Palm Springs walking tour & city guide

Mid-century modern architecture

Palm Springs has one of the largest concentrations of mid-century modern buildings in the world. Neighborhoods such as Vista Las Palmas and Twin Palms are full of low, flat-roofed houses with big windows, colorful doors and desert gardens. Modernism Week, every February, opens many of them to visitors.

Look out for the Tramway Gas Station, now the visitor center, with its dramatic swooping roof, and the elegant Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center.

The Aerial Tramway and Indian Canyons

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway has rotating cars that climb the cliffs of Chino Canyon to a mountain station at about 2,600 meters in Mount San Jacinto State Park, where the air is far cooler than on the desert floor. The Indian Canyons, on the land of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, shelter palm oases with streams and hiking trails.

A classic downtown walk

Walk along Palm Canyon Drive, the main street, starting from the giant statue of Marilyn Monroe near the art museum. The street is lined with shops, galleries and restaurants, and its Walk of Stars honors celebrities with stars in the pavement.

Detour to the Palm Springs Art Museum and the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, then continue south to the Uptown Design District for vintage furniture and design shops. The walk is about 3 kilometers.

Visiting tips

The season runs from October to May. Summers are extremely hot, often over 40°C (104°F). Joshua Tree National Park is about an hour away, and the Coachella music festival takes place in nearby Indio in April.