The history and art of South Australia is on display along Adelaide's cultural boulevard, North Terrace. The state's library, museum, art gallery and migration museum have pride of place and are the first stop on your cultural experience of South Australia.

Temptation Sailing - Swim with the Dolphins

'Temptation' is a 58ft colossal sailing catamaran that operates from Holdfast Shores Marina, Glenelg, SA - only 15 minutes from Adelaide CBD. With the capacity to hold all 50 passengers either on the front of the vessel, under cover or on the back deck, making Temptation a relaxing cruise for all types of functions.

Temptation is the first vessel in South Australia to be given a dolphin swim license and has been conducting successful dolphin swims since January, 2002.

Dolphins are one of the Earth's most fascinating and curious creatures. Dolphin swimming offers you this once in a lifetime encounter in which you will be touched forever.

This is possibly the only cruise of its type, where we don't go looking for dolphins, they come to us - something that has taken many cruises to achieve.

Visit the Temptation Sailing Dolphin Boat website

Adelaide Zoo - Home of the Giant Pandas

Adelaide Zoo is home to over 1,800 animals and almost 300 species of exotic and native mammals, birds, reptiles and fish exhibited in magnificent botanic surroundings now expanded to 8 hectares. Adelaide Zoo focuses on endangered and rare animals from continents which made up the super continent Gondwana - South America, India, Africa and Australia (also South East Asia). The Zoology and Botany of these continents show interesting similarities and are the regions represented in the Zoo’s major exhibits; South East Asian Rainforest, Seal Bay, Australian Rainforest Wetlands walk-through aviary, Africa, South America, India, Nocturnal House and Reptile House.

Visit the Adelaide Zoo website

Aboriginal Heritage

Adelaide is the perfect place for an introduction to Australia’s Aboriginal heritage and contemporary culture. The South Australian Museum’s Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery on North Terrace is home to the largest collection of Aboriginal artefacts and archival material in the world, with 3,000 items and interactive multimedia displays. Nearby, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute is an award-winning multi-arts centre featuring regular exhibitions by Aboriginal and Torres Strait artists.

Visit the Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute Website

Adelaide Botanic Garden

At the eastern end of North Terrace lies the Adelaide Botanic Garden. The magnificent Bicentennial Conservatory houses a tropical rainforest and is the largest glasshouse in the Southern Hemisphere.

Visit the Botanical Garden Website

National Wine Centre of Australia

Accounting for 70 per cent of the nation’s wine exports, South Australia is the perfect home for the National Wine Centre of Australia. Designed to showcase 10,000 Australian wines and more than 50 wine regions, the National Wine Centre is next to the Adelaide Botanic Garden and will take you on an interactive journey through the past, present and future of the Australian wine industry.

Visit the National Wine Centre Website

State Library of South Australia

Sir Donald Bradman’s personal collection of cricketing memorabilia spanning 1927-1977, is on display at the State Library. Sir Donald is the greatest batsman in the history of the game. Cricket fans should also take in a tour of the Adelaide Oval – renowned as one of the prettiest cricket grounds in the world. Tours feature the history of the ground and the sporting champions who have played there.

Visit the State Library Website

Visit the Adelaide Oval Website

Haigh’s Chocolates

Visit the home of Australia’s oldest surviving chocolate-making company, take a free tour to check out the factory and heritage display, and taste some of the world’s best chocolates.

Adelaide Central Market

Jostle with the crowd for fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and fish and a host of gourmet specialties at the Adelaide Central Market. Most produce is harvested within 24 hours of sale and the heritage and character of the market remains, with the 1900s Grote Street facade still standing. The market is open on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and is the perfect place for a hearty Adelaide breakfast.

Visit the Adelaide Central Market Website

Jamfactory Contemporary Craft and Design

Watch artisans at work during a two-hour guided tour of the Jamfactory’s four professional studios – hot glass, ceramics, furniture design and metal design. The centre's two galleries have exhibitions all year round and works are available for sale.

Visit the Jamfactory Website

Glenelg

A 20-minute tram ride brings you from the heart of the city to the popular beachside suburb of Glenelg. Busking performances and street parties are common. Try your hand at tandem bike riding, para sailing, windsurfing or sailing. Glenelg is also home to a great historical exhibition in the Bay Discovery Centre, and the acclaimed Rodney Fox Shark Museum. Owner, Rodney Fox, survived a great white shark attack in his younger days and his collections are from more than 100 expeditions to film the great white shark.

Maritime History

Explore South Australia’s maritime history at Port Adelaide, 20 minutes northwest of the central business district. Take a walking tour through the old docks. Cruise boats ply the Port River, and often attract the local population of dolphins.

