Palm Springs, one of nine mini-cities in the Coachella Valley, has long been the playground for California’s elite, with 300 days of guaranteed sunshine per year and 360-degree mountain views.
Back in the 1930s, Palm Springs, 120 miles east of Los Angeles, became a desert retreat for Hollywood stars to let their hair down and party far from the prying eyes of the press. It should come as no surprise that it has the world’s largest collection of mid-century modern architecture and design and retains a reputation for high-class hedonism.
Idiosyncratic, low-level 1950s and 60s architecture — along with improbably lush California desert golf courses and Spanish colonial estates — allows fresh air, dry heat, and uninterrupted views of dazzling landscapes and towering mountain peaks. Of course there’s still a chance to enjoy the pool parties, boutique shopping and swish sophistication you’d expect to find in traffic-choked LA.
More than anything though, Palm Springs is defined by its liberal, welcoming, inclusive atmosphere. Its palm-lined streets and picture-perfect deserts play host to a packed calendar of arts and music festivals and LGBTQ+ events each year.
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What to do
Palm Springs Art Museum has a permanent collection of over 12,000 pieces of modern and contemporary art, architecture and design, rooted in Palm Springs’s unique culture. You can take a tour of the city’s mid-century modern masterpieces at any time of year, including homes currently and formerly owned by celebrities such as Walt Disney, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Leonardo di Caprio, Elizabeth Taylor, and — of course — Liberace. Modernism Week takes place here each February, presenting the opportunity to access architecturally significant buildings otherwise closed to the public.
Shopping is another big draw. During Palm Springs’s weekly VillageFest, three blocks along Palm Canyon Drive are closed to traffic each Thursday evening, with stalls showcasing the wares of local designers and artists, and local stores remaining open until 10pm.
A huge part of Palm Springs’s appeal is its natural environment. Take a trip to Moorten Botanical Garden, a one-acre, family run property since 1938, which houses thousands of cacti sourced from all over the world. Near greater Palm Springs is Palm Desert, where you can visit The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, a non-profit organisation that houses more than 150 species and participated in the reintroduction of peninsular bighorn sheep to the local mountains.
If you’d prefer to see them in the wild, take the 10-minute trip on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway* — the largest rotating tramcar in the world — up to the San Jacinto Mountains and explore the state park’s 50 miles of hiking trails overlooking the Coachella Valley from a height of 8,516 feet.
Still haven’t found what you’re looking for? Head on a day trip out to Joshua Tree National Park*, just 40 miles north of Palm Springs. It’s a highlight of the region, with its 429,690 acres of designated desert wilderness, where you can admire the park’s titular tree, spot roadrunners, and enjoy hiking by day and stargazing by night.
Where to stay
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Palm Springs has accommodation to suit all tastes, from mid-century modern boutique boltholes and hip hideaways perfect for pool parties, to luxury hotels and spa stays with their own mineral hot springs.
The Historic Tennis Club neighbourhood is immediately adjacent to Downtown Palm Springs and is named after Palm Springs Tennis Club, which brought world-class tennis to the area in 1940. Stay here to take your pick from nearly two dozen quirky boutique hotels.
The Ace Hotel & Swim Club*, right on Palm Canyon Drive in Downtown Palm Springs, pays homage to the city’s hedonistic side. Converted from a former mid-century motel, Ace brings a bohemian take on Butlin’s, with chalet-like rooms, kitsch inflatables and sozzled millennials floating in the pool, while the bar and restaurant slings standard hip provisions, such as avocado toast and craft beers.
Midtown is the city’s most metropolitan area, built on land originally set aside by President Grant as the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation in 1876. Today it is home to many of the city’s large, luxury hotels, along with the glitzy Aqua Caliente Spa Resort Casino.
Food and drink
Palm Springs is a cultured, cosmopolitan outpost of California cool and you can expect to find everything from sandwiches to sushi and from cuisine française to French fries.
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It’s also a city known for its dates. Originally imported from the Middle East in the late 1800s, the US Department of Agriculture realised that the Greater Palm Springs area has the ideal climate to grow date palms and although they are not endemic, they are now inextricably linked with the Coachella Valley.
In the 1920s, date shops sprang up all around Palm Springs, the last remaining of which is Shields Date Garden, whose roadside knight statue on Highway 111 points the way to sample their date shakes (a milkshake made with locally grown dates). Pancakes are also a particularly popular Palm Springs treat, so hang around and lunch on date pancakes in Shields’ gardens.
Year-round sunshine provides countless opportunities for alfresco dining, cooled by water misters on Palm Springs’s many patios and poolside cafés. If you’re looking for something specific, Farm offers French cuisine in quaint surroundings, Sandfish Sushi & Whiskey will whisk you away to Japan, and Trio is a locals’ favourite spot for long, lazy brunches. The Edge Steakhouse at The Ritz-Carlton in the nearby town of Rancho Mirage has cliffside fine dining at 650ft, with their dinners upstaged by the striking views.
Don’t miss
The Indian Canyons encompass Andreas Canyon, Murray Canyon and Palm Canyon, and have more than 60 miles of hiking and horse-riding trails through rugged mountain sides, palm-shaded valleys and desert landscapes. Each is home to around 150 plant species, palm tree oases, mountain streams and sparkling cascades.
Deep within the San Jacinto Mountains, Tahquitz Canyon — part of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation — is one of the most striking natural wonders in the Greater Palm Springs area. It was continually inhabited for 5,000 years by the Native American Cahuilla people and remains one of the most beautiful spots for a manageable family hike, concealing ancient rock art and a 60ft waterfall just a few minutes from downtown Palm Springs.
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For a more modern example of rock art, drive out to Slab City — an unincorporated, off-the-grid squatter community in the California Desert, not far from the shores of the inland Salton Sea. Here, you’ll find the man-made Salvation Mountain created by a former resident and built out of adobe, straw and old tyres, decorated with thousands of gallons of paint, comprising Christian murals and Bible verses.
Know before you go
Tipping is customary, so it’s a good idea to carry some small notes. Expect to tip between 15 and 20 per cent in restaurants and taxis, tip bartenders $1 per drink, and hotel porters $1 per bag. High season runs from January to April, while October to December is also a pleasant time to visit when hotel prices are lower. Temperatures soar up to 41C between May and September, making the long summer the least popular time to visit.
Take me there
Inspired to visit Palm Springs but yet to book your trip? Here are the best packages from Virgin Holidays* and Expedia*.
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