Best time to travel in Scottsdale?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with 2015-2024 averages
Best time: February to April and October to November
Best avoided if possible: June to August (less pleasant weather or big crowds).
Temperatures and rainfall: 1991-2020 normals from the Tempe (ASU) station, NOAA data (public domain).
Hot desert: summers above 40°C from June to September with monsoon thunderstorms in July-August, mild, dry winters around 19°C by day and 6°C at night, and less than 250 mm of rain a year. The best time to visit Scottsdale is February, March, April, October and November, with temperatures reaching 40-41°C (July). By contrast, January, May, June, July, August, September and December are generally less favourable (less pleasant weather or big crowds, depending on the destination), though a trip is still possible with a bit of planning. In high season, book early: prices and visitor numbers climb fast.
Go against the flow. To avoid the crowds without sacrificing too much on the weather, aim for January, May, September and December: the crowds thin out, prices drop too, and the climate stays pleasant.
Do these months appeal to you? See what's best elsewhere too: where to go in February · where to go in March · where to go in April · where to go in October · where to go in November.
At a glance
Why go to Scottsdale?
Scottsdale is Arizona's winter city: 250,000 inhabitants east of Phoenix, but dozens of resorts, golf courses and spas that welcome those fleeing the snow of the North and of Europe from January to April. People come for a golden light that never fades, heated pools at the foot of bare mountains and mild evenings on terraces, with the Sonoran Desert at the end of every avenue.
The city also has a soul older than its golf courses. Its old centre, which still proclaims itself the most Western town in the West, keeps its covered boardwalks and its adobe mission, and its galleries form one of the country's great markets for Western and Native American art. Above all, Frank Lloyd Wright built Taliesin West here, his studio in the desert, and his pupil Paolo Soleri built Cosanti a few kilometres away: two architectural sites that alone justify the detour.
Finally, the desert begins where the housing developments end. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve protects 12,000 hectares of saguaros criss-crossed by trails, Pinnacle Peak can be climbed before breakfast, and the Salt River, with its wild horses, is 45 minutes away. Phoenix and its museums are twenty minutes away by car, and Sedona two hours, which makes Scottsdale a comfortable base for discovering central Arizona.
Tourist map of Scottsdale: what's where?
The map below pinpoints the 6 places covered in this guide: a handy way to picture the distances between each stop and plan your route in Scottsdale.
- Old Town Scottsdale
- Taliesin West
- Cosanti
- McDowell Sonoran Preserve
- Pinnacle Peak
- Saguaro Lake
How much does a trip to Scottsdale cost in 2026? Budget calculator
Estimate your budget for Scottsdale based on your travel style: accommodation, meals, activities and local transport included (flights excluded). Adjust the length and the number of travellers, and the totals update.
Totals for all travellers over the chosen length; the daily amount is per person. Flights extra, indicative amounts to adjust depending on the season.
Cards are accepted everywhere, contactless included. Prices are shown before tax: allow about 8% extra on purchases and meals, more on hotel rooms, to which most resorts add compulsory fees. A tip of 18 to 22% is expected in restaurants, $1-2 per drink at the bar, and a few dollars a day for housekeeping.
Safety in Scottsdale: should you be worried?
Scottsdale is one of the safest cities in the Phoenix metropolitan area, and Old Town can be walked at night without difficulty, despite the noisy bar scene at weekends. Thefts from cars happen at trailheads: leave nothing on view. The main danger is the heat. From May to September, temperatures exceed 40°C, and hikes are done at sunrise with at least a litre of water per hour of walking; turn back when half the water is gone. Rattlesnakes are common on the trails from March to October, so stay on the path and watch where you put your hands. In July and August, monsoon storms and dust storms can cut visibility on the road: pull over onto the hard shoulder with your lights off. Cholla, cacti whose spines break off at the slightest touch, cling to shoes and calves: a comb helps remove them. Medical care is excellent but very expensive, so insurance covering the United States is essential.
Things to see and do in Scottsdale
Our first-hand favourites, and the great classics:
- Old Town Scottsdale
- Taliesin West
- Western Spirit
- SMoCA and Knight Rise
- McDowell Sonoran Preserve
- Pinnacle Peak Park
- Cosanti
- Salt River and Saguaro Lake
What to book before you go to Scottsdale →
🧭 Discover the Scottsdale itinerary, day by dayMap, timings, budget and where to stay: free to access, to fit your dates. Create my tailor-made itinerary →Old Town and the Arts District
The old centre can be explored entirely on foot in half a day: Western Spirit, the contemporary art museum and its James Turrell room, the adobe mission of 1933, the little red schoolhouse of 1909 and the shops of Fifth Avenue, then the galleries of Main Street and Marshall Way, open late on Thursday evenings for the ArtWalk. Scottsdale Stadium hosts the San Francisco Giants' spring training in February and March. In the evening, restaurants and cocktail bars cluster around Scottsdale Road.
