2 days in Palm Springs

Day by day

1. Day 1: Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and Mid-century modern homes drive

   Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Mid-century modern homes drive and Mount San Jacinto State Park, then Palm Canyon Drive and VillageFest in the evening.

   1. Breakfast

      Breakfast: Chilaquiles

   2. Morning

      Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

      At the top, the air is often 15–17°C cooler than the valley, with pine forest, viewing terraces and the trailheads of Mount San Jacinto State Park.

   3. Late morning

      Mid-century modern homes drive

      Stewart Williams, Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House, John Lautner's Elrod House above Southridge, and streets of butterfly-roofed Alexander homes in Vista Las Palmas and Twin Palms. Most are private homes seen from the street, with interiors opening mainly during Modernism Week tours.

   4. Lunch

      Lunch: Tacos and Mexican plates

      Family-run taquerías along Indian Canyon Drive and in Cathedral City, Coachella and Indio, which have some of the most traditional cooking.

   5. Afternoon

      Mount San Jacinto State Park

      The short Desert View Trail loop gives viewpoints over the valley, and fit hikers can continue about 18 km round trip to the 3,302-metre summit of San Jacinto Peak, the second-highest in Southern California.

   6. Café break

      Café break: Date shake

   7. Evening

      Palm Canyon Drive and VillageFest

      Visit VillageFest after sunset in the warmer months, when the pavement has cooled and the stalls are busiest.

2. Day 2: Indian Canyons and Tahquitz Canyon

   Indian Canyons, Tahquitz Canyon, Moorten Botanical Garden and Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, then Arenas Road in the evening.

   1. Breakfast

      Breakfast: Weekend brunch

   2. Morning

      Indian Canyons

      Andreas Canyon has a gentle loop of about 1.6 km past rock formations and a stream, and Murray Canyon leads to a series of small falls.

   3. Late morning

      Tahquitz Canyon

      The visitor centre at the trailhead has exhibits on Agua Caliente history, and rangers lead guided hikes on some days.

   4. Lunch

      Lunch: Tamales

      Mexican bakeries and restaurants valley-wide, and the Indio International Tamale Festival, usually held in early December.

   5. Afternoon

      Moorten Botanical Garden

      The glass-roofed Cactarium holds rare cacti and succulents.

   6. Snack

      Snack: Medjool and Deglet Noor dates

   7. Late afternoon

      Agua Caliente Cultural Museum

      Next door, The Spa at Séc-he is built over the hot mineral spring that gave Palm Springs its name.

   8. Evening

      Arenas Road

      A short stretch off Indian Canyon Drive with the city's main cluster of gay bars and clubs, busy from happy hour onwards.

Before you go

• Palm Springs Aerial Tramway: On peak winter and spring weekends, buy timed tickets online in advance to avoid long waits at the Valley Station.

If it rains

• Swap in Palm Springs Art Museum (Downtown Palm Springs): The museum has offered free entry on some evenings; check its website before you go and pair a visit with dinner downtown.
• Swap in Architecture and Design Center (Downtown Palm Springs): Visit before an architecture drive; the shop sells maps and books that identify the modernist homes you will pass.
• Swap in Palm Springs Air Museum (Palm Springs Airport): Ask at the desk about scheduled flight demonstrations or cockpit days, which run on some weekends.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 15–20 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.9 hours in December to 14.4 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Car. A car is the practical way to reach the tramway, the canyons, Palm Desert and Joshua Tree.

More or fewer days

• One day in Palm Springs
• 3 days in Palm Springs
• 5 days in Palm Springs

Questions travellers ask