Arizona
Phoenix is the American desert city that learned to live outdoors on its own terms: a Valley of the Sun ringed by saguaro-studded mountain preserves you can hike from a hotel lobby, a museum scene far deeper than its resort reputation suggests, and a winter season so reliably golden that the whole country migrates here between November and April.
This guide books it properly — sunrise on Camelback Mountain before the heat and the crowds, the Desert Botanical Garden by day and by luminaria light, the Heard Museum's Indigenous art, a musical tour of every country on earth at the MIM, Frank Lloyd Wright's desert laboratory at Taliesin West, and a hot-air balloon over the Sonoran Desert at dawn — then sends you east to the Superstition Mountains and the Apache Trail. Then it matches you to the right base, from the Arizona Biltmore's 1929 concrete-block grandeur to Scottsdale's midcentury pool scene and Tempe's walkable college-town energy, because in a metro this spread out, where you sleep decides how much of the desert you actually see.
Desert Botanical Garden
Fifty-five acres of the world's deserts against the red buttes of Papago Park — saguaro forests, wildflower loops, a butterfly pavilion in season, and the luminaria nights that light the trails each December. Phoenix's single best introduction to the Sonoran Desert.
Musical Instrument Museum (MIM)
Instruments from every country on earth, each with video of it being played that plays in your headset as you walk up — plus a hands-on gallery and the artist rooms of Johnny Cash, Prince and more. The museum that surprises everyone who goes.
Camelback Mountain (Echo Canyon and Cholla Trails)
The Valley's signature summit, rising from the middle of the city — a short, steep, boulder-scrambling climb to views across the whole metro. Hard, popular and unforgettable at sunrise; never in the afternoon heat.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West
Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home, studio and desert laboratory in the McDowell foothills — rubble-stone walls, canvas-light rooms and a UNESCO World Heritage site you can tour by audio guide, behind the scenes or on a golden-hour hike.
Fifty-five acres of the world's deserts against the red buttes of Papago Park — saguaro forests, wildflower loops, a butterfly pavilion in season, and the luminaria nights that light the trails each December. Phoenix's single best introduction to the Sonoran Desert.
Instruments from every country on earth, each with video of it being played that plays in your headset as you walk up — plus a hands-on gallery and the artist rooms of Johnny Cash, Prince and more. The museum that surprises everyone who goes.
The Valley's signature summit, rising from the middle of the city — a short, steep, boulder-scrambling climb to views across the whole metro. Hard, popular and unforgettable at sunrise; never in the afternoon heat.
Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home, studio and desert laboratory in the McDowell foothills — rubble-stone walls, canvas-light rooms and a UNESCO World Heritage site you can tour by audio guide, behind the scenes or on a golden-hour hike.
The country's finest museum of American Indian art, in a Spanish Colonial Revival building with courtyards and fountains on Central Avenue — katsina carvings, contemporary Native art, a powerful boarding-school history and a major spring art market.
Red sandstone buttes in the middle of the city, with a five-minute scramble to a wind-carved window framing the Phoenix skyline. Free, easy and best at sunset — the Valley's favorite low-effort view.
A walkable square mile of Western storefronts, galleries, patios and public art — ArtWalk on Thursday evenings, the Western Spirit museum, the canal-side waterfront and the Valley's busiest dining and nightlife district.
The Southwest's big encyclopedic art museum on Central Avenue — American Western painting, Asian and European collections, fashion design, the beloved Thorne Miniature Rooms, and pay-what-you-wish Wednesday evenings.
Drift over saguaro forests and desert washes as the sun comes up behind the mountains — a guided flight of about an hour with transport to the launch site and a celebratory toast on landing. Sunset flights run in the cool season.
The Southwest's largest aquarium, in the desert off Loop 101 — penguins, otters, sea lions, sharks and a stingray lagoon, plus helmet diving and penguin encounters. The Valley's best hot-day or rainy-day family pick.
A huge warm rainforest conservatory filled with free-flying butterflies, next door to OdySea — watch new butterflies emerge, catch a weekly release, feed the koi and leave with a butterfly on your shoulder. Gentle, calm and beloved by small children.
More than 16,000 acres of desert mountains inside the city limits — over 100 miles of trail, Hohokam petroglyphs, and a scenic road to Dobbins Lookout for the classic sunset view over Phoenix. Free, vast and underrated.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Biltmore Area / Central Phoenix
The Jewel of the Desert since 1929 — patterned Biltmore Block architecture with Frank Lloyd Wright's fingerprints, several pools including the historic Catalina Pool and a triple waterslide, and the bar that claims the Tequila Sunrise.
