Clare Valley Wine Escape
Eight hours from your Adelaide or Glenelg hotel to Auburn, Taylors, O'Leary Walker, Hill River and Pikes, with tastings and lunch in the fare.
From $341 per person
Check AvailabilityGetting to the Clare Valley
The Clare Valley is 90 minutes to two hours north of Adelaide, and the road is easy. The hard part is getting home after the tastings. Looking at Clare Valley wine tours from Adelaide? Decide who drives first, and the rest follows.
Adelaide to the Clare Valley by car
Driving gives you the most freedom and the fewest pours. Bring your own car or hire one in Adelaide, then head north. The route is simple.
- Leave Adelaide on Port Wakefield Road. Follow it north onto the Northern Expressway.
- Pass the Gawler bypass. Just after it, turn left onto the Horrocks Highway.
- Stay on the Horrocks Highway. It runs up the valley through Auburn, Watervale and Sevenhill to Clare.
- Allow 90 minutes to two hours. Clare Valley Tourism says 90 minutes; the state tourism body says about two hours.
- Agree the driver. Whoever drives does not taste.
The valley is also about an hour from the Barossa, and 90 minutes from Yorke Peninsula and the Riverland. If you are driving on to the Flinders Ranges or Eyre Peninsula, it makes an easy detour off the highway.
By coach from Adelaide
You can reach the valley without driving at all. A coach service runs between Adelaide, the Clare Valley and other regional towns, and Clare Valley Tourism points you to Peninsula Coaches for times. Check the timetable before you book a room, and plan your return trip too.
Charter coaches also operate in Clare, which suits a group. Once you arrive, you will need a bike, a taxi or a tour to reach the cellar doors, because they are spread along the valley.
By air: Clare Valley Aerodrome
Where: RM Williams Way, 14 km north of Clare
township · From there: pickups and car tours can be arranged
through Clare Valley Wine Tours or Clare Valley Taxis
The aerodrome sits about ten minutes from the wine country. If you fly in, book your pickup or car tour before you take off, so a driver is waiting when you land.
Getting around once you are here
The towns sit along one road, but the cellar doors are spread across the hills. Pick the way that lets the most people in your group taste.
- Your own car: Clare Valley Tourism calls it by far the easiest way round the region.
- Driving trails: pick up a map at a visitor centre, or try the Goyder Driving Trails near Burra.
- By bike: the Riesling Trail links the towns, with hire in Clare and Auburn.
- Taxi: Clare Valley Taxis will run you back to your car after a ride.
- A tour: the valley days collect you from where you stay, and the guide drives.
Where the tours pick you up
Most tours solve the driving question by collecting you. The valley days start from your accommodation, and the days from Adelaide start from your hotel. Find where you are staying in the first column, then read the time you get in the valley.
| Where you are collected | Tours | Length | Time in the valley |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your Clare Valley accommodation, 10:00 | Shared valley day, 6 h 30, six guests at most Private day for up to four, from your valley stay | 6 to 6.5 hours | All of it |
| Your accommodation in Leasingham, Watervale, Auburn, Clare, Burra, Penwortham or Mintaro | Shared valley day with local stories, five guests at most | 6 hours | All of it |
| Your hotel in Adelaide city or Glenelg | Wine Escape day from Adelaide or Glenelg | 8 hours | About 3 h 45 at the stops |
| Victoria Square stop G2, Adelaide, 8:00, or an Adelaide city address | Three days with the Flinders Ranges, from Adelaide | 3 days | About 3 hours, on the way north and back |
The difference is the drive. A valley day spends every hour in the Clare Valley. The Wine Escape spends about 3 hours 45 minutes at its stops, and the rest on the road.
Found a pickup near where you stay?
Compare the days that start there, with tastings and lunch in each fare.
Clare Valley Wine, Food and Tourism Centre
Address8 Spring Gully Road, Clare SA 5453
Phone(08) 8842 2131 · Freecall 1800 242 131
OpenWeekdays 9am–5pm, weekends 10am–4pm
ClosedChristmas Day and Catastrophic Fire Days
The Clare Valley Wine, Food and Tourism Centre sits on the Riesling Trail between Clare and Sevenhill. It is the place to pick up maps and ask about tours, and the Spring Gully Loop starts at its door. You can email it at ask@clarevalley.com.au.
Getting-there questions
How far is the Clare Valley from Adelaide?
Allow 90 minutes to two hours by car. Clare Valley Tourism says around 90 minutes, and South Australia's tourism body says around two hours from the city.
Is there a bus from Adelaide to the Clare Valley?
Yes. A coach service runs between Adelaide, the Clare Valley and other regional towns. Clare Valley Tourism points you to Peninsula Coaches for the timetable.
Is there an airport in the Clare Valley?
There is an aerodrome on RM Williams Way, 14 km north of Clare township, about ten minutes from the wine country. Pickups and car tours can be arranged from it.
Can you visit the Clare Valley without a car?
Yes. Take the coach, then ride the Riesling Trail or call Clare Valley Taxis. Or book a day that collects you from your Adelaide hotel or your valley accommodation.
Where do Clare Valley tours pick you up?
The valley days collect you from your accommodation in the valley. The Wine Escape collects from Adelaide city and Glenelg hotels, and the three-day trip leaves from Victoria Square.
Where these facts come from
Routes, services and the Tourism Centre's hours come from Clare Valley Tourism, read in 2026. Pickups come from each tour's own listing.
- Clare Valley Tourism: Getting Here & Around
- South Australian Tourism Commission: Clare Valley
- Clare Valley Tourism: How to do the Riesling Trail
Tours that collect you in Adelaide
All Inclusive 3 Day 4WD Flinders Ranges and Clare Valley Tour
Three days from Adelaide with two nights in Hawker, Wilpena Pound with an Adnyamathanha guide, and the Clare Valley on the way north and back.
From $643 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: see every town and start on the Clare Valley map, check the season on Clare Valley weather, or compare every day out on Clare Valley Tours.