Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley event weekends: what to do between sessions

Desert resort towns with mid-century houses and pools, home to Coachella, Stagecoach and Indian Wells tennis.

Events we cover in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley

Arriving

Palm Springs (PSP) is 10 minutes from downtown Palm Springs and 30 minutes from Indio. LAX is 2.5 hours.

Where to stay

Three hotels we would book

• Budget: Hampton Inn and Suites Indio
• Mid-range: Ace Hotel and Swim Club
• Splurge: Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort and Spa

Event weekends sell out early and prices rise as the date gets closer: book a cancellable room as soon as you know you are going.

Tours

Where to eat

• Cheeky's Brunch
• Shields Date Garden Date shakes
• Tyler's Burgers Burgers downtown

With kids

• Living Desert Zoo.
• Wet 'n' Wild Palm Springs.

Rainy-day backups

• Palm Springs Art Museum.
• Air Museum.

Free things to do

• Palm Canyon Drive and the Uptown Design District.
• VillageFest on Thursday nights.

Getting around

• You need a car or rideshare; festival shuttles run from hotels. April heat reaches 35°C.