Are you planning an Adelaide holiday and want to explore further than the city centre? Take a look at these Adelaide day tours, chosen to help you see the best of SA right from the city centre.
Adelaide is the capital of South Australia. It has a population of around 1.4 million people and is fast becoming a popular tourist hub. In 2016 it was named as one of the Great Wine Capitals of the World and is a perfect gateway to the Outback and the beautiful Kangaroo Island.
While not all the areas of the state can be reached on day trips, there are many great places that can, so I have compiled this list of the best Adelaide day tours to include on your Adelaide itinerary.
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TL;DR? Here's the outline
Best Adelaide Day Tours in the City
It’s always good to do a city tour when you first arrive in a new place to get your bearings and discover more things to see in Adelaide over the duration of your visit.
You also get access to a local guide who you can ask all sorts of questions to help you out during your stay.
Here are some Adelaide city day tours that will help you see some of the best Adelaide attractions. Click each link to see the prices and availability for your dates.
Kangaroo Island Day Tours from Adelaide
Kangaroo Island deserves more than one day on your South Australian itinerary, but if one day is all that you can squeeze in, then there are options for day trips from Adelaide.
Kangaroo Island is all about nature and wildlife, and there are so many opportunities to see Australian native animals in their natural environment along with absolutely spectacular scenery.
The local food and wine scene is pretty good too. Access to Kangaroo Island is by ferry, which is included in the tours I have found below. Click on the links below for more details, prices and availability.
Barossa Valley Wine Tours from Adelaide
You are spoilt for choice in Adelaide if you are looking to do a wine tour. There are three different wine regions within one hour of the city centre and it is possible to do wine tours for all of them.
The Barossa Valley, to the north of the city, is the most well-known and popular of the three regions. The most common wine varieties from the area are shiraz and grenache, with rieslings and semillons popular too.
There are many other varieties though, with new vines being planted all the time.
There are more than 80 cellar doors open for tasting in the Barossa Valley. Here’s a selection of Barossa Valley tours from Adelaide. Click through to see details and prices.
- Small Group Wine Tour with Lunch
- Full Day Boutique Food and Wine Tour of the Barossa Valley
- Barossa Valley Private Luxury Tour
For wine tours to McLaren Vale, click here to read my post on McLaren Vale Wine Tours.
Adelaide Hills and Hahndorf Tours
Adelaide is surrounded by sea to the west, and hills to the east. The hills hold many Adelaide day trip opportunities. They are also home to more of the Adelaide wineries, so there are plenty of Adelaide Hills wine tours to take advantage of too.
Here are my recommendations for ways to see the beautiful Adelaide Hills and some of the towns nestled within them.
- City Highlights, Hahndorf Town, and Wine Tastings
- Morialta Wilderness and Wildlife Hike
- Private Adelaide Hills Wine Region Tour
- Adelaide Hills and Hahndorf Hideaway Tour
- Beers and Bites Tour in Adelaide Hills
Adelaide Wildlife Experiences
In and around Adelaide there are many opportunities to experience close encounters with animals. Visit the Adelaide Zoo to meet the panda pair Wang Wang and Funi.
Go to Cleland or Gorge Wildlife Parks to meet our native animals. Take a day trip out to Monarto Safari Park to feel like you are on safari on the open plains. There is even a unique 360-degree experience in the lion enclosure.
Click through the links below to see some of the special experiences and day tours available.
- Dolphin Sanctuary and Ships Graveyard Kayak Tour
- Dolphin Cruise with Optional Swim
- Cleland Wildlife Park Experience with Mount Lofty Summit
- Adelaide Zoo Experiences
- Monarto Safari Park Experiences
Note: Monarto Safari Park is 65km away from Adelaide towards Murray Bridge. There is a public bus service that makes a trip there each day. Please see this link for further details.
Alternatively, if you would like to hire a car, click here to use Rental Cars to compare prices and book.
McLaren Vale and Victor Harbor Tours
South of Adelaide is the Fleurieu Peninsular, home to the McLaren Vale wine region and the town of Victor Harbor. Victor Harbor is a tourist destination on its own, with many things to do and see.
In winter it has the added attraction of visiting whales. It is possible to watch them from shore playing in the surf. Most day trips to the region include a short wine-tasting stop in McLaren Vale too.
Click through to see the details of the below tours.
- Victor Harbor and McLaren Vale Highlights
- Vines and Victor Harbor Eco Adventure
- Fleurieu Explorer
- Private Cultural Tour of the Fleurieu Peninsula
Murray River Tours
The Murray River is Australia’s longest, and it meanders through South Australia to meet the sea south of Adelaide.
The Murray River is a popular playground for South Australians, with many people having a shack (like a beach house) on the river banks and using it as a weekend retreat, especially in summer when it is popular for water skiing and wakeboarding.
Here are some day trips visiting different parts of the river system.
Multi-day Tours
With so much to see in South Australia that can’t be done in a day tour, here is just a small selection of multi-day tours to see other regions of the state. Click through to read more details and to see pricing and availability.
- 2-Day Kangaroo Island Tour
- 3-Day Flinders Ranges Outback Tour
- 3-Day Adelaide to Melbourne Tour including the Great Ocean Road
- 4-Night Murray River Cruise by Classic Paddle Wheeler PS Murray Princess
- 6 Days Adelaide All-Inclusive Touring Package
- 6-Day Eyre Peninsula & Flinders Ranges Adventure Tour
Adelaide Accommodation
Adelaide has a wide range of accommodation from five-star hotels such as the Hilton, the Intercontinental and the Mayfair Hotel, mid-range favourites such as Holiday Inn Express, Ibis and Quest, and budget options like Adelaide Backpackers & Travellers Inn, and Adelaide Central YHA.
Visiting more great South Australian locations? These posts might help
Adelaide 3-Day Itinerary
Best Places for South Australia Whale Watching
Glamping South Australia – The Ultimate Guide to Camping in Style
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