City to the Bay by Tram | A Day in Glenelg
Travelling on public transport with young children is a bit of an adventure, especially when the destination is somewhere they don’t go every day. A tram ride is a low cost, fun activity with the kids and an easy way to get from the City to Glenelg.
EDITOR’S NOTE: GLENELG TRAM LINE CLOSURE UNTIL EARLY 2026
From Saturday 2 August 2025, the Glenelg line will close for six months between South Terrace, Adelaide and Moseley Square, Glenelg during construction of overpasses at South Road, Marion Road/Cross Road and Morphett Road. Substitute buses will replace Glenelg tram services. Tram services will continue to operate as normal in the CBD and to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
One of our favourite holiday activities any time of year is to catch the tram from the Adelaide CBD to Glenelg and experience the many sights this seaside suburb has to offer. Whether it’s for ice-cream in summer or a hot chocolate in winter, it’s fun to explore one of our city’s tourist hubs.
The tram can be boarded from numerous tram stops in the city between North Terrace and South Terrace, or you can even start from the Adelaide Entertainment Centre where there’s plenty of room to park the car. The tram is completely free to ride within the city, but you will need to have a Metro Card for travel outside of North and South Terrace.
It’s only 25 minutes by tram to get from Victoria Square to Moseley Square in the heart of Glenelg, at the end of Jetty Road. Young kids will love looking out of the tram’s huge windows, riding without a seatbelt and holding on as the trams glides along, stopping and starting over and over again. It’s fun to watch the world go by, looking at people, cars, buildings, shops, and construction sites. It’s a sensory-rich mini adventure, especially for kids that are usually only transported around by car.
Moseley Square, Glenelg
Moseley Square is where the Glenelg tram line ends. It is a hive of activity during the summer months and every school holidays there is always something happening. The water fountains in the square offer plenty of fun for little ones to play in, so even if you don’t plan to head down to the beach, perhaps bring a change of clothes anyway! The Bay Discovery Centre is a social history museum located here, inside the Glenelg Town Hall, with interesting exhibits for all ages.
Jetty Road, Glenelg
Jetty Road is a fabulous shopping strip with plenty of retail choices and a host of cafes and restaurants. There are numerous places for fish and chips and an ice cream plus some great coffee shops.
The Beachouse, Glenelg
Glenelg is also home to the Beachouse – the site of the old Magic Mountain back in the day. The Beachouse is a family entertainment centre with a café, waterslides, ferris wheel, bumper boats, dodgem cars, mini golf, play castle, indoor carousel, arcade games and more. There’s no entry fee to wander in and take a look around, but all the rides and games are accessed via the Beachouse’s Fun Card system which can be pre-purchased online or at one of the counters inside.
Glenelg Beach & Foreshore
Glenelg beach is one of Adelaide’s most popular beaches with a lovely stretch of clean, white sand. The seaweed can build up at certain times of the year, but the kids don’t seem to mind running through it! The 200 metre long jetty offers shade on a hot day and you’ll usually spot a few anglers dropping a line over the edge. It’s always a lovely view from the end of a jetty looking back towards the coastline. The foreshore has a fabulous playground.
Glenelg is the main tourism precinct in Holdfast Bay and therefore can get very busy, especially during the warmer months. It is a great option to catch the tram rather than search for a car park and hoping to find one within walking distance of where you want to go (like Jetty Road or the beach!). There are paid and free parking options, including car parks and street parking with ticket machines installed, which are operated 24 hours a day. Make sure you check the signs if you do decide to drive.
For more information, ticket prices, timetables and all enquiries please visit the Adelaide Metro website
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: photos by Play & Go
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