7 best day trips from Adelaide

Day trips compared

The day trips

70 km · About 1 hour 15 minutes by car

1.Barossa Valley

Australia's most famous wine region, settled by Prussian and Silesian Lutherans in the 1840s, with more than 150 wineries, old-vine shiraz, German bakeries and towns such as Tanunda and Angaston. Mengler's Hill Lookout gives a view over the valley floor.

Getting there

Car, winery tour or private driver

Best for

Food lovers, Couples, First-timers

40 km · About 45 minutes by car

2.McLaren Vale

A Mediterranean-climate wine region known for shiraz and grenache, close to the sea and the beaches of the Fleurieu Peninsula. The d'Arenberg Cube, a Rubik's-cube-inspired cellar door, is its most striking building.

Getting there

Car or winery tour

Best for

Food lovers, Couples

28 km · About 30 minutes by car

3.Hahndorf and the Adelaide Hills

Hahndorf, founded by Prussian settlers in 1839, is Australia's oldest surviving German settlement, with a main street of stone buildings, bakeries and pubs. The surrounding Hills produce cool-climate sauvignon blanc and chardonnay, and towns like Stirling are known for autumn colour.

Getting there

Car or Adelaide Metro bus

Best for

Families, Food lovers, Couples

130 km · About 1 hour 45 minutes by car

4.Clare Valley

A quieter wine region famous for riesling, with the Riesling Trail, a cycling path along a former railway line, linking cellar doors between Auburn and Clare. Historic Burra copper-mining town can be added on the same trip.

Getting there

Car

Best for

Food lovers, Quiet stays, Couples

85 km · About 1 hour 15 minutes by car

5.Victor Harbor and Granite Island

A seaside town on Encounter Bay with a causeway walk to Granite Island, whale-watching from about June to September and the South Australian Whale Centre. Port Elliot's Horseshoe Bay is a few minutes away.

Getting there

Car

Best for

Families, Quiet stays

110 km · About 1.5 hours to Cape Jervis plus a 45-minute ferry

6.Kangaroo Island

Australia's third-largest island has sea lions at Seal Bay, the wind-sculpted Remarkable Rocks and abundant kangaroos and koalas. It is possible as a long day tour, but one or two nights are far better.

Getting there

Car and SeaLink ferry, or a short flight

Best for

Families, First-timers, Quiet stays

70 km · About 1 hour by car

7.Monarto Safari Park

An open-range zoo in the Murray Plains where buses carry visitors past African lions, giraffes, rhinos and zebras in large enclosures. It is run by the same charity as Adelaide Zoo.

Getting there

Car

Best for

Families

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Adelaide Metro buses cover the suburbs, the hills foothills and the coast, and the free City Connector loops around the city and North Adelaide.
• Suburban trains run from Adelaide Railway Station on North Terrace to Port Adelaide, the coast and the outer suburbs.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask