Why Adelaide isn’t given more travel cred? It’s like the really nice guy who ticks so many boyfriend boxes but remains perpetually single. South Australia’s capital ticks a lot of damn boxes (just not the marketing job box).

The restaurants in Adelaide are a damn treat

With super fresh produce flowing in from the rich food-growing areas around South Australia, dining out in Adelaide is a real culinary experience.

Enjoy Blue Swimmer crab from the Yorke Peninsula, organic eggs from the Clare Valley, Wagyu beef from the South-East, smoked bacon from the Adelaide Hills, cheese from the Barossa Valley and just a whole lot of locally-grown veggies, fruits and herbs.

Wine, wineries and wine regions so close to the city

You absolutely cannot visit Adelaide without visiting at least one wine region – preferably five. That would be like visiting New York and not having a hot dog from a street vendor or going to Paris and not laying eyes on the Eiffel Tower.

There are wineries all around Australia and near to the capital cities, but in Adelaide, there are several within an hour’s drive.

You can explore the city by bike

Adelaide is an easy city to explore by bike: it’s flat, with beautiful biking trials through gorgeous parklands, and well-marked and safe bicycle lanes on the city streets.

I enjoyed a lovely bike ride along the Torrens River and through the parklands of East Adelaide. There are plenty of sightseeing places along the way, I preferred losing myself in the stunning Botanical Gardens. The bike path does a loop around the city or you can even cycle out to the beaches.

The best news is that the city of Adelaide hires bikes out for FREE!

There’s a greater Adelaide

If you move just a short distance in any direction from the CBD, you’ll discover a diversity of regions to satisfy any person’s interests: Wine regions, beautiful beaches, historical towns, unusual villages in the hills, abundant wildlife and stunning landscapes.

Most of Adelaide’s beaches are within a 30-minute drive and with the warm climate can be appreciated almost all year round. Glenelg, the main tourist beach is only 12km from town. I visited last week and the resident seal waved to me while swimming 5 metres from shore!