Things to do · Palm Springs · United States
16 best things to do in Palm Springs
16 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Pictured: Mount San Jacinto State Park, Palm Springs · Photo: Binksternet, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Palm Springs are Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Mid-century modern homes drive and Mount San Jacinto State Park. Of the 16 picks below, 5 are free, 4 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
- Free sights
- 5
- Good on a rainy day
- Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
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At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Springs Aerial Tramway | Chino Canyon | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Mid-century modern homes drive | Vista Las Palmas and Twin Palms | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Mount San Jacinto State Park | San Jacinto Mountains | 2 hours to a full day | Low cost |
| Indian Canyons | Agua Caliente Reservation | 2–4 hours | Low cost |
| Tahquitz Canyon | South of downtown | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Agua Caliente Cultural Museum | Downtown Palm Springs | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Palm Springs Art Museum | Downtown Palm Springs | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Architecture and Design Center | Downtown Palm Springs | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Palm Springs Visitor Center (Tramway Gas Station) | North Palm Springs | 30 minutes | Free |
| Palm Canyon Drive and VillageFest | Downtown Palm Springs | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Moorten Botanical Garden | South Palm Springs | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | Palm Desert | 3–4 hours | Mid-priced |
| Palm Springs Air Museum | Palm Springs Airport | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Sunnylands | Rancho Mirage | 1–3 hours | Free |
| Cabot's Pueblo Museum | Desert Hot Springs | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Coachella Valley Preserve | Thousand Palms | 1.5–3 hours | Free |
The 16 best things to do
Experience · Chino Canyon
1.Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Rotating tram cars climb from the Valley Station in Chino Canyon to the Mountain Station at about 2,600 metres, crossing roughly 4 km of cliffs in around ten minutes while the floor turns slowly so every passenger gets the full view. 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.
Bring a warm layer even in summer, and in winter check for snow at the top; the trails can need proper footwear from December to March.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- On peak winter and spring weekends, buy timed tickets online in advance to avoid long waits at the Valley Station.
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Neighbourhood · Vista Las Palmas and Twin Palms
2.Mid-century modern homes drive
Palm Springs' modernist houses are best seen on a self-guided drive or bike ride: Frank Sinatra's Twin Palms by E. 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.
Go early in the morning when the light is soft and the streets are empty, and photograph from the pavement; these are lived-in private homes.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- History
- Iconic
Nature · San Jacinto Mountains
3.Mount San Jacinto State Park
The tramway's Mountain Station opens onto a wilderness of granite, Jeffrey pines and meadows. 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.
Pick up the free wilderness permit at the ranger station below the Mountain Station before any hike beyond the short loops, and start the summit trail early.
- Time needed
- 2 hours to a full day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
- Views
Nature · Agua Caliente Reservation
4.Indian Canyons
On the ancestral lands of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Palm Canyon holds one of the largest California fan palm oases in the world, with a trail descending from the Trading Post at Hermit's Bench. 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.
Start at Andreas Canyon for an easy shaded walk, then drive on to Palm Canyon; carry plenty of water, as there is little shade on the upper trails.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Kids
- History
- Photo spot
Nature · South of downtown
5.Tahquitz Canyon
A loop trail of about 3 km climbs rocky steps into a canyon sacred to the Cahuilla, ending at an 18-metre seasonal waterfall. The visitor centre at the trailhead has exhibits on Agua Caliente history, and rangers lead guided hikes on some days.
Visit in winter or early spring, when snowmelt and rain mean the waterfall is actually flowing; by late summer it can be a trickle.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
- History
Museum · Downtown Palm Springs
6.Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
Part of the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza on Tahquitz Canyon Way, this museum tells the story of the Cahuilla people of the Coachella Valley through baskets, oral history and immersive galleries. Next door, The Spa at Séc-he is built over the hot mineral spring that gave Palm Springs its name.
Allow time for the outdoor plaza and its desert garden, and book a spa slot ahead if you want to bathe in the mineral water itself.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Museum · Downtown Palm Springs
7.Palm Springs Art Museum
At the foot of the mountain on Museum Drive, the museum covers modern and contemporary art, Western American and Native American art, studio glass and an outdoor sculpture garden. It is a cool, quiet retreat on a hot afternoon, a short walk from Palm Canyon Drive.
The museum has offered free entry on some evenings; check its website before you go and pair a visit with dinner downtown.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Architecture · Downtown Palm Springs
8.Architecture and Design Center
The Palm Springs Art Museum's design outpost occupies E. Stewart Williams' 1961 Santa Fe Federal Savings and Loan, a glass pavilion with a floating roof on South Palm Canyon Drive. Rotating exhibitions cover desert modernism, architects such as Albert Frey and Donald Wexler, and the city's furniture and interior design.
Visit before an architecture drive; the shop sells maps and books that identify the modernist homes you will pass.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
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Architecture · North Palm Springs
1.Palm Springs Visitor Center (Tramway Gas Station)
Albert Frey and Robson Chambers designed this 1965 gas station at the turn-off to the tramway, with a sharply cantilevered hyperbolic paraboloid roof that has become an emblem of desert modernism. It now serves as the city's visitor centre, with maps, tour bookings and a small shop.
