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Things to Do in Adelaide, Australia
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Plan language: EnglishMost popular attractions in Adelaide, Australia
When you ask about things to do in Adelaide, Australia, the city offers unforgettable experiences. Stroll through the Adelaide Botanic Garden, a 50-hectare oasis with exotic plants. Visit the Art Gallery of South Australia with 45 thousand works of art. Enjoy fresh food at the Adelaide Central Market, the largest market in the southern hemisphere.
1. Adelaide Botanic Garden
An oasis of tranquility amidst the city noise, where the plant world comes to life in its most beautiful form. Walk under the shade of century-old palms, enter a 27-meter-high glass forest and discover the colors, scents and stories of thousands of plant species.
Quick facts: Over 50 hectares of botanical garden houses one of the largest palm collections in Australia, with over 1,000 different species. The Glass Forest, an extraordinary structure built entirely of glass and steel, reaches 27 meters in height and contains plants from the arid regions of the world.
Highlights: The garden has a giant baobab tree over 150 years old weighing more than 20 tons, brought from South Africa. Another little secret: the back of the Glass Forest creates a rainbow effect on the interior walls when the sun penetrates the textured glass, and knowledgeable visitors come specifically in the afternoon to see it.
2. Art Gallery of South Australia
A journey through time via painting and sculpture, from Renaissance Europe to indigenous Australian art. You will walk through quiet halls, discover hidden treasures and relax in a magical courtyard with century-old trees.
Quick facts: Holds over 45,000 works of art, from 16th century European painting to contemporary Australian art. It has one of the largest collections of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in the world.
Highlights: In the inner courtyard grows a 200-year-old ficus tree, around which lights dance during nighttime lighting installations. The gallery has an entire hall dedicated to Victorian era art, where an ancient English clock chimes every hour with a melody heard throughout the entire first floor.
3. Adelaide Central Market
A sensory feast where 80 merchants offer products from all over the world under one roof. Enjoy artisanal cheeses, fresh seafood and handmade pastries, while listening to the vendors inviting you to try.
Quick facts: Over 80 different traders sell products from all over the world at this market that has been operating for more than 150 years. Every Saturday morning, over 10,000 visitors fill its corridors, creating a lively and colorful atmosphere.
Highlights: On the first Thursday of every month, the market organizes food nights with live music and free tastings until 9:00 PM. The smell of freshly baked bread from Lucia's bakery mixes with the aroma of spices from the Indian shop, creating an unforgettable sensory experience.
4. Glenelg Beach
Where dolphins swim near the shore and the historic tram stops on the sand. A sunset over the Southern Ocean, artisanal ice cream and calm waves for swimming.
Quick facts: The beach stretches along 7 kilometers of coastline and is the only beach in South Australia where the historic tram drops you in the middle of the sand. More than 3 million visitors set foot on this shore every year, making it the most visited beach destination in the state.
Highlights: In the early morning hours, bottlenose dolphins swim within 20 meters of the shore, creating a natural show for those who wake up early. The soft sandstone at the bottom of the waves creates calm turquoise waters that stay warm up to 22 degrees Celsius during summer, a rare detail for Southern Ocean shores.
5. South Australian Museum
A journey through 5 billion years of natural history and 50 thousand years of Aboriginal culture. You will come face to face with meteorites from Mars, giant skeletons and ancient ceremonial objects.
Quick facts: Holds the largest collection of meteorites in Australia, with about 13,000 pieces. It also houses the only complete skeleton of a beaked whale present in an Australian museum.
Highlights: In the taxidermy hall, a Tasmanian tiger preserved in alcohol has been waiting for visitors since 1930, one of only a few existing specimens of this extinct species. Behind the glass, you can see every detail of its body, including the characteristic stripes on its back, as if it had died yesterday.
6. Cleland Wildlife Park
Where animals roam free and you are their guest. Hand-feed the kangaroos, cuddle the koalas and walk among the emus in an open forest park.
Quick facts: Over 130 species of Australian animals live here, including kangaroos, koalas, and emus. Visitors can walk freely among the kangaroos in an open space of 35 hectares.
Highlights: You can cuddle a koala and feel its soft, warm fur, one of the few places in South Australia where this is allowed. The kangaroos come to you looking for food, and you can feed them by hand as they touch your palm with their soft noses.
7. Adelaide Zoo
The closest encounter with giant pandas in the southern hemisphere. Walk under the canopy of century-old trees, watching everything from tiny monkeys to African lions.
