A 2-day Palm Springs itinerary for desert and design lovers

Palm Springs squeezes palm-filled canyons, a cactus garden planted in 1938, a 26-foot Marilyn Monroe and some of the finest mid-century homes in America into one small desert city. So how do you fit it into a weekend, and which morning do you hand over to Joshua Tree? This two-day route has the order worked out, with opening days, tickets and closures checked.

Can we talk about how much you are going to love Palm Springs?

Set in one of the most distinctive landscapes in the US, the city has quite the reputation. What was once the getaway of choice for Hollywood’s elite is now a must for anyone after a proper desert escape.

I spent quite a bit of time hanging out here on a November road trip around California (there have been lots of them: I can’t get enough of California) and whew, it was something.

I always knew I was going to love the mid-century vibes, but when you throw in stunning weather (yes, even in November) and plenty of opportunities to get out into the great outdoors, it had me smitten.

This itinerary gives you one day of canyons, cacti and downtown, and one day that starts in the desert and ends among the modernist houses, with the practical stuff at the end. Yallah, yallah, let’s go!

Your 2-day Palm Springs itinerary at a glance

Day 1: canyons, cacti and downtown. A morning walk in the Indian Canyons, the Moorten Botanical Garden, Palm Canyon Drive and Forever Marilyn, the wind farm, the Cabazon Dinosaurs and dinner at Boozehounds.
Day 2: desert dawn and mid-century design. Sunrise in Joshua Tree National Park (or the Coachella Valley Preserve), the Aerial Tramway, a self-drive modernism tour, the Palm Springs Art Museum and dinner at Workshop Kitchen + Bar.

Day 1: canyons, cacti and downtown Palm Springs

It’s only fitting that day one starts with the natural side of the city, while the air is still cool, before downtown and an afternoon out west.

Hike the palm oases of the Indian Canyons

Desert scrub and a line of fan palms along the Andreas Canyon trail in the Indian Canyons, Palm Springs — The trail through Andreas Canyon, lined with California fan palms

You can’t visit Palm Springs without tackling at least one of its trails. The Indian Canyons, at the far end of South Palm Canyon Drive, are the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, who still own and run them, and they shelter some of the largest fan palm oases in the world.

Take your pick of the trails:

Andreas Canyon Trail: an easy loop of about a mile beside a stream, under the palms and past rock walls.
Murray Canyon Trail: about 4 miles there and back, a little trickier, with a series of stream crossings on the way to the Seven Sisters waterfall.

The canyons are open daily from 8am to 5pm from October to early July (last car in at 4pm), and only Friday to Sunday in late summer. Entry is $12 for adults, and no dogs are allowed.

Wander the cactarium at the Moorten Botanical Garden

Julianna on a sandy path between agaves, cacti and palms at the Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs — Me on the path through the Moorten Botanical Garden, between the agaves and the palms

Julianna inside the arched glasshouse cactarium at the Moorten Botanical Garden, lined with potted cacti — Inside the cactarium, the glasshouse at the heart of the Moorten garden

A botanical garden in the middle of the desert? It sounds like madness, yet the Moorten Botanical Garden, started in 1938 by Chester “Cactus Slim” Moorten and his wife Patricia, is a Palm Springs highlight.

After an early hike, you’ll want something a little less demanding, and strolling around this garden is a must. More than 3,000 varieties of desert plants are packed into a single acre, along a path that winds between giant agaves, barrel cacti and palms. I was here around midday, and it’s surprisingly shady.

Don’t miss the cactarium, a glasshouse the family bill as the world’s first, filled with rare cacti stacked in pots up to the roof. Fancy yourself as a bit of a green-fingered pro? The shop sells cacti to take home.

Tickets

$7 for adults and $3 for children aged 5 to 12, paid at the front counter. From October to May it’s open 10am to 4pm, closed on Wednesdays.

Stroll Palm Canyon Drive to Forever Marilyn

The 26-foot Forever Marilyn statue at the end of a palm-lined street in downtown Palm Springs — Forever Marilyn rising above the palms at the end of the street

Once you’ve had your fill of cacti, the illustrious Palm Canyon Drive awaits. Running through downtown, it’s lined with boutiques, vintage shops and the best of the city’s lunch spots.

