Adelaide: Gardens, Galleries & Great Wine

📍Jam Factory, Adelaide 📷 South Australian Tourism Commission

Adelaide: Gardens, Galleries & Great Wine

10 - 16 AUGUST, 2026

Fully hosted by Sondra Stewart

Named #1 in Condé Nast Traveler’s Best Places to Go in Oceania in 2026, Adelaide is one of Australia’s most quietly sophisticated cities — a place where world-class galleries and cultural institutions sit alongside gracious gardens, heritage streetscapes and an exceptional food and wine scene, all within easy reach.

This thoughtfully curated fully escorted Adelaide tour is designed for travellers with a love of art, gardens, heritage and fine food and wine, and is delivered at a relaxed, considered pace. Each experience has been chosen to allow time to absorb the stories, settings and people that shape the city, rather than simply ticking off highlights.

Across the journey, you’ll explore Adelaide’s cultural heart, enjoy guided and behind-the-scenes access to respected creative spaces, and travel beyond the city into nearby wine regions and landscapes rich in history and character.

With centrally located accommodation and comfortable transport throughout, this tour offers an immersive yet unhurried introduction to Adelaide and its surrounds — balancing culture, creativity and regional flavour in a way that feels both enriching and effortless.

Download the brochure for the full itinerary.

You can view and download the full Terms & Conditions here

ITINERARY

📍Anlaby, Barossa 📷 South Australian Tourism Commission

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Arrive in Adelaide

Arrive in Adelaide and settle into your stylish home base with a seamless private transfer to the Crowne Plaza Adelaide—perfectly positioned in the heart of the city, moments from Rundle Mall’s energy, cultural landmarks and the serene River Torrens.

Freshen up, then gather for a warm welcome dinner at Koomo, the hotel’s chic 10th-floor restaurant where Art Deco elegance blends with Japanese-inspired design amid soaring ceilings and breathtaking city skyline views. It’s the perfect moment to meet your passionate tour host Sondra and fellow travellers, and ease into a week of discovery ahead.

Dinner included

Adelaide Arts & Creative Precincts

Begin the day in Adelaide’s vibrant arts district with an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience at Her Majesty’s Theatre, where you step beyond the auditorium to discover beautifully restored foyers, historic architecture and stories from more than a century of performances. Learn how this iconic venue was painstakingly refurbished, blending original Edwardian features with contemporary design to create one of Australia’s most sophisticated theatre spaces.

After the tour, stroll to the nearby Adelaide Central Market precinct and take lunch at your leisure, choosing from an array of cafés, wine bars and eateries showcasing South Australia’s fresh seasonal produce and multicultural flavours. This bustling neighbourhood is perfect for grazing, people-watching and perhaps a little shopping at the surrounding boutiques and arcades.

In the afternoon, meet historian and author Lainie Anderson for a one-hour walking tour that brings to life the legacy of Kate Cocks, Adelaide’s pioneering policewoman and the inspiration for the main character in her best-selling novel, The Death of Dora Black. As you move through Adelaide’s city streets and laneways, hear stories of early 20th-century social change, women’s rights and crime, and see key sites connected to Cocks’ trailblazing career and the city’s policing history.

The remainder of the afternoon is yours to enjoy at your own pace: linger in a gallery, browse design stores along nearby streets, unwind in one of Adelaide’s leafy squares or return to the riverbank and festival precinct to soak up the city’s creative energy.

Breakfast included

Clare Valley & Barossa

Travel north through rolling pastoral country to the charming Clare Valley, where the landscape shifts from open grazing land to rows of vines and historic stone homesteads. On arrival at Anlaby, South Australia’s oldest merino stud, join a guided tour of the grand homestead and its nationally significant 10-acre gardens, including shade and glass houses, walled vegetable plots, rose terraces and sweeping lawns that tell the story of station life over more than a century.

Continue into the Barossa Valley and arrive at Fino Seppeltsfield, a celebrated regional restaurant in the heart of the historic Seppeltsfield estate, for a seasonal shared-style lunch that heroes local growers and producers.

After lunch, enjoy a hosted wine tasting showcasing Seppeltsfield’s premium still, sparkling and fortified wines, then make the most of your free time to wander the village-style precinct, discovering artisan studios at JamFactory, heritage-listed buildings, palm-lined avenues and tranquil gardens at your own pace.

Breakfast and lunch included

Coorong, Goolwa & McLaren Vale

Travel south from Adelaide through coastal plains and farmland towards the Coorong, where the Murray River meets the Southern Ocean in a striking landscape of sand dunes, wetlands and lagoons. Step aboard the Spirit of the Coorong for a scenic cruise at the Murray Mouth, gliding past bird-filled shallows and shifting sandbars while learning about the region’s fragile ecosystems, First Nations heritage and the vital role this river system plays in South Australia’s story.

Return to historic Goolwa for lunch at the relaxed beachfront Kuti Shack, where menus showcase freshly caught local seafood and seasonal produce with an emphasis on sustainable, low‑food‑mile dining. With ocean views and a laid‑back coastal feel, it is an ideal setting to slow down, savour regional flavours and soak up the sea air.

