Phoenix Travel Tips. An article sharing travel tips about visiting Phoenix. How to get there and more…

Mark Ford

It’s a pleasure to have you here searching for Phoenix travel tips. Arizona’s state capital Phoenix lies in the northeastern Sonoran Desert, south of the Grand Canyon.. With well over 4 million people, this is the state’s largest city and one of the most populated cities in the USA. Welcome to the Valley of the Sun, where it is always warm and where nature stands out from the landscape like a camel in a desert. Start out in the central Arts District. Here, the coffee and tea houses in between the galleries and boutique stores are a good place for breakfast. Looking out over the city is the carefully preserved Wrigley Mansion, a place for fine dining in a modern, or antique setting.

For a musical journey through time, treat your ears to the Musical Instrument Museum on the northern edge of Phoenix, it is stacked from floor to ceiling with African drums, guitars from the Middle East and unusual South American instruments. MIM is also a tribute to some of America’s finest artists. Back near the Salt River, the Pueblo Grande Museum And Archaeological Park gives an insight into the lives of the Hohokam people. These Native Americans shaped this city some 1,500 years ago by digging irrigation canals to the river.

Phoenix Travel Tips – How To Get From The Airport To Phoenix

Phoenix is served by Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport, located around 3 miles from the city. The airport is the largest and busiest in Arizona with over 45 million passengers coming through every year. When looking for Phoenix travel tips and how to get from the airport into the city as smoothly as possible, you have a couple of options, so let’s look at them now. 

Train

Flights to Phoenix

The cheapest way of getting from the airport to Phoenix is by train. To get from the airport to the nearest train station at 44th Street/Washington hop on the free Sky train from the airport that takes around 10 minutes. Then pay the $2 fee to use the Valley Metro Rail to get you in around 20 minutes from the Phoenix airport to Downtown Phoenix. 

Taxi

The quickest way is by grabbing one of the taxis that are readily available outside the arrivals hall. A taxi will get you into Phoenix from the airport in around 10-15 minutes and it costs between $15-20. 

Phoenix Travel Tips – How To Get Around Phoenix

When searching for Phoenix travel tips and how to get around the city you have two options that are your best bet. Let’s have a look at those two options below. 

Phoenix

Light rail

Phoenix is served by an extensive light rail system operated by Valley Metro Rail. With over 38 stations and more planned to be built in the future, it serves over 50.000 passengers every day and will get you around town the cheapest and most efficient way. A single ticket costs $2 and you can buy an all-day pass for just $4. 

Taxi

Regular taxis are available all over town and Uber also operates in Phoenix. The latter is your best bet if you want a cheap ride that you can book from your phone. 

Best Places To Stay In Phoenix

When looking for Phoenix travel tips and some of the best places to stay in Phoenix, there are a wide variety of great options. Phoenix is beautifully located in the desert and is a massive city, some neighborhoods are better than others to stay for visitors, so let’s see which those areas are. 

Downtown Phoenix located in the heart of the city is the cultural and historic hub. Here you’ll find everything from government buildings, skyscrapers, historic squares and cool boutiques. Primarily the area is dedicated to business, finance and government and once quit gray because of it – the downtown area of Phoenix has had an upswing thanks to its many museums and galleries where artists gather their creative work of art. 

Recommended Hotel: Rodeway Inn Downtown Phoenix

Scottsdale

Scottsdale is situated a 25 minute drive northwest of downtown, it’s a separate city home to over 200.000 people that has merged together with Phoenix over the years. This area holds some of the best nightlife packed with great bars, nightclubs and some of the best restaurants in Phoenix. This is a great place to stay if you want to live in a suburban feel that offers great nightlife. 

Recommended Hotel: Howard Johnson by Wyndham

Biltmore District is one of the coolest areas in Phoenix known for its old school vibe combined with high end shopping. It offers a great variety of shops and hip restaurants. The most legendary landmark is the Arizona Biltmore Hotel that’s been open since 1921 and welcomed Hollywood stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope and Fred Astaire back in the day. This one of the coolest hotels you can stay at with a spectacular pool, cabana bar, great restaurant and lounge. 

Recommended Hotel: Arizona Biltmore Hotel

What To Eat In Phoenix

The Phoenix and Arizona food scene might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of great food, but it’s actually quite underrated. When searching for Phoenix travel tips and looking for places to eat there are a few restaurants that stand out and you just have to visit while in Phoenix. Let’s dig into those right now. 

Pizzeria Blanco is a long running pizzeria downtown that serves incredible pizzas baked in a wood fire oven. The restaurant is cozy and affordable with some of the best pizzas you can get in Arizona. 

Photo: Rito’s Mexican Food

Hana Japanese Eatery is the go-to place for sushi in particular and japanese food in general. This is on the top of the list of any foodie blog and will perhaps not make your wallet happy, but the taste buds and stomach will be laughing all the way to the bank when eating here. 

The Stand has some of the best burgers you’ll find in Phoenix. Thick, tender and juicy burgers served with cheese, onions and sauteed japaneos. Add a banana shake to the order and you’re good to go. Best burgers in town. 

Green New American Vegetarian is your best bet if you’re vegan and looking for great food in Phoenix. This place offers classics like burgers, wings and chili cheese fries all vegan style. No animals were harmed making the food but your taste buds can’t tell the difference. Great vegan food.

Rito’s Mexican Food has the best mexican burritos in Phoenix. And the biggest. This place is a classic, it’s been around since the 70’s and the recipe has been the same ever since. Get here when you’re hungry because you’re guaranteed to leave completely full. 

Top 7 Experiences You MUST Have In Phoenix

1. Desert Botanical Garden has over 50.000 plants coming from all across the world. On the visit here you can walk a series of trails
   

   Desert Botanical Garden

   that presents incredible desert wildflowers and there’s also a butterfly exhibition starting in March to the middle of may. This is a nice place to relax, meditate and soak in the beauty of nature. 

2. Heard Museum is the best place to learn about indigenous tribes in Arizona. The museum was founded in 1929 and has award winning exhibitions that display the lives of native american tribes that lived in Phoenix back in the day. 
3. Taliesin West is the headquarters of Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Wright was a famous architect and the Taliesin West was built in 1937 with organically made materials from the desert to coexist with the environment. It’s a cool place to visit if you like architecture and to visit the house you book a tour beforehand. 
4. Camelback Mountain is a 825 meter mountain that got its name because of its resemblance to a camel’s back. A hike up the mountain is not for the faint of heart, but if you love the outdoors and are looking for a challenge with the reward of an incredible view of the city, this is it.
   

   Taliesin West

5. Phoenix Zoo has native animals from the desert such as coyotes, bobcats, cougars and turkey vultures. It also hosts African animals like lions, giraffes, cheetahs and gazelles. The Asian part of the zoo is represented by orangutans, tigers and spider monkeys. Great fun for the family. 
6. Phoenix Art Museum was opened in 1959 and hosts modern art such as Picasso, Alexander Calder, Georgia O’Keeffe, Henry Moore and Henri Rousseau along with European renaissance and imperialist paintings – the Phoenix Art Museum is high quality.
7. Papago Park is a desert landscape across Phoenix and Tempe that offers golf courses, massive fishing lagoons, picnic areas, sports facilities, huge hills and incredible sandstone formations. It’s close to the Botanical Garden and Phoenix Zoo and well worth a visit while there to soak in the incredible nature. 

Phoenix Travel Tips Video

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