Keep an eye out for Forever Marilyn, Seward Johnson’s 26-foot Marilyn Monroe, caught in that famous billowing white dress. She’s not to everyone’s taste, but she’s one of the most photographed spots in town. In 2025 she moved a few steps from Museum Way into Downtown Park, so she now stands among the trees next to the Art Museum.

Two of David Černý's faceless crawling baby sculptures on the ground near the Palm Springs Art Museum — David Černý’s Babies crawling across the ground near the Art Museum

Personally, I was much more excited about seeing Czech artist David Černý’s Babies, set a little back from the main drag. Who wouldn’t want to look at weirdly unsettling sculptures of barcode-faced babes crawling around in the sun? Sadly, they’ve since moved on: they left Palm Springs in 2023. If you want to see more of his work, I wrote all about David Černý and his Prague sculptures.

Drive out to the San Gorgonio Pass wind farm

Rows of white wind turbines across the desert of the San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs, mountains behind — Wind turbines lined up across the San Gorgonio Pass, with the mountains behind

The giant turbines of the San Gorgonio Pass are part of the skyline you can’t miss: thousands have gone up since the 1980s to catch the wind that funnels between the San Jacinto and San Gorgonio mountains.

I drove right through them on my way into town, and they’re properly hypnotic. To get closer, Palm Springs Windmill Tours runs a self-driving windmill tour with an audio app and ten stops, or guided rides by electric golf cart, from its tour centre just north of the I-10, about 15 minutes from downtown.

Climb into the T. rex at the Cabazon Dinosaurs

The green Dinny the Brontosaurus sculpture beside a tall palm under blue sky at the Cabazon Dinosaurs — Dinny the Brontosaurus towering over the palms at the Cabazon Dinosaurs

Something of a left-fielder, the Cabazon Dinosaurs aren’t for everyone, so if you don’t like the idea of running around a small park packed with (sometimes bizarre) life-sized dinosaurs, skip on to the next one.

For the rest of you, it’s a treat. Dinny the Brontosaurus and Mr Rex were built by the artist Claude Bell, finished in the 1970s and 1980s, to pull drivers off the I-10, and dozens more dinosaurs have since joined them in the park behind.

Bonus points for those who climb up inside the head of the giant T. rex and roar their face off. Legend has it, it’s very therapeutic (OK, OK, I did it, and it was).

Getting There

Cabazon is about 20 miles west of Palm Springs on the I-10, around 25 minutes’ drive. Tickets are $15 for adults and $13 for children aged 3 to 12, sold at the door only.

Have dinner at Boozehounds

Plants, curved banquettes and set tables in the warmly lit dining room at Boozehounds, Palm Springs — The dining room at Boozehounds, all plants, curved banquettes and warm light

An espresso martini topped with three coffee beans on the bar at Boozehounds in Palm Springs — An espresso martini at the Boozehounds bar

I won’t lie: I didn’t think the food in Palm Springs was as great as everyone made out. There were a few exceptions, though, and Boozehounds was one of them.

The menu runs from contemporary American to international dishes, the ambience, service and food are all excellent, and it doesn’t hurt that the interiors are serious Gram goals either. Add a cocktail and you’ve got one helluva way to end day one.

It’s on North Palm Canyon Drive at the northern end of town, open daily (happy hour is 3pm to 5pm) and very dog-friendly, with a doggy door onto the patio and a menu just for dogs. Book through OpenTable.

Where to stay

I stayed at The Cole, a 30-room, adults-only (21 and over) boutique hotel with a mid-century motor lodge look, on North Palm Canyon Drive, in the Uptown Design District. It has a pool and a hot tub, and both Boozehounds and the visitor centre are a short walk away. It was my base for the Joshua Tree day trips too.

Check rates and availability at The Cole

Korakia Pensione is a Moroccan and Mediterranean-style hideaway of whitewashed villas and gardens near downtown, with yoga, spa treatments and a cult following among celebrities.

Dive Palm Springs is an adults-only (21 and over) boutique hotel with a 1960s French Riviera feel, mountain-view patios, a pool, a hot tub and a big sun terrace.

The Saguaro Palm Springs is a budget-friendly revamped motel painted every colour of the rainbow, with El Jefe for tacos and pool parties at weekends.

