Planning Your Perfect Palm Springs Getaway

From iconic midcentury modern architecture and vibrant cultural events to world-class dining, shopping, and outdoor adventures, Palm Springs offers something for every traveler. Whether you’re visiting for a weekend escape or an extended stay, planning ahead ensures you’ll make the most of your time in this desert paradise.

A Quick Guide

Palm Springs is world-renowned for its stylish hotels, great weather, and stunning views. We are also famous for our many fine examples of midcentury-modern architecture and design that are visible throughout the city. The core shopping district is on Palm Canyon Drive. It features vintage boutiques, interior design shops, and unique apparel. It also has locally owned restaurants, many with beautiful outdoor dining patios.  Palm Springs offers a wide range of outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails. For these reasons, Palm Springs has long been the preferred desert retreat of Hollywood royalty, presidents, wellness seekers, and sun-worshippers. The permanent year-round population is about 45,000; however, it doubles during the winter season.

Let’s get started planning your Palm Springs visit.

Great Weather

Palm Springs enjoys over 350 days of sunshine a year. You are at low risk of rain ruining your Palm Springs. This is because the beautiful San Jacinto mountain range, visible from anywhere in the Coachella Valley, protects Palm Springs from the coastal weather.

Summer (June-September): Hot and sunny with daytime highs consistently in the triple digits, reaching up to 110°F (42°C). Early morning and evening temperatures are more pleasant, often dipping into the 70s°F (21-26°C).

Fall (October-November): Pleasant with daytime temperatures ranging from the 70s to 90s°F (21-32°C), but evenings can be cooler, sometimes requiring a sweater.

Winter (December-February): Mild and warm during the day with temperatures typically in the 60s and 70s°F (15-26°C). Evenings and nights can be cool, with temperatures sometimes dropping into the low 40s°F (4-7°C), although temperatures rise quickly as the sun rises.

Spring (March-May): Warmer daytime temperatures, ranging from the high 70s to mid-80s°F (24-30°C), making it a popular time for visitors and outdoor activities.

Getting Here

Palm Springs, California, lies on the western edge of the Coachella Valley within the Colorado Desert and sits at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains. Palm Springs is about a 2.5-hour drive from Los Angeles (depending on the time of day due to LA traffic) and just over 2 hours from San Diego. Arizona and Las Vegas are each about a 4-hour drive—the Palm Springs International Airport is centrally located and services most major cities directly or with connections. 

Palm Springs is relatively compact and walkable. The Palm Springs International Airport is about a 10-minute ride to downtown. Almost all resorts and hotels are also a short distance from the airport. Taxi and ride-share services are all available. You will need a vehicle to visit the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway located at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains.

Easy Come, Easy Go at PSP Airport

Palm Springs Visit – Stylish Stays

Palm Springs has a wide range of places to stay. When planning your Palm Springs visit, consider what experience will best fit you. The choice includes cool modern desert dwellings formerly owned by celebrities for that Hollywood-style stay. There is also an extensive collection of vacation rentals. Palm Springs has a large collection of boutique resorts that range from historic to hip for a romantic getaway. Many of these are centrally located downtown and in the tennis neighborhood. Consider staying at a midcentury modern boutique resort and experience Palm Springs’s vibe.

We also offer large, full-service hotels that can accommodate your every need. The Kimpton Rowan has its pool on the 7th floor with sweeping views of the desert, while The Renaissance has the largest pool in Palm Springs. These can also be great options for weddings.

Another option is to stay at a more basic property that is budget-friendly, like a Motel 6, Courtyard Inn, or Extended Stay.

For the LGBTQ Friendly

Palm Springs also has the largest concentration of gay resorts in the United States and possibly the world. Most are clothing-optional and found in the heart of the community. With a diverse resident population, Palm Springs is very welcoming and is “come as you are.”

