The Complete Scottsdale Arizona Travel Guide
Overall vibe of Scottsdale:
The vibe of Scottsdale is California meet the desert, kind of like Palm Springs. It’s sunny, hot, dry and there’s palm trees, cacti and beautiful flowers everywhere. Scottsdale has an upscale vibe with incredible restaurants, luxurious resorts with dreamy pools, beautiful homes and great shopping. There’s also great hiking, day trips and nature close by.
I’ve been to Scottsdale probably 7 times and I fall more in love with it every time. My husband and I spent 2 months living there during the pandemic (we started calling it happyville because it’s so easy to be so happy all the time there) and we actually got married in Scottsdale. I LOVE the sunshine, nature and beautiful homes.
I’m so excited to share all of my favorite places with you - this blog has been year’s of joy in the making!!!
Pinnacle Peak Hike
Quick Guide to Scottsdale:
Overall vibe: sunny, palm trees, cacti, upscale vibe, incredible restaurants, luxurious resorts, dreamy pools, shopping, hiking, nature adventures
How long to stay: 3-4 nights
Where to stay: old town Scottsdale
Getting around: rent a car if you want to adventure outside of the main part of town (which I highly recommend)
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Where to stay in Scottsdale
The best area to stay overall is old town Scottsdale. You’re close to shops, restaurants, coffee and it’s a good central point to adventure from.
There are tons of amazing Airbnb’s in Scottsdale…you shouldn’t have any issues finding one. This is one we’ve stayed at and loved - it has an amazing backyard with a pool and the location is good.
Super Fun Home in the ❤️ of Old Town, Pool & Games
The Scott and Hotel Adeline were our wedding hotels and we loved them both.
The Scott: The design of this hotel is absolutely amazing!! The pool is so relaxing and the bar, Canal Club, is a really good spot for drinks. I do have to say that the service was a total shit show when we stayed for our wedding but they did make it up to us and it was worth it for the location and magical atmosphere. I’m guessing it was just a bad time with staffing and it’s probably better now.
Hotel Adeline: A more budget friendly option than The Scott but still a great option! A lot of our wedding guests stayed here and loved it.
I’ve also heard great things about these hotels (the locations aren’t right in the heart of old town but they’re a little more upscale/luxury resort vibes):
I’ve also stayed at the Camby a few times and it’s a a good option if you want to be in central Phoenix. I used to go there for work trips when I was an actuary, before becoming an intuitive life coach.
How long to stay
3-4 nights would be what I’d recommend. Don’t go mid-June through the end of September. It’s monsoon season (tons of rain) and it’s super hot temperatures. Pretty much any other time of the year is sunny and beautiful weather.
Getting around
If you stay in old town Scottsdale, you can walk to all of the restaurants but I’d definitely recommend getting a car to go hiking and adventuring outside of the main part of town!
Best restaurants in Scottsdale
Breakfast/Brunch:
Kaleidoscope Juice (Instagram: @kaleidoscopejuice): really good smoothies and juice.
Jojo Coffeehouse (Instagram: @jojo.coffeehouse): super cute, really good breakfast spot.
The Montauk (Instagram: @themontaukaz): good spot for brunch or happy hour right in the heart of old town Scottsdale.
Shmooze (Instagram: @schomoozescottsdale): good breakfast spot with amazing patio.
Lunch:
Herb Box (Instagram: @theherbbox): healthy, really really good lunch spot. It’s one of my FAV restaurants in Scottsdale. I love the Korean Fried Cauliflower, la la lavender cocktail and the Chicken Avocado Chop Salad but everything is really good.
La Grande Orange (Instagram: @lagrandeorange): this is a cafe, mini grocery store and boutique all in one! The lunch and coffee and really good and it’s such a fun spot to hang out. It’s also a good spot for dinner for pizza.
The Gladly (Instagram: @thegladly): The Gladly is in central Phoenix but it’s worth venturing to. They’re famous for their chopped salad and it’s SO good…and really pretty ;)
The Gladly
Dinner:
Chelsea’s Kitchen (Instagram: @chelseaskitchen): really good American(ish) restaurant with the most beautiful patio!!
Sushi Roku (Instagram: @sushirokuaz): great sushi place with really fun vibes! We saw Heather and Tarek from Selling Sunset when we went but I hadn’t watched it yet so I didn’t know who they were!
The Henry (Instagram: @thehenryrestaurant): really good American restaurant!! My favorite is the kale salad but everything is good. This is where we had our wedding rehearsal dinner!
Diego Pops (Instagram: @diegopops): trendy, super cute taco spot!!
Toca Madera (Instagram: @tocamadera): upscale Mexican restaurant with great food and drinks. The interior is absolutely stunning!!
The Parlor Pizzeria (Instagram: @theparlorpizzeria): REALLY good pizza in Phoenix!! I loved the Fungi pizza and Theodore drink.
Citizen Public House (Instagram: @citizenpublichouse): upscale new American restaurant with great food and drinks, in the heart of old town Scottsdale.
Bourbon and Bones (Instagram: @bourbonandbonesaz): go here if you want a fancy steak dinner!
