Whimsy Soul
  • Beauty
  • Destinations
    • California
    • Europe
    • City Guides
    • National Parks
    • Southwest
    • Handy Map Tool
  • Activities
    • Wine Tasting 🍷
    • Beach & Swim 🌊
    • Flower Fields 🌸
    • Museums & Gardens 🖼
    • Hot Springs 💦
  • Fashion
  • Home Decor
    • Our Cabin
    • Home Decor
  • Cocktails & Recipes
  • Witchy Things
  • About
    • About Whimsy Soul
    • Meet The Team
    • Work With Us
    • Contact
  • About
  • Meet The Team
  • Map Tool ✈️
  • Our Cabin
Whimsy Soul
Whimsy Soul
  • Style
    • All Fashion
    • Cold Weather Style
    • Warm Weather Style
    • Product Reviews
    • Travel Style
  • Activities
    • Wine Tasting
    • Hot Springs
    • Flower Fields
    • Beach & Swim
    • Hiking
    • Murals & Photo Spots
    • Museums & Gardens
    • All Travel
  • Destinations
    • West Coast
    • Southwest
    • Mountain
    • East Coast
    • Midwest
    • The South
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • National Parks
    • Canada
  • Hotels
    • Hotels
    • Camping
    • Vacation Rentals
  • Home Decor
    • Home Decor
    • Whimsy Homes
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Cocktails
    • Fandom
    • Wellness & Self Care
    • Witchy Things
  • California
  • City Guides
  • Travel
  • West Coast

10 Perfect Things To Do In Palm Springs On Your First Visit (+ Huge Travel Guide)

  • Kara
  • November 29, 2022
  • Contains Affiliate Links

Posted 2018. Updated 2022.

Palm Springs, CA is paradise. Tucked away in the desert is a city full of modern architecture, rainbow doors, chic boutique hotels, and colorful murals.

While Palm Springs is small, it’s packed with fun things to do, unique areas to visit, awesome pools, cool hotels, and more top-notch restaurants that one person can eat through.

At this point, I’ve spent a lot of time running around Palm Springs with Instagram and blogger friends to find all the best IG-worthy spots and great a big city guide for you!

Top Things To Do In Palm Springs, California (+ Greater Palm Springs Area!)

These are my top things to do in Palm Springs: A Travel Instagramer’s Guide to this desert city! Read on to find all my Palm Springs travel tips, where to take photos, plus what to pack for your trip!

Palm Springs At A Glance

When visiting Palm Springs, you’re getting more than what you see on TV. Sure, there’s the mid century modern architecture and beautiful hotel pools to get some sun, but Greater Palm Springs California is also home to one of the cutest downtown areas and a huge outdoors destination!

What Greater Palm Springs Has To Offer

So what does the Great Palm Springs area have to offer? From shopping and eating in Downtown Palm Springs to hiking in Coachella Valley Preserve, Joshua Tree National Park, San Jacinto Mountains (aka Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness) and the list goes on and on.

So let’s get into it!

moorten botantical garden palm springs
palm springs cactus garden

9 Best Things To Do In Palm Springs

There are so many fun things to do in Palm Springs! I’ve been back multiple times, and still haven’t done nearly all the things on my bucket list.

If you have questions or looking for recommendations for different tours, stop by the Palm Springs Visitor Center at the start of your trip. The iconic location on Palm Springs Drive was formerly the Tramway Gas Station, but in the meantime here’s everything you need to do in Palm Springs.

1. Go On A Bike Ride Down Palm Canyon Drive

Palm Springs is pretty easy and safe to bike around. Plus, a lot of hotels even offer bikes to ride for free (if not, Bike Palm Springs has fun, colorful bikes to rent). I recommend riding down Palm Canyon Drive through Downtown Palm Springs and hopping in and out of the shops, museums and more!

As you can imagine, the vintage shopping and thrifting in Palm Springs is unbelievable and you’ll never know what you’ll find. Towards the end of Palm Canyon Drive is perfect for photo ops with the San Jacinto Mountains in the background! 

