Adelaide is a city that offers you exactly the kind of holiday you want. If you feel like relaxing, you'll find parks and gardens and spas, if you want to party, Adelaide offers pubs, club and hip joints, if it's shopping you're after, the city offers abundant shops, boutiques, malls and markets. Add to this the museums and galleries and intriguing culture and history and you'll see that Adelaide has it all. Here's how to find everything you want.

Getting a handle on Adelaide is easy as this was a planned city of spacious boulevards, lush greenery and downtown quarters with sophisticated architecture.
This means that walking is a delight. What's more, the downtown area is surrounded by 930 hectares of parklands. So where to go first?

Culture buffs should head to Adelaide's North Terrace, home to most of the city's museums and libraries. North Terrace also features public memorials, universities, historic churches and also throws in a contemporary shopping experience.

For a true heritage experience, visit Port Adelaide, some 20 minutes from the city centre. Here you'll get a glimpse of Adelaide's rich history through the ornate old buildings, warehouses, jetties and wharves.

If you're after great shopping, Rundle Mall is the place to go. Opening as the country's first pedestrian street mall in 1976, Rundle Mall now features over 600 retailers.

Every Sunday from 9am to 4pm sees Rundle Street Market offering locally made jewellery, fashion, artworks, handbags and shoes.

While you're in the area, drop over to Rundle Street East, one of Adelaide's most happening thoroughfares packed with cafes, hotels, restaurants, small quirky shops, wine bars, and 10 cinema screens.

Whatever you do, don't leave Adelaide without visiting the renowned historic Adelaide Central Market. Trading began here on Saturday 23 January 1869 when a group of market gardeners began hawking their produce.

Adelaide’s balmy climate makes al fresco dining a treat and the city boasts a
Mediterranean-style cafe culture. The best dining areas include Gouger Street, which leads to the Adelaide Central Market, Chinatown (which also offers a rich variety of Asia cuisine including Thai and Malaysian), and Rundle Street, in Adelaide's East End.

If you’re a wine buff or just enjoy a glass or two, you’re in luck. Adelaide is the home of South Australia's wine industry. The best place to sample the region's fine selection of wines is the National Wine Centre at the end of North Terrace. Here the wine-tasting gallery and interactive displays will show you all about winemaking. Or head out into the Adelaide foothills to experience the vineyards first hand on a tasting and winery tour.

We've scratched the surface here and remember the seaside suburbs of Glenelg and Brighton await. But that's for another article. To enjoy your stay in Adelaide, you have the choice of a wide array of Adelaide city hotels to suit every taste and budget. Two of the best Adelaide hotels are the Adelaide Paringa Motel and the Country Comfort Adelaide.

Richard Greaves has over 20 years experience in the travel industry and writes for Cheaper than Hotels. Cheaper Than Hotels offers Adelaide hotels as Adelaide Paringa Motel and Country Comfort Adelaide http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Adelaide/City/Country-Comfort-Adelaide/.