Waterfront and the Arizona Canal
North of Old Town, the Arizona Canal, heir to the canals dug by the Hohokam, is lined with shaded paths for walking and cycling. Paolo Soleri's pedestrian bridge and plaza, inaugurated in 2010, serve as a giant sundial, with pylons aligned with the solstice sun. The Scottsdale Fashion Square shopping centre, one of the largest in the Southwest, is next door, with its department stores and restaurants. The canalside terraces are pleasant at sunset.
North Scottsdale: Taliesin West and the McDowells
20 minutes north-east of Old Town, Taliesin West occupies a hillside at the foot of the McDowells, and the McDowell Sonoran Preserve begins just above with the Gateway trailhead. The Kierland district and Scottsdale Quarter bring together open-air restaurants and shops, and the large golf resorts follow one another as far as Troon. For a Western evening, the town of Cave Creek, 30 minutes to the north-west, lines up saloons and steakhouses along its main street.
Pinnacle Peak and Troon
In the far north, granite replaces sand: Pinnacle Peak, Tom's Thumb and the boulders of the McDowell preserve attract climbers and walkers, between golf courses designed around the rocks. The Pinnacle Peak trail takes two hours at dawn, and the Troon North resorts offer the wildest views in the city. In the evening, the area's Western restaurants serve steaks and barbecue to the sound of country bands.
Paradise Valley and Camelback
Between Scottsdale and Phoenix, Paradise Valley is a small residential town of large estates and luxury resorts clinging to the slopes of Camelback Mountain and Mummy Mountain. You can visit Cosanti, Paolo Soleri's studio, and dine in the hotel restaurants with views over the lights of the valley. The climb up Camelback, on the Phoenix side, is done at sunrise from the Echo Canyon trailhead, a few minutes away.
Day trip: the Salt River and Saguaro Lake
45 minutes to the east along the Bush Highway, Tonto National Forest offers another side of the desert: a river lined with cottonwoods, wild horses around Coon Bluff, and Saguaro Lake, where you rent kayaks and paddleboards at the marina between red cliffs. In summer, people float down the river on inner tubes; in winter, they watch bald eagles. The outing can be combined with Fountain Hills and its fountain on the way back.
How many days, and which itinerary in Scottsdale?
Three days allow for Old Town, Taliesin West, a dawn hike and an afternoon by the pool. Five days add Cosanti, Pinnacle Peak, the Salt River and a day in Phoenix for its museums. Many travellers stay a week in winter for the sun and the golf.
🗺️ Day-by-day Scottsdale itinerary · 📓 Printable Scottsdale travel guide (PDF) · 🌍 Discover all of the American West
The long weekend (3 days)
Day 1: Old Town on foot, Western Spirit, lunch on Fifth Avenue, the contemporary art museum and Knight Rise in the late afternoon, dinner in the district. Day 2: a sunrise hike in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve from Gateway, a visit to Taliesin West in the late morning, the pool in the afternoon. Day 3: Cosanti and its bronze pour in the morning, Pinnacle Peak at the end of the day, a Western dinner in Cave Creek or in the north of the city. On a Thursday, add the ArtWalk in the evening.
Desert and relaxation (5 days)
The three weekend days, plus a day to the east for the Salt River, the wild horses early in the morning and kayaking on Saguaro Lake, and a day of rest at a resort with a spa, or a hot-air balloon flight over the desert at dawn. Add an evening in Phoenix for the Heard Museum or a game if the season is right. A hire car is essential.
Central Arizona (8 days)
Three nights in Scottsdale for Old Town, Taliesin West and the desert, then the road north on the I-17 motorway: two nights in Sedona, one night in Flagstaff and two nights at the Grand Canyon, before heading back down to Phoenix airport, 25 minutes from Old Town. Allow about 750 km in all, and book hotels in Sedona and at the Grand Canyon early in spring.
How to get to Scottsdale and get around?
Scottsdale is reached via Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, about 15 km from Old Town, 20 to 25 minutes by road. From Europe, Air France flies there non-stop from Paris-Charles de Gaulle in about 11 hours, several times a week; otherwise, you connect via London or an American city for 14 to 16 hours of travel.
From the airport, a taxi or rideshare costs about $30-45, or €26-39, to Old Town. There is no light rail in Scottsdale: the Valley Metro line runs through neighbouring Tempe, and buses are scarce away from the main roads.