Olive and Ivy (Instagram: @oliveivyrm): good Italian restaurant with a magical patio along the canal in old town. The food is just okay but the patio is amazing. I’d recommend just getting a drink and maybe an appetizer on the patio then eating somewhere else above.
Bars:
Outrider Rooftop (Instagram: @outriderrooftop): rooftop bar near old town with nice views!
AZ88 (Instagram: @az88_thebar): best martini bar in old town! It’s a really fun vibe!
The Canal Club (Instagram: @thecanalclubaz): trendy cocktail bar in The Scott Hotel! LOVE this bar!
Culinary Dropout (Instagram: @culinarydropout): casual bar with games and American bar food!
Postino Wine Cafe (Instagram: @postinowinecafe): cute wine bar with tons of yummy bruschetta flavors!
Best coffee shops
Echo Coffee (Instagram: @echocoffee.shop): my favorite coffee shop of all time!!! they seriously make the best cup of coffee!!!!
La Grande Orange (Instagram: @lagrandeorange): this is a cafe, mini grocery store and boutique all in one! The lunch and coffee and really good and it’s such a fun spot to hang out. It’s also a good spot for dinner for pizza.
Cartel (Instagram: @cartelroastingco): good coffee right in old town Scottsdale.
Provision (Instagram: @provisioncoffee): cute coffee shop between Scottsdale and Phoenix.
Best things to do in Scottsdale Arizona
Shop/walk around old town: There’s tons of restaurants and shops and it’s a cute area.
Walk along the canal: A good place to start is right behind P.F. Chang’s at the corner of Camelback Rd and N Scottsdale Rd. Walk towards the little bride that goes over the canal, in the direction of Olive & Ivy.
Walk around neighborhoods and look at homes: My favorite street to walk on was N 66th Street between Camelback Rd and the canal (East Indian School Rd). 6600 N 68th St is a good spot to start then walk all the way down 66th towards Camelback Rd (or wander down any of the other streets around here). The homes are SO beautiful!
Go hiking: See below for the best hikes in and near Scottsdale!
Rent A Boat at Canyon Lake: You’ll be amazed at how beautiful this lake is for being in the desert. The water is a beautiful blue and it’s surrounded by stunning canyons. I HIGHLY recommend spending a day here on a boat! There’s also a hike (Boulder Canyon Trail) right near the lake if you really want to have a full adventure day and start with a hike and then go boating.
Canyon Lake
Canyon Lake
Pool day: If you stay at any of the resorts above, you’ll definitely want to do a pool day! If you get an Airbnb, I highly recommend trying to find one with a pool!
Explore Downtown Gilbert (also known as Heritage District): Cute downtown area with shops and restaurants 30 minutes from Scottsdale.
La Rose Nail Boutique (Instagram: @larosenailboutique): This is where I got my nails done for our wedding and they did a great job.
Go to Sedona: Sedona is a magical town with huge red rock mountains and amazing vibes 2 hours north of Scottsdale. I’d recommend adding a few days onto your Scottsdale trip to go. You can find my complete Sedona travel guide here.
You could also do a spa day, horseback riding, rent ATVs, hot air balloon, ride a helicopter to the Grand Canyon! I don’t have any personal recommendations but I’ve heard there are great options in the area.
Best hikes near Scottsdale
Camelback Mountain (Echo Canyon Trail): Most popular hike right in the heart of Scottsdale. It’s 2.5 miles with 1,420ft of elevation with 360 degree views of Scottsdale/Phoenix from the top. It’s short but very steep and intense. I’d wear wear hiking boots (these are my fav) because it’s a little slippery in sneakers. Try to go at sunrise if you can - it’s so worth getting up early! It’s really crowded and the parking lot fills up fast - I’d avoid going on the weekend or holidays!
Camelback Mountain
Piestewa Peak: Another short, hard hike (2.1 mi; 1,148ft elevation) right in the heart of Phoenix. I’d do Camelback over this one but this one is good if you’re looking for another one super close by or you want something a little less intense.
Tom’s Thumb: 4 mile hike about 30 minutes from Scottsdale. It’s less busy and is overall a great hike. It’s hard but not as intense or steep as Camelback.
Barnhardt Trail Waterfall: This 6 mi (1,541ft elevation) hike is near Payson, about 1.5 hours from Scottsdale. It’s a beautiful hike with a mini waterfall and epic views the whole way. We got lunch after at Duza’s Kitchen, a super cute cafe about 20 minutes from the hike!
Pinnacle Peak: Pretty chill, nice 4 mile hike (1,033ft elevation). It’s another busy one but the convenient location close to Scottsdale is nice.
Boulder Canyon to Viewpoint: 5 mile (1,092ft elevation) moderate trail right by Canyon Lake. It’s a really cool hike because you can see the lake and canyons from up above.
Google Map of All Scottsdale Recommendations
I saved all of my recommendations for you in the map below to make it super easy to get around! Here’s the full link so you can save it: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1UjhyhqUBQeANareLxj9ILt2N3lj2eZs&usp=sharing.
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