Where to stay · Palm Springs · United States
Where to stay in Palm Springs
8 neighbourhoods compared, with the trade-offs hotel listings don't tell you.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Pictured: Palm Springs Visitor Center (Tramway Gas Station), Palm Springs · Photo: Bryanb7, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
For a first visit, stay in Downtown Palm Springs. Palm Canyon Drive shops, museums and restaurants within walking distance of most hotels. Best alternatives — families: South Palm Springs; budget: South Palm Springs.
Key facts
- First visit
- Downtown Palm Springs
- Families
- South Palm Springs
- Budget
- South Palm Springs
- Nightlife
- Downtown Palm Springs
Plan a trip to Palm Springs
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Best area for each kind of trip
| Trip type | Area | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-timers | Downtown Palm Springs | Palm Canyon Drive shops, museums and restaurants within walking distance of most hotels |
| Families | South Palm Springs | Deepwell, Canyon Corridor and golf-course condos on the road to the Indian Canyons |
| Couples | Uptown Design District | Vintage furniture showrooms, restored motels and brunch spots on North Palm Canyon Drive |
| Budget | South Palm Springs | Deepwell, Canyon Corridor and golf-course condos on the road to the Indian Canyons |
| Luxury | Movie Colony and Old Las Palmas | Quiet streets of walled 1930s–1960s estates where Hollywood stars once wintered |
| Nightlife | Downtown Palm Springs | Palm Canyon Drive shops, museums and restaurants within walking distance of most hotels |
| Food lovers | Downtown Palm Springs | Palm Canyon Drive shops, museums and restaurants within walking distance of most hotels |
| Solo travellers | Downtown Palm Springs | Palm Canyon Drive shops, museums and restaurants within walking distance of most hotels |
| Shopping | Uptown Design District | Vintage furniture showrooms, restored motels and brunch spots on North Palm Canyon Drive |
| Quiet stays | Movie Colony and Old Las Palmas | Quiet streets of walled 1930s–1960s estates where Hollywood stars once wintered |
Palm Springs neighbourhoods in detail
$$$ · Best for first-timers, nightlife, food lovers and solo travellers
Downtown Palm Springs
Downtown runs along Palm Canyon Drive and Indian Canyon Drive between roughly Alejo Road and Ramon Road. The Palm Springs Art Museum, the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum and the Architecture and Design Center are all here, and the Thursday-evening VillageFest street fair closes part of Palm Canyon Drive to cars. It is the easiest base if you want to walk to dinner rather than drive.
- Good
- Walkable to restaurants, bars and museums; Many boutique hotels with pools; Short drive to the airport
- Watch out
- Busiest and priciest during festivals; Street parking fills on weekend evenings
- Nearby
- Palm Springs Art Museum, Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Architecture and Design Center, Arenas Road
$$$ · Best for couples, shopping and food lovers
Uptown Design District
North of Alejo Road, Palm Canyon Drive becomes the Uptown Design District, a stretch of mid-century and vintage furniture dealers, galleries and design shops in low modernist buildings. Many of the small 1950s and 1960s motels here have been restored as adults-oriented boutique hotels, and downtown is a 10–20 minute walk away.
- Good
- Design shopping on the doorstep; Characterful small hotels; Calmer than downtown at night
- Watch out
- Spread out along one long road; Many small hotels are adults-only
- Nearby
- Palm Canyon Drive, Movie Colony, Palm Springs Visitor Center
$$$$ · Best for couples, quiet stays, luxury and culture
Movie Colony and Old Las Palmas
East of downtown, the Movie Colony has Spanish Colonial and modernist houses once owned by film stars, while Old Las Palmas and Vista Las Palmas to the west sit against the mountain with gated estates and Alexander homes. These are residential areas with a handful of small inns and many holiday rentals, ideal for architecture walks at dawn.
- Good
- Peaceful and very attractive streets; Architecture on every block; Close to downtown
- Watch out
- Few restaurants within the area; Rentals can carry strict noise and occupancy rules
- Nearby
- Twin Palms, Uptown Design District, Downtown Palm Springs
$$ · Best for couples, nightlife and quiet stays
Warm Sands
Warm Sands is a compact grid of walled courtyard resorts that has long been the centre of Palm Springs' gay resort scene. Most properties are small, quiet and built around a pool, and the Arenas Road bar strip downtown is about a 10-minute walk away.