Stop here on the way to or from the tramway to photograph the roof against the mountains and pick up an architecture map.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Street · Downtown Palm Springs
2.Palm Canyon Drive and VillageFest
Downtown's main street mixes galleries, vintage clothing, restaurants with misted patios and the Palm Springs Walk of Stars set into the pavement. On Thursday evenings the VillageFest street fair usually closes several blocks to traffic for craft stalls, food vendors and live music.
Visit VillageFest after sunset in the warmer months, when the pavement has cooled and the stalls are busiest.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- After dark
Garden · South Palm Springs
3.Moorten Botanical Garden
Founded in 1938 by Patricia and Chester 'Cactus Slim' Moorten, this compact family-run garden on South Palm Canyon Drive packs thousands of desert plants from around the world into walking paths around their 1920s house. The glass-roofed Cactarium holds rare cacti and succulents.
It takes under an hour, so pair it with the Indian Canyons a few minutes further south.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Kids
- Off the beaten path
- Photo spot
Zoo · Palm Desert
4.Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
This zoo and botanic garden focuses on desert animals and plants from North America and Africa, with giraffes, cheetahs, rhinos, Mexican wolves and bighorn sheep spread across a large desert site. Children can feed giraffes, and the gardens show which plants survive the Colorado Desert.
Arrive at opening in spring or autumn; the animals are most active and the paths are long and exposed by midday.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Museum · Palm Springs Airport
5.Palm Springs Air Museum
Beside the airport, three hangars hold flyable and static aircraft from the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam, including fighters, bombers and trainers, with veteran volunteers on hand to explain them. It is one of the valley's best indoor options on a hot or windy day.
Ask at the desk about scheduled flight demonstrations or cockpit days, which run on some weekends.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Historic site · Rancho Mirage
6.Sunnylands
Walter and Leonore Annenberg's winter estate, with a 1966 pink-roofed house by A. Quincy Jones, has hosted presidents, royalty and summits. The visitor centre and its desert gardens are free to visit, while house tours and longer estate tours are paid and limited in size.
The free gardens are a calm stop in themselves; the estate usually closes for part of the summer, so check its calendar.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Book ahead
- House tours sell out quickly in winter; book online as soon as tickets are released.
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Couples
Museum · Desert Hot Springs
7.Cabot's Pueblo Museum
Homesteader Cabot Yerxa spent years building this rambling four-storey, Hopi-inspired pueblo from salvaged wood, telephone poles and found objects, with dozens of rooms and tiny windows framing the valley. Guided tours explain his eccentric life, and a large carved Native American head stands outside.
Combine it with lunch in Desert Hot Springs, about 20 minutes north of downtown Palm Springs.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Nature · Thousand Palms
8.Coachella Valley Preserve
Along the San Andreas Fault, the Thousand Palms Oasis supports dense groves of fan palms fed by groundwater pushed up by the fault. Boardwalks and trails start at the rustic Palm House visitor centre, and longer trails climb to ridges over the desert.
Walk the short McCallum Trail to the oasis pond in the early morning, when birds are active and the temperature is bearable.
- Time needed
- 1.5–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Palm Springs Art Museum, Architecture and Design Center and Palm Springs Air Museum |
| History | Indian Canyons, Tahquitz Canyon, Agua Caliente Cultural Museum and Architecture and Design Center |
| Views | Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and Mount San Jacinto State Park |
| Outdoors and nature | Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Mount San Jacinto State Park, Indian Canyons and Tahquitz Canyon |
| Food and markets | Palm Canyon Drive and VillageFest |
| After dark | Palm Canyon Drive and VillageFest |
| With children | Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Indian Canyons, Moorten Botanical Garden and Living Desert Zoo and Gardens |
| On a rainy day | Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Palm Springs Art Museum, Architecture and Design Center and Palm Springs Air Museum |
What to book ahead
- Palm Springs Aerial Tramway: On peak winter and spring weekends, buy timed tickets online in advance to avoid long waits at the Valley Station.
- Sunnylands: House tours sell out quickly in winter; book online as soon as tickets are released.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Palm Springs?
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Rotating tram cars climb from the Valley Station in Chino Canyon to the Mountain Station at about 2,600 metres, crossing roughly 4 km of cliffs in around ten minutes while the floor turns slowly so every passenger gets the full view.
+What can you do for free in Palm Springs?
Mid-century modern homes drive, Palm Springs Visitor Center (Tramway Gas Station), Palm Canyon Drive and VillageFest, Sunnylands and Coachella Valley Preserve. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Palm Springs when it rains?
Head indoors to Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Palm Springs Art Museum, Architecture and Design Center and Palm Springs Air Museum.
+What is there to do in Palm Springs at night?
Palm Canyon Drive and VillageFest are best after dark.