2. Explore Indian Canyons 

Whether you’re taking a hike or trying to capture all the Instagram famous spots, Indian Canyons is a fantastic place to spend a day exploring. I have a full guide with all the essential hiking tips you need for visiting Indian Canyons. The Tahquitz Canyon trail is one of the most popular – a literal oasis! 

What you need to know: Indian Canyons is on the Palm Springs Indian reservation of the Agua Caliente Band Of Cahuilla Indians and if you choose to visit this park, please give the land respect and love. 

Cool off at the stream!

3. Hop On The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway 

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is a two and half miles of breathtaking views! It takes you to Mount San Jacinto State Park where you’ll be at more than 8,000 foot elevation! 

4. Soak In The Desert Hot Springs

In North Palm Springs, you’ll find the small town Desert Hot Springs where you’ll have your pick of hot springs to choose from! You already know I love hot springs, but there’s something about the hot healing waters in the desert. It’s like magic ✨ 

5. Wander Around The Palm Springs Art Museum 

Not only that, but I also find the desert attracts artists! Making it a perfect place to wander around the local art museum. Especially if you’re visiting in the summer and want a reprieve from the hot, summer sun!

Skull Rock trail
Skull Rock

6. Day Trip To Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree is about an hour away from Palm Springs, so it’s the perfect day trip to take! I recommend visiting Skull Rock as a starting point. Go for either just the sunset like we did, or bring hiking gear to explore the park more. 

And, of course, I have a whole guide for doing a day trip to Joshua Tree to help you plan everything out in more detail including tips on my favorite spots to eat! 

7. Do Some Pool Hopping

Not all hotel pools are equal. Many allow outsiders into their pool area for a day fee. If your hotel pool isn’t that great, or you’re a little bored of sitting by the same one all week, grab your towel and start exploring Palm Springs via pools!

palm springs cactus garden friends laughing

8. Visit The Moorten Botanical Garden

This cactus garden is such a magical place. It’s only $5 to enter and makes such a fun place to do a self-guided or full tour. If you’re driving, you can also buy cacti here! I took home a bunch of plants for my apartment. Read more about this fun place + see photos here.

9. Take A Self Guided Palm Springs Door Tour

Palm Springs has the BEST doors! There’ll be one of every color in a neighborhood. Modernism is a very popular design style of homes. Many owners paint their front doors bright, fun colors.

Some even dress them up with floaties or other decor. My favorite part of Palm Springs was biking around the Indian Canyon area to visit all the best doors – like that famous pink one! You can read my full Palm Springs Doors Tour Guide here.

Flower Door

10. Attend Desert X 

Every other year, Palm Springs plays host to Desert X, a totally free art festival that takes places all over the desert. 

Like, art pieces are literally scattered around the city so it’s like a big treasure hunt. I’ve gone the past 2 years with my girlfriends and it’s always so much fun to run around and find these art pieces. 

Some are really surprising and cool. My favorite is from 2019 when there was a big rainbow sculpture in Catherdral City. It was so on brand for me and I had to take a million photos with it! 

ParaPivot
Desert X Rainbow

Best Places To Eat in Palm Springs

Oh my, does Palm Springs have amazing places to eat! We tried really hard to visit as many as possible, but we could spend a whole month eating out. Below are the places we ate or restaurants that came highly recommended to us by friends or locals.

King’s Highway

Located in the Ace Hotel, King’s Highway has major 70’s vibes in all the right ways. I felt instantly relaxed, the best way to start the day. I loved my huevos rancheros and hot cuppa coffee!

Chef Tanya’s Kitchen

Someone in the comments let me know about Chef Tanya’s! I love it when you guys share your favorite places so I can add it to my list. This vegan restaurant serves up delicious sandwiches and salads plus tasty drinks. Vegan or not, you don’t want to miss out! 

Kings Highway

Mr. Lyons Palm Springs

We didn’t get to stop here, but friends said Mr. Lyons Steak House has the best steak in the whole town. They also apparently have amazing cocktails, and the rat pack used to hang out here back in the day, so the history of this little joint is off the hook.

The Barn Kitchen

The Barn is part of sparrows lodge, and serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. As the name kind of implies, it’s farm-to-table with fresh local foods on the menu. 