In the afternoon, travel to McLaren Vale and arrive at d’Arenberg, an architecturally striking winery renowned for its bold wines and imaginative experiences. Here you will explore the on-site Salvador Dalí exhibition, where surrealist sculptures and artworks are displayed through a series of gallery spaces, before settling in for a guided tasting of d’Arenberg’s signature wines, celebrating the region’s internationally acclaimed shiraz and Mediterranean varieties.

Breakfast and lunch included

Adelaide Gardens, Wine & Fine Art

Elevate your day with this curated journey through South Australia’s cultural heart—blending world-class art, lush heritage gardens, and innovative craftsmanship, all paired with exquisite wines. Start with an exclusive private guided tour of the Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia, immersing in vibrant post-Impressionist strokes from Monet’s waterlilies to Matisse’s bold colours, led by an expert curator sharing stories of artistic genius and Australian connections.

Next, stroll the enchanting Adelaide Botanic Garden with cultural guides revealing its living history: ancient plant lineages, First Nations connections to Country, and rare species thriving in this urban oasis, breathing in the serenity of bicentennial conservatories and heritage palms.

Enjoy a relaxed lunch at the National Wine Centre of Australia with views over the vines. Seasonal South Australian dishes are paired simply with local wines like Barossa shiraz or Clare Valley riesling.

Conclude with a private tour of JamFactory/Tarntanya Adelaide, a hub of contemporary craft, witnessing artists at work in glassblowing, ceramics, and jewellery—exploring sustainable techniques and stories of modern makers inspired by SA’s rugged landscapes.

Breakfast and lunch included

Adelaide Hills & Hahndorf

Escape to the timeless beauty of the Adelaide Hills on this immersive day of art, heritage and indulgence. Begin with an exclusive visit to The Cedars, the cherished original home and studio of Sir Hans Heysen—Australia’s beloved painter of the gumtree—where a private guided tour unveils his evocative works, restored interiors and the very gardens that inspired his iconic landscapes, enjoyed alongside morning tea served in rustic charm.

Wander freely through Hahndorf, South Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement, soaking in its storybook streets lined with heritage Lutheran churches, boutique galleries, artisanal cheesemongers and cellar doors pouring cool climate wines.

Return via the breathtaking panorama of Mount Lofty Summit, where sweeping views stretch across Adelaide’s patchwork of vines and coastline, before raising a glass at FINO Vino for a farewell dinner. Nestled in the vibrant heart of Adelaide city, this celebrated restaurant and bar from the award-winning Fino team— helmed by Chef David Swain and Sharon Romeo—delivers produce-driven wood-fired dishes perfect for a memorable evening of refined flavours and warm hospitality.

Breakfast and dinner included

INCLUSIONS & EXCLUSIONS

Airport transfers on the first and last day of tour (transfers from Adelaide Airport only)

Private touring in air-conditioned vehicles

All tour entry fees, guided tours and tastings

Free trams in Adelaide CBD

Murray Mouth Cruise

6 nights’ accommodation in a premium king room with full buffet breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Adelaide

Crowne Plaza Adelaide is a modern, centrally located hotel overlooking the Adelaide Park Lands and River Torrens. Ideally positioned within walking distance of the city’s cultural precinct, dining and shopping, it offers spacious rooms, contemporary comforts and excellent amenities — providing a relaxed and convenient base throughout your Adelaide stay.

Adelaide: Gardens, Galleries & Great Wine is hosted by Sondra Stewart, a born-and-bred South Australian who loves nothing more than showing guests the places locals actually go.

Along the way, guests also meet specialised local guides – from gallery curators to garden, history and wine specialists – who share their own insights, stories and expertise in the places they know best.

This mix of a friendly local host and expert guides means each stop goes a layer deeper, blending relaxed conversations, behind-the-scenes knowledge and practical tips that help guests connect more meaningfully with Adelaide and South Australia

This tour requires some fitness. It involves longer days filled with activities, excursions requiring standing and walking for extended periods of time. You will be required to walk confidently over uneven ground and surfaces at a timely pace.

Please note that this tour requires:

• That you can get on and off various forms of transport, including small boat, busses and trams multiple times each day without assistance

• The capability to manage and handle your own luggage at airports.

• Comfort with attending an evening event, which may have limited lighting on the grounds.

• Travellers must be able to participate safely in all tour activities and manage their own wellbeing during periods of free time. This includes not requiring special assistance from our team or suppliers due to medical, mobility, cognitive, vision or hearing conditions.

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES

Make your Adelaide experience even more memorable by adding a carefully curated optional experience to your tour. From exclusive behind-the-scenes moments to after-dark adventures, these enhancements offer a deeper connection to the city, its stories and its flavours. Limited places are available, so we recommend securing your spot at the time of booking.

EXTEND YOUR STAY

Why not extend your stay in South Australia and explore beyond Adelaide? Discover the natural beauty, wildlife and ancient landscapes of regional South Australia, from the pristine shores of Kangaroo Island to the dramatic outback scenery of the Flinders Ranges. These extended tours are the perfect way to continue your journey and experience more of what makes South Australia so unique.

Testimonials

The highlight of my tour was visiting South Australia for the first time. All of the tours were excellent. - DAPHNE

It was a lovely tour. The other guests were all lovely. 10/10 - ROSS & MARIA

The boat trip on the Murray Mouth was amazing, just loved it. A wonderful trip. - ELIZABETH

I loved meeting new friends and experiencing new places. - DOMENIC & MARIA

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