Phoenix Travel Guide

Top PicksFrom AOL Travel Editors

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

Inside ScoopFrom Phoenix Locals

Phoenix with Kids: A Perfect Family Day

Alamy My family of five loves spending time in Phoenix. The kids are...Read More

5 Best Photo Opportunities in Phoenix

Lee Van Grack Arizona is home to beautiful deserts, rolling forests, and...Read More

Phoenix OVERVIEW

Tempe Town Lake

Phoenix CVB

Downtown Phoenix

Corbis

South Mountain

Phoenix CVB

Hot Air Expeditions

Phoenix CVB

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

Phoenix CVB

As the capital of the Grand Canyon State, Phoenix knows how to make a lasting impression on travelers, and it’s an ideal launching point for exploring the “beautiful wasteland” of Arizona. The city fully earns its reputation for oppressive heat and urban sprawl. But it suffers unfairly for being a mega city that happens to be surrounded on all sides by natural splendor: Nature-loving author Edward Abbey once described it as an “oasis of ugliness in the midst of a beautiful wasteland.” The landscape of sun-glinted rock, big blue sky and cartoonlike cactuses is a revelation—especially for those from colder climes. And the friendliness of Phoenix's residents—the Phoenicians, of course—belies its status as America’s fifth-largest city. Like the best American metropolises, Phoenix is a city where it’s easy to migrate between high culture and low. You can cocoon yourself within the grounds of a palm-canopied resort by day, then seek out cheap cerveza and Mexican grub and by night; conversely, ...See More you can check into a budget motel (or even a mountain-shrouded campground), then sally forth to sip cocktails with the buff and busty crowd. Hundreds of miles of public trails share desert terrain with luxury golf courses and spas. Native American museums display sacred art and artifacts, and Native American casinos showcase slot machines and card games. The city may suffer from a multiple-personality disorder, but it’s an agreeable one: Phoenix is less pretentious than L.A., more charismatic than Las Vegas. And despite Arizona's crackdown on undocumented residents (don't forget to pack your ID, especially if you have a tan), the state’s capital is intricately shaped by Hispanic culture.See Less

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BEST IN Phoenix TRAVEL

from our Editors

Royal Palms Resort and SpaWith 119 rooms, the Royal Palms is one of the smallest, most romantic resorts in Phoenix. Nestled at the foot of...
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Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Best Phoenix Nightlife (5) » Best Phoenix Shopping (4) »

Taliesin WestTaliesin West was the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright, America’s most famous architect. Wright constructed Taliesein...
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Phoenix Itineraries

Don't know where to go? Check out our 2 and 7 Day Itineraries to get an idea of what you could do in this great city!

2 DAY ITINERARY

1 Introduce yourself to the flora of the Sonoran Desert at the Desert Botanical Garden.
2 For lunch, dine on locally grown Mexico City street food at Gallo Blanco Cafe & Bar.
3 Learn about the history and culture of Southwestern American Indian tribes at Heard Museum.

FULL PHOENIX ITINERARY »

7 DAY ITINERARY

1 Introduce yourself to the flora of the Sonoran Desert at the Desert Botanical Garden.
2 For lunch, dine on locally grown Mexican street food at Gallo Blanco Cafe & Bar.
3 Learn about the history and culture of Southwestern American Indian tribes at Heard Museum.