I went to Adelaide this year to visit my sister who had recently moved. After living in Australia, I had never been to Adelaide and was happy to see and explore a new city. Adelaide is known as the church city in Australia and is home to just over 1 million people. We didn’t visit many churches but we were tourists visiting some of the best places in the city on a budget. These are my top tips:
Botanic Gardens
There are free walking tours every day at the Botanic gardens at 10:30am. We had a man called Greg take us around, he had a mountain of knowledge not just about the gardens but about Adelaide itself. As I grow older, I really enjoy where I can learn more about a new city. Also in the Botanic gardens, there is the moonlight cinema in the summer months, starting in December and then until mid February where you can see summer blockbusters.
East End
After living in London, it was amusing to see another place called the East End. This time was in the eastern part of Adelaide. It was a small area of bars and restaurants. We went here for wine tasting.
Victoria Square
There are always events on in Victoria Square. At Christmas time, there was a children’s puppet show, along with meeting Santa and face painting. There were food trucks plus big bean bags where you could chillax. In the evening there was a large projector for watching movies.
Adelaide Central Market
I went here with my sister for lunch. Located to the south of the city, near Victoria Square, the markets have been here since 1869. There are more than 80 stalls that sell everything from seafood to meat, cheese to baked goods. Come here for lunch or a tasty snack. The market is open Tuesdays to Saturdays opening at 7am and closing at 5:30pm (but 3:00pm on Saturdays).
South Australian Museum
A free museum and child friendly too. Located on North Terrace, the museum has a number of exhibitions throughout the year. The exhibitions incur a fee, but there is still plenty to see within the permanent collection and there is also storytelling and a type of treasure hunt for children. The museum is open daily between 10:00 am and 5:00pm (except Good Friday and Christmas Day). There are complimentary tours starting at 11:00am during the week and 2:00 and 3:00pm on the weekends.
Rundle Mall
This is home to a number of restaurants, over 1000 shops and banks. It is made up of 15 buildings and can be accessed within Adelaide city center. The mall is open daily from 9:00am to 7:00pm, with reduced hours on Sunday and slightly longer hours on Thursday. All the big chains, local and international, including Ted Baker, Apple, Rebel Sport, Harvey Norman, Coles along with the large departments stores such as David Jones, Myer are located in the mall.
Haigh’s Chocolate Factory Tour
I did not know about this tour, but next time I go to Adelaide, I will go here. Haigh is the oldest family owned chocolate maker in Australia. You can buy some delicious souvenirs at the airport, but they come with a hefty pricetag, around $25 for around 100 grams.
