Adelaide

Founded as a British colony in 1836, Adelaide is famous for its wide boulevards and expansive parklands, where you can soak up the South Australian sun. Adelaide holidays also provide the perfect opportunity to explore the beaches of the Fleurieu Peninsula, the wildlife of Kangaroo Island, and to see the Bavarian-inspired villages of the Adelaide Hills. Still not convinced? Then go wine tasting in the Barossa Valley and find out why Adelaide is known as the wine capital of Australia.

At Adelaide Botanic Gardens you can learn about how native plants have been used in medicine for thousands of years by the Kaurna people, the Aborigines that lived in this region long before the European settlers arrived. Of course there are lots of other fun things to do in Adelaide – you could hire a rowing boat in Elder Park or go swimming with dolphins in the seaside suburb of Glenelg.

For fish so fresh it seems it might swim off your plate, head to the beach resort of Henley where you can also enjoy watching the sun setting over the sea as you eat. For a more cosmopolitan feel, Rundle Street in the city's East End has lots of lively al fresco Adelaide restaurants. But whatever you do, make sure you book a wine tasting tour for a sip or two of the famously full-bodied Barossa Shiraz.

In Adelaide accommodation on offer ranges from purse-friendly hostels to top-end hotels. Glenelg Beach Hostel falls into the former category, and with its beautiful veranda and chic basement bar it is trying hard to shake off the bad backpacker image. Meanwhile, for those that can afford it, the river-view rooms at the five-star InterContinental are splendid.

The two blocks around Rundle Street are lined with boutiques, bookshops and cute little cafes, most of which are housed in elegant 19th Century buildings. For a more serious Adelaide shopping experience, go to the nearby Rundle Mall, which has over 600 shops. Yes, that's right – 600. Time to get those shopping shoes on.

Adelaide Central Market is arguably the city's biggest tourist attraction but it's also popular with locals, who like to skip breakfast and feast instead on the many free samples on offer. If fashion is more your thing then go to Gilles Street Market, where designer samples can be bought for a snip of the normal price.