Palm Springs, California

Kaufman Desert House, Palm Springs, California (cc)

Palm Spring Travel Guide

Introduction

Palm Springs is America's most famous desert resort, situated in the Mojave Desert in Southern California, directly beneath the towering 10,831-foot Mount San Jacinto. It is also, as its name suggests, a city of palms – more than 4,000 of them! – and of celebrities, claiming among its residents such personalities as the late entertainer Bob Hope, former US president Gerald Ford, and literally a Who's Who of American stars whose names are embedded in the sidewalk pavements in downtown Palm Springs along the Walk of Stars. The town, besides, has in it scores of luxury resort hotels, several fine restaurants and fashionable shops and boutiques, and a wealth of recreational facilities, for swimming, hiking, bicycling, skiing (cross-country), horseback riding, tennis, and more. Palm Springs, in fact, has more than 40,000 swimming pools within its city limits, over 700 tennis courts, and no fewer than 90 golf courses located within a 25-mile radius of it. There are also Las Vegas-style casinos in close proximity to it, on the neighboring Indian lands.

Location

Palm Springs lies in the heart of Southern California's rugged Coachella Valley, at the center of a growing community of desert resorts. It is approximately 136 miles (220 km) east of Los Angeles.

How to Get There

Sightseeing

Neighborhoods

How to Get Around

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Where to Party

Essential Information

Nearby Destinations

How to Get There

Palm Springs can be reached from Los Angeles more or less directly on Interstate 10 and a short detour southeastward on Highway 111. There is also an international airport here for those arriving by air.

Sightseeing

Main Neighborhoods