Adelaide Central Market

Adelaide Central Market, on Gouger Street in the heart of the CBD, is one of the largest and most celebrated fresh-produce markets in the Southern Hemisphere. For more than 150 years it's been the beating culinary heart of the city — a vibrant, bustling maze of stalls overflowing with fruit, vegetables, cheese, meat, seafood, bakery goods and gourmet treats from around the world.

The appeal is that sensory, only-in-Adelaide experience: dozens of traders, the buzz of the crowds, and some of the best food shopping and casual eating in the country, right beside the city's Chinatown. It's a destination as much as a market, beloved by locals doing their weekly shop and visitors soaking up the atmosphere alike.

With a 4.6 rating from more than 13,000 reviews, it's an overwhelmingly cherished institution. Trading days and hours vary by stall — and the market isn't open every day — so it's worth checking the current opening times before you go, and arriving with an appetite and time to wander, as the sheer variety on offer rewards a proper, unhurried explore.