Day 2: a desert sunrise and the city’s mid-century design

See sunrise in Joshua Tree, or head to the Coachella Valley Preserve

Silhouetted Joshua trees against a pink and blue sky at sunset in Joshua Tree National Park — Joshua trees silhouetted against the sky at sunset in Joshua Tree National Park

I’m going to give you two options for the morning, because there are two epic things within striking distance and you only have time for one.

The first is sunrise in Joshua Tree National Park, an otherworldly landscape about an hour’s drive from Palm Springs to the West Entrance. I visited the park as day trips from Palm Springs and drove up to Keys View for sunrise, and watching the sun creep over the horizon and turn the whole valley gold is a moment that has stayed with me. Afterwards, stop at the alien-looking Skull Rock on the way out.

The second is the much closer Coachella Valley Preserve at Thousand Palms, about 25 minutes away, a lush palm oasis on the San Andreas Fault that’s straight-up gorgeous with a capital G. It’s free (donations welcome) and open Wednesday to Sunday, 7am to 5pm, from November to April.

Both are worthy options, but you’ll get the most out of Joshua Tree if you get up early or stay the whole day: my Joshua Tree itinerary shows how.

Top Tip

Entry to Joshua Tree is $30 per car for seven days. The entrance stations take cards only, so buy a digital pass on recreation.gov before you lose signal.

Ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

The swooping roof of the Tramway Gas Station visitor centre in Palm Springs at dusk — The Tramway Gas Station at the foot of the tramway road, now the city’s visitor centre

Once you’re back in town, it’s time for an adventure in the sky. The tramway’s cars are the largest rotating tram cars in the world, turning slowly as they climb two and a half miles up the cliffs of Chino Canyon in about ten minutes.

At the Mountain Station, 8,516 feet up, there are observation decks, a small history museum, two restaurants and the trails of Mount San Jacinto State Park. It can be up to 40°F cooler than the desert floor, so bring a layer.

Adult tickets are $36.95 and parking is $15. Cars start at 10am on weekdays and 8am at weekends, and the tram shuts for maintenance for a few weeks each September.

I tried twice and it was fully booked both times, so learn from me: book your tramway ticket as soon as your dates are fixed.

Top Tip

If the afternoon feels too full, flip the order and ride up later: the last car goes up at around 8pm, so you can catch sunset from the top.

Take a self-drive tour of the mid-century homes

The curved glass walls and folded roof of the House of Tomorrow, the Elvis honeymoon house in Palm Springs — The House of Tomorrow, where Elvis and Priscilla spent their honeymoon

I think we’ve established that Palm Springs isn’t short on highlights, but its architecture, one of the largest collections of mid-century modern buildings anywhere, is in a league of its own. My self-guided mid-century modern tour has the full route, house by house.

Start at the visitor centre at the foot of the tramway road, which happens to be a mid-century masterpiece itself: the Tramway Gas Station, designed by Albert Frey and Robson Chambers in 1965, with a roof that swoops up like a wing. I swung by around sunset, when the palms out front glow against the sky. It’s open daily from 10am to 5pm, with free maps and guides to set you on your way.

A low mid-century house with a circular drive and two tall palms, Frank Sinatra's Twin Palms in Palm Springs — Twin Palms, the house E. Stewart Williams designed for Frank Sinatra in 1947

After that, hop in the car to gawp at the classics, all private homes, so look from the street:

The House of Tomorrow (1962, William Krisel, Vista Las Palmas), where none other than Elvis spent his California honeymoon in 1967. Its stacked circles of glass look even stranger in person.
Twin Palms (1947, E. Stewart Williams), Frank Sinatra’s first house in town, with a piano-shaped pool. It’s now a holiday rental.
The Kaufmann House (1946, Richard Neutra) on West Vista Chino, the backdrop to Slim Aarons’ famous Poolside Gossip photograph.
Frey House II (1964), Albert Frey’s own house, perched on the mountainside above the Art Museum with a boulder running through the living room. It’s owned by the museum and closed for regular visits, but The Modern Tour and Modernism Week run tours inside.

I spent a morning driving round the hillside neighbourhoods of Vista Las Palmas and Little Tuscany, where the houses are tucked into the boulders, and it’s pure eye candy.

