Palm Springs, CA Road Trips

Palm Springs has a hot desert climate. Summer temperatures are extremely hot, with average highs of 106 °F (41 °C) and lows of 79 °F (26 °C). Temperatures and heat indices have been known to climb upwards to 121 °F (49 °C) and not go below 89 °F (32 °C) at night during the summer months. 1 Palm Springs Visitor Center (Albert Frey's Tramway Gas Station building), 2901 N Palm Canyon Dr, ☏ +1 760-778-8418, toll-free: +1-800-347-7746. 10AM-5PM daily. (updated Aug 2022) 2 Palm Springs Visitor Center (Welwood Murray Memorial Library), 100 S Palm Canyon Dr, ☏ +1 760-323-8296. 10AM-6PM daily, except Th 10AM-8PM. (updated Aug 2022)

Indian Canyons. 1 Tahquitz Canyon, 2 Palm Canyon, 3 Andreas Canyon and 4 Murray Canyon, were sacred Native sites, now open to the public for hiking. 5 Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Dr, ☏ +1 760-325-7186. Founded in 1933, the museum hosts special exhibits and work from its permanent collection which includes Ruscha, Robert Arneson, Nathan, Charles Russell, Frederic Remington and Native American and Mesoamerican Art. 6 Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N Gene Autry Tr, ☏ +1 760-778-6262. Nice place to go to if you have half a day to spare. Home to great condition World War II airplanes, etc. 7 Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, 219 S Palm Canyon Dr, ☏ +1 760-778-1079. The history and culture of the Agua Caliente Tribe is on display. Admission is free.

1 Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, 1 Tramway Rd, ☏ +1 760-325-1391. Sep to late May: first tram up M-F 10AM, Sa Su hols 8AM, last tram up 8PM and down 9:45PM; late May to Aug: M–Th first tram up 10AM, F-Su hols 8AM, Su-Th last tram up 8PM and down 9:45PM, F Sa last tram up 9PM and down 10:30PM. The one thing to do in Palm Springs if you only have a limited amount of time, and a good place to go to get away from the heat. Incredible views at night, and snow in the winter. From the Visitor Center, you must drive 10 minutes or walk about 2 hours. There is no shuttle. Adults $26, children (3-10) $17, seniors (65+) $24. (updated May 2019) 2 Palm Springs International Film Festival. Held the first two weeks of January. One of the largest film festivals in North America. A star-studded black tie gala, it is open to public with the purchase of gala tickets. Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films. Largest short film festival in North America; second largest in the world. An Academy sanctioned festival. Fifty of the short films screened at this festival have been nominated for Academy Awards. The public can meet up-and-coming directors and actors at special parties. Year-round — Thursdays – Thursday Street Fair, downtown with craft and food booths, and during the spring season live music Saturdays - Farmers Market, 8AM–12:30PM adjacent to the Camelot Theatres at 2300 E.

The annual Palm Springs Desert Resorts Restaurant Week offers an opportunity to try a number of restaurants at a discounted rate. 1 Tyler's Burgers, 149 South Indian Canyon Dr. This small hamburger joint, famous for their sliders, is considered by locals to have the best hamburgers in Palm Springs. Only open for lunch. Be sure to get there early or be prepared to wait. 2 Kaiser Grille, 205 S Palm Canyon Dr, ☏ +1 760-323-1003. Good American food right in the middle of downtown Palm Springs. 3 Le Vallauris, 385 W Tahquitz Canyon Way, ☏ +1 760-325-5059. Expensive, but good French food off of S. Palm Canyon Drive. 4 Riccio's Steak & Seafood, 495 N Palm Canyon Dr. Steak and seafood from an iconic restaurant family. Patio dining on Palm Canyon Drive. 5 El Mirasol, 140 E Palm Canyon Dr. Voted the best Mexican food in the desert by the readers of Palm Springs Life. 6 Melvyn's, 200 W Ramon Rd. Old world style featured on "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. Live entertainment and happening bar scene.

