3 Days in Palm Springs: A Weekend Itinerary

Palm Springs is a California desert town known for its golf courses, pools, and fancy vacation rentals. All of which makes it the perfect destination for a girl’s weekend trip, bachelorette parties, and romantic couple escapes.

Quick Tips: It is recommended to spend at least 3 or 4 days in Palm Springs, especially if you want to add Joshua Tree to your itinerary. If you’re planning on exploring outside of the downtown area, you should rent a car as most places are spread out.

Things to Do in Palm Springs

Palm Springs Aerial Tram is the world’s largest rotating tram car giving you a complete 360-degree view of the Chino cliffs. It serves as a connection between Palm Springs and Mt. San Jacinto State Park. Buy your tickets in advance if possible (or buy them in person but there may be a wait) and the ticket is good for a roundtrip ride. There are plenty of hiking trails, observation decks, and activities for all ages.

Downtown Palm Springs is great for local boutique shopping, restaurants, and museums. Some of my favorite eateries include Tac/Quila, Birba, Farm, Boozehounds, Starbucks Reserve, and Koffi.

Take a drive through the Palm Springs neighborhoods and you just might spot Leonardo Dicaprio or Elvis’ houses. Or you can go on a world-famous midcentury modern architecture tour.

Just a few miles outside of Palm Springs you’ll find Indian Canyons with rivers, waterfalls, horseback riding trails, hiking, and California fan palm trees. This is definitely an Instagram hotspot.

Moorten Botanical Garden is a small garden with unique cacti from the region. The entrance fee is $5 and takes about an hour to see everything.

Day Trip from Palm Springs: Joshua Tree National Park

Quick Tips: The entrance fee is $30 per vehicle and is good for 7 days. There is no food or water located in the park so hit up a grocery store before entering the park. Restrooms are located near the campsites and bring hand sanitizer. There is no cell phone reception (offline maps are helpful). Wear the right clothing and bring layers as the weather can be extreme.

Joshua Tree National Park sits between the Mojave and Colorado deserts. It’s incredibly easy to navigate so you’ll be able to see all the major highlights in a day.

Bring your own vehicle to get around the park and all the roads are paved (no off-roading). I would recommend starting your day early, especially if you want to catch the sunrise. Get to the park before 9am for parking and if you decide to stick around for sunset (which I recommend doing) you will need those layers.