Palm Springs guide: 16 things not to miss

kimpton palm springs — Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs Hotel

(Image credit: Photography by Laure Joliet)

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Where to stay
Where to eat and drink
What to do
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With some of the world’s hottest festivals, from Coachella to Stagecoach, alongside desert-wide art installations framed by the San Jacinto Mountains, pro tennis tournaments, A-list film premieres, and rare mid-century modern house tours, spring is Palm Springs at its prime. The season is now in crescendo with the return of Modernism Week 2026: more than 450 talks, tours and architectural deep-dives are unfolding across the city until 22 February. Whether you’re in town for a house tour, a private view or a late-night set beneath the palms, consider this your guide to where to stay, dine, see and shop.

What to see and do in Palm Springs, USA

Where to stay

Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs

Ace Hotel Palm Springs guestroom — Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs

Reimagined from a 1965 Howard Johnson motor lodge, Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs is a design-forward 1970s reverie. Fully solar-powered (thanks to the Springs’ 354 days of annual sunshine), it sidesteps the sepia motel cliché. Think tan leather banquettes, a rope-draped lobby by costumier Michael Schmidt and the perennially buzzy Swim Club pool. Rooms layer vintage vinyl with unapologetic Americana – a backdrop fit for Tarantino or Thelma & Louise. The spa comprises cedar-lined treatment rooms, while King’s Highway plates up a spirited slice of the bohemian West.

Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs is located at 701 E Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264, United States

Del Marcos Hotel

William F. Cody, the architect who built Palm Springs, secured his first solo commission with the Del Marcos Hotel. Opened in 1947 for Samuel and Adele Marcus, the 17-room property was modest in scale yet radical in intent: its low-rise, linear plan setting the tone for desert modernism. Wood, stone and glass meet canted walls, thrusting angles and elongated planes – a vocabulary that became Cody’s signature. Restored in 2012, the hotel was subsequently designated a Class 1 Historic Site by the Palm Springs City Council, cementing its architectural legacy. Suites are generous, with glazed doors opening onto terraces and loungers circling the pool. For dinner, slip next door to La Serena Villas and ascend to Azúcar Rooftop Bar & Lounge for sunset views with a bite.

Del Marcos Hotel is located at 225 W Baristo Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States

Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs Hotel

Glorious vistas of the San Jacinto Mountains and the Coachella Valley desert make the 153-room Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs an easy sell; its address opposite the Palm Springs Art Museum seals it. Opened in 2017, the seven-storey contemporary building by ACRM Architects + Interiors and DesignARC landed as an exclamation mark in Downtown’s regeneration. Inside, a clean-lined nod to local modernism unfolds across soaring, light-filled interiors by the Kimpton Design Team with Powerstrip Studio. There’s plenty on offer: two pools, Juniper Table café, two bars, modern American restaurant 4 Saints and complimentary bikes for desert circuits, but the rooftop pool at High Bar is the clincher: cocktails, small plates and molten sunsets, all at altitude.

Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs Hotel is located at 100 W Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States

Parker

Stretching across 13 lush acres, Parker Palm Springs is where Californian hacienda meets eccentric country estate. Its past lives read like a Hollywood script: from mid-century Holiday Inn to Gene Autry’s baseball hideaway, then a Merv Gryphon-owned Givenchy spa, before its current incarnation as a Jonathan Adler-designed fantasia. Landscape architect Judy Kameon weaved native desert planting through rose gardens from the Griffin era. Inside, Adler’s maximalist hand is unmistakable: punchy textiles, lacquered cabinetry, safari riffs and tribal artefacts layered with irreverence. The spa leans marine in mood, while dining is a world unto itself: the moody Mister Parker’s, sun-splashed Norma’s, jewel-box Mini Bar, Lemonade Stand, one-table Mrs Parker’s and the cult Counter-Reformation wine bar.

