Palm Springs – Vacation in the Californian Desert
Palm Springs is a beloved tourist destination for a getaway near the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The city is located in the northern part of the Coachella Valley, nestled between the towering San Jacinto Mountains to the west and the Little San Bernardino range to the east. East up the range is the popular Joshua Tree National Park, a stunning natural space in the rain shadow desert.
The city is a desert vacation destination with a wide range of resort hotels. It's considered a favorite escape for Southern California residents, featuring charming promenades for walking, nearby natural sites, and the impressive aerial tramway that ascends the western slopes to a height of 2,600 meters.
How many days are needed for a trip to Palm Springs?
For a straightforward trip to Palm Springs, half a day should suffice. For a full vacation in the city, up to three days are recommended. For visiting both the city and Joshua Tree National Park, it's best to allocate at least two days (excluding vacation time).
Click here to check availability and prices at Palm Springs hotels…
6 Things You Must See and Do in Palm Springs
- Restaurants, shops, and entertainment spots on Palm Canyon Drive and Indian Canyon Drive
- The Palm Springs Art Museum
- The Four Historic Houses at the Palm Springs Historical Society Museum
- Vintage planes at the Palm Springs Air Museum
- Ride the aerial tramway to the observation deck of Mount San Jacinto
- The charming oasis at Indian Canyons
Click here to purchase tramway tickets to Mount San Jacinto from Palm Springs…
What is Palm Springs?
The resort city of Palm Springs is a popular desert travel destination just a short drive from Los Angeles. The city is located in the northern part of the Coachella Valley, on the eastern slopes of the Mount San Jacinto, and the western slopes of the Little San Bernardino Mountains.
- The valley is a rain shadow desert crossed by the I-10 freeway in the section between Los Angeles and Phoenix, Arizona. The road runs along the historic route of the Southern Pacific Railroad
- The valley is part of the San Andreas Fault, the tectonic fault responsible for earthquakes in California
- In the early 20th century, the city rapidly developed as a popular vacation destination, and today it boasts no fewer than 130 active hotels and resorts
- About fifty thousand people live in the city, and it attracts more than one and a half million tourists each year
- Palm Springs is one of the key spring break destinations on the West Coast, and during the Easter vacation, its resort hotels are packed with students from all the universities of the West Coast.
- The city is a very popular tourist destination for residents of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, just a one and a half hour drive from downtown Los Angeles.
Click here for a jeep tour in the desert surroundings of Palm Springs…
Map of Palm Springs
How to get to Palm Springs?
How to reach Palm Springs by flight?
Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) – Palm Springs International Airport serves the travel and commuting demand of this major desert resort city for the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It's not a very large airport, but it's quite active throughout the year, especially during spring.
The airport is adjacent to the city at the west, not far from I-10, just a ten-minute drive from the leisure and hotel area of downtown Palm Springs and south to Cathedral City. The drive from the airport to Joshua Tree takes about forty minutes as you climb up the ridge. Palm Springs is well connected with the major airports of the USA and Canada, and there's no problem reaching it via transfer from anywhere in the United States.
Click here to search for attractive flight prices to Palm Springs or Los Angeles…
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – The largest airport in Los Angeles is one of the biggest and most important in all of North America. LAX is located near downtown Los Angeles, between Inglewood and Playa Del Rey Beach, right by the 405 freeway. Los Angeles Airport is accessible from all over the globe, including direct flights from Ben Gurion Airport. The travel time from LAX to Palm Springs is just over an hour and a half.
How do you get to Palm Springs by car?
The main route of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley is the I-10 freeway, which runs at the foot of the ridge in the western part of the narrow valley. The highway conveniently connects Palm Springs and Joshua Tree Park with the Los Angeles metro area through San Bernardino. Interstate 62 links Palm Springs and the freeway with the town of Joshua Tree at the entrance to the park.
When to Visit Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park?
Even though they are right next to each other, there's a difference in the climate between Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley and the national park up in the mountains. Still, visiting Palm Springs and Joshua Tree Park together is highly recommended, and you should definitely plan your trip for either the spring or fall.
