5-Day Palm Springs Itinerary for Your Family Vacation

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Planning a vacation or long weekend getaway to Palm Springs and trying to figure out what to do? 

Check out my 5-day Palm Springs itinerary to assist you with your travel plans. 

This Palm Springs itinerary can be used as a guide for your family vacation and can easily be tweaked to meet your own family’s needs and desires. 

Additional bonus: I also included a 3 and 4-day Palm Springs itinerary below if that timeline fits your family’s needs better!

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Palm Springs Day 1: Arrival and Check In

On day 1, you will likely spend part of the day getting from the airport to your hotel or vacation rental accommodation and then getting settled in.

Additionally, the kids will likely want to check out the pool today especially after spending part of the day traveling. 

I suggest finding an easy lunch option that is either on-site at your resort or nearby. 

We were lucky enough to have a restaurant right at the pool area of the Marriott’s Desert Springs Villas where we stayed. 

DISCOVER THIS TOP FAMILY RESORT: Marriott’s Desert Springs Villas

After swimming and getting unpacked, this first day is a great time to drive to downtown Palm Springs to see what it has to offer.

I suggest heading downtown Palm Springs a little bit before dinner time and doing some exploring. 

Parking is free which is also a plus!

There are so many unique sculptures and photo opportunities downtown including Forever Marilyn, the 1968 Chevy Malibu, PS Love You, and so many more.

Also, make sure to check out the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.

Even more, downtown Palm Springs also has many great shops and restaurants. 

Palm Springs Day 2: Day Trip to Joshua Tree National Park

If you are traveling to Palm Springs from a different time zone, you will likely still be waking up pretty early on your first FULL day on West Coast time. 

This is why we chose to drive to Joshua Tree National Park on our first full day in California. 

EXPLORE JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK: Visiting Joshua Tree National Park with Kids

If you are planning to be in Joshua Tree past lunchtime, I would make sure you pack a picnic lunch as there are not any options for food inside of the park.

We had gotten there early enough and had a plan that enabled us to complete our visit to Joshua Tree National Park by about 1pm. 

As a result, we were able to stop and get lunch in Joshua Tree before heading back to Palm Springs.

For the rest of the day, the kids wanted some pool time. 

After the pool, we ordered carryout pizza to have on our villa’s balcony and enjoyed our golf course and mountain views. 

Palm Springs Day 3: Lower Palm Canyon Trail & Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

In the morning of our third day in the Palm Springs area, we hiked on the Lower Palm Canyon Trail. 

I would put this hike on your MUST DO list for your Palm Springs vacation. 

You will be blown away by this stunning hike, and the kids will have a great time doing it, too!

The great thing about this hike is that you can hike as far or as short of a distance as you want. 

Luckily, right at the beginning of the hike, you will see the beauty of this palm tree oasis so if you don’t want to hike very far, you can simply enjoy playing in the creek or picnicking under these amazing massive palm trees. 

The Trading Post is a great place to use the restroom and have a snack either before or after your hike. 

After hiking at Lower Palm Canyon Trail, we went back to our hotel for some downtime.

In the late afternoon we headed to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

This is another MUST DO for your Palm Springs visit.

FIND OUT: Everything You Need to Know for Visiting the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

You will be blown away by the views in the rotating tramcar.

Also, plan to enjoy lunch, dinner, or a snack at Mountain Station. 

Palm Springs Itinerary Day 4: Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

On day 4 of our trip to Palm Springs, we decided to visit the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens.

This attraction will take you about a half of a day. 

The kids loved the G-scale model train, and I personally relished in all of the plants in the garden areas. 

We also enjoyed visiting the wallabies and seeing the majestic giraffes.

After visiting the zoo, we headed back to our hotel for pool time.

Finally, we went out to dinner at Stuft Pizza Bar and Grill located at the Shops at Palm Desert. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT PALM SPRINGS ATTRACTIONS: Top Family Things to do in Palm Springs

Day 5: Palm Springs Air Museum and Departure

During the morning of our last day, we headed back downtown Palm Springs to visit some souvenir shops. 

We also had lunch at Tyler’s Hamburgers which was phenomenal.

Tyler’s Hamburgers is a very small restaurant so it can be difficult to find a table when it’s busy especially if you have a larger group like our family.

Additionally, most of the seating at Tyler’s Hamburgers is outside where there is no air conditioning.

This is something to consider in the heat of the summer. 

Finally, there are not any restrooms actually at the restaurant. You have to walk across the street to the restroom.

These are just a couple of things to know if you are planning to eat at Tyler’s Hamburgers. 

After spending some time downtown Palm Springs, we then headed to the Palm Springs Air Museum. 

This is a great attraction to visit on your day of departure if you are looking for something to do.

The Palm Springs Air Museum is located super close to the airport. 

We loved the Palm Springs Air Museum!

The kids enjoyed seeing all of the cool military aircraft.

They even have a delightful little snack shop if you are looking for a snack or beverage. 

If you have less than 5 days in Palm Springs, see some suggested itineraries below.

4-Day Palm Springs Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and downtown Palm Springs (or do the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)

Day 2: Joshua Tree National Park and/or Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Day 3: Lower Palm Canyon Trail hike and Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

Day 4: Downtown Palm Springs or the Palm Springs Air Museum

3-Day Palm Springs Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Day 2: Choose either Joshua Tree National Park, Lower Palm Canyon Trail, or the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens plus downtown Palm Springs in the evening

Day 3: Depending on departure time- Lower Palm Canyon Trail, Living Desert Zoo and Gardens or Palm Springs Air Museum  

Top Vacation Tip

My top tip when vacationing is to make sure you include a mix of sightseeing and downtime each day. 

However many days you are spending in Palm Springs, you should heed this advice as well!

Try to pick one attraction that is most important to you to do each day. 

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May you love your adventure. KW