Phoenix Travel Guide: Plan Your Arizona Trip
If you’re visiting Arizona, you’re most likely flying into Phoenix. It’s a city of suburban sprawl, scenic urban desert trails, fascinating history, museums, and easy day trips to some of the most striking landscapes in the U.S.
I’ve spent more than 25 years of my life living in the metro area, exploring the city and the places just beyond the city. This guide brings together my favorite discoveries in one place. Whether you’re planning your first visit or looking for a new weekend escape close to home, you’ll find plenty of ideas to help you make the most of your time in the Valley.
Phoenix Arizona Travel Guide
Phoenix, Arizona is part of the most beautiful desert in the world, the Sonoran Desert.
⏱ Travel Tip
The Sonoran Desert: Phoenix is part of the most beautiful desert in the world, the Sonoran Desert.
This unique landscape is a major draw for nature enthusiasts. It’s not just dust and heat. It’s wildflowers, dramatic mountain silhouettes, and the occasional roadrunner zipping across your path.What I love most about the city is that it is surrounded by mountains. There are mountains in every direction. My second favorite thing here are the sunsets. Arizona has the best sunsets. Sunsets here look like a watercolor painting set on fire. The one pictured below is the sun setting at Lake Pleasant in September.
Often referred to as “The Valley of the Sun,” and they’re not kidding. Phoenix sees more than 300 sunny days a year. So if you’re tired of gray skies, this is the place.
If you’ve never been to Phoenix this is your go-to guide. We’ll explain the best time of year to visit, how to navigate the metro area, your lodging options, where to park, unique places to eat, things to do in the metro area and the best day trips. Let’s go explore the Valley of the Sun!
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Best Time to Visit Phoenix
Originally published July 13, 2026— Last updated September 7, 2026
Hands down: Spring. March and April are the best months to visit. This is my favorite time of year. Wildflowers bloom, temps are perfect (think 70s and 80s), and everything from cactus blossoms to outdoor festivals are in full swing. Of course, spring is also the busiest season, so book your hotel, RV park or Airbnb early. October through March has nice weather as well.
Read the complete guide → When to Visit Phoenix – Weather by Month.
Travel Guide: How Many Days do You Need in Phoenix?
To see the main sights, plan for about 3 days in Phoenix. If you’re looking to explore areas outside of the metro area allow yourself 5 days.
Phoenix itinerary — 1, 2, 3 days
Top Things to Do in Phoenix
Some of the best attractions are found outdoors. The mountains surrounding the city provide endless opportunities for outdoor adventures. National Geographic voted the Valley as having some of the best urban hikes in the country.
Phoenix is easiest to enjoy when you choose activities that fit your interests and the season. You can hike in the Sonoran Desert, explore Native American history and culture, visit museums and gardens, or spend time in Phoenix’s historic neighborhoods.
History & Native American Culture
Places that help you understand Phoenix and the people who have lived here for thousands of years.
Looking for the full list? Read my guide to the best things to do in Phoenix → Things to do in Phoenix
Day Trips from Phoenix
One of the best things about Phoenix is that you don’t have to go very far to find your next adventure. Within a couple of hours, you can trade city streets for winding mountain roads, towering red rock cliffs, historic mining towns, or towering pine trees. These higher-elevation destinations are perfect for summer road trips when you’re ready for a break from the Phoenix heat. It’s one of the reasons I love living in Arizona.
Have one day? These are the trips I’d consider first.
- Apache Trail great if you’re looking for a scenic drive + history
- Jerome an old mining town on the side of a mountain
- Wickenburg for experiencing an Old West town
- Sedona for red rocks and hiking
- Tucson millions of saguaros, food, and history
- Prescott for a cool historic downtown and Whiskey Row
- Flagstaff pine trees and cooler weather.
- Casa Grande Ruins for ancient history
- Payson for cooler weather, creeks and waterfalls.
Read the complete guide → Day Trips from Phoenix
Weekend Getaways
Sometimes a single day just isn’t enough. That’s when a weekend getaway is the perfect excuse to unplug, slow down, and explore a different side of Arizona. The best part is that you don’t have to spend hours on the road to feel like you’ve taken a real vacation. Within a few hours of Phoenix, you’ll find mountain towns, red rock landscapes, peaceful lakes, charming main streets, and some of the state’s most unforgettable scenery.
Read the complete guide → Weekend Trips from Phoenix
How to get around Phoenix & Scottsdale
Where to Stay
Where you stay is going to be dependent on what you would like to be near. Phoenix is a major city so you’ll have plenty of choices in hotels, motels, resorts, Airbnb, and VRBOs.
