Adelaide

Adelaide lies beside the sheltered Gulf St. Vincent, two sizable peninsulas east of the Great Australian Bight. But its relatively remote location belies its status as one of Australia’s most cosmopolitan places. This picturesque city, bisected by the slow-moving Torrens River, manages the neat trick of preserving the best of its 19th-century origins while embracing contemporary living with gusto. Explore the fine cultural institutions that line North Terrace, such as the Art Gallery of South Australia, as well as the fascinating Indigenous culture displayed at nearby Tandanya. Then sample the lively city-center dining and drinking scene in ...

Adelaide lies beside the sheltered Gulf St. Vincent, two sizable peninsulas east of the Great Australian Bight. But its relatively remote location belies its status as one of Australia’s most cosmopolitan places. This picturesque city, bisected by the slow-moving Torrens River, manages the neat trick of preserving the best of its 19th-century origins while embracing contemporary living with gusto. Explore the fine cultural institutions that line North Terrace, such as the Art Gallery of South Australia, as well as the fascinating Indigenous culture displayed at nearby Tandanya. Then sample the lively city-center dining and drinking scene in Rundle Street, a strip that gets less respectable as the night wears on. You’ll find more of the city’s rambling old balcony-wreathed pubs in historic North Adelaide, an area dominated by Victorian-era bluestone. Adelaide’s Central Markets are where foodies are happily overwhelmed by outstanding local produce, while oenophiles swoon at the superb National Wine Centre. The city’s main swimming beach is at Glenelg, where you can also check out the pod of dolphins that calls Holdfast Bay home.

About the Expert

Paul Smitz has coauthored a dozen guidebooks for Lonely Planet on places such as Australia, New Zealand, Malaysian Borneo, Brunei, various Pacific Islands, Prague, and Brussels.