Trio

Craving some patio time? Stop by Trio! I think mainly locals come here and I could see why – it’s not on any list of top places to eat in Palm Springs (so I don’t think a lot of tourists swing by.) The service was wonderful. We sat on the patio, great for people watching. Try the mac and cheese with a cold beer.

Birba

Another one we didn’t have time to visit, but comes highly recommended. Birba is a great date-night spot. It has a beautiful patio with string lights and a large variety of Italian dishes.

Workshop Kitchen & Bar

If you’re looking to dress up a little and have a world class meal, Workshop Kitchen & Bar is the place. They recently expanded with a new location in Los Angeles because the food is THAT good. 

Ice Cream & Shop(pe)

Retro vibes, tasty ice cream and outdoor seating. Need I say more? Ice Cream & Shop(pe) is a combination of an ice cream parlor and gift shop! So while you’re there, you can also grab something cute for back home or gift for a friend!

The Tropicale Palm Springs

The name is giving me, Cafe Tropical (from Schitt’s Creek), and it might not be far off (except with better food)! Reviewers praise The Tropicale’s food and drinks of this local favorite, and I’m definitely stopping by next time I’m in Palm Springs! 

Where To Stay In Palm Springs

It’s no secret that Palm Springs is a popular destination. With that comes an abundance of places to stay in Palm Springs. 

Vacation Rentals in Palm Springs

If you’re coming to Palm Springs with a bunch of friends, the best option is to rent out a whole house together. Something with plenty of space to sprawl out, lounge by the pool all afternoon and hopefully an outdoor fire pit or hot tub for evening hangs.

Not to mention, the once-in-a-lifetime chance to stay at houses with Palm Springs’ iconic mid-century architecture, or groovy 1960s inspired home decor. Vacation rental owners in Palm Springs really go off with the theme! 

Best Hotels In Palm Springs

Hotels are also an obvious choice! There’s so many cute hotels in Palm Springs to choose from, but here are some of my faves. 

Palm Springs Hotel

You can’t go wrong with a classic, and it’s got the name! The Palm Springs Hotel “promises to be the ultimate Palm Springs boutique experience.” And the views from the pool are a total vibe. 

The Parker

A luxury hotel that’s full of yellow – my favorite color!! The Parker on the pricey side, but the decor and amenities can be worth it. If you can’t afford to stay the night here, make sure to at least visit the pool one afternoon or dine at one of their restaurants.

Ace Hotel

Saugaro Palm Springs

This is the rainbow hotel you see everywhere on Instagram. It’s also where I stayed during one of my first visits to Palm Springs. I loved the colorful walls, cute decor corners and the theme that even carried into the rooms. Ours was a pink and purple room! Another nice thing about the Saguaro is they have cute bikes you can use for free.

Despite having all the visuals, I do have to mention our problems with staying here. Long story short, I’ve traveled all over the world and the service and experience of staying here as a guest is probably the worst I’ve ever encountered.

They lost our reservation in their system more than once, so much we were half expecting them to turn us away when we checked in. Each day we would get a knock on our door at 8am asking us when we’d check out even though we were staying for almost a week.

Almost every day the front desk would deactivate our room cards because they thought we were checking out that day. When getting new ones, they never once asked for ID, which is a big safety red flag.

One faulty card is a mistake, 4 times is bad service. I could list many more problems, but the bottom line is that the Saguaro has their decor game on lockdown, but not their service game. For that, I suggest stopping by here for an afternoon at the pool or photos but stay the night somewhere else.

Ace Hotel

Ace Hotel

We’ve had breakfast here and I love how cute this place is! They have a wonderful sunshine mural and great big ACE letters in the parking lot. Rooms are scattered about at the Ace Hotel, so there are a lot of trees on the property.

Some of the rooms had outdoor patios, others had outdoor fireplaces. I also have a friend who got married here and loves this hotel!