Old Town can be explored entirely on foot, and its public car parks are free. The city runs free shuttles on weekdays on a few neighbourhood routes, mainly useful to residents. Rideshares are plentiful in the evening and let you go out without driving.
For Taliesin West, the McDowell preserve, Pinnacle Peak and the Salt River, a car is essential: the sites are 15 to 45 km apart. Hire costs €40-70 a day at the airport. Arizona does not observe daylight saving time: in summer, the city runs on Los Angeles time, in winter on Denver time.
Where to stay in Scottsdale?
Scottsdale is expensive from January to April, when the winter sun high season, baseball spring training and major golf tournaments fill the rooms. From June to September, the same resorts cost two to three times less, with almost empty pools and spas, but 40°C in the afternoon.
Old Town is the best choice for going out on foot in the evening: colourful boutique hotels, restored 1950s addresses such as the Hotel Valley Ho, recent chain hotels. You park the car for the evening and walk to the restaurants and galleries.
The large resorts stretch along Scottsdale Road and at the foot of the mountains: golf courses, pools with water slides, spas and several restaurants per property. Paradise Valley and North Scottsdale, around Troon, offer the finest views over the desert. Most add compulsory resort fees of $30-50 a night.
On a small budget, the chain hotels in the south of the city and along Scottsdale Road, or those in neighbouring Tempe, remain affordable, 10 to 20 minutes' drive from Old Town. Book early for February and March.
Our picks stop by stop, in three price ranges →
What to eat in Scottsdale?
Old Town has the highest density of good restaurants in the metropolitan area: steakhouses, modern Mexican cooking, chef-led restaurants and cocktail bars. Weekend brunch, on terraces cooled by misters, is a local ritual.
Southwestern cooking blends Mexican influences and desert produce: tamales, New Mexico green chile, prickly pear fruit in syrup and in margaritas, tepary beans. The Saturday morning farmers' markets, in season, bring together farmers and craftspeople from the region.
For a Western evening, the steakhouses of Cave Creek and the north of the city serve wood-grilled meat, beans and cornbread, often with a country band. The valley's dates and olive oils can be tasted in delicatessens.
Allow $20-30, about €17-26, for a Mexican meal or a brunch, and $60-120 in a good restaurant, excluding drinks and tip. Late-afternoon happy hours often halve the price of cocktails and small plates. Tap water is drinkable.
Which kind of traveller is it for?
Scottsdale lends itself to a relaxing, cultural and nature-focused trip. Whether you travel as a couple, with friends or even solo, everyone finds their own pace. For accommodation, you will mostly find resorts, classic hotels and boutique hotels.
Entry requirements & practical info
UK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
Rules change: before you leave, check your country's official travel advice.
Once there, to stay online without paying roaming charges, an Scottsdale eSIM activates in a few minutes and works as soon as you land (plans from €3.99). Remember suitable travel insurance too.
Frequently asked questions about Scottsdale
When is the best time to visit Scottsdale?
From October to April, with 20 to 30°C during the day and an almost permanently blue sky. February and March are the most popular months, with desert flowers, spring baseball and prices at their highest. From June to September, it is over 40°C, the resorts are heavily discounted and hikes are done only at dawn.
What is the difference between Scottsdale and Phoenix?
The two cities adjoin each other. Phoenix, the capital, has the big museums, the Heard Museum and the Musical Instrument Museum, and the business district. Scottsdale is smaller, wealthier and geared towards leisure: a walkable old centre, galleries, resorts, golf courses and direct access to the northern desert. Many travellers stay in Scottsdale and visit Phoenix during the day.
Do you need a car in Scottsdale?
For Old Town alone, no: everything can be done on foot. For Taliesin West, the McDowell preserve, Pinnacle Peak, the Salt River or Phoenix, yes, the distances are long and the light rail does not serve Scottsdale. Rideshares help out for evenings.
Can you visit Taliesin West without a reservation?
You can try your luck on site, but places are limited and the February and March slots go in advance. Book the audio-guided tour online, $44 from October to May, and the longer behind-the-scenes tour, several weeks before your stay.
Do you need a visa to visit Scottsdale?
Not for most European travellers, but an ESTA authorisation is compulsory, to be applied for online on the official US government website. It is valid for two years for stays of up to 90 days, with a biometric passport.
Where can you see wild horses near Scottsdale?
Along the Salt River, in Tonto National Forest, 45 minutes to the east, around the Coon Bluff and Phon D Sutton recreation areas. Come early in the morning, when the horses come down to drink, keep your distance, and get the Tonto Pass, required per vehicle at these sites.
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