THE GARDEN GREEN CITY

Adelaide is a sophisticated and cultured city set between the beach and the hills, and whether you want to party or just relax in South Australia's capital city, Adelaide can provide it all. You could even say that Adelaide's self-image was manufactured from the very beginning as a planned city for a freely colonised colony. Of course, back then it was more refined than many other towns, since it was made up of entirely free citizens and not built by convicts. It wasn't until the 1960s and 70s, however, that Adelaide really grew into the cultural centre that it is today, with the birth of many social reforms and great festivals such as the Adelaide Festival and the Adelaide Fringe.

Today you'll be able to find all walks of life in this capital city of South Australia.  Culture-seekers head to the North Terrace to hang out at the many museums and sidewalk cafes that call this city home, while those looking for retail therapy head toward places like Rundle Mall. Festival goers will enjoy the two listed above as well as the gay-and-lesbian Feast Festival, as well as all the sports events like the International Rugby Sevens and the World Tennis Championships. Suburban parks and gardens also make this a great place to check out some of the natural inhabitants that also make this city their temporary or permanent home. No matter what you're into, chances are you'll be able to find it in this compact and vibrant city.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Adelaide is known for its fantastic amount of festivals and other events that keep this city busy. Of course, it all started with the Festival and the Fringe in the 1960s, but since then the city has become known for their great array of different events. The Adelaide Festival of Arts, however, remains the most well-known; it is internationally renouned, being the most well-known festival in all of Australia. The Festival features performing arts acts such as music and dance performances and takes place every other year in March until 2012, when it becomes an annual event.

The Fringe Festival is the second-largest event of its kind anywhere in the world, started up in response to the Adelaide Festival's limited showcase ability for local and smaller-scale artists. Starting with a large ourdoor party, the Fringe Festival lasts from the end of February through to March, the festival is renouned for its fresh ideas and its artists that tend to think outside the box. Since 2007, the festival has been running once every year.

In addition to these two festivals, there's also the hugely popular WOMADelaide, which is an annual four-day music art and dance festival, which also takes place in March. From Botanic Park, spectators can see acts from all over the world. The Feast Festival is Adelaide's LGBT festival that takes place in November, and features over twenty days of activities geared towards the community, which usually culminates in the Picnic in the Park, an event full of food that takes place in Rymill Park.

There are more things to do in Adelaide than just cultural festivals; the city is a great place to catch major sports events as well. It's most popular sports-wise for its high-adrenalin races. The Clipsal 500 Adelaide brings revving V8 Supercars to the city streets in a high-stakes race through the streets, which takes place - you guessed it - in early March, while the Santos Tour Down Under combines city streets and regional road races throughout the South Australian country side, attracting the best in the cycling world (even Lance Armstrong) to the biggest race in the Southern Hemisphere in January.

You'll also have the ability to attend while you're in Adelaide the World Tennis Challenge, which takes place just before the Australian Open in Melbourne. Then there's also the Adelaide Sevens, an International Rugby Sevens tournament that starts up every April, bringing teams of rugby union sevens players from all over the globe; it's the pre-eminent rugby sevens tournament in all of Australia. There's plenty of other sporting events going on in Adelaide no matter what the month is.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Check out the many festivals and events that make this the capital of the Festival State. From the Festival and the Fringe to the World Tennis Challenge, chances are you'll find an event that interests you!

CITY TOURS

A great way to see the city in a small amount of time is to go on a city tour. Buses ply around the city, ushering interested tourists from location to location. Great way to see and plan further adventures in the city without losing too much time.

For a full list of city tours, check the widget to the left. Select "Adelaide" as the city after you select "South Australia" as the state.

LONG-DISTANCE TOURS

Adelaide's also a great starting point for multiple-day, long-journey trips to and from other destinations all over Australia. You can spend a few days in Adelaide, then head up north to the Northern Territory, or head east towards the Great Ocean Road and eventually to Melbourne.

Full list of long-distance tours coming to or leaving from Adelaide.

ABORIGINAL CULTURE TOURS

As if Adelaide didn't have enough culture, it's also a big place to learn more about the people who lived in Australia for centuries, way before Europeans came over. Tours have you going all around the city looking at different landmarks that are important to the local tribes.

Bookabee Tours' Aboriginal Culture Tour of Adelaide.

REGIONAL TOURS

Want to head out of Adelaide for the weekend? These tours will have you shuttling out to Barossa Valley or McLaren Vale to enjoy a nice day amongst all the natural splendour, and have you back in the city before bedtime.

Interested in going on a regional tour? Then head on over to the widget and search! "South Australia" is the state designation you want, but there are a bunch of tours available in the state that will leave from the city.

SOMEWHERE TO STAY

If you're looking to stay somewhere affordable while you're in South Australia, you're in luck! Adelaide has most of its budget accommodations located right in the city centre, including a YHA hostel. If you're looking for something a little bit closer to the beach, decide to stay in Glenelg, Adelaide's suburb-on-the-beach, with easy access right into the city centre by tram.