Palm Springs, CABy ArrivLast checked
Plan a trip to Palm Springs
Pool days, mid-century architecture, and a national park an hour out. Plan for the heat. The trip shapes itself around it, so you get early mornings outside and long flat afternoons in the water.
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Free to run, and you keep editing after. Add who's coming or a pace like “slow mornings” to shape the result.
Palm Springs guides
11 places on a map
Palm Springs at a glance
Where you sleep decides more of a Palm Springs trip than the sights do, which is why Uptown Design District, Downtown, and Twin Palms / Deepwell are compared here on rate and walking distance before anything else. Then the four stops, and the months to book or avoid. Most trips run 3 to 4 days.
- How long
- 3–4 days
- When to go
- November to April, when days sit in the seventies and eighties. Coachella in April fills every room for two weekends. July and August run past 110°F, which limits outdoor hours to early morning and makes the tram the best idea in the valley.
- Getting around
- Rent a car. Downtown and Uptown connect on foot, though Joshua Tree, the canyons, and most of the rentals all need driving.
What to build the plan around
- 1
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Rotating cars climb to 8,500 feet, which puts you thirty degrees cooler than the valley floor.
- 2
Joshua Tree National Park
An hour northeast, and if you go early you can take the Hidden Valley loop and still stay for the sunset.
- 3
Mid-century modern architecture
Self-drive the Twin Palms and Vista Las Palmas streets, or book a guided tour if you want the history with it.
- 4
Indian Canyons
Palm oases and shaded creek trails on Agua Caliente land, fifteen minutes from downtown, which is the shade you will want.
Where to stay in Palm Springs
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- Uptown Design District
- A walk to shops and restaurants, and the best-looking hotels sit here, which is most of the appeal. Browse stays in Uptown Design District
- Downtown
- Central to everything, though it is busiest during the Thursday street fair. Browse stays in Downtown
- Twin Palms / Deepwell
- Residential streets with the architecture and the private-pool rentals groups want, though there are no restaurants within walking distance of any of them. Browse stays in Twin Palms / Deepwell
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More itineraries to copy
Each one opens as a map with every stop already placed.
Palm Springs planning questions
- How many days do you need in Palm Springs?
- 3 to 4 days is the usual answer, and the low end works only if you skip one of the four stops. Three days handles two pool afternoons and a Joshua Tree morning. Four gives you the tram and a slower pace, which is the reason to come here in the first place.
- What is the best time to visit Palm Springs?
- November to April, when days sit in the seventies and eighties. Coachella in April fills every room for two weekends. July and August run past 110°F, which limits outdoor hours to early morning and makes the tram the best idea in the valley.
- Where should I stay in Palm Springs?
- Book Uptown Design District if you are undecided, because it is the most convenient of the three and the choice you are least likely to regret. A walk to shops and restaurants, and the best-looking hotels sit here, which is most of the appeal. Two others are worth comparing before you commit, and the difference is mostly rate against how far you walk. Downtown: Central to everything, though it is busiest during the Thursday street fair. Twin Palms / Deepwell: Residential streets with the architecture and the private-pool rentals groups want, though there are no restaurants within walking distance of any of them.
- How do you get around Palm Springs?
- Rent a car. Downtown and Uptown connect on foot, though Joshua Tree, the canyons, and most of the rentals all need driving.
- What should I see first in Palm Springs?
- The first thing to slot in is Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, because once you have given it a morning the rest arranges itself around that. Rotating cars climb to 8,500 feet, which puts you thirty degrees cooler than the valley floor. After that, Joshua Tree National Park, then Mid-century modern architecture, though the order between those two barely matters.
- Is there a free Palm Springs itinerary I can copy?
- Yes, and reading it costs nothing. Arriv has a Palm Springs itinerary with every stop mapped and a day-by-day order to follow, which is enough to plan from without touching it. Duplicate it into a trip of your own and the dates, the places, and the order are all yours to change.