UK Guide To Palm Springs: What To Do, Eat And See In Palm Springs!
A complete guide to Palm Springs - covering everything from where to sleep, eat, shop & drink!
Ohhh Palm Springs, WHERE DO I START?! I have to say that Palm Springs was one of my favourite places that we visited during our two week West Coast road trip! I'd heard such great things, but didn't really know what to expect, I can say it exceeded all of my expectations!
It was way more relaxed than LA, packed with cute cafes, uber cool hotels and just had the most amazing vibe. We were meant to spend two days in Palm Springs but actually ended up staying another night as we loved it so, so much!
I've put together a complete guide on Palm Springs , covering everything from where to stay, eat and what to do during both the day and night!
Let's go!...
Where to stay: V Palm Springs, 333 E Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264, USA
Kat and I spent three nights at the V palm Springs and we absolutely LOVED this hotel! From it's uber cool architectural design, to the inexpensive prices, and prime location - this hotel really was an absolute catch all round! If you're looking for somewhere central to stay in Palm Springs that doesn't completely break the bank, then without a doubt V Palm Springs is the one for you!
Where to eat - best for brunch & coffee:
Fruit Wonders - 264 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262: If you're into açai bowls, healthy eating, iced coffees (who isn't amirite?!), then Fruit Wonders is for you!! Kat and I visited for breakfast two days running we loved it so much! Everything is prepared fresh and taste delicious, it's great value too for what you're getting, I'd highly recommend!
Peabody's Cafe - 134 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262: Peabody's opened in 1992 as a coffee bar and has since developed into a full restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Serving American food with a Californian twist - make sure you try their Bloody Mary's!
Where to eat - best for lunch & dinner:
Alebrije Bistro - 1107 N. Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, California 92262: Kat and I visited Alebrije Bistro on our first night and had a wonderful experience! Alebrije Bistro is an authentic fine dining Mexican restaurant offering a unique culinary experience, the staff in the restaurant were so friendly, expelling the menu to us and offering there suggestions, I'd highly recommend!
Tommy Bahama - 111 N. Palm Canyon Drive Suite 150, Palm Springs, CA 92262: We went to Tommy Bahama on the second day of our trip and instantly fell in love, the island feel of the restaurant and the delicious food sold us so much we went back the next day - a MUST!
Trio - 707 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262: An energetic, casual dining restaurant where the locals eat, delicious food and so great if you're looking for some quick and easy food that you can rely on to be delicious!
What to do - the Mid Mod Design Tour:
One of my favourite things that Kat and I did in Palm Springs was the Mid Mod Design tour, we had a private two hour tour and I didn't really have a clue of what to expect but I have to say I absolutely LOVED it! We spent a brief time in the office going over some of the history / architecture in Palm Springs and how it's broken down by districts, then we set off in the car to explore the designs in practice!
What to do - Palm Springs Aerial Tramway:
Kat and I took a trip on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway one afternoon, the worlds largest rotating tram car, is a must - the views from the top are spectacular! The journey to the mountain elevation (8,516 feet), takes around 10 minutes and the tram rotates so you can get a fantastic 360 view of the valley on your way up! If you're an avid hiker then there are over 50 miles of hiking trails too!
*Disclaimer: if you're *really afraid of heights then this probably isn't for you!
What to do - Palm Springs Art Museum:
If you're into museums (to be honest even if you're not!), then the Palm Springs Art Museum is a must visit, the museum itself is a vision! I absolutely loved this museum, it was so relaxed and easy to walk around, the art was colourful, catching and interesting (the sculpture garden is really cool outside so be sure to check that out too!).
Top tip: the Palm Springs Art Museum has FREE entry on a Thursday evening!
What to do - Sake tasting at Wabi Sabi Japan Living:
258 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262
This was my first ever Sake tasting experience and I have to say I loved it! Our tasting session was held by the owner of the store; Darrell - it was such a pleasure to meet Darrell as he was SO passionate about Sake, and everything and anything related to Japan so it was a great insight! Even if you're not into sake tasting (something I'd definitely recommend trying if you're never done it!), then I'd still recommend visiting the store as it was SUPER affordable and they had some beautiful homeware pieces (I picked up some bits for the house!).
What else to do in Palm Springs...
1.) Wander around Village Fest - Palm Canyon Drive: Every Thursday evening from 6pm onwards Palm Canyon Drive will be shut off to cars and Village Fest will take place. It's super cool to check out and great for a wander around! Expect to see lots of food vendors and local arts & crafts; great for grabbing a bite to eat and picking up some souvenirs! Oh, and it's a FREE street event!
2.) Escape Room Palm Springs - 2500 N PALM CANYON DR., PALM SPRINGS: If you're heading to Palm Springs with a group then why not give the award winning Escape Room a go?! Great for team building and groups of friends!
3.) Visit the Mary Pickford cinema - 36-850 Pickfair, Cathedral City, CA 92234: Kat and I went to watch Bohemiam Rhapsody one night at the Mary Pickford and loved it, the cinema was so cool from the outside (it looked like something straight from Hollywood!).
4.) Visit the Palm Springs sign - Palm Springs Sign, Palm Springs, CA 92262, USA: Kat and I visited the Palm Springs (purely for a few pictures - gotta do it for the 'Gram!), it's cool to check out and there's plenty of room to park up and get some snaps!
There we have it my loves - my EPIC guide to Palm Springs, I've been so excited to share this guide with you since we returned home! If you're heading out to Palm Springs soon then I hope this guide is super helpful for you, from figuring out where to stay / dine and what to do!
If you haven't already considered Palm Springs as a destination that you'd like to visit, then I truly hope that this guide has inspired you to visit! I can truly say that Palm Springs was one of my favourite places that we visited on our West Coast road trip!
If you'd like some more inspiration / tips on planning your West Road road trip then check out my HUGE guide HERE!
Are you planning a trip to Palm Springs soon? Did you find this guide useful? Spot anything you'd like to see/do during your visit?
A HUGE thank you to the Palm Springs tourism board for organising mine and Kat's itinerary, we absolutely loved every second and couldn't have planned it better ourselves! This post wasn't sponsored, but everything was planned and covered from our hotel to food etc, in return for specific coverage.