Wide Boulevards and Large Parks
An early morning walk through the parkland that lines the River Torrens is the perfect way to appreciate this cosmopolitan city. Nearby North Terrace is the cultural centre of the city: the National Wine Centre and the South Australian Museum. Just around the corner is the renowned Adelaide Zoo, home to over 1,800 animals including such diverse species as the giant panda and the iconic blue-tongued lizard.
A five-minute walk from the water’s edge is Rundle Mall, a vast outdoor pedestrian mall with over 800 shops. It’s also a great place to watch the world go by – have breakfast at one of the outdoor cafes before embarking on a marathon bout of shopping. Adelaide is one of those rare cities that’s still small enough for everything to be “twenty minutes away” – whether you prefer to jump on a tram to Glenelg Beach or drive out to the Adelaide Hills to explore pretty German-influenced Hahndorf.
Adelaide Fast Facts 
• There are over 1.1 million Adelaideans, making the city the fifth-largest in Australia
• The city was founded in 1836 as the capital city of a free British province
• It’s laid out on a grid with wide boulevards and large park areas
• The area was originally inhabited by the Kaurna people: their name for the area means “Place of the Red Kangaroo”
• The city stretches 20 kilometres from the coast in the east to the foothills of the Mount Lofty Mountains; nearly 100 kilometres from Gawler in the north to Sellicks Beach in the south
• Adelaide is the driest of the Australian capital cities: it averages just 83 rainy days per year
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Adelaide Highlights
If you want to learn more about local Aboriginal history and culture, a visit to the Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery in the South Australia Museum is a must. The local guides will give you an insider’s insight into their customs and ceremonies.
The city’s events calendar is packed with big events: everything from motor-racing to music festivals. Time your visit to coincide with one of these if you want to add an extra element of fun to your stay, or avoid them if you want to avoid the huge crowds!
Food and wine are a major draw card for South Australia. A stay in Adelaide should include some serious sampling, and local highlights include fresh strawberries grown in the Adelaide Hills and Grange, Australia’s most famous wine.
Another great place to try the freshest local produce is the Adelaide Central Market: it’s the biggest undercover produce market in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s open Tuesday to Saturday every week, and as well as the stalls there are cooking demonstrations, tours and special events.
Adelaide is a green city: there are 29 parks dotted across the city, covering a staggering 45 percent of the total area. Grab some goodies from the market and fi nd a shady corner for a picnic or find a favourite park for some early-morning exercise.
It gets hot in Adelaide – really HOT. The average high in January and February is 29C, so pack your togs and head for the beach. Glenelg, Henley and Semaphore are the most popular, or if you fancy travelling a bit further, the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula is just 45 minutes from the CBD.
Kangaroo Island is the place to visit for a chance to see animals in the wild. You’ll find everything from kangaroos and wallabies to platypus and sea-lions, and if a day trip doesn’t seem long enough, the accommodation options range from caravan parks to luxury wilderness lodges.
Looking for cheap flights to Adelaide? Take a look at our Cheap Australia Flights pages for cheap Adelaide flights that you can book online. Find online bookable fares to Melbourne using our mixandmatch Search Tool. Alternatively, check out the list of Airlines flying to Adelaide below.