Read More: Gay Travel Guide to Palm Springs

Santiago Resort

Things To Do

The desert easily lends itself to a wide range of itineraries. Some folks turn up solely to tune out, spending hours at the pool, spa, or on a porch with a cocktail, mesmerized by the purple glow of dusk. Others book their days end to end with activities that start with early-morning hikes and finish with lost inhibitions and music at a nightclub within the deeply rooted and energetic LGBTQ scene. In between, they hop around off-roading, getting an up-close look at the iconic windmills, feeding animals at The Living Desert Zoo, taking a Red Jeep Tour, hitting a museum, or discovering a cactarium at Moorten Botanical Garden.

#1 Palm Springs Attraction – Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway—the world’s largest rotating tram car—travels over two-and-one-half miles along the cliffs of Chino Canyon, transporting visitors to the pristine wilderness of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness Area. During this ten-minute journey, tram cars rotate slowly, offering spectacular vistas of the valley below.

Discover Everything Midcentury Modern

It’s the Capital of Cool, with midcentury modern architecture and design at its core. Palm Springs has the most extensive collection of preserved architecture in the world. Movie stars or Rat Packers like Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, Peter Lawford, and Lucille Ball once owned or visited these architectural treasures. Since the walls can’t talk, consider booking a tour with an outfit like Palm Springs Mod Squad to learn more. Some programs even take you inside private homes. There are several Palm Springs architecture tours available.

Maps for self-guided midcentury architecture tours are available at the Palm Springs Visitor Center.

Consider attending the very popular Modernism Week in February, which celebrates everything midcentury and modern, or the paired-down version in October.

Getting In Your Exercise

The great weather and the even greater outdoors make a Palm Springs visit a must. There are miles of hiking trails, beautiful neighborhoods to explore on a bike, and the downtown is so walkable. Many of the hotels and resorts offer complimentary bikes. We also have several bike rental and repair shops, including options for electric bikes.

There are fantastic and diverse hikes for all fitness levels, including trails that wander past waterfalls in Indian and Tahquitz Canyons, rock formations, and wildflower-dotted hillsides. You can even trek through the snow by taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (another must, even if you only ride up and back for the views) up to the wooded wonderland of Mt. San Jacinto State Park, which sits 8,516 feet above sea level. In the summer, you can explore 52 miles of alpine trails.

Palm Springs Shopping

Enjoy top-notch vintage shopping on your next Palm Springs visit, and plan to take a little Palm Springs style home with you. The very walkable downtown is excellent for window shopping. You’ll find many locally owned boutiques and a few larger popular fashion stores here. You’ll find more vintage shopping and boutiques in the Uptown Design District. Stop by one of the fashionable dining hot spots for lunch and get your energy back for more shopping!

Read More: Vintage Palm Springs Shopping.

Where To Eat and Drink

Palm Springs is fortunate to have mostly locally owned and often chef-owned eateries.

For groups and families, consider the more family-style Mexican fair. Being close to the Mexican border, you can expect authentic dishes. One of the most popular and longest-running Mexican restaurants in Palm Springs is Las Casuelas, a locally owned favorite.

For the more health-conscious, several farm-to-table style restaurants in the heart of downtown in FARM offer French-style dishes. There are also plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans. Making good use of all that produce is the founder of the first national vegan chain, Native Foods. She also opened the very popular Chef Tanya’s Kitchen. For a more upscale experience, consider the James Beard Award-winning Workshop Kitchen + Bar, which sources most of its ingredients within an hour of its tables.

Several resort pools have lively daytime eating and drinking scenes. The Ace Hotel and Swim Club has plenty of poolside entertainment. Their on-site restaurant was one of the early Denny’s. Keeping with the original vibe, Highways is an excellent choice for any visit. You will love the colors of the Saguaro, which are so popular on Instagram. Stop by on Tuesday for Taco specials. They also have one of the largest tequila collections in Palm Springs.

Once the sun goes down, the action moves to tiki bars. Bootlegger Tiki, The Reef, and Tonga Hut offer tropical cocktail lounges. While you can still feast on filets and get buzzed on bourbon and martinis at plenty of meat-forward joints, consider some like entertainment at a supper club. The Purple Room, where Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack once sang, now offers dinner and a show. Another option for the more daring is the Palm Springs Underground, which prepares extravagant themed dinners and entertainment.

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