Some popular areas to stay include downtown Phoenix, the Biltmore area, Scottsdale near Camelback Mountain or Kierland area, and Westgate in Glendale.
Food & Drink – Unique Places to Eat
If this is your first trip to Phoenix, then you’ve got to try Native American Fry Bread and Sonoran-style Mexican food. I might be biased, but I believe Arizona has the best Mexican food in the U.S. Some other unique to Arizona culinary choices include rattlesnake, prickly pear margaritas and prickly pear ice cream.
Often referred to as “The Valley of the Sun” or just “the Valley,” Phoenix is the capital city of Arizona. The city has retained a laid back atmosphere, flip-flops are worn nearly every day. Dress is casual in most restaurants. There is still an old west influence in this sprawling metropolitan city.
See our list of unique places to eat in the metro area. → Phoenix Restaurants
Phoenix Attractions & Annual Seasonal Events
The spring and winter months offer a variety of popular annual events. Some of the most well attended events include: Spring Training games, Waste Management Phoenix Open, and the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show to name a few. Phoenix Seasonal
Read the complete guide → Annual Seasonal Events in Phoenix
Parking in Phoenix
The majority of parking garages in Phoenix are located in the downtown area south of I-10 and between 7th Street and 7th Avenue. This will give you access to places such as the Phoenix Convention Center, Arizona Science Center, Children’s Museum of Phoenix, the Footprint Center to name a few.
Navigating the Metro Area
Phoenix might look like one city, but it’s actually a giant patchwork of communities all smooshed together. Everyone here just calls it “the Valley.”
Phoenix was built based on a grid system. It’s one of the easiest cities to navigate, once you understand the basics:
- Interstate-17 (Black Canyon Freeway) runs north-south. It is the main artery and first freeway built in Phoenix. If you’re east of it, you’ll find streets. West? You’re in avenue territory.
- Interstate 10 is a major artery running east and west. It connects Buckeye, Goodyear, Avondale, and through downtown Phoenix where it connects to I-17, State Route 51,
- State Route 101 loops around the city connecting the suburbs of Glendale, Peoria, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, and Chandler.
- State Route 202 or South Mountain Freeway connecting Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert.
- State Route 303 or Loop 303 connects the northern part of I-17 to I-10 on the west side of the valley.
- State Route 51, which is the prettiest major roadway in the metro area.
- U.S. Route 60 or Grand Avenue connects Wickenburg to Phoenix and out to Globe.
Maricopa County
Unlike other areas of the United States, Arizona has large counties. The Phoenix metro area is Maricopa County. Cities within this county blend together. Unless you are paying attention, you may not know when you leave one city and enter another one.
More than half of the population in Arizona lives in Maricopa county, so we have lots of urban sprawl here. Despite this, each city has a unique atmosphere.
The metro area includes (but not limited to) the cities of: Apache Junction, Avondale, Buckeye, Carefree, Cave Creek, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Surprise, and Tempe.
To give an idea of distance the city of Fountain Hills to Goodyear is around 50 miles. If you drove from the city of Surprise to Queen Creek it is about 65 miles.
Residents of all of these cities would say they are part of the metro area. The metro covers a large area and this is easiest to see from the air. If you’re moving here keep that in mind, you don’t want a two-hour commute.
Phoenix FAQ
1. Not drinking enough water
2. Visiting without a car
3. Underestimating drive times
4. Visiting in the summer to hike.
5. Not understanding how elevation relates to temperatures.
6. Thinking you can swim year-round.
For detailed month by month weather visit When to Visit Phoenix – Weather by Month.
Depends on where you live in the valley. I’ve lived here most of my life and have only seen one live scorpion in my house when I lived at the foothill of a mountain. Also, I always have lots of lizards in my yard. I’ve only seen rattlesnakes when hiking. If you live on the outskirts or near mountains you’re more likely to see them.
Not like it used to. It can be in the triple digits at midnight here in July.
Time stands till here. Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) doesn’t follow daylight savings time.
Old Town Scottsdale, Downtown Phoenix, or Tempe (Mill Avenue)
Phoenix Tours
- Book a Flight to Phoenix: The largest airport is Sky Harbor.
- Rent a Car: You can rent a car in Phoenix.
- Where to Stay in Phoenix: Choose from hotels, motels, resorts, Airbnb, VRBO and camp sites.
- Tours to Take in Phoenix
Adventurer At Heart
Amber is the writer behind Adventurer At Heart, sharing practical travel advice based on more than 25 years of exploring Arizona and traveling beyond it. She looks for places with a story, from desert trails and historic sites to scenic drives and towns worth your limited vacation time. When she’s not traveling, she’s gardening.