Tryst Bar And Lounge, 6604, 188 S Indian Canyon Dr, ☏ +1 760-424-8323. Daily, 2PM - 2AM. Bar known for its low-priced happy hour, free pools and darts, and arcade games. (updated Jan 2026)

1 Best Western Inn at Palm Springs, 1633 S Palm Canyon, ☏ +1 760-325-9177, toll-free: +1-800-222-4678, fax: +1 760 325-9177. Renovated guestrooms with features like a 24-hour outdoor pool, spa, and sundeck, and wireless broadband Internet access. 2 Best Western Las Brisas, 222 S Indian Canyon Dr, ☏ +1 760-325-4372, toll-free: +1-800-346-5714, fax: +1 760 320-1371. 3 Motel 6 Downtown, 660 S Palm Canyon Dr, ☏ +1 760-327-4200, fax: +1 760 320-9827. 4 Motel 6 East – E Palm Canyon, 595 E Palm Canyon Dr, ☏ +1 760-325-6129, fax: +1 760 320-9304. 5 Los Arboles Hotel & El Mirasol Restaurant, 266 E Via Altamira (I-10 to CA 111, left on Vista Chino, right on Indian Canyon Dr., left at Via Altamira.), ☏ +1 760-459-3605. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. A charming boutique hotel near downtown, built in the 1930s with a distinctive Spanish Colonial style, Los Arboles was renovated in 2011. Has a heated pool, Jacuzzi, free Wi-Fi and indoor and outdoor special event space. On-site Mexican restaurant. $120–259. 6 Desert Sun Resort, 1533 N Chaparral Rd, ☏ +1 760-322-5800, toll-free: +1-800-960-4786. PA nudist resort in the heart of downtown, offering hotel rooms and villas. There are three pools, spa service, a restaurant and bar and nightclub. 7 Palm Springs Rendezvous Bed and Breakfast, 1420 N Indian Canyon Dr (From CA 111, Turn L on Vista Chino, Turn R on Indian Canyon Dr., L at Stevens. Located on the corner of Stevens and Indian Canyon Dr.), ☏ +1 760-320-1178, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Has a 24 hour pool and spa.

1 Palm Springs International Airport (PSP IATA), 3400 E Tahquitz Canyon Way. In the heart of Palm Springs. Year-round service to western hubs, with seasonal service to major cities throughout the United States and Canada. Served by Air Canada/Air Canada Rouge, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Sun Country Airlines, United Airlines, Westjet in the Sonny Bono Concourse which consists of gates 4-11. It is served by American Eagle, Contour Airlines, Delta Connection, Horizon Air, and United Express in the Regional Concourse (Gates 12-20). Palm Springs International Airport is also popular for general aviation and business jet travelers. It has a very pleasant outdoor concourse. Air taxi and aircraft charter companies provide private aircraft charter services from this airport. You can take Palm Springs bus number 24 to go from the airport to downtown Palm Springs. The bus does not stop right at the terminal; you'll need to catch the bus one block west of the airport at Civic Drive and East Tahquitz Canyon Way. (updated Apr 2020) 2 Ontario International Airport (ONT IATA). Located in Ontario, about 70 mi (110 km) to the west of Palm Springs along I-10, it has many more flight connections and is the next closest airport. It's served by Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, United, Frontier and JetBlue on a more regular year round basis. International connections are by China Airlines, Avianca El Salvador and Volaris. It's more difficult to reach by public transportation, but it can be done.

Palm Springs has a pedestrian-friendly downtown. Visitors can enjoy the palm tree-lined streets along Palm Canyon Drive and Indian Canyon Drive. Boutique shops, outdoor restaurant and art galleries line the streets. Rent a car at the airport, or if you want to splurge, numerous limousine services are available, including West Coast Transportation, Cardiff Limousine and A-1 Sahara Limo. The main thoroughfares through downtown are one-way only between Alejo and Ramon. Palm Canyon Drive is the southern route, and the home to most restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues. Indian Canyon Drive runs north, and also has many, though fewer, attractions. California State Route 111 runs south from I-10, then east-west along the hill side and connects all the cities in the Palm Springs area. This road has stop lights and lots of traffic, so if you are going far, you should drive out and hop onto I-10 S. Palm Canyon Drive is usually busy and can be hard to find a parking place on the weekends and at night. There is ample free parking in the many city owned parking lots and garages, except for Thursday through Saturday nights. Most of the major car rental companies are represented at the airport. Sunline Transit (Sun Bus), toll-free: +1 800-347-8628. Run by the city, has routes around the town and to some neighboring resort cities. Palm Springs is served by bus routes 1, 1x, 2 and 4. Pal Fares for one ride are: $1.00 for adults 18-59, 85¢ for youths 5-17, 50¢ for seniors 60+, with medicaid and disabled. A transfer that allows unlimited rides for two hours costs 25¢.