Greater than something although, Palm Springs is outlined by its liberal, welcoming, inclusive ambiance. Its palm-lined streets and picture-perfect deserts play host to a packed calendar of arts and music festivals and LGBTQ+ occasions every year.

Important picture: Palm Springs palms (Alamy)

What to do

Palm Springs Artwork Museum has a everlasting assortment of over 12,000 items of contemporary and up to date artwork, structure and design, rooted in Palm Springs’s distinctive tradition. You possibly can take a tour of town’s mid-century trendy masterpieces at any time of yr, together with houses at present and previously owned by celebrities resembling Walt Disney, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Leonardo di Caprio, Elizabeth Taylor, and — in fact — Liberace. Modernism Week takes place right here every February, presenting the chance to entry architecturally important buildings in any other case closed to the general public.

Purchasing is one other huge draw. Throughout Palm Springs’s weekly VillageFest, three blocks alongside Palm Canyon Drive are closed to visitors every Thursday night, with stalls showcasing the wares of native designers and artists, and native shops remaining open till 10pm.

An enormous a part of Palm Springs’s attraction is its pure setting. Make a journey to Moorten Botanical Backyard, a one-acre, household run property since 1938, which homes hundreds of cacti sourced from everywhere in the world. Close to larger Palm Springs is Palm Desert, the place you may go to The Residing Desert Zoo and Gardens, a non-profit organisation that homes greater than 150 species and took part within the reintroduction of peninsular bighorn sheep to the native mountains.

When you’d want to see them within the wild, take the 10-minute journey on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway* — the most important rotating tramcar on this planet — as much as the San Jacinto Mountains and discover the state park’s 50 miles of mountain climbing trails overlooking the Coachella Valley from a top of 8,516 toes.

Nonetheless haven’t discovered what you’re on the lookout for? Head on a day journey out to Joshua Tree Nationwide Park*, simply 40 miles north of Palm Springs. It’s a spotlight of the area, with its 429,690 acres of designated desert wilderness, the place you may admire the park’s titular tree, spot roadrunners, and revel in mountain climbing by day and stargazing by evening.

The place to remain

Palm Springs has lodging to swimsuit all tastes, from mid-century trendy boutique boltholes and hip hideaways good for pool events, to luxurious resorts and spa stays with their very own mineral scorching springs.

The Historic Tennis Membership neighbourhood is instantly adjoining to Downtown Palm Springs and is called after Palm Springs Tennis Membership, which introduced world-class tennis to the realm in 1940. Keep right here to take your decide from practically two dozen quirky boutique resorts.

The Ace Resort & Swim Membership*, proper on Palm Canyon Drive in Downtown Palm Springs, pays homage to town’s hedonistic facet. Transformed from a former mid-century motel, Ace brings a bohemian tackle Butlin’s, with chalet-like rooms, kitsch inflatables and sozzled millennials floating within the pool, whereas the bar and restaurant slings customary hip provisions, resembling avocado toast and craft beers.

Midtown is town’s most metropolitan space, constructed on land initially put aside by President Grant because the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation in 1876. Right now it’s house to lots of the metropolis’s giant, luxurious resorts, together with the glitzy Aqua Caliente Spa Resort On line casino.

Foods and drinks

Palm Springs is a cultured, cosmopolitan outpost of California cool and you’ll anticipate finding all the things from sandwiches to sushi and from delicacies française to French fries.

It’s additionally a metropolis identified for its dates. Initially imported from the Center East within the late 1800s, the US Division of Agriculture realised that the Better Palm Springs space has the best local weather to develop date palms and though they don’t seem to be endemic, they’re now inextricably linked with the Coachella Valley.

Within the Nineteen Twenties, date outlets sprang up throughout Palm Springs, the final remaining of which is Shields Date Backyard, whose roadside knight statue on Freeway 111 factors the way in which to pattern their date shakes (a milkshake made with domestically grown dates). Pancakes are additionally a very in style Palm Springs deal with, so hold round and lunch on date pancakes in Shields’ gardens.

Yr-round sunshine supplies numerous alternatives for alfresco eating, cooled by water misters on Palm Springs’s many patios and poolside cafés. When you’re on the lookout for one thing particular, Farm gives French delicacies in quaint environment, Sandfish Sushi & Whiskey will whisk you away to Japan, and Trio is a locals’ favorite spot for lengthy, lazy brunches. The Edge Steakhouse at The Ritz-Carlton within the close by city of Rancho Mirage has cliffside effective eating at 650ft, with their dinners upstaged by the hanging views.

Don’t miss

The Indian Canyons embody Andreas Canyon, Murray Canyon and Palm Canyon, and have greater than 60 miles of mountain climbing and horse-riding trails by way of rugged mountain sides, palm-shaded valleys and desert landscapes. Every is house to round 150 plant species, palm tree oases, mountain streams and glowing cascades.

Deep inside the San Jacinto Mountains, Tahquitz Canyon — a part of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation — is without doubt one of the most hanging pure wonders within the Better Palm Springs space. It was regularly inhabited for five,000 years by the Native American Cahuilla individuals and stays probably the most stunning spots for a manageable household hike, concealing historic rock artwork and a 60ft waterfall just some minutes from downtown Palm Springs.

For a extra trendy instance of rock artwork, drive out to Slab Metropolis — an unincorporated, off-the-grid squatter neighborhood within the California Desert, not removed from the shores of the inland Salton Sea. Right here, you’ll discover the man-made Salvation Mountain created by a former resident and constructed out of adobe, straw and previous tyres, embellished with hundreds of gallons of paint, comprising Christian murals and Bible verses.

Know earlier than you go

Tipping is customary, so it’s a good suggestion to hold some small notes. Anticipate to tip between 15 and 20 per cent in eating places and taxis, tip bartenders $1 per drink, and lodge porters $1 per bag. Excessive season runs from January to April, whereas October to December can be a pleasing time to go to when lodge costs are decrease. Temperatures soar as much as 41C between Might and September, making the lengthy summer season the least in style time to go to.

Take me there

Impressed to go to Palm Springs however but to ebook your journey? Listed below are the very best packages from Virgin Holidays* and Expedia*.

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