ate at and recommend an excellent Latin-style restaurant called La Taberna on Rundle.
Read next: Adelaide to Melbourne Road Trip: Route Planning Made Easy
Save on your Australia trip with these resources
These are our go-to companies when we travel. We believe this list to be the best in each category. You can’t go wrong using them on your trip too.
- Flights: we use Expedia for the best and cheapest flight options.
- Accommodations: we use Booking.com (hotels), VRBO (self-contained), or Hostelworld (budget).
- Cars (gas or electric): we use RentalCars to search for deals and dealer ratings.
- Motorcycles: we have heard good things about BikesBooking.
- Campervans: Our readers prefer Jucy when in Australia, and we get consistently great feedback.
- Activity discounts: we check Bookme.com for discounts of up to 70% on activities.
- Private guides: we often find the best option is to hire a private guide from Viator.
- Travel Insurance: while not required, we always opt for travel insurance and start at InsureMyTrip to compare coverage plans.
Check out our travel resources page for more companies that we use when you travel.
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Puloma Banerjee
Wow Adelaide has so much to explore, loved the architecture and Kangaroo island seemed interesting!
Amy Franks
It’s funny you post about Adelaide, we have been talking about where we would move to if we ever moved to Oz, Adelaide and Perth came up tops.
Paul Pietrangelo
Adelaide seems to be a very interesting location but kangaroo meat? Give me a break. Why would they kill that cute animal for meat?
Two of those pieces by Jimmy C. look very interesting. The natural history museum would be a place for me. What really is that sphere?
Cruisin Paul
Jeff Albom
I think the spheres are just art.
Nbam
Wow, the place looks so beautiful 😍 If I ever visit Australia, I’ll definitely go to Adelaide! Thanks for sharing the travel guide.
Vera Ida
Thanks for your tips about Adelaide. Such a great info!
Monidipa
Adelaide looks amazing, will add it to my list!
Nancy
I love “traveling” with you, even if it IS virtual. Maybe someday…
rachel
I’ve been DYING to visit here! I can’t wait to travel outside the US again.
Binny Marwaha
Love reading it and learning about Adelaide, collecting all the info to start traveling soon 🙂 Thanks!
Yudith
I have planing to visit Australia next year. Definitely I will go to Adelaide. Thx for your info
Paolo
This post is full of good suggestions that I will follow the day I’ll be in Adelaide. I can’t wait to travel again around the world safely. – Paolo
Mayuri
Lovely photos! Would love to explore all of the wonderful spots you mentioned, especially the Rocks at the Flinders Park . Saving this for future trips
Olivia
Adelaide looks like such a fun city to visit! I’d love to check out the street art and botanical gardens!
tweenselmom
These are interesting places in Australia that you’ve shared. Never seen these spots before.
Rose Ann Sales
I’ve heard about this a couple times. Nice post about Adelaide.
Kathleen Cregg
I went to Melbourne and Sydney, but I definitely need to check out Adelaide on my next visit!
L. Diane Wolfe
I’d love the market but I’m sure it’s not bustling at the moment.
Denise
Looks like a great place to visit! I’m putting it on my list and pinning!
Megan
Looks like a fun place! I would want to go to kangaroo island to see all the wildlife of Australia!
Sandee
I love gallery and the botanical garden, but the island is my favorite place to be.
Have a fabulous day and, Rhonda. ♥
Alex J. Cavanaugh
That is one amazing rock formation.
Lots of animal related things to do, that’s for sure.
Melinda
I would love to go to the wildlife park and see the native animals! Adelaide looks amazing but in the cooler months for sure.
Travelling Tam
I’ve heard so many good things about Adelaide and have been meaning to take a drive down there for a while! I’d love to spend a few days checking out the Barossa Valley and Kangaroo Island especially. Some great ideas here I’ll be referring back to!