Not to miss

Art Gallery of South Australia

This gallery contains one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of Australian, Asian and European art, including paintings by great colonial and contemporary Australian artists. There's a collection of Southeast Asian ceramics, a display of decorative arts, and the world's second-largest collection of Rodin sculptures.

The free audio-tour of the Australian collection is very insightful, as are the guided tours which are run twice daily. These, too, are free of charge. Peruse the great bookshop and indulge your other senses at the top-notch cafe with a menu inspired by the current exhibition.

Migration Museum

This fascinating and unmissable museum tells the stories of the migrants who came from all over the world to make South Australia their home. There's information on over 100 nationalities in their database, along with poignant personal stories displayed to full effect.

South Australian Museum

This museum, with its huge whale skeleton in the front window, is one of Adelaide's landmarks. The enthralling exhibits showcase Australia's natural history and include a gallery devoted to Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson (with expedition footage). The absorbing Aboriginal Cultures Gallery displays artefacts of the region's Ngarrindjeri people.