- The most popular and crowded season in Palm Springs is spring when the city welcomes the traditional spring break student tourism and the whole city becomes one big party scene.
- If you're looking for a little more peace and quiet, consider visiting before or after the Easter break during spring, or come during the fall months when Palm Springs boasts perfect weather.
- Summer in Palm Springs is all about relaxation: the city is scorching hot, but like Vegas, the hotels are air-conditioned and there's a pool
- Winter in Palm Springs is also a great season to visit. It might get a bit chilly during the evening, but the days are dry and beautiful with temperatures ranging from cool to downright pleasant
Click here for guided hiking in the Indian Canyons near Palm Springs…
How to plan a travel itinerary in Palm Springs?
The travel itinerary in Palm Springs, Coachella Valley, and the ridges above the valley is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area itinerary. Most visitors to the region come for a day or two trip from Los Angeles. A large number of visitors come to relax in Palm Springs and from there take a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park.
- The trip in Palm Springs is simple and mostly centered around the downtown of this small resort city.
- The two main avenues of the city are Palm Canyon Drive and Indian Canyon Drive.
- It's worth taking a short urban walk along them. The avenues host most of the city's attractions, including shops, restaurants, and entertainment spots.
- Art and architecture enthusiasts should visit the art museum and its design and architecture wing located in the city center.
- A bit west of Palm Springs, the cable car goes up close to the summit of Mount San Jacinto. From the top of the cable car, at 2600 meters, there's a breathtaking view of the valley and beautiful mountain hiking trails.
- Another natural site within Palm Springs is the Indian Canyons springs, where there are also charming hiking trails in the desert landscape.
Everything you need to know about lodging in Palm Springs
Palm Springs is a top vacation destination in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and a very popular spot for locals to take a quick desert getaway (one and a half hour drive instead of the three-plus hours to Las Vegas).
- In general, it's an old vacation city, and some of the accommodations are quite vintage. The vintage hotels (essentially a marketing name for rather outdated hotels) are very popular among Spring Break students, who care less about quality and more about the price and the pool party scene at the place
- The city also has quite a few newer hotels, offering high-level vacations with really good facilities, mainly in Cathedral City to the south
- A large part of the city's hotels are concentrated in Downtown Palm Springs near Indian Canyon Drive and South Palm Canyon Drive. This is the city's most central area with lots of restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues
- The newer hotels are clustered along North Palm Canyon Drive, the northern part of the main avenue
- Another important hotel axis is East Palm Canyon Drive, south of downtown
- Throughout the city, there are hotels ranging from two to four stars, all with pools. The higher the rating, the richer and more quality the vacation experience. The city has representation from all major hotel chains, along with many privately-owned hotels
- The most luxurious hotels and resorts are located south of the city in the Cathedral City area and towns along the Coachella Valley. Here you'll find luxury brands like Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, and more
Click here to find a place to stay in Palm Springs hotels…
Map of Recommended Areas to Stay in Palm Springs
Everything to See and Do in Palm Springs
Downtown Palm Springs
Palm Springs is a large resort city. The downtown area stretches along the two main boulevards running north to south – Palm Canyon Drive and Indian Canyon Drive. Along these boulevards and the intersecting streets running east to west, you'll find dozens of hotels, restaurants, entertainment spots, and shops. This is the hub of entertainment and exploration in Palm Springs, bustling day and night, making it a fantastic and fun tourist destination.
Palm Springs Art Museum
The Palm Springs Art Museum is a major institution that also serves as a cultural center. It features exhibitions of American and European artists from the late 19th century to contemporary art. Besides the large art collection, the museum also holds ethnographic art from local tribes and various other collections. The museum includes a large theater and hosts special events.
