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Travel guide
Phoenix
5 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: February to April, October to November
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Welcome
Phoenix, in a few days
Arizona's capital spreads its 1.6 million people across the Sonoran Desert, between brown mountains bristling with saguaros that you climb at dawn before the heat sets in. Its museums tell the story of Native American peoples and the music of the world, and its neighbourhoods of brick and murals come alive on the first Friday of the month.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 3 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 1 thing
- D4 Day 4 1 thing
- D5 Day 5 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Desert Botanical Garden · 2 to 3 hAmong the red buttes of Papago Park, over 50,000 desert plants of 4,800 species along five trails through saguaros, agaves and ocotillos, lit by thousands of paper lanterns in December.
- Afternoon · Camelback Mountain free · 2 to 3 h round tripThe camel-shaped peak above Arcadia, 824 metres high, climbed at dawn by the steep Echo Canyon trail or the gentler Cholla trail for a view across the whole valley.
- Late afternoon · Heard Museum · 2 to 3 hFounded in 1929, a museum of Native American art from the Southwest, with Apache baskets, Pueblo pottery, Navajo jewellery and 437 Hopi katsina dolls, set around Spanish-style patios.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Palomar Phoenix ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€190 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Phoenix Art Museum · 2 to 3 hThe largest art museum in the American Southwest, with over 20,000 works spanning European, Western, Latin American and contemporary art, a fashion collection and the doll's-house Thorne Miniature Rooms.
- Afternoon · Roosevelt Row free · 2 to 3 hThe arts district north of downtown, with murals on almost every wall, galleries and bars in 1920s bungalows, turning into a free street party on the first Friday of each month.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Palomar Phoenix ↗€190 a night
D3
Day 3
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · South Mountain Park free · half a dayA 6,600-hectare city park covered in saguaros, with a winding road up to Dobbins Lookout for sunset over Phoenix and more than 160 km of trails past Hohokam petroglyphs.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Palomar Phoenix ↗€190 a night
D4
Day 4
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Musical Instrument Museum · 3 to 4 hMore than 7,500 instruments from over 200 countries and territories, each showcase bringing its music to life through headphones and video, plus a gallery where you can play them yourself.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Palomar Phoenix ↗€190 a night
D5
Day 5
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Superstition Mountains · half a day to a full dayA volcanic wall rising above the desert an hour east, tied to the legend of the Lost Dutchman's gold mine, with saguaro trails and the steep Siphon Draw climb to the Flatiron.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Burgers and barbecue: brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
- Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl: the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
- Mexican food: tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
- Pancakes and weekend brunch: a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
- Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €155 a day, mid-range
Best seasonFebruary to April, October to November
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping15 to 20%, expected
Emergency911
EntryUK, 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.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail. In the desert parks, the heat is the real risk.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/phoenix
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.