Korakia

This hotel is where I want to stay next time we visit Palm Springs! Korakia Pensione is a Mediterranean-style resort with tons of nature, pretty strings lights and the feeling that you just walked into Greece. Plus, the pool looks like heaven!

saguaro palm springs hotel rainbow
saguaro palm springs hotel rainbow

 

What To Pack For Palm Springs

Palm Springs is a desert city, which means that the days are hot and, unless it’s the dead of summer, the nights are cool. Because of that, you need to pack warm weather clothes and some light jackets for the evening. This city is colorful and vibrant, so it’s the perfect place to pack those loud pieces! Check out my Palm Springs outfits plus a FULL beauty packing list here. 

I hope this helps you plan your trip to Palm Springs! Leave a comment below if you have any questions or things to add!

Kara

I'm the founder of Whimsy Soul (this blog you're reading!) I'm a type 3 enneagram cat lady who lives in San Francisco and loves to find everyday magic to share with others. You can probably find me hunting down hot springs with girlfriends, kayaking, cooking with my husband, petting strangers' dogs or watching like, all the things on Netflix. Follow me on Instagram for even more inspiration!

8 comments
  1. Stacy says:
    October 3, 2019 at 8:55 am

    Hi! A group of girlfriends and I are coming this fall. Is there specific area you’d recommend for us to stay? We know nothing about the area and are looking at airbnbs….

    Reply
    1. Kara says:
      October 3, 2019 at 11:49 am

      Hi Stacy!

      Palm Springs is sorta spread out, as in all the fun things are all over the city vs in one neighborhood. That means your Airbnb will probably be next to one cool thing but you’ll have to drive, walk or Uber to the others. If you plan on going out to bars a lot,I recommend finding something near Downtown (search for Cheeky’s as the landmark) but also near Ace Hotel, that neighborhood has a lot of cool houses and is good for door peeping!

      I hope that helps!

      Reply
      1. Anonymous says:
        October 25, 2019 at 3:34 pm

        Thank you!!!

  2. Ryan Horban says:
    October 11, 2019 at 3:27 pm

    your list for best restaurants in Palm Springs is really good, BUT your e missing Chef Tanya’s! They have the best vegan food in all of Riverside County

    Reply
    1. Kara says:
      October 12, 2019 at 2:14 pm

      Thanks for adding that in! I’ve been to PS a few times and haven’t heard of Chef Tanya’s, will have to check it out next time!

      Reply
  3. ALEX THOMPSON says:
    November 5, 2021 at 5:21 am

    Very nice article, it helped us a lot to explore. I am an entrepreneur by profession and a traveler by heart.
    Your article made our stay exciting, very attractive information.

    I along with my friends had already booked a return flight from Alaska airlines however we wanted to stay there for a couple more days. So, I dialed the helpline Number to speak to a representative. He comprehensively told me about Alaska airlines cancellation fee ​and its policies

    Reply
  4. Kara says:
    February 15, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    From one California Kara to another ,
    I’m so glad I found your content! I’m going tonpalm springs this weekend with my husband and my baby. Can’t wait! I’m regretting not buying the fuscia suit I saw at target today lol

    Reply
  5. Bert Fisher says:
    March 9, 2023 at 10:21 pm

    Your work is really good and I appreciate this information. I always prefer to read quality and glad I found this thing in your post

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending Posts
  • Napa vs Sonoma: Which Is Better According To A Local?
    • 5 Enchanting Lavender Fields in California To Visit
      • Best Travel Apps of 2019
        About
        Whimsy Soul is a lifestyle website founded by Kara Harms. Together with a team of talented Whimsy Writers, we inspire our community to take the ordinary and make it extra.
        Learn More
        Follow Whimsy Soul
        Brand
        • About
          • About Us
          • Meet The Team
          • Soul Homesteading – Our Sister Blog
        • Contact
          • Contact
          • Work With Us
        • Careers
          • Guest Contribute
          • Open Job Positions
        Travel
        • Destinations
          • United States
          • Wine Regions
          • Latin America
          • Europe
        • City Guides
        • Hotels
        • Plan A Trip Map
        Lifestyle
        • Shop Staff Favorites
        • Fashion
        • Beauty
        • Recipes
        Whimsy Soul
        • About
        • Policies
        • Contact
        Find your everyday magic

        Input your search keywords and press Enter.