Oliver Marshall

Forget the ‘City of Churches’ tag – Adelaide has just as many pubs, not to mention bars of all persuasions, which have ridden a boom in recent years following a tweak to licencing laws that now allow small bars to serve booze without food.  From city-fringe craft beer nooks to gin and whisky dens taking design cues from across the planet, there’s a bar here to suit every mood and tipple of choice. Adelaide is also a UNESCO ‘City of Music’, so expect to hear some live jazz, an acoustic troubadour or at least a DJ spinning rock classics while you quench your thirst. Oh, and don’t forget the wine. Given that South Australia is the nation’s wine-producing heartland, you can expect nothing but top bottles here. The best bars in Adelaide – the ‘City of Booze Bunkers’ – are waiting for you. Want to stay sober? These are the best things to do in Adelaide.

Looking for the best things to do in Adelaide? South Australia's bustling capital city has much to offer both tourists and locals alike. Whether you're visiting for a quick weekend away or an extended stay, we've rounded up all our favourite activities – from amazing places to eat and drink, to the Adelaide Oval Roof Climb and family-friendly strawberry picking, via a quick stop at the zoo. Before stepping out in the city, be sure to check out our selection of the best things to do in Adelaide. Planning on spending the night? Here are the best hotels in Adelaide, or for something a little more affordable, Adelaide's best cheap hotels.

Founded in 2014 by brewer mates Jack Cameron and Jared ‘Red’ Proudfoot, Pirate Life has been one of the pioneering breweries of an Adelaide craft beer scene that has well and truly exploded. In 2019, they moved into their huge brewery and taproom in Port Adelaide from their previous space in the inner west of Adelaide and haven’t looked back. The Taproom features an ever-changing list of mainstay and exclusive beers, a games room and an outdoor fire pit, where you can get tasty morsels straight off the grill. 

Adelaide’s food scene is going from strength to strength and Plant 4, located in the trendy inner-west suburb of Bowden, is the perfect place to sink your teeth into a variety of fare. The market is housed in an old warehouse formerly home to electrical product company Clipsal, and the family-owned business has transformed the site into a vibrant, thriving market boasting a cornucopia of cuisines with an ever-changing selection. The perfect place to go when you’re not quite sure what you feel like eating, Plant 4 has become a meeting place for locals and tourists alike. Mainstays include Taiwanese cuisine from Joe’s Dumplings, fresh locally caught seafood from House of Fish, and some of the best sourdough you will ever have at the Lost Loaf. Now adding to the fun is sister site next door, Plant 3 Bowden, opened in June 2021 and home to Bowden Brewing, eatery Caro Club, and boutique bottle shop Bowden Cellars.

A winery, distillery, and pizza joint all in one atop a picturesque hill in the beautiful McLaren Vale region, 50 minutes from Adelaide, the venue opened in 2020 just before the height of the pandemic. Since then, after the forced hiatus, it has been a go-to for wine-touring locals and tourists alike. Housed in the venue are small-batch wine producer Chalk Hill Wines and award-winning distillery, Never Never Distilling Co, with Italian street food from the much-loved Pizzatecca Crew, Cucina di Strada, rounding it off with the perfect vehicle to soak up the boutique booze. 

If you know even just a little about South Australia you’d know there’s few bigger food personalities than Maggie Beer. And when you see what this celebrity cook has created on her farm in the heart of the Barossa Valley you’ll discover what all the fuss is about. The Farm Shop and Farm Eatery is about an hour from the Adelaide CBD, just out of Nuriootpa, and everything about it has Maggie’s touch. There’s the store to shop for foodie things and flagship products including the famous Maggie Beer verjuice. Then there’s the acclaimed restaurant that uses ingredients of the season harvested from the property, and lovely walks around the grounds and its beautiful lake. If you want to take your time and soak up more of the fresh country air you can stay at Maggie’s refurbished original farmhouse among the orchards, pick some herbs from her garden and, after all the inspiration, get cooking in a pretty special country kitchen.