- Good
- Walk to downtown and Arenas Road; Intimate resorts with pools; Good value outside peak weekends
- Watch out
- Many resorts are men-only or adults-only; Few shops or restaurants inside the area
- Nearby
- Arenas Road, Downtown Palm Springs, Ruth Hardy Park
$$ · Best for families, quiet stays and budget
South Palm Springs
South of downtown along South Palm Canyon Drive, neighbourhoods such as Deepwell and the Canyon Corridor mix 1950s ranch houses, Smoke Tree Ranch and condo complexes around golf courses. It is a natural base for families renting a house with a pool, and the Moorten Botanical Garden and the Indian Canyons are a short drive away.
- Good
- Holiday rentals with private pools; Quiet streets; Close to canyon trailheads
- Watch out
- You need a car for most things; A 5–10 minute drive to downtown dining
- Nearby
- Moorten Botanical Garden, Indian Canyons, Smoke Tree Village shops
$$$$ · Best for luxury, couples and quiet stays
Rancho Mirage
About 20 km down-valley, Rancho Mirage is a city of country clubs and full-service resorts, many with multiple pools, spas and golf courses. Sunnylands, where presidents and heads of state have met, is here, and the El Paseo shops in Palm Desert are next door.
- Good
- Resort hotels with big pool complexes; Golf and spa options; Very quiet nights
- Watch out
- A 20–25 minute drive to Palm Springs downtown; Little to do on foot
- Nearby
- Sunnylands, El Paseo, Palm Desert
$$ · Best for families, shopping and budget
Palm Desert
Palm Desert, about 25 km southeast of Palm Springs, is the valley's main shopping town, with the palm-lined El Paseo strip of boutiques, galleries and restaurants. The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is on its southern edge, and hotels and condo rentals here often cost less than comparable places in Palm Springs.
- Good
- Good-value hotels and rentals; Shopping and family attractions; Central for the whole valley
- Watch out
- Suburban and car-dependent; Far from Palm Springs' architecture and nightlife
- Nearby
- El Paseo, Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Rancho Mirage
$$$ · Best for luxury, families and quiet stays
La Quinta and Indio
At the eastern end of the valley, La Quinta grew around the 1926 La Quinta Resort and is now known for golf at PGA West and quiet cove neighbourhoods against the Santa Rosa Mountains. Neighbouring Indio hosts the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals at the Empire Polo Club and the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival.
- Good
- Closest base for the April festivals; Golf and mountain trails; Calm outside festival weeks
- Watch out
- About 40 minutes from Palm Springs; Festival weekends push prices sharply higher
- Nearby
- Empire Polo Club, Shields Date Garden, Old Town La Quinta
Areas compared
| Area | Price | Nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Palm Springs | $$$ | Palm Springs Art Museum, Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Architecture and Design Center, Arenas Road |
| Uptown Design District | $$$ | Palm Canyon Drive, Movie Colony, Palm Springs Visitor Center |
| Movie Colony and Old Las Palmas | $$$$ | Twin Palms, Uptown Design District, Downtown Palm Springs |
| Warm Sands | $$ | Arenas Road, Downtown Palm Springs, Ruth Hardy Park |
| South Palm Springs | $$ | Moorten Botanical Garden, Indian Canyons, Smoke Tree Village shops |
| Rancho Mirage | $$$$ | Sunnylands, El Paseo, Palm Desert |
| Palm Desert | $$ | El Paseo, Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Rancho Mirage |
| La Quinta and Indio | $$$ | Empire Polo Club, Shields Date Garden, Old Town La Quinta |
Getting to your hotel
Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) is about 3 km east of downtown, around 10 minutes by taxi or rideshare, and many routes are seasonal. Ontario International (ONT) is about 110 km west and Los Angeles International about 175 km, usually 2.5–3 hours or more by car depending on traffic.
Questions travellers ask
+What is the best area to stay in Palm Springs for first-time visitors?
Downtown Palm Springs. Downtown runs along Palm Canyon Drive and Indian Canyon Drive between roughly Alejo Road and Ramon Road.
+Where should families stay in Palm Springs?
South Palm Springs: Holiday rentals with private pools.
+Which area of Palm Springs is best for a budget stay?
South Palm Springs ($$): Deepwell, Canyon Corridor and golf-course condos on the road to the Indian Canyons.