A first-time guide to Palm Springs

06.10.2024 - 03:35 / lonelyplanet.com

Oct 4, 2024 • 8 min read

Palm Springs is hot. It’s having its moment in the sun. It’s basking in its own glow. And that’s not even mentioning this desert city’s endless sunshine. 

As the Anchor of the Coachella Valley, about a two-hour drive east of Los Angeles, Palm Springs has been both a hideaway and a playground for generations of Southern Californians, from hikers to Hollywood types. But in recent years, it’s taken on an international reputation of being cool for everybody, thanks to its defining mid-century modern architecture and design, thoroughly 21^st century hotels and restaurants, an active arts community and a second-to-none LGBTQIA+ scene. And as more and more visitors come to frolic, the restaurant quality has risen to the occasion (oh, and there’s that little music festival called Coachella, down valley in the city of Indio). 

Through it all, nature always brings its best, making Palm Springs a mecca for outdoor activities from hiking to tennis and pickleball to lounging by the pool – and, yes, golf. And those springs that lent the city its name? They still bubble, creating oases above ground and spas to soothe body and soul – plus inspiring frothy cocktails to keep the energy going well into the night. 

All of which is by way of saying that for a city of its size, about 45,000 people, it’s pretty hard to beat. 

During high season (approximately October to April), temperatures are about perfect. Crystal-clear, cool mornings transition into warm, sunny afternoons and stunning sunsets. The occasional winter rains help turn the hillsides a lush green and allow wildflowers to burst with color. Although Palm Springs has recently become ever more of a year-round destination, you can expect serious heat by May, and between June and September high temperatures top 100℉ (38℃) pretty much daily. In July and August, highs reach 108℉ (42℃), with occasional spikes higher. “Yeah, but it’s a dry heat,” they say. We say that when it’s that hot, you’ll want to spend the daylight hours indoors – or in the pool slathered with waterproof sunscreen.

Some destinations may be “seen it, go home” for you, but for Palm Springs allow an extra day or two just to relax into the slower pace. After a couple days, you may begin to recognize folks – the guy in the line for your morning coffee, the couple from the hiking trail, the folks next to you at the bar – and, presto, you have a community. Some visitors stay for days, others for a month – or the entire tourist season. 

Palm Springs is mad for mid-century modern architecture, and its airport (PSP), by noted local architect Donald Wexler, makes for a grand entrance. Until fairly recently, it was served by mostly short-hop flights from LA, San Francisco, Phoenix and