West End

Shopping is a breeze in Adelaide. The revitalised west end of Hindley Street is home to the JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design, Lion Arts Theatre and the University of South Australia. A recent influx of cosmopolitan cafes, bookstores and galleries is creating a new contrast to the nightclubs of Hindley Street.

The East End

Pavement cafes and bars, bohemian pubs, funky record stores and boutiques jostle for space in the city's trendy Rundle Street in the east end of the city.

Rundle Mall

Rundle Mall is the shopping hub of Adelaide, with more than 550 retail outlets, and acts as a geographical bridge between Hindley Street and trendy Rundle Street.

North Adelaide

As well as great restaurants and cafes, North Adelaide is one of Adelaide's most exclusive shopping precincts. Melbourne Street is where you will find a top selection of shops.

Norwood

The Parade in Norwood has a good selection of designer shopping and great delicatessens, cafes, home ware and bookshops.

Port Adelaide

There is a growing artistic population in Port Adelaide and the nearby Semaphore area. A gallery guide lists the artistic haunts of the area, while another details the extensive range of antique shops.

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Adelaide’s restaurants offer exceptional quality, service and value. Local produce features on our menus. A host of new dining venues have taken eating out to a whole new level, and old favourites continue to build on their enviable reputations. Adelaide has many great restaurant strips offering everything from top-class cuisine to reasonably priced cafe fare.

Rundle Street

Rundle Street, in the east end of the city, is the centre of alfresco eating where restaurants and cafes take advantage of the Mediterranean climate. There are more than 50 cafes and restaurants – including Italian, Greek, Japanese, Thai, Indian and Mexican – along with wine bars and pubs.

Hindley Street

Some of Adelaide’s hottest nightclubs and swanky bars and restaurants can be found on Hindley Street in the west end of the city. It is also home to the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

Gouger Street

This is the city's fresh-food mecca, home of the Adelaide Central Market where the city's top chefs create their daily menu from the fresh produce. Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and Malaysian restaurants share the street with some of the best seafood restaurants in the city.

North Adelaide

North Adelaide has some of the state's grandest homes. In keeping with this high-end lifestyle, many fine restaurants and cafes are located in North Adelaide, especially along Melbourne and O'Connell streets, where you dine under lacy iron verandas.

King William Road, Hyde Park

South of the city, King William Road is a favourite at weekends when the hip set of Adelaide flock to its cool cafes, restaurants and shops.

Dining on the beach

The city beachside suburbs of Glenelg, Henley and Grange have restaurants in the form of groovy beach shacks, modern cafes and grand old esplanade hotels offering seafood, wood-oven pizzas and contemporary Australian cuisine.

In the Suburbs

For a family meal or special occasion, you can’t go past our inner-city suburbs. Unley Road in Unley and The Parade in Norwood are lined with quality restaurants and cafes.

At the Pub

Adelaide has about 600 hotels. Many are treasured old buildings – their balconies decorated with fancy ironwork, their verandas wreathed with old grapevines. As well as a cooling ale or local wine, they offer great pub food. Some have fine-dining restaurants.

Adelaide is easy to get to know and love. Traffic jams are virtually non-existent, and the city streets are wide and easy to navigate. Adelaide is a level, compact city perfect for pedestrians. The city’s buses, trains, and trams are reliable and moderately priced and free buses and trams operate in and around the city centre giving easy access to the major attractions. The domestic and international airport terminals are located about eight kilometres west of the city centre. You can catch an airport shuttle service, public bus or Skylink Adelaide to the city or your hotel. Transfers by taxi cost about $20.

The main coach terminal in Adelaide is the Central Bus Station at 101-111 Franklin Street. All interstate and intrastate coaches depart from and arrive at this terminal.

The interstate trains The Overland, The Ghan (Adelaide to Darwin) and the Indian Pacific (Sydney to Perth via Adelaide) arrive and depart from the Keswick Rail Terminal, at Richmond Road, Keswick, about three kilometres from the city centre. For information and bookings contact Great Southern Railway

Adelaide Metro is the city’s transport system, serving the greater metropolitan region with trains and buses and the Glenelg tram. The tram also takes passengers for a free ride between South Terrace and North Terrace, while the bright yellow 99C free bus travels past main streets and attractions in the city. Look for the Metro sign to buy your tickets. www.adelaidemetro.com.au

For all tickets and information, go to the Passenger Transport InfoCentre on the corner of King William and Currie streets.

The South Australian climate is often described as Mediterranean, with mild winters and warm to hot summers. In the state’s capital, Adelaide, the average maximum summer temperature is 28.8ºC, and in winter it drops to about 15ºC. Coastal areas are often a degree or two cooler. However, in the outback, summer temperatures regularly hover at about 40ºC. From October to March, daylight saving operates and clocks are advanced one hour.