Things to do in Adelaide

Top things not to miss in Adelaide

Adelaide is a city that refuses to rush. While other capitals pull you in every direction, here, the landscape holds you in place — bound by the rise of the hills on one side and the long blue line of the Gulf on the other.

Life is shaped by these natural edges, meaning the best things to do in Adelaide are always within reach. A place where festivals bleed into the streets of every neighbourhood, and a great meal — the kind you’d usually have to book weeks in advance for elsewhere — is found just around the corner. It’s a rare overlap of urban culture and nature, tied so tightly together that the salt air from your morning beach walk still clings to your skin, even as you go looking for lunch at the Adelaide Central Market.

We’ve pulled together the Adelaide attractions, tours, experiences and local picks that make this city so special. With a long list of reasons to say in the city a little longer, a southaustralia.com account can help you keep track.

A musician performing is bathed in an orange glow on stage at Illuminate Adelaide

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The Festival City

Festivals here don’t colour inside the lines; they have a habit of spilling out across the city. You’ll see Adelaide open up - parklands become global stages, alleyways turn into makeshift theatres and streets become thoroughfares where restaurants and bars claim the bitumen. Even with heavy hitters like the Santos Tour Down Under, LIV Golf, WOMADelaide and Adelaide Fringe on our roster, we like to keep things personal. It’s a place where global icons and locals pull up a chair at the same table, sharing a glass of something grown just down the road. A place where you’ll find a headline act leaning against the same bar as you, swapping stories between sets. Consider this your official invitation to be part of it.

What's On

Two green plant leaves frame the facade of Her Majesty's Theatre

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State's Capital

Adelaide is a capital city built for human connection. It’s designed so that the city never gets in your way, removing the distance between its people and its greatest landmarks. It has a way of making the world-class feel remarkably grounded. You can step out from the scent of old books in the Mortlock Chamber — one of the world’s most beautiful libraries — and walk just steps to the Adelaide Oval, where you watch as the numbers click into place on the manual scoreboard. Later, settle in for a show at Her Majesty’s Theatre – the heart of Adelaide’s art scene for over 100 years. From the historic brass of the Adelaide Arcade to the modern world of MOD., Adelaide’s past and future sit side-by-side.

Admire the Heritage

A dad lifts up his child over the wave at Henley Beach

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In Between The Hills & Coast

Adelaide sits in the sweet spot between the dirt and the salt. We’re a city wrapped in green — 760 hectares of parklands that act as our collective backyard — bookended by the cool gully winds of the Hills and the sun-bleached coast. We’re called a ‘twenty-minute city,’ but it’s really about the lack of friction. It’s the ease of finishing a coffee in the CBD and, soon-after, hearing the crunch of the trail under your bike or feeling the grit of the beach between your toes. It’s why Adelaide works so well for families and solo travellers alike; it’s a city that meets you where you are.

Tour the surroundings

Places to visit around Adelaide city

You’ll find the best of Adelaide in a collection of little suburbs all close to the city. In the Port, a brewer slides a fresh pint across the bar of a converted riverside warehouse. At one of the best beaches in Adelaide, an ice cream drips down your hand in the sand. In Norwood, a cook slices your meal right in front of you at the chef's table. The best places to go in Adelaide are all connected by a common thread: we make room for the things that matter.

Someone holding up their phone in a crowd of music lovers captures the stage of Harvest Rock which is bathed in a yellow glow

Planning a Trip?

One minute you’re perched on a bar stool in a laneway, the next you’re following the crowd toward a festival stage. Create a free southaustralia.com account to save your favourite Adelaide attractions, then shape your days using the Trip Planner.

Adelaide top tourist attractions

Adelaide's tourist attractions aren’t just for postcards. They’re the backdrops to well-spent afternoons. Catch the slow, steady manual click of the Adelaide Oval scoreboard — a tradition we’ve kept since 1911 — or lose an hour in the glass-housed rainforests of the Botanic Gardens. There’s the history of the Gaol, the red-velvet glow of the theatre and the sanctuary of the Zoo. They all invite you to stay a while.

Popular Tours and Experiences in Adelaide

In Adelaide, there’s a whole lot of ground to cover, so we’ve brought together the people who know these corners best. Imagine gliding alongside wild dolphins in the early light at Glenelg, or following an Aboriginal guide through the city's green heart – uncovering stories you’d never find on your own. Discover Adelaide tours and experiences that will be your shortcut to the local side of life.

Day tours from Adelaide

Some of the best parts of this city are actually just down the road. Within an hour or two, you can find yourself lost in the cool, leafy heights of the Adelaide Hills or breathing in the wild salt air of the Fleurieu Peninsula. Adelaide day tours are designed to help you leave the map behind and find your own pace.

Adelaide Shopping Centres & Precincts

Shopping here is best done slowly. It’s the ritual of a Saturday morning at the Adelaide Central Market with a coffee in hand or finding that one-off piece in a hidden East End boutique. Beyond the big labels of Adelaide shopping centres and Rundle Mall, our streets are filled with makers and artisans. Scroll through to find the best places and pieces that tell our local story.

Vehicle and equipment hires

There is a freedom in having your own set of wheels, whether it’s a bike for a river loop or an SUV destined for the Barossa. While we’re a walkable city, a hire car in Adelaide lets you chase the sunset down the Fleurieu coast, or find hidden cellar doors in the Hills. There’s plenty to gear up with; from surfboards and RVs to boat charters and BBQ buoys, explore the local hire options below.

Explore more about Adelaide

Adelaide doesn’t stop at the city grid. Take it further. Follow the footpaths from festival stages to neighbourhood bars, market stalls and long lunches. Chase sea air to city beaches, book a tour, duck into a gallery or stay out late. However you explore, it all connects and it’s all close.