Quick facts: Over 1,800 animals from 250 different species live in the 130-year-old zoo. Giant pandas Wang Wang and Funi are two of the most famous residents, the only pandas in the entire southern hemisphere.
Highlights: You can have breakfast near the pink flamingo pond, listening to their calls as the sun warms their feathers. The garden has one of the few flamingo colonies that reproduce naturally in Australia, with over 60 chicks hatching every year.
8. Mount Lofty Summit
From Adelaide's highest viewpoint, the horizon kisses the ocean. Enjoy your coffee as the sun slowly sinks into the sea, with the city lighting up below you.
Quick facts: Mount Lofty rises 727 meters above sea level, offering a 360 degree panorama of Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula. Every year, over 700,000 visitors climb up here to watch the sunset over the city.
Highlights: On clear days, the horizon extends up to 100 kilometers away, including the dry Lake Torrens and the Mount Lofty Ranges. The wind that blows up there changes direction three times within a single day, creating a magical play of light and shadow over the landscape.
Where to Stay in Adelaide, Australia
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Traditional Sweet Dishes
Frog Cake
The Frog Cake is a beloved South Australian icon, a green sponge cake shaped like a frog with a marshmallow filling and coated in green fondant. It was invented by a Danish baker in Adelaide in the 1920s and is traditionally eaten on Fridays.
Pie Floater
While typically savory, a sweet version of the Pie Floater exists with apple pie floating in custard. The original savory meat pie floating in pea soup was created in Adelaide in the 1890s and remains a late night favorite.
Lamington
Though disputed between Queensland and New Zealand, Adelaide claims its own strong lamington tradition with the Balfours bakery producing thousands daily. These sponge cake squares are coated in chocolate and desiccated coconut.
Traditional Savory Dishes
Pie Floater
A true Adelaide icon, the Pie Floater is a meat pie served upside down floating in a bowl of thick green pea soup, topped with tomato sauce. It was invented in the 1890s and sold from street carts to hungry workers.
Battered Snags (Battered Sausages)
Adelaide is famous for its battered sausages, known as "snags," which are entire sausages dipped in batter and deep fried, sold at every fish and chip shop. They originated as a cheap daytime alternative to the pie floater.
King George Whiting
This silver fish is considered the holy grail of South Australian seafood, with Adelaide's restaurants proudly serving it lightly battered or pan fried. It is prized for its delicate, sweet flavor and flaky white flesh.
Traditional Beverages
Farmers Union Iced Coffee
South Australians drink more Farmers Union Iced Coffee per capita than any other state, and it has been produced in Adelaide since 1883. It is such a local obsession that it outsells Coca Cola in South Australia.
Coopers Sparkling Ale
Brewed in Adelaide since 1862 by the same family, Coopers Sparkling Ale is Australia's oldest independent brewery. It is naturally carbonated in the bottle and has a distinctive cloudy appearance and fruity flavor.
FruChocs
While technically a confection, FruChocs are so iconic they are often dissolved in hot milk to make a sweet, fruity chocolate drink in South Australian homes. Made by Menz Confectionery in Adelaide since 1948, they are a true local treasure.
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Most popular day trips
Barossa Valley
World famous wine region with cellar doors, gourmet food and scenic vineyards.
Kangaroo Island
Stunning wildlife sanctuary with kangaroos, koalas and dramatic coastal cliffs.
McLaren Vale
Renowned wine region with boutique wineries and beaches just minutes away.
Hahndorf
Australia's oldest German settlement with charming shops, bakeries and beer halls.
Fleurieu Peninsula
Beautiful coastline with surf beaches, national parks and quaint seaside towns.
Rent a car in Adelaide, Australia
Getting there
Airports
Train stations
Adelaide Metro train lines and The Overland to Melbourne
Adelaide Airport is about 15 minutes from the city center by taxi or Uber. The JetBus service also runs between the airport and the city.
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Comments (5)
The free tram in the city center is a lifesaver. Park your rental car at the hotel and just hop on and off. Saves you parking fees and the stress of driving around.
Skip the overpriced tours to Kangaroo Island and just rent a car. Drive yourself, pack food from the Central Market, and stay overnight. Way cheaper and you can explore at your own pace.
Adelaide surprised me way more than I expected. The Central Market is incredible, best food hall I've been to in Australia. 4 days felt about right to soak it in without rushing.
Went in February and wow it was hot. Like 40 degrees hot. The wine regions nearby saved the trip though. Barossa is a must if you're here for more than 2 days.
Bit quiet for my taste honestly. Nice place but felt like a big country town more than a city. If you want nightlife and chaos, probably head to Melbourne instead.