Parker is located at 4200 E Palm Canyon Dr #5230, Palm Springs, CA 92264, United States

Royal Sun Palm Springs

Inspired by desert modernism and old Hollywood charm, Royal Sun Palm Springs is a 66-room property that romances guests with its geometric-patterned flooring and plush velvet furniture in jewel tones. The social spaces include a poolside lounge perfect for sipping a prickly pear Palm Spritz with Luxardo Maraschino liqueur and prosecco. Meanwhile, dining at the High Moon bar and restaurant resembles a Wes Anderson film set experience with bright floral wallcoverings, red and white checked flooring, and turquoise blue bar stools. Here, the menu offers California cuisine with Latin influences, incorporating desert ingredients like nopales and bougainvillea. Order the famed Coachella Valley date parfait or the chef-crafted boards, which span artisan cheese and meats, seafood, and sweets from the ‘afterglow’ menu. CD

Royal Sun Palm Springs is located at 1700 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264, United States

Terra Palm Springs

Offering a fresh approach to wellness and self-care, this 13-room boutique resort is an oasis for total rejuvenation. With a central pool and bar area, the property is dotted with facilities such as cold plunge therapy, a tranquil rain room with soothing thunderstorm sounds, a Himalayan salt sauna, morning yoga sessions, group meditation, sound baths and Ayurvedic spa treatments. The guest rooms are outfitted with natural, organic materials such as concrete, wood, terracotta, and stone while featuring Parachute bedding, private patios, plunge pools, and fire pits. The spa suites hold soaking tubs and red light therapy. Look out for the HigherDose infrared PEMF mats and eco-conscious bath products from Le Labo. CD

Terra Palm Springs is located at 888 N Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States

Where to eat and drink

Alice B

Inspired by the extraordinary life of Alice B Toklas and her life partner Gertrude Stein, LA-based award-winning celebrity chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken are behind this American-Mediterranean restaurant. Highlights include cheddar biscuits, duck leg confit, and Dixon lamb and leek shepherd’s pie. To anchor the main dining room, designed by R2d Design with warm tones, artist Jo Hay painted the portraits of Alice and Gertrude. A rotating art gallery created by local female and LGBTQ+ artists is integrated into the space, along with a piano bar-lounge where you can order an excellent smash burger. CD

Alice B is located at 1122 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States

Bar Cecil

At this venue, inspired by bon vivant Cecil Beaton, pull up a powder-blue leather wingback tufted barstool (where walk-ins are welcome) and order a martini with Beluga vodka, paired with a deviled egg topped with Regiis Ova Caviar by Chef Thomas Keller. Original illustrations of Grace Coddington and Diana Vreeland by New York-based Chilean artist Manuel Santelices adorn the walls, with new watercolours in the dining room, bar, and at the front desk. Even after four years, reservations for a table to dine on colossal shrimp cocktails and wagyu tomahawk steaks are still several weeks out. Luckily, the team is opening Beaton’s – a chic salon with a patio, cocktails and bites while you wait. CD

Bar Cecil is located at 1555 S Palm Canyon Dr UNIT F, Palm Springs, CA 92264, United States

Bar Issi

A Mediterranean-tinged lobby lounge inside the newly unveiled Thompson Hotel. Designed by Fettle as a fluid, wraparound space anchored by a central bar, it pairs ‘dancing crocodile’ wallpaper, richly textured fabrics and a gold mohair acoustic ceiling with a breezy, coastal ease. Chef Ivo Filho delivers fresh, seasonal plates, such as hamachi carpaccio with summer truffle, yuzu and ponzu, or shrimp linguine with Calabrian chilli, parsley and lemon, alongside cocktails that riff on the classics and a wine list centred on Californian and Italian producers, with French and Chilean additions.

Bar Issi is located at 414 N Palm Canyon Dr Suite F, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States.

