Adelaide

Australia

Overview Activities Acco Guide

Overview

Adelaide is South Australia’s capital and its economic, educational and cultural hub. This is all encapsulated in the city’s centre – a vibrant, safe and sophisticated square mile that shows off a picturesque colonial heritage. Adelaide is noted for its many festivals and sporting events, its food and wine, its long beachfronts, and its large defense and manufacturing sectors. It is the only Australian city to be listed in the Best in Travel 2014 series.

Things to do in Adelaide!

See All Activities

Hotels

Booking.com

Guide

Neighborhood

To truly understand what makes Adelaide an economic, educational and cultural hub, one must explore the neighborhoods of Adelaide:

 

City Centre:

  • The central business district is one square mile and within its boundaries are the popular tourist attractions, Rundle Mall, Central Market and Chinatown.
  • Everything is within walking distance in this area, so it makes for a good home base for travelers.
  • If you're looking for an afternoon of architectural exploration, there's plenty to be had here within close vicinity:
  • For young families with children, the Zoo (home to Wang Wang and Funi the resident Giant Pandas) is located behind the Botanic Gardens and can be accessed by boat on the iconic Popeye that cruises the Torrens river.

 

North Adelaide:

  • Some of Adelaide's older stately homes can be found here, as well as fine dining and fantastic parklands.
  • North Adelaide is also home to the Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, the location of the Adelaide International Men's Hardcourt competition.
  • Adelaide Oval, the City's historic cricket oval, which is being redeveloped to improve the spectator experience.
  • For dining and shopping you can visit Melbourne Street (in the lower area nearer to the Torrens River) or O'Connell Street (up the hill where some buildings have fine views over the city, hills or sea).
  • The Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital is also located in the lower part of North Adelaide, at the City end of Melbourne Street.

 

Port Adelaide:

  • There's no shortage of pubs in this area which remains a working port about a half hour North West of the city.
  • Take a Port River cruise to visit the resident Bottlenose dolphins, visit the Maritime Musuem or spend an afternoon in the cafes.
  • The Port area has recently seen a revival with new high caliber residential developments being constructed along the river on the place of disused wharf sheds.
  • There are weekend bric-a-brac markets by the iconic lighthouse.

 

Glenelg:

  • This is Adelaide's most popular beachside destination. There are lots of shopping and dining opportunities along Jetty Road and at the Holdfast Marina.
  • The recently rebuilt Beach House entertainment complex is a great place for kids and kids at heart with dodgem cars, mini golf, bumper boats, 3 indoor heated waterslides and countless video games.
  • Jetty Road is one of the few Adelaide shopping precincts open on public holidays.
  • Close by to Glenelg is Harbour Town, Adelaide's only outlet mall, at West Beach.
  • There are dozens of accommodation options of all types in and around Glenelg from backpackers to luxury hotels and apartments.
  • Adelaide's most popular caravan and cabin park is located close by at West Beach.

 

The Wine Districts:

  • Adelaide is known as the wine capital of Australia.
  • Within an hour's drive you will find some of the best wineries in the southern hemisphere.
  • Barossa Valley is probably the most well-known, with McLaren Vale a close second.
  • There's no way better to spend an afternoon than sampling some wine and taking in the beautiful landscape.

Getting around

General info

Getting around the city

South Australia is a big state and so travel options are numerous. City-wise travel is by car, train, bicycle, bus and tram. The Adelaide Metro serves the transport needs of Adelaide by offering an efficient public transit system (train, bus and tram).

The Adelaide Metro allows you to purchase a metrocard or a metroticket that works for buses, trams and trains. Tickets can be purchased as follows:

 

Type

Peak hours fare (AUD)

(Before 9.01 am and after 3:00 pm on weekdays and All day Saturday)

Interpeak hours fare (AUD)

(Monday to Friday 9:01 am to 3:00 pm. All day Sunday and public holidays)

Regular Metrocard*

3.39

1.86

Singletrip Metroticket**

5.10

3.20

2 section Metrocard

1.84

1.42

2 section Metroticket

3.10

2.30

Daytrip Metroticket

9.70

-

Concession Metrocard

1.67

0.89

Concession Singletrip Metroticket

2.60

1.30

Concession Daytrip Metroticket

4.80

-

 

Student Metrocard

1.12

0.89

Student Singletrip Metroticket

2.50

1.30

Student Daytrip Metroticket

4.80

-

Seniors Metrocard

1.67

FREE

For more information, refer here.

*Metrocard: Metrocards are made of a plastic similar to credit cards. Simply touch your card on a validator as you board your bus, train or tram and when you enter or exit Adelaide Railway Station. The appropriate fare will be deducted. It gives you access to cheaper fares than singletrip tickets.

**Metroticket: Metroticket is a paper ticket for short term use.

  • If you’re in town for a holiday, convention or business, a good option is the Adelaide Metro Visitor Pass which costs just AUD 25.00.
    • The pass includes unlimited travel for three consecutive days as well as a visitor pack with maps and travel guides.
    • If you are staying longer, the Visitor Pass can be recharged with normal Metrocard fares to help you get to where you want to go.

