A 60-second guide to doing summer in Adelaide right

The best ways to stay cool in Adelaide this summer.

Adelaide’s Mediterranean climate shines during the warmer months when long, hot days are alleviated by cooling sea breezes.

Add in some lazy beach days at limestone-ringed coves, long lunches fuelled by eminently quaffable wines and cultural festivals that continue long into the night and you have the perfect antidote to any lingering Euro summer envy.

Taste an Adelaide summer at these restaurants and bars…

The temperature drops a few degrees in the Adelaide Hills, but the region’s dining options are red hot right now. Hyperseasonal small plates meet small-batch spirits at Ondeen, and Vinteloper’s new cellar door is as sophisticated and pretension-free as the wines on pour.

Small plates and spirits at Ondeen.

The exquisitely presented long lunches at LVN Restaurant shine even brighter with a stay at the luxe onsite accommodation.

LVN Restaurant at Bird in Hand winery.

Hit snooze at these Adelaide stays…

Book a room at Hotel Alba on the CBD’s southern fringe and you might not make it beyond the dangerously seductive pool (or the breezy Mediterranean diner next door).

If you prefer to be in the heart of the city, the chic Mayfair Hotel marries a prime location with a sophisticated rooftop bar.

Cool off at Hotel Alba’s chic pool. (Image: Terence Chin Photography)

Adelaide’s summer to-do list…

Watch the morning sun refracted through Dale Chihuly’s kaleidoscopic glass sculptures in the Botanic Garden before stopping in at Bloom for a breezy brunch overlooking the River Torrens.

Casual eatery Bloom is set on the river.

Keep heading west for a cooling ocean dip followed by dreamy artisan scoops from Bottega Gelateria, then toast the sunset with oysters and bubbles at Henley House’s third-floor bar.

Sip sundowners at beachside Henley House. (Image: Jack Fenby)

Our hot tip: Instead of ending with the school holidays, Adelaide summer ramps up over February and March when dozens of pop-up venues magically sprout from the grassy Park Lands.

More than 8000 artists help turn the month-long Adelaide Fringe into a city-wide party while WOMADelaide concentrates that energy into an ecstatic four-day celebration of music and dance from across the world.