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Palm Springs Review

Desert life in review for the Coachella Valley & SoCal

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Home » Trip Guides

Trip Guides

Start with the trip you want, the time you have, or the thing you cannot stop talking about. Palm Springs Review will help you turn it into an actual plan.

These routes bring together practical guides, places worth considering, seasonal advice, and the details that matter before you leave the pool, the hotel, or your own driveway.

Choose your desert journey

Watercolor illustration of a Palm Springs Aerial Tramway car above Chino Canyon

First Time in Palm Springs

Build a first visit around the desert essentials without trying to do the entire Coachella Valley before checkout.

Best for: first visits, long weekends, and travelers who want a strong overview

Start with the essentials →

Watercolor illustration of an elegant desert spa room opening to a quiet courtyard and mountain view

Relax and Recharge

Shape a slower desert stay around mineral waters, destination spas, quiet pools, and enough open space to remember what day it is.

Best for: spa trips, couples, solo resets, and low-agenda weekends

Plan a restorative day →

Watercolor illustration of Palm Springs Art Museum, with its broad roof, entrance stairs, and desert mountains

Arts, Architecture, and Design

Explore museums, Indigenous culture, modernist landmarks, gardens, galleries, and the design history that makes the desert unmistakably itself.

Best for: art lovers, architecture fans, and heat-friendly cultural days

Explore arts and culture →

Watercolor illustration of travelers overlooking Joshua trees, boulders, and a winding park road at sunset

Outdoor Adventure

Choose canyons, mountain trails, preserves, desert gardens, and day trips with season, heat, elevation, and realistic timing in mind.

Best for: hikers, nature lovers, early risers, and prepared adventurers

Head outside →

Watercolor illustration of a shaded Palm Springs pool, art space, and aerial tramway mountain escape

Beat the Heat

Plan hot-weather days around early starts, indoor discoveries, pool time, spa time, cooler evenings, and a strategic gain in elevation.

Best for: summer visits, extreme-heat days, and anyone unwilling to melt for the itinerary

Build a cooler day →

Watercolor illustration of two golfers on a Greater Palm Springs desert course at sunrise

Golf Getaway

Compare desert golf by location, access, season, and trip style, then check current tee times and course conditions at the source.

Best for: golf weekends, resort stays, groups, and locals looking for a new round

Plan a golf day →

Watercolor illustration of a tennis match on a desert court in Indian Wells with mountains beyond

Tennis in the Desert

Plan around Indian Wells, the BNP Paribas Open, year-round play, desert conditions, lodging, tickets, and time between matches.

Best for: tournament travelers, recreational players, and tennis-focused weekends

Explore desert tennis →

Watercolor illustration of four adults playing doubles pickleball in the Coachella Valley

Pickleball in the Coachella Valley

Find the right kind of play by city, access, skill level, season, and whether you need a public court, resort option, lesson, or organized game.

Best for: visiting players, locals, beginners, and serious paddle people

Find pickleball options →

Watercolor illustration representing film, architecture, tennis, music, Pride, and hockey events in the desert

Events and Short Stays

Build a focused trip around film, music, Pride, architecture, sports, festivals, recurring traditions, and the weekends when the valley gets wonderfully busy.

Best for: event weekends, quick escapes, conference add-ons, and locals planning ahead

Browse annual events →


Plan around the practical stuff

Palm Springs without a car

Understand what is walkable, what transit and rideshare can reasonably cover, and which desert plans still benefit from four wheels.

Joshua Tree day trip

Choose a route, bring the right supplies, respect seasonal conditions, and allow enough time for the park to feel like a destination rather than a drive-through.

Idyllwild day trip

Trade the desert floor for mountain air, village time, seasonal conditions, and a different kind of Southern California day.

Future: let PSR choose with you

A future journey builder will narrow these paths using your timing, interests, season, transportation, budget, mobility needs, and travel party. For now, choose the route that sounds most like your desert and follow the guide from there.

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