Address: 101 N Museum Dr, Palm Springs
Click here for the museum's current opening hours…
Palm Springs Historical Society
The Palm Springs Historical Society is a collection of four historic homes in the original settlement core of the city, located on Palm Canyon Drive. These houses are right at the heart of downtown. Built at the end of the 19th century around a lovely round plaza that is now alongside the boulevard, the site offers insights into the early settlement of the city and the Coachella Valley. The museum also organizes guided tours throughout the downtown area.
Address: 221 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs
Click here for the museum's current opening hours…
Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center
The design and architecture wing of the Palm Springs Art Museum is situated on Palm Canyon Drive, south of the main museum. The museum opened to the public in 1961 and displays the unique architectural designs of Palm Springs homes. If you're a fan of modern desert architecture, it's definitely worth a visit to admire the museum, which also includes photography items and other city archive collections.
Address: S Palm Canyon Dr. 300, Palm Springs
Click here for the current museum opening hours…
Palm Springs Air Museum
One of the most unique museums in California, the Palm Springs Air Museum, is located in the hangars of the city's international airport. The museum gathers a large number of aircraft from the World War II era and other historic planes, many of which were used for stunts in Hollywood movies.
Click here for the current museum opening hours…
San Jacinto Mountain Cable Car – Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
The Aerial Tramway is quite a formal name for a totally cool cable car that climbs from the western outskirts of the city to the eastern slopes of Mount San Jacinto. The tramway opened to the public in 1963 and climbs nearly two thousand meters along a four-kilometer journey.
The upper station is situated at an elevation of 2600 meters, not far from the mountain's peak. The cable car offers spectacular views of the valley and the mountain range, as well as the Little San Bernardino Mountains to the east. At the upper station, there's a magnificent observation deck and easy access to hiking trails in the mountain peaks.
Address: Tramway Rd. 1, Palm Springs
Click here for all information and operating hours of the cable car…
The Indian Canyons
The Indian Canyons is a small nature reserve located just a ten-minute drive south of downtown Palm Springs. The canyons consist of four natural springs in the heart of the Coachella Valley, surrounded by rows of palm trees. The springs originate from groundwater at the base of the cliffs on the eastern slopes of the San Jacinto Mountains. From the springs' parking lot, hiking trails ascend the cliffs or stretch beneath them.
Joshua Tree National Park – Scenic Californian Desert Views
Joshua Tree National Park is a breathtaking experience of desert nature, just a short drive from Palm Springs. It is one of the most popular parks among the national parks in the United States, mainly due to its relative proximity to Los Angeles.
The park is situated on a high plateau at an average altitude of one kilometer in a rain shadow desert. It features stunning geological rock formations filled with unusual-looking boulders and remarkable desert vegetation, dominated by Joshua trees and endemic cacti. The park is a popular destination for astronomy enthusiasts, and during meteor showers, it's packed with crowds camping in its extensive grounds.
Click here for everything you need to know about visiting and touring Joshua Tree National Park…
What is Joshua Tree National Park?
Joshua Tree National Park is the official national park of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It's located on the eastern edge of the metropolis on a plateau at an altitude of 900 to 1200 meters, at the eastern end of the valley. The park is situated above Palm Springs, about an hour and a quarter drive from San Bernardino and two and a half hours from downtown Los Angeles.
- The park is a section of a rain shadow desert on the western slopes of the Little San Bernardino Mountains above Palm Springs. It's the boundary line of two deserts – the higher plateau in the west is part of the Mojave Desert, and the lower plateau in the east of the park, which is about 900 meters high, is part of the Sonoran Desert.
- The park's area was declared a nature reserve in 1936 and was upgraded to national park status only in 1994.
- It is named after the large concentration of Joshua Trees in its territory, a plant of the Yucca genus that resembles a tree. The Joshua Tree is endemic to the Mojave Desert and is one of the most iconic symbols of the desert areas south of the Rockies. In the park, you can see many Joshua Trees in varying concentrations.
- The desert area is also characterized by significant geological erosion of the rock formations, which creates numerous splits of rocks and huge boulders. The scattered boulders have become one of the most popular destinations worldwide for rappelling and rock climbing.
