American Indian art at the Heard Museum, red buttes and desert trails right in the city, and a food and cocktail scene far more vibrant than you’d expect. Plan your trip to Phoenix and Scottsdale, from where to stay and what to do to a one-day itinerary and the best day trips.
Don’t let Phoenix be just a quick stop on your way to Arizona’s natural wonders. It’s a big city with a chilled-out vibe, a surprisingly vibrant food scene, world-class museums and plenty of desert to explore, from botanical gardens to mountain summits right in the middle of town. Phoenix isn’t packed with things to do, and the best way to enjoy it is at your leisure. Next door, Scottsdale adds golf, resorts, Old Town’s restaurants and some of the best desert trails in the state.
I visited Phoenix in February, as part of a Southwest road trip that also took in Tucson and Sedona. I visited the Heard Museum, explored the trails of Papago Park, ate at Valentine (hands-down my favourite restaurant in the city), had cocktails aboard the train carriage at Platform 18 and made the trip out to the cliff dwellings of Montezuma Castle. Our Scottsdale guides are by Kay Rodriguez, who rates it a pretty underrated destination for adventurous, outdoorsy travellers.
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Late autumn to spring is the most comfortable time to visit, with warm, sunny days and cool nights. I visited in February. Late April and May are best for seeing the cacti in flower. Hotel prices peak from January to April, during baseball’s spring training season, when the San Francisco Giants train at Scottsdale Stadium.
Summers are famously scorching, with highs regularly above 40°C (104°F) from June to August, when hotel prices drop sharply. Kay’s tip for Scottsdale is October to December, for the best weather with fewer crowds.
The Heard Museum’s Indian Fair & Market, one of the best-known American Indian art markets in the US, is held every March.
The best base without a car, with the Heard Museum, museums, sports and the light rail on your doorstep. Stay at FOUND:RE Phoenix, an art-filled boutique hotel on North Central Avenue with a heated pool.
Resorts, nightlife and Old Town’s restaurants, close to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Kay stayed at, and recommends, the Andaz, minutes from Old Town. Stay at Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows.
The place for a luxury stay, between Phoenix and Scottsdale, with Camelback Mountain, golf and spas. My pick for a romantic stay is a historic adobe inn built as the home and studio of cowboy artist Lon Megargee. Stay at The Hermosa Inn.
Younger, livelier and usually cheaper than Scottsdale, home to Arizona State University and next to Papago Park. Stay at Canopy by Hilton Tempe Downtown, just off Mill Avenue with a rooftop pool.
A quieter stay in the south-east of the valley, with a lively downtown. Stay at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, a resort on the Gila River Indian Community.
Packing for Phoenix and Scottsdale? Don’t forget…
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If you only have time to visit one museum in Phoenix, this should be it. Plan at least a couple of hours for its American Indian art, and don’t miss Away From Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories. Entry is $26 for adults.
A pretty park with lots of nice hiking trails, its red sandstone buttes rising out of the desert between Phoenix and Tempe. A short scramble takes you up into the Hole-in-the-Rock, a lovely place for sunset.
Five trails through 55 acres of cacti, succulents and desert wildflowers in Papago Park. Adult tickets start at $32.95, and it’s pay what you can on the second Tuesday of each month.
OK, so this is actually an hour and a half out of Phoenix, but these striking, well-preserved cliff dwellings are well worth a visit while you’re in the area. I visited in February. Entry is $10 per adult.
Phoenix’s most famous summit, 2,704 feet up between Phoenix and Paradise Valley. The Echo Canyon Trail is about 2.5 miles there and back, with a steep scramble near the top. In extreme heat, the trails close from 9am to 5pm.
Kay’s weekend started here, with breakfast at JoJo Coffeehouse, galleries and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, and a big, healthy lunch at Farm & Craft.
The mostly calm early-morning weather makes the Sonoran Desert one of the most popular places in the US to fly. Kay, who is generally terrified of heights, strongly recommends a sunrise flight to top off a weekend in Scottsdale.
