Hahndorf is Australia's oldest surviving German settlement, nestled in the Adelaide Hills about 25 minutes' drive from the city centre. The main street is lined with heritage buildings, craft shops, bakeries and German-style pubs, and the town draws steady weekend traffic from Adelaide.
Beyond the commercial strip, The Cedars — the home and studio of painter Hans Heysen — is the most culturally interesting stop, and the Hahndorf Academy tells the more complicated story of the original Lutheran settlers and what happened to this community during two World Wars. Hahndorf Hill Winery, just outside the village, makes excellent Grüner Veltliner and other Austrian varietals that are genuinely unusual in Australia. Beerenberg Farm is the place for strawberry picking from November through April, and their farm shop carries one of the best ranges of jams and condiments in South Australia.
If you are in Adelaide in October and cannot make it to Germany for Oktoberfest, Hahndorf puts on its own version — three days of food, wine and beer on the local oval. The surrounding hills are full of vineyards, orchards and bushland, and there is plenty of local produce to sample year-round.