Train

  • The rail network in Adelaide consists of 6 lines and 81 stations, totaling 125.9 km.
    • Belair Line: It is a 21.5 km line from Adelaide to Belair built in 1883.
    • Gawler Central Line: Built in 1857, it is 42.2 km line connecting Adelaide and Gawler Central.
    • Grange Line: It is a 5.5 km line between Woodville and Grange that was built in 1882.
    • Seaford Line: It is a 36.0 km line, comprising of 5 sub-lines and was first opened in 1913.
    • Outer Harbor Line: It is a 3.9 km line from Woodlands Park to Tonsley.
    • You can access train timetables and routes here.

Tram

  • The famed Glenelg tramline extends from the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Port Road, Hindmarsh, via the city centre to beachside Glenelg.
  • You can travel free within the city centre (anywhere between North Terrace and the South Terrace stop).
  • Outside this zone, you'll need to purchase a ticket.
  • You can access the tram timetables here.

Bus

  • Coach travel
    • The main coach terminal in Adelaide is the Adelaide Central Bus Station on Franklin Street. All coaches depart from and arrive at this terminal.
    • A number of coach companies provide valuable services.
    • You can travel to the Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Eyre Peninsula, Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Murray River, Mount Gambier and Yorke Peninsula from Adelaide.
  • Public transport
    • The Adelaide Metro offers the Adelaide Free Buses, in particular the City Loop (99C) that takes you on a loop around the City near the Museum, State Library, Art Gallery and Botanic Gardens
    • Bee Line (99B) takes you through the City Centre via North Terrace, King William Street and Victoria Square
    • The Adelaide Connector runs between North Adelaide and the Adelaide CBD
    • You can access more bus routes depending on your location. 

 

Taxi

  • All taxis in Adelaide accept major credit cards and Cabcharge.
  • There are several companies that offer an alternative to taxis, providing luxury vehicles and uniformed drivers for transfers and touring.
  • You can refer to the www.taxiautofare.com website for taxi fares in Adelaide.

Tipping

Tipping in Australia is not customary. However, if you feel that the service was exceptional, feel free to tip as much as you like. 

  • Hotels: You generally do not tip at hotels. However at expensive hotels tipping your Bellman or porter with AUD 1.00 – 2.00 per bag is acceptable. The maid and concierge do not expect tips.
  • Restaurants: Tipping your waiter is not expected. However, you may still tip your waiter up to 10% of the bill if you receive exceptional service, or if you are in a very expensive restaurant.
  • Spas: Tipping is not expected but you can do so if your service was excellent.
  • Tour Guide: They do not expect to be tipped but you can always do so as a form of appreciation.
  • Taxi: Drivers will not expect a tip for their services, although it is common courtesy to let the taxi driver “keep the change”.

Staying connected

  • Australia uses the GSM 900 and 1800 frequency bands. For 3G, carriers use the 2100 band. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone provide 4G services in the country now.
  • The public phones are color coded:
    • Red: Local calls
    • Green, Gold, Blue: International calls
  • Prepaid SIM cards are readily available, both at the airport as well as at convenience stores.
  • Budget service providers include:
    • Lyca
    • Lebara
  • Larger, more premium providers include:
    • Telstra
    • Vodafone
    • Optus

Eat / Drink

Local

Adelaide presents a blend of all cuisines from across the world. However, the locals are a discerning bunch when it comes to the food that they eat. Some of the dishes that you must try when in Adelaide are as mentioned below:

  • Alkoopina: Sublime Goolwa cockles and a risotto of samphire grains with roo tail to beetroot cooked in a fire pit for more than a day
  • Twice cooked belly of Berkshire pork, abalone, pickled carrot, sesame and soy: There is the pork, the skin a brittle sheet that cracks like the toffee on a brulee, the layers of fat and meat rendered to creamy perfection below. Then comes the contrast of tender abalone, ribbons of lightly pickled cucumber and carrot, and finally a soy, ginger and cumquat jelly.
  • Orroroo kangaroo fillet, lentils, spiced carrot: Sourced from Dew’s of Orroroo in the Mid-North, the slices of ruby pink roo are meltingly tender and pure flavored, with the mildest hint of gaminess. With puy lentils, spiced pear and a puree of carrot, it’s a dish to wow both locals and visitors.
  • Passionfruit Souffle:  The top is broken to reveal the frothy inners, colored a radiant yellow from passionfruit pulp that also brings a tropical fragrance and pleasant tang.
  • Chocolate mélange: It’s a catwalk of chocolate finery, from all choc walks including mocha, white, hazelnut, parfait, pure dark chocolate and butterscotch, rolled into various panna cotta, cheese cake, crème pot and mousse.

 

Some notable local restaurants include:

Gourmet

  • Auge
    • Cuisine: Modern Italian

 

  • Celsius
    • Cuisine: Modern Australian

 

 

 

Vegetarian

 

 

 

Drink

Adelaide is Australia’s wine capital and you can taste the world’s finest wines in this city. Surrounded by wineries, Adelaide has a lot to offer in terms of the wine palate.

 

Though Adelaide is mostly known for its wines, it is slowly evolving to be a great beer destination. Here are some of the hotels with the best beer gardens in the city that you must try:

;
Banner image credits: Les Haines