A low stone mid-century house among boulders and two palms on the hillside of Little Tuscany, Palm Springs — Mid-century houses tucked into the boulders of Little Tuscany

Finish at the Palm Springs Art Museum

The dark stone facade of the Palm Springs Art Museum with a sculpture in front and the mountains behind — The Palm Springs Art Museum, with the San Jacinto Mountains behind

Wrap up the architecture tour downtown at the Palm Springs Art Museum, a 1976 E. Stewart Williams building of dark stone at the foot of the mountains, with Forever Marilyn just outside. Inside, the focus is modern and contemporary art, design and architecture.

Tickets

$25 for adults; under-18s are always free, and everyone gets in free on Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm. Open Thursday noon to 8pm and Friday to Sunday 10am to 5pm. The museum is card only.

Wine and dine at Workshop Kitchen + Bar

What could be better after a day of highlights than dinner at one of the city’s most famous restaurants? Not a lot, I can guarantee you that.

Perhaps grab a drink (or five) at Bar Cecil on South Palm Canyon Drive first (walk-in bar seats from 5pm), but for dinner, head to Workshop Kitchen + Bar on North Palm Canyon Drive. Its Californian, farm-to-table menu changes with the seasons and has earned it a place in the Michelin Guide. Book through Resy, then close off the night with a craft cocktail.

Have more time? Add these to your itinerary

Give Joshua Tree a whole day

A sunrise only scratches the surface. With a full day you can add Hidden Valley, the Cholla Cactus Garden and a summit hike, and stay for some of the darkest skies in Southern California. My guide to the best hikes in Joshua Tree will help you choose.

Time your trip for Modernism Week

Every February (with a shorter edition in October), Modernism Week opens up private homes, including some on this route, for tours, talks and parties. It’s the easiest way to get inside the houses you’ll otherwise only see from the street, so book early.

Go further on a day trip

From the Old West film set of Pioneertown and the Salton Sea to the mountain town of Idyllwild, there’s plenty within a couple of hours’ drive. My day trips from Palm Springs have the details.

Handy tips for planning your 2 days in Palm Springs

How many days do you need in Palm Springs?

Two days is enough for the city’s highlights plus one desert morning, which is what this route does. With three, give Joshua Tree a whole day of its own rather than a sunrise. With four or five, slow right down, add a pool afternoon or two and work through my day trips from Palm Springs.

One thing to plan around: the Art Museum is closed Monday to Wednesday and the Moorten garden on Wednesdays, so this route works best from Thursday to Sunday.

Best time to visit

The sweet spot is October to May, when days are warm and sunny and nights are cool. My November trip had stunning weather, perfect for hiking and pool time alike. Summer is a different story, with highs often over 100°F (38°C), so plan the outdoor stops for early morning.

Getting there and around

A shaded pavement lined with trees and cafe tables on North Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs — A sunny pavement on North Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs

Palm Springs International Airport is a few minutes from downtown, and the drive from Los Angeles takes around two hours. Downtown is easy to explore on foot, and Uber and Lyft work for short hops, but for the canyons, the wind farm, Cabazon and Joshua Tree you’ll want a hire car. Rentalcars.com usually has the best deals.

Group tours or independent travel?

Richard Neutra's white Kaufmann House behind its metal gate, among boulders at the foot of the mountains in Palm Springs — Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House, built in 1946, seen from behind its gate

With a car, this route is easy to do on your own and at your own pace. If you’d rather have structure, a guided tour like this legends and icons tour takes you past the celebrity homes with someone who knows the stories.

What to pack

You’ll be in the desert, so bring sunscreen, a sun hat and sunglasses.
Considering the famous pool parties, pack a swimsuit and swimming trunks.
For the canyon hikes, bring hiking shoes or boots, trekking poles and a daypack with space for water, plus a warm layer for the tramway and a Joshua Tree dawn.

Useful resources

Skyscanner: flights to Palm Springs and Los Angeles.
Booking.com: compare hotels, with secret deals.
Hotels.com: another option for hotels.
Tripadvisor: reviews from other travellers.
GetYourGuide: tours and tickets, including the tramway.
Viator: an alternative for tours.

How to spend 2 days in Palm Springs (and still catch sunrise in Joshua Tree)