A calm river winding through the Sonoran Desert, where around 250 wild horses live along the banks. Kay found it one of the most calming outdoor activities of her trip.
One day
Sunrise at Hole-in-the-Rock – the Desert Botanical Garden – brunch at Chico Malo – the Heard Museum – cocktails at Platform 18 – dinner at Valentine
My one-day itinerary works best from Wednesday to Sunday.
Three days
Old Town and SMoCA – the Scottsdale Wine Trail – a sunrise hike in the Sonoran Desert – a hot-air balloon flight – kayaking the Lower Salt River
Kay’s 3-day Scottsdale itinerary is made for outdoorsy travellers.
Five days
Two days in Phoenix – Montezuma Castle – Sedona’s red rocks – the Grand Canyon or Tucson
See my day trips from Phoenix for 18 more ideas.
A historic waterfall on the Arizona Canal in Arcadia, home to Arizona’s first hydroelectric plant in 1902 and rebuilt in 2003 as a small power station and public space, with water falling on three sides.
A tiered, wedding-cake-like castle built in the late 1920s in a cactus garden, open only on guided tours, with tickets allocated by lottery months in advance.
A family-run Melrose institution, opened in 1992 by Cecelia Miller of the Tohono O’odham Nation, for fry bread with honey or as a loaded taco.
A spring-fed sinkhole that’s part of Montezuma Castle National Monument, about 11 miles from the castle and free to visit.
Papago Park, the Hole-in-the-Rock and Camelback Mountain’s trails are all free, and Phoenix’s parks are generally open from 5am to 11pm (Camelback from sunrise to sunset). The Desert Botanical Garden is pay what you can on the second Tuesday of each month, and the murals of Roosevelt Row are free to wander.
American Indian visitors get into the Heard Museum free with a Tribal ID or CIB. Out of town, Montezuma Well, part of Montezuma Castle National Monument, is free too.
Hands-down my favourite restaurant in Phoenix: an atmospheric spot with a small plates concept and an eclectic menu (the bison tartare tostada and grilled lamb hearts with green chilli bacon were on it when I went). Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays; book on Resy.
A quirky bar styled like a historic train carriage inside the Century Grand: hop aboard for well-executed cocktails and a touch of immersive drama. It’s a bit kitsch, but cool with it.
A cool restaurant with a live DJ for brunch at weekends. Go for the smoked birria for a hearty start to your day.
I’ve eaten Chris Bianco’s legendary wood-fired pizza myself, and it’s a stop I’d add to any visit. Bar Bianco next door is a cosy spot for a drink while you wait.
Tip 18% to 22% at sit-down restaurants, US$1 to US$2 a drink at bars and 15% to 20% for guides and drivers. Many resorts add a nightly resort fee and charge for parking, so check the total price when you book.
Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7) all year, with no daylight saving: seven hours behind the UK in winter and eight in summer.
Type A and B plugs, at 120V and 60Hz.
No special vaccinations are needed. The heat is the main risk: drink more water than you think you need, even in winter, as the desert air is very dry, and in summer, when highs regularly top 40°C, hike at dawn or not at all.
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is linked to the Valley Metro light rail by the free PHX Sky Train, and Old Town Scottsdale is 15 to 20 minutes’ drive away outside rush hour. A light rail ride costs $2 and a day pass for the light rail and local buses $4; the light rail is handy for downtown, the Heard Museum, Tempe and Mesa.
For everything else, a car makes life much easier. Montezuma Castle is about 95 miles up I-17 (around 1 hour 30 minutes), Sedona about 2 hours, Tucson about 1 hour 50 minutes and the Grand Canyon’s South Rim 3.5 to 4 hours.
The desert heat is the biggest danger: carry water on every hike and check for trail closures in summer. Camelback’s upper section is a steep scramble over boulders, so take it slowly. At Montezuma Castle, drones are banned, as at all National Park Service sites.
Hotels are cheapest in summer and priciest from January to April. Tempe, Mesa and Chandler are usually cheaper than Downtown Phoenix or Scottsdale.
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