★★★★★
Barossa Valley hop-on hop-off tour · your own stops
Choosing where to get off, and how long to stay, made the day. Laurie kept up an informative commentary between the stops.
Sheila K. · Traveller · June 2025
Barossa Valley Hop-On Hop-Off Wine Tour
Tasting fees extraFrom Adelaide or Tanunda
The lowest fare into the Barossa, and the only day where you choose the doors. The bus leaves Stamford Plaza in Adelaide at 9:30 and the visitor centre in Tanunda at 10:50. A full loop of the route takes about an hour. You get off at about four of its 10 to 15 wineries and eateries, and you pay for tastings and lunch where you stop.
Choose your own Barossa cellar doors
The lowest fare into the valley
Your seat costs less than any guided day, because the venues are paid separately.
About four stops of your choosing
Pick from 10 to 15 wineries and eateries on the route.
A loop of about an hour
The whole circuit of the route takes about an hour to drive.
Two places to board
Stamford Plaza in Adelaide at 9:30, or Tanunda at 10:50.
Commentary on the road
Your driver talks you through the wineries and the history between stops.
Air-conditioned, with water
Bottled water on board, and the bus stays cool in summer.
What the low fare buys, and what you add
The fare of $72 per person buys your seat on the loop, the driver and your water. It does not buy the wine. Each cellar door charges its own tasting fee, and lunch and drinks are paid where you eat. So the real price of your day is the fare plus what you spend at four stops.
That can still be the cheaper day. You control the spend: a coffee stop costs less than a tasting, and at some cellar doors buying a bottle reduces the fee. One traveller's advice was to eat a big breakfast and skip lunch, to fit in another cellar door. If you would rather have every glass and the lunch settled in advance, the fixed-price days are compared on Barossa Valley winery tours.
How the loop works: about four stops from 10-15
The route runs in a circuit that takes about an hour. You hop off at a venue, taste at your own pace, then rejoin the bus at the time your driver gives you. The timings are explained on board. One traveller found the schedule confusing at first and clear once it was explained.
Plan your stops before you board. Some cellar doors want a booking, so ring the ones you care about. Travellers recommend Bethany Wines and Rusden Wines, and one group used a stop at Maggie Beer's Farm Shop to buy cheese.
Your day on the loop
- 9:30, Stamford Plaza, Adelaide. The bus leaves North Terrace for the valley.
- 10:50, Barossa Visitor Centre, Tanunda. Board here instead if you are staying in the Barossa.
- Your first stop. Hop off at the winery or eatery you picked, and taste at your own pace.
- Lunch where you choose. Eat at a venue on the route, or swap lunch for another tasting.
- Two or three more stops. Rejoin the bus at the times your driver sets; a full loop takes about an hour.
- About 17:30, back in Adelaide. The bus returns to Stamford Plaza.
Who this suits: tasters who like to choose
Book this if
You like to choose, you are watching your budget, or you already know which cellar doors you want. It suits friends and couples who want the day at their own pace, and families, since children ride with an adult. It also works if you are staying in Tanunda, because you can board there at 10:50.
Book something else if
You want the tastings and lunch paid up front: the premium tasting day with lunch and chocolate includes both. If you want a guide who books the tastings and knows the winemakers, the small-group day with the winemakers takes eight guests. If you would rather pedal between doors, the e-bike tour from Angaston includes wine and lunch.
What the fare covers, and what you pay at each venue
In the fare
- Hop-on hop-off bus between wineries and venues
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Bottled water
- GST
Not in the fare
- Lunch
- Alcoholic drinks
- Cellar door tasting fees (paid at each venue)
- Food and drink bought at venues
Pickup: Stamford Plaza 9:30 or Tanunda 10:50
In Adelaide you board outside Stamford Plaza, 150 North Terrace, at 9:30. The bus returns there at about 17:30. In the valley you board at the Barossa Visitor Centre, 66-68 Murray Street, Tanunda, at 10:50. Choose the right option when you book, because the two pickups are sold separately.
Both stops are near public transport. The centre in Tanunda is on getting to the Barossa, and both pickups are marked on the Barossa Valley map.
Know before you go
- Budget for the venues. Tasting fees, lunch and any drinks are paid where you stop, so carry a card.
- Call ahead to busy cellar doors. Some venues need a booking, so ring the ones you care about before the day.
- Plan on two tastings, not four. You have time for about four stops, so make two of them food or coffee.
- Buy a bottle to soften the fee. At some cellar doors, buying a bottle reduces what you pay for the tasting.
- Book up to eight at a time. That is the most one booking holds, and confirmation comes within 48 hours.
- Bring infants on your lap. Children ride with an adult, and the bus is not wheelchair accessible.
What travellers said about hopping between wineries
★★★★★
Barossa Valley hop-on hop-off tour · your own stops
Their driver, Yvette, had spent more than twenty years in the Barossa wine industry before driving the loop, and her knowledge of the area showed.
Richard H. · Traveller · February 2025
★★★★☆
Barossa Valley hop-on hop-off tour · your own stops
A fun day with a good driver and a real choice of which wineries to visit. Four stars rather than five.
Jeffrey O. · Traveller · July 2024
Frequently asked questions
What does the day cost once tastings are added?
Your fare covers the bus. Add a tasting fee at each cellar door, lunch and any drinks. Barossa Valley tasting fees explains how they work, and visiting the Barossa Valley sets the fares side by side.
How does the hop-on hop-off tour work?
The bus runs a loop of 10 to 15 venues that takes about an hour. You choose about four to get off at, and pay for tastings and food at each one.
Can I get on in the Barossa instead of Adelaide?
Yes. Choose the in-region pickup when you book and board at the Barossa Visitor Centre in Tanunda at 10:50.
Is there a day with the tastings already paid?
Yes. The premium tasting day with lunch and chocolate includes four tastings and lunch, with pickup across Adelaide and Glenelg.
Can children come on the bus?
Yes, with an adult, and infants sit on your lap. Tastings are for adults, so plan some stops for food, coffee or chocolate.
Other ways into the valley
Ready to choose your own cellar doors?
Check dates for the hop-on hop-off loop from Adelaide or Tanunda, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Check availability