Lost Property at The Skylark Hotel

This all-day bar and restaurant, helmed by LA chef Brandon Kida and bar owner Rhino Williams, has taken up residency at the Skylark Hotel, which was built in 1955 by renowned Palm Springs Architect Howard Lapham. Anchored by a sleek butcher-block bar top with amber-hued velvet high back stools and a Scandi-chic patio with concrete breeze blocks, expect coffee cocktails and the Breakfast Smash, scrumptiously filled with fennel sausage, sunny egg, and cheddar cheese on a Martin’s potato bun. The evening menu shifts to Maine lobster rolls, Maitake mushroom bao, and artisanal tin seafood with onion dip and potato chips, as well as vesper martinis. CD

Lost Property is located at The Skylark Hotel, 1466 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States

Workshop Kitchen & Bar

Workshop Kitchen &amp; Bar — Workshop Kitchen & Bar

Chef Michael Beckman chose the 1920s Spanish Deco El Paseo Building as the home for his beloved Workshop Kitchen & Bar, undertaking a sensitive restoration that refreshed the building’s nearly century-old shell with monolithic concrete panels and 27-foot cathedral ceiling trusses. Manhattan’s SOMA Architects introduced sleek light fixtures by Beirut-based PS Lab, likely on the recommendation of Lebanese restaurateur and co-owner Joseph Mouranic, casting a warm glow over contemporary tableware by Heath Ceramics. Beckman’s menu champions local, seasonal produce. Don’t miss the green chile cheeseburger or, for the table, the dry-aged 32 oz tomahawk to share.

Workshop Kitchen & Bar is located at 800 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States

What to do

Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza

Opened in 2023, the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza honours a sacred hot mineral spring in downtown Palm Springs as a six-acre cultural campus dedicated to telling the story of the Agua Caliente people. It was designed by JCJ Architecture in collaboration with the tribe leadership. At its centre, the 48,000-square-foot Agua Caliente Cultural Museum pairs a curving, basketry-inspired façade with five tightly curated galleries tracing the story of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians: from canyon ecology to artefacts uncovered on site. The Oasis Trail threads through native planting and sculpted rock towards The Spa at Séc-he, where private mineral baths, salt caves and spring-fed pool await.

Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza is located at 140 N Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States

Palm Springs Art Museum

Aluminaire House hero exterior — Aluminaire House

Founded in 1938, the Palm Springs Art Museum is the city’s cultural linchpin: a 150,000-square-foot desert modernist landmark by E. Stewart Williams (1974) housing modern and contemporary art, photography, glass, and Native American and Western works. Beyond the main galleries, the Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden showcases monumental pieces through native planting, while the Architecture and Design Centre extends the programme with a 24,000-object collection and design-focused exhibitions. The museum also stewards Frey House II, once home to Albert Frey, and the pioneering Aluminaire House, Frey’s early collaboration with A. Lawrence Kocher.

Palm Springs Art Museum is located at 101 N Museum Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States

Where to shop

H3K Home+Design

For interior designs that pop with all the colours of the rainbow, this downtown furniture showroom, also in Palm Desert, has been celebrated for its high-profile projects, including the public showcase of homes during Palm Springs Modernism Week. Among the vast space, you will find a wide range of midcentury modern-inspired gems, from classic Eames and Hans Wegner ‘Papa Bear’ chairs and tulip tables to customisable furniture by MCM, and accessories and gifts – even for your dog. CD

H3K Home+Design is located at 501 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264, United States

Modernway

In Palm Springs, Modernway is the definitive address for vintage mid-century modern. Established as the city’s oldest specialist dealer, it curates a sharp edit of rare pieces from the 1950s-70s, spanning American icons and harder-to-source European design. Expect works by Arthur Elrod, alongside classics from Knoll and Herman Miller

Modernway is located at 2500 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States

The Webster

Palm Springs is a treasure trove for vintage shopping, but for the latest vacation-inspired fashions, this cool North American chain holds every top designer from Balenciaga to Thom Browne, and jewellery by Anita Ko. The 1970s revival property was designed by French-born Stéphane Parmentier, who took inspiration from Brazil’s geometric architecture, and the entrance holds two seating areas paying tribute to Brazilian designer Oscar Niemeyer, and a pink cloud ceiling, a nod to the brand’s trademark hue. CD

The Webster is located at 850 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262, United States

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Sofia de la Cruz is the Travel Editor at Wallpaper*. A self-declared flâneuse, she feels most inspired when taking the role of a cultural observer – chronicling the essence of cities and remote corners through their nuances, rituals, and people. Her work lives at the intersection of art, design, and culture, often shaped by conversations with the photographers who capture these worlds through their lens.

With contributions from

Carole Dixon