Check rates →Paradise Valley / Camelback Mountain
Casitas stepped up the north slope of Camelback Mountain in Paradise Valley — an infinity pool facing the valley, an Asian-inspired spa with a Zen garden, and the elements restaurant and Jade Bar for sunset. The Valley's most romantic hideaway.
Check rates →Old Town Scottsdale
Scottsdale's 1956 midcentury-modern icon on the edge of Old Town — Hollywood history, a buzzing pool scene, ZuZu lounge, a spa and 241 rooms with retro style and modern comfort. Walk to galleries, patios and nightlife.
Check rates →Downtown Phoenix / CityScape
Downtown Phoenix's stylish base in the CityScape complex — a third-floor pool deck with the Lustre rooftop bar, Blue Hound Kitchen and Cocktails, Kimpton's evening social hour, and the arena, ballpark and light rail at the door.
Check rates →Downtown Tempe / Mill Avenue
A palm-shaded courtyard hotel a block from Mill Avenue in downtown Tempe — a rooftop pool with Valley views, an easy walk to Tempe Town Lake and ASU, and the shortest hop to the airport of any hotel in this guide. Strong value.
Check rates →Scottsdale Road / Central Scottsdale
A playful, midcentury-inspired Scottsdale hotel with a grassy pool courtyard, lawn games and live music — neon signs, bright doors and photogenic corners at a friendlier price than the big resorts. Marriott Bonvoy points apply.
Check rates →North Scottsdale
A 65-acre North Scottsdale resort with around 750 rooms and suites, Spanish Colonial courtyards, family pools, a destination spa and Christmas at the Princess, next door to the TPC Scottsdale course that hosts the WM Phoenix Open.
Check rates →Old Town Scottsdale
A stylish 177-room hotel in the walkable heart of Old Town Scottsdale, with a rooftop lounge, an outdoor pool, a desert-toned design inspired by Camelback and a stylish restaurant downstairs.
Check rates →Old Town Scottsdale
A practical, good-value base in Old Town Scottsdale: 126 roomy rooms with sofa beds, a pool, a 24-hour guest kitchen and breakfast included for World of Hyatt members on eligible rates, all within walking distance of the galleries and Fashion Square.
Check rates →Tempe / ASU
A playful 140-room hotel on Apache Boulevard beside Arizona State University, decorated in Southwest kitsch with Seventies flair, with a pool, a food hall and light rail to Tempe Town Lake and downtown Phoenix at the door.
Check rates →Tempe / Near Sky Harbor
A resort literally built into a rocky butte three miles from Sky Harbor, with two mountainside pools, a kids waterslide, the Narande Spa and the hilltop Top of the Rock restaurant overlooking the whole Valley.
Check rates →Mesa Riverview
A resort-style hotel steps from Sloan Park, the Chicago Cubs Spring Training home, with heated pools, a sports bar overlooking the water, free parking and easy freeway access to Tempe, the airport and the Superstitions.
Check rates →Downtown Phoenix
Downtown Phoenix's big-city landmark since 1976: 24 floors and 693 renovated rooms beside the convention center and sports venues, crowned by The Compass, a revolving restaurant with sweeping Valley views.
Check rates →Downtown Phoenix
A calm, modern tower hotel on Central Avenue with floor-to-ceiling windows, a heated pool terrace over downtown, Westin Heavenly Beds and light rail right outside, steps from the convention center and Chase Field.
Check rates →Sky Harbor Airport
A recently renovated budget-friendly airport hotel with a free Sky Harbor shuttle, loft-style rooms, a pool and the W XYZ bar, a short walk from the S'edav Va'aki archaeological site and close to light rail.
Check rates →The orientation every first-timer needs — how the metro fits together, the sun rules that shape every day, what to book ahead, the essential experiences in order, and the mistakes that waste a Phoenix trip.
A three-day plan built around the sun — a desert-and-museum day, a mountain-and-architecture day, and a balloon-or-Superstitions finale — with Old Town evenings and the swaps for families and couples.
The base decision that shapes a Valley trip — five areas compared for walkability, resort life, budget and driving time, with this guide's hotels placed and matched to trip types.
What makes Valley food distinctive — Sonoran-style Mexican cooking, desert ingredients, patio culture and resort dining — and how to eat well across Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe without a reservation scramble.
Month-by-month guidance for the Valley of the Sun — the golden November-to-April season, the big winter events from luminarias to spring training and the Phoenix Open, and how to handle summer heat.
How to hike the Valley safely and well — the major trail systems compared, which hike suits whom, heat and water rules, parking strategy, and the current closures and conditions for 2026-27.
