By Plane

Qantas (tel. 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au), Virgin Blue (tel. 13 67 89 in Australia; www.virginblue.com.au), and Jetstar (tel. 13 15 38 in Australia; www.jetstar.com) all fly to Adelaide from the other major state capitals. Check their websites for cheap deals. Tiger Airways (tel. 03/9335 3033; www.tigerairways.com) also has daily flights from most capital cities apart from Perth and Darwin. Within South Australia, Regional Express (REX airlines; tel. 13 17 13 in Australia; www.rex.com.au) offers daily services to some regional centers.

Adelaide International Airport is 8km (5 miles) west of the city center. Major car-rental companies (Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Thrifty) have desks in both the international and domestic terminals.

The Skylink (tel. 1300/383 783 in Australia; www.skylinkadelaide.com) connects the airport with major hotels and the rail and bus stations. On weekdays, buses leave the terminals at 30-minute intervals from 5:30am to 9:30pm, and on weekends and public holidays hourly (on the half-hour). Adult tickets are A$8.50 one-way, kids A$3.50. A cheaper alternative is the JetBus (tel. 08/8210 1000; www.adelaidemetro.com.au), which links the airport to Glenelg, West Beach, and the North Eastern suburbs and costs A$2.80 from 9am to 3pm on weekdays and A$4.60 at most other times one way. It operates daily, 4:30am to 11:35pm.

By Taxi

A taxi to the city from the airport will cost around A$20.

By Train

The Keswick Interstate Rail Passenger Terminal, 2km (1 1/4 miles) west of the city center, is Adelaide's main railway station.

Contact Great Southern Railways (tel. 13 21 47 in Australia; www.gsr.com.au) for information, timetables, fares, and bookings for all trains described below.

One of the great trains of Australia, the Indian Pacific transports passengers from Sydney to Adelaide (trip time: 28 hr.) every Saturday and Wednesday at 2:55pm and from Perth to Adelaide (trip time: 36 hr.) on Wednesday and Sunday at 11:55am. One-way tickets from Sydney to Adelaide are around A$694 for adults and A$527 for children in first class; A$511 for adults and A$372 for children in an economy sleeper; and A$308 for adults and A$130 for children in coach (called a daynighter seat). From Perth to Adelaide, the one-way fare is A$1,514 for adults and A$1,022 for children in first class; A$1,076 for adults and A$652 for children in an economy sleeper; and A$458 for adults and A$211 for children in coach, but take it from me, you'd be crazy to consider anything less than a sleeper.

The other legendary Australian train is the Ghan, which runs from Adelaide to Alice Springs and on to Darwin twice a week on Sunday and Wednesday at 12:20pm. Trip time from Alice Springs to Adelaide is 20 hours. From Alice Springs to Adelaide and vice versa, the one-way fare is A$1,019 for adults and A$701 for children in first class; A$686 for adults and A$418 for children in an economy sleeper; and A$358 for adults and A$166 for children for an economy seat. From Adelaide to Darwin, which is a 2-night trip, it costs A$1,973 for adults and A$1,357 for kids in first class; A$1,372 for adults and A$830 for kids in an economy sleeper; and A$716 for adults and A$331 for kids in an economy seat. But if you can't afford a sleeper, you'd be better off flying. Platinum Class offers luxury cabins twice the size of standard first class cabins, with double beds, full en-suite, and lots of extras thrown in. It only operates on the Adelaide to Darwin service and costs A$2,987 per adult. No kids' fares are available.

The Overland operates three weekly trips from Adelaide to Melbourne (Mon, Wed, and Fri at 7:40am) and Melbourne to Adelaide (Tues and Thurs at 8:05am and Sat at 8:40am). Trip time is 12 hours. From Melbourne to Adelaide, one-way ticket prices are A$134 for adults and A$95 for children in first class, and A$90 for adults and A$45 for children in an economy seat.

By Bus

Intercity coaches serve the central bus station, 101 Franklin St. (tel. 08/8415 5533), near Morphett Street in the city center. Greyhound Australia (tel. 1300/473 946 in Australia; www.greyhound.com.au) runs buses to all other major cities. The trip from Melbourne takes 10 hours and costs A$70; from Sydney, you'll need to go via Melbourne and the whole trip will take around 34 hours and cost A$150; and from Alice Springs, 21 hours and A$280. Check the website for discounts before you book.

Adventurous types should consider traveling to Adelaide from Melbourne (or vice versa) on the Wayward Bus, operated by the Wayward Bus Touring Company (tel. 1300/654 604 in Australia, or 08/8132 8230; www.waywardbus.com.au). The fare is A$395 with backpacker's accommodations and around A$525 with twin motel accommodations. You spend about 3 hours a day on the bus, and the driver acts as your guide. The fare includes a picnic or cafe lunch each day and entry to national parks. You can leave the trip and rejoin another later. Reservations are essential. Wayward Bus also runs 6-day overland trips traveling between Adelaide and Alice (or vice versa), via Uluru, Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), Kings Canyon, Coober Pedy, Lake Eyre, William Creek, Wilpena Pound, the Flinders Ranges, and the Clare Valley wineries. Accommodations are a mix of camping, swags (thick sleeping bags), dugout caves, and hostels. It costs A$920. Check the website for more tours, including to Outback South Australia and Kangaroo Island.

Another bus company, the Nullarbor Traveller (tel. 08/8687 0455; www.thetraveller.net.au), takes adventurous travelers from Adelaide to Perth in 10 days across the Nullarbor Plain. The tour includes a mixture of camping and farmstay accommodations and most meals. It costs A$1,495. A good area website is www.nullarbornet.com.au.

By Car

To drive from Sydney to Adelaide on the Hume and Sturt highways takes roughly 20 hours; from Melbourne it takes around 10 hours on the Great Ocean Road and Princes Highway; from Perth it takes 32 hours on the Great Eastern and Princes highways; and from Alice Springs it takes 15 hours on the remote Stuart Highway.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.