Start from 54 curated places around Palm Springs, CA, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Bar Cecil
The Uptown destination room — a mix of French bistro and Old Hollywood, with a tight menu of steak frites, oysters, and pasta plus a bar that does the full menu. The hardest reservation in town.
Bar Issi
Maximalist Italian inside the Thompson Hotel on Palm Canyon — puffy Neapolitan pizzas, al dente pastas, bright pink hibiscus cosmos. Loud, fun, the most lively dining room in PS.
Trails & outdoors
Tahquitz Canyon Loop
2-mile loop on Agua Caliente land — climbs gently to a 60-foot waterfall at the back of the canyon, then loops back along the opposite slope. The most-photographed Palm Springs trail and the easiest big-payoff hike.
San Jacinto Peak via Tramway
10.6-mile round trip from the Tramway's Mountain Station to the 10,834-foot summit — the highest peak in the area, accessed via aerial tram so the desert-to-mountain travel happens in 10 minutes. The hardest hike with the easiest start.
Things to do
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
10-minute rotating tram from the Coachella Valley floor to 8,516 feet on Mount San Jacinto — 30-degree temperature drop, alpine wilderness, two restaurants and a state park visitor center at the top. The signature Palm Springs experience.
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
1,800-acre desert zoo and botanical garden in Palm Desert — over 500 animals across 150 species, a 30-mile train ride through the grounds, and a holiday lights run in December. The reliable kid day in the desert.
Landmarks & sights
Indian Canyons
Three palm-oasis canyons on the Agua Caliente reservation — Palm, Andreas, and Murray — with the largest grove of native California fan palms in North America. Cool stream-bottom hiking and rock art at the top.
Tahquitz Canyon
Separate Agua Caliente canyon a few miles north of Indian Canyons — a 60-foot waterfall at the back of a 2-mile loop, rock art, and the most lush riparian corridor in the desert. Reservation entry fee, real water year-round.