Palm Springs is the perfect desert getaway. Picture yourself soaking up the sun, surrounded by majestic palm trees swaying gently in the breeze. From amazing architecture to some of the finest restaurants, this vibrant city is the perfect combination of relaxation and exploration. Discover the best of Palm Springs in our Palm Springs travel guide!
🇺🇸 Language: English
💰 Currency: US Dollar
⏳ Best time to visit: January to April
The best things to do in Palm Springs
Palm Springs door tour
Hunting for doors is one of our favorite things to do in this city. Palm Springs is home to many stunning modern homes, and most of them have some pretty colorful doors as well! We recommend going to Indian Canyons neighborhood for the best experience. Hop in the car or go for a bicycle ride through the most colorful neighborhood to see all the stunning, bright modern doors. Below are some of our favorite doors to get you started, including addresses!
Turquoise teal door: 2297 Camino Real
Pink door: 1099 East Sierra Way
Yellow tetris door: 1499 E Via Estrella
Magenta door: 1500 Lobo Way
Yellow door: 2344 S Yosemite Drive
We parked the car on the streets and went for a 1.5 hour walk in this neighborhood. The weather was so nice that time flew by us! The funny thing is that we passed lots of other people doing the same thing, especially near the (our favorite) pink door. 😍 Along the way, we said to each other that we’d love to live here, it is so beautiful! Make sure to not disturb anyone or go trespassing, as some homeowners have put up signs to warn you.
Moorten Botanical Garden
Moorten Botanical Garden is a small desert plant paradise well worth visiting! Here you’ll find all kinds of cacti and other desert plants, all with a small description of where they come from and how they got there. In addition to plants, you can also find rocks, crystals and even animals here – this place truly has it all. We spotted some turtles and birds, and even saw a cute baby hummingbird in its nest! So lovely.
Even though it is rather small here, we spent an hour admiring the cacti and desert plants and taking countless photos. Moorten Botanical Garden is heaven for both nature enthusiasts and avid photographers. Admission is € 4,50 per person, which is very reasonable for everything you can see and do. You also have the option to go for a guided tour, which we saw a lot of people take. That also looked like great fun!
Where: 1701 S Palm Canyon Dr
Palm Springs City Hall
Palm Springs City Hall is a magnificent architectural gem that simply cannot be missed. This stunning building seamlessly blends mid-century modern aesthetics with a touch of desert charm. Standing in front of this beautiful building, you can’t help but feel like you’ve stepped into a scene from a mesmerizing 80s film. Every angle presents an opportunity for the perfect photograph. If you wanted, you could even have a complete 80s styled photoshoot here. The City Hall goes so well with the overall vibe of the town and we’re all for it!
Where: 3200 E Tahquitz Canyon Way
Palm Springs Villagefest
Whilst looking for the entrance of a restaurant one Thursday evening, we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of a street fair. Although this was unplanned, it was so fun and cozy that we strolled around here for a while! From fresh flowers to street food and cocktails, they have all kinds of stalls. You will also find a lot of live entertainment such as street performers dancing or singing.
The Palm Springs VillageFest takes place every Thursday evening in the downtown area. Locals, tourists and casual passers-by come here to soak up the lively atmosphere. If you happen to be in town on a Thursday evening, it’s a great place to spend an hour or two! The Street Fair occupies a total of 3 blocks on Palm Canyon Drive every Thursday. On top of that, most shops keep their doors open later than usual, so there’s something for everyone!
Where: Palm Canyon Drive
Where to eat in Palm Springs
Modern Mexican cuisine at Tac/Quila
Located in Downtown Palm Springs you’ll find Tac/Quila. This gorgeous restaurant is a must-visit for its delicious modern Mexican cuisine, lovely atmosphere and friendly staff. On top of that, they have a lovely terrace (including terrace coolers)! Every ingredient to have a great time is there.
We shared the trio of quesadillas as a starter. This dish immediately set the tone for the quality of the food. We got a shrimp, birria (short rib) and squash blossom quesadilla, served with pico de gallo, salsa verde, and bean dip. All three quesadillas were delicious! The presentation was great, the portions were large enough, and so much flavor!
As a main course, we ordered the fried calamari gourmet taco and the grilled lobster tail tacos. We also went for the Mexican corn as a side because the waitress recommended them. Let us tell you: everything was scrumptious! We cannot describe in words how delicious everything is. Each dish bursts with flavor and is also beautifully presented. Big thanks to the staff as well for recommending us the Mexican corn side. We never had it before but it was a great introduction. 🤩
The star of the menu are the grilled lobster tail tacos for sure! Once you’ve tasted this, you’ll never look at tacos the same way again. We still think about these tacos every day, these were fingerlicking good! This dish is something we’ll keep our eyes open for in the future, it was THAT good.
We often think about how amazing our lunch here was. Having arrived in Palm Springs and finding such a gem (within the hour) on our first try, the stars aligned perfectly! In our opinion, this is a must visit restaurant when in Palm Springs!
Where: 415 N Palm Canyon Dr
Fine dining at 4 Saints
4 Saints is a gorgeous rooftop restaurant with unparalleled views of picturesque mountains and palm trees. With its delicious sharing dishes, incredible background and intimate setting, this restaurant is the perfect place for a romantic dinner.
We must admit that we found it difficult to choose, since everything on the menu sounded delicious. We ended up sharing the lobster roll, scallop crudo, duck croquette, truffle pappardelle and sweet potato agnolotti. Every dish was absolutely amazing! The presentation, the taste, the combinations, … We loved it! If we had to choose a favorite, we would say the scallop crudo. This dish surprised us the most with its unique flavor combination of scallops and gremolata (Italian herb sauce). We had never tasted this combination before but it was truly heavenly!
The duck croquette and pasta dishes were really great, too, and full of flavor. The “least amazing” dish would be the lobster roll, just because they were rather small. If you’re really hungry, we recommend taking another dish, even though the lobster rolls come as a pair. The taste was fine, though! We just happened to have tasted one of the best lobster rolls ever when in LA.
Since 4 Saints is a Michelin-recognized restaurants, prices are on the more expensive side. A visit is well worth it though, it was one of the best dinners we’ve ever had! The breathtaking scenery, the delicious food and the friendly staff make for a perfect date night.
Where: 100 W Tahquitz Canyon Way
Where to stay in Palm Springs
If you are looking for an affordable hotel with beautiful views, look no further than Skylark Hotel. This beautiful boutique hotel is located in the heart of Palm Springs and is a real gem! We booked the Skylark Hotel for the modern twist on the California 50’s classic vibe, and they delivered! The rooms are basic but spacious and contain all that you need. There is free parking, free WiFi and even breakfast is included. The breakfast was one of the best we have had during our road trip. From fresh orange juice to delicious omelets and crispy bacon, you have everything here.
The highlight was undoubtedly the swimming pool and hot tub. We had our fair share of hot tubs during our 5 weeks in the US, but this one absolutely takes the cake! Surrounded by palm trees and with some scenic mountain views in the backdrop, what more could you wish for? We definitely recommend Skylark Hotel when you’re looking for an affordable but beautiful hotel! We paid around € 150 for one night, breakfast included.
Where: 1466 N Palm Canyon Dr
We stayed 1 night in Palm Springs, which is way too short in our opinion. There is so much to do here, and with the good weather, of course you want to enjoy some sunshine! We can’t wait to come back to explore the rest of Greater Palm Springs. See you soon!
Looking for more inspiration for your US road trip?
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