If there’s one thing about our state, it’s that you don’t have to leave the country to experience a European-inspired summer holiday.
From the hidden coves around Second Valley that mirror the coastlines of Amalfi Coast and Capri; to the vineyards of McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills that make you feel like you’re in the rolling hills of Tuscany or French vineyards of Bordeaux, here are 10 destination gems to inspire your #EuropeinSA trip, right in our South Australian backyard.
1) Hey Jupiter, Adelaide
Tucked away behind Rundle St, Hey Jupiter adds a touch of Parisian delight to the cobble stoned laneways of Ebenezer Place. A quaint French inspired café serving-up traditional dishes such as escargot in puff pastry and Berkshire pork belly. All staff are French, making you feel completely immersed as if you’re sitting on the streets of Paris.
For more information, click here.
2) Golding Winery, Lobethal
Golding Wines is a progressive and dynamic family owned winery situated at Lenswood high in the picturesque Adelaide Hills of South Australia. Be swept into an Italian-inspired vineyard experience while eating freshly made woodfire pizza and sipping wine with the rolling vines behind you.
For more information, click here.
3) Samuel’s Gorge Winery, McLaren Vale
Located in a barn built in 1853 and positioned on a ridge top that showcases the Onkaparinga River National Park, Samuels Gorge Winery offers a unique wine style – steered by the soil in which the vine grows, the vintage conditions and the imagination of a winemaker. Its European landscaping will make you feel as lost in tranquillity as the Italian or French countryside.
For more information, click here.
4) Second Valley Beach
Second Valley Beach is one of South Australia’s most Instagrammed locations. Known for its incredible coastline, pebbled stoned shorelines and turquoise blue waters, the beach will give you the feeling as though you’re walking along the Amalfi Coast or Positano. Head down towards the Jetty and turn left to find beautiful pebbled beaches perfect for swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving.
For more information, click here.
5) Fleurieu Peninsula Coastline
While visiting Second Valley, why not explore the rest of the Fleurieu Peninsula region. Located forty minutes South of Adelaide, the Fleurieu Peninsula offers some of South Australia’s finest coastal, scenic and culinary experiences that resemble the crystal-clear waters of Greece and Ibiza.
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6) Coriole Winery, McLaren Vale
From its lofty position overlooking the neighbouring coast, Coriole has commanding views down the South Australian hills to the sea. A producer of fine wines grown and made on the property, tastings are held in its almost 200-year old ironstone buildings, which are surrounded by a beautiful cottage garden. Its gardens are a showstopper filled with European flowers that are indistinguishable from the charming country towns of Scotland.
For more information, click here.
7) Pike and Joyce, Lenswood
The Pike & Joyce brand represents the coming together of two long established South Australian families to form a joint venture vineyard and cellar door at Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills. The Cellar Door is an idyllic destination for a weekend drive to the hills for a tasting and some superb food. Look over the valley as you sip this historic partnership’s perfected winemaking that rivals any found in France.
For more information, click here.
8) Maison Clement, Adelaide
Maison Clement is the stunning French eatery on Currie Street that’s proving itself to be an authentic slice of Paris in the heart of the CBD. It’s a regional restaurant by the canal. Maison Clement operates as a bistro boullian, which is a French eatery that serves delicious food, quickly and cheaply. Traditionally, bouillon (‘broth’ in English) was served by a bistro bouillon to workers in market halls.
For more information, click here.
9) Hahndorf, Adelaide Hills
Located just half an hour from Adelaide, Hahndorf is a contemporary village proud of its German heritage still visible in its traditional streetscape with smallgoods, bakeries, cuckoo clocks, wooden folk art and German-style pubs.
For more information, click here.
10) Vivonne Bay, Kangaroo Island
Forget the Greek islands – Vivonne Bay’s six-kilometre-long U-shaped beach is the postcard-perfect spot to soak in the best of island life. Here, white sandy shores meet gently lapping waves, perfect for wading waist deep. With a jetty framing the south-end and distant dunes in the north, it’s a great excuse to slip away for the weekend without another soul in sight.
For more information, click here.
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For more great travel ideas around SA, including where to stay, click here.
