The Best Times to Visit Palm Springs for Beautiful Weather and Great Deals, According to Locals

Whether you want to lounge by the pool or take a scenic desert hike, these are the best times to visit Palm Springs.

On the hunt for a vacation destination where the sun shines almost all year long? Look no further than Palm Springs. Located about two hours from Los Angeles by car — so long as the traffic isn’t too bad — the Southern California desert town has long been a vacation paradise, beckoning travelers with spas, midcentury homes, and colorful chaise lounges lined up by innumerable glittering pools.

“Nine months out of the year, we have the best weather in the world, though I am a little biased,” Stella Adena, owner of Rancho Relaxo, told Travel + Leisure. Adena, who’s lived in Palm Springs for more than a decade, suggests that prospective visitors not overlook the destination's cool seasons. “The fall is particularly spectacular, because the temperature can drop 50 degrees between day and night. You can enjoy the pool year-round, and then at night hop into cozy sweaters for fireside relaxation.”

Palm Springs’ tourism seasons fall into three main categories:

• High Season: January to April

• Shoulder Season: September to December

• Low Season: May through August

No matter when you visit Palm Springs, though, you’re sure to have a great time.

“Palm Springs is a surprisingly small town, with major big-city vibes in terms of prominence in the cultural zeitgeist,” Adena said. “Ease and accessibility define a Palm Springs getaway. You can be up a mountain in the morning and enjoying a hot spring sauna by the afternoon. The landscape is otherworldly, so the pictures that define your memories will be jaw-dropping."

Ready to plot your Palm Springs getaway? Here’s everything you need to know about visiting this desert oasis.

Best Times to Visit Palm Springs for Smaller Crowds

More than 14 million people visit Palm Springs each year, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t times when you can find thinner crowds in the desert.

“Summers are actually amazing in the desert, in spite of the heat,” Adena said. “Crowds are minimal, and you can take advantage of off-peak pricing at resorts. Pools are plentiful to fight the heat, or you can make easy day trips to higher elevations to enjoy drops in temperature.” One of her favorite ways to cool down? “Taking the tram up to Mount San Jacinto.”

Greg Purdy, vice president of public affairs for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, agrees, and adds that both “Fall and summer are the slower seasons; I think October is the ‘undiscovered’ month here in Palm Springs.”

Best Times to Visit Palm Springs for Good Weather

The good news for warm weather seekers is that Palm Springs really is a great year-round destination, as the high temperature rarely falls below 70 degrees. However, things can get a little too toasty in Palm Springs for some, especially in the summer months, when the daily highs can hit over the six-digit mark. So, if you’re opposed to sweating it out, it may be a good idea to book a trip in the fall, winter, or spring.

“The best weather in the greater Palm Springs area is from October through May,” shared Liz Ostich, owner of Farm Palm Springs, Tac/Quila, Clandastino, and Front Porch. “Some people don’t think of October through mid-December, so that is a perfect time to visit and beat the crowds while enjoying temperate weather.”

Best Times to Visit Palm Springs for Lower Prices

Palm Springs is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to common high and low seasons. In this destination’s case, for the lowest prices on hotels and flights, plus the potential to snag those harder-to-get restaurant reservations, it’s best to travel in the summer months. However, if you’re averse to the heat, or looking for even steeper deals, you can always try booking a mid-week trip during the other seasons. Even during the busiest stretches of the year, hotels tend to have more vacancies mid-week, and they sometimes offer deals to travelers willing to stay Monday to Friday.

Best Times to Visit Palm Springs for Festivals

Palm Springs has a number of stellar events to attend throughout the year. That includes the famed Palm Springs Film Festival, held over the winter months (in 2024, the event will take place from January 4 to 15), as well as Palm Springs Pride, held annually in the fall to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community.

Travelers also make their way to Greater Palm Springs for several well-known music festivals, including Coachella, which brings together some of music’s biggest stars over two weekends every April, and Stagecoach, a festival packed with country music’s best artists, who perform across the two weekends after Coachella.

But you don’t really need to plan your visit around these well-known festivities to attend a party in the Palm Springs area. That’s because every Thursday the town hosts VillageFest in Downtown Palm Springs, shutting down Palm Canyon Drive to vehicles so pedestrians can roam the fair, digging into delicious eats, listening to live bands, and toasting to a vacation well spent alongside locals.

Worst Times to Visit Palm Springs

Again, the best part of Palm Springs is the fact that there really is no bad time to visit. As mentioned previously, the weather in the summer can get downright sweltering, so that's an important note to keep in mind. If you do come during the summer, be prepared to do your preferred activities in the very early morning hours, or close to sundown when the temperatures get a little more manageable.

“The winter months in Palm Springs provide an escape for folks who live in cold climates, but there really isn’t a season that I don’t enjoy our weather,” Purdy said, "as long as my air conditioner keeps working.” 

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