The Phoenix City Guides answer what every visitor to the Valley asks: which strip-mall taco counter is worth the drive, which desert hike to start at dawn, where to watch the sun go down over the city and which small stage to end the night at. Each guide is a short, opinionated list with the reason to go, what to order or book and one practical tip per place, and it opens in your browser the moment you pay.
About the Phoenix City Guides
- 143 places
- 6 guides
- 13 languages
- Works offline
- Print or PDF
- Instant access
- Free updates
The six Phoenix guides
Food guide
24 places
Taco trucks and Sonoran-style street food, Native American fry bread, the wood-fired pizza that made Phoenix famous, soul food and smoked brisket that sells out early.
Things to do guide
23 places
Frank Lloyd Wright’s desert studio, a Hohokam village over 1,000 years old, dawn hikes with the Valley below and cactus gardens lit up on winter evenings.
Family guide
21 places
A lagoon park with paddle boats and a little train, a children’s museum in an old school, dinosaurs, an aquarium and a butterfly dome for rainy days and easy family meals.
Nightlife guide
26 places
Tiki and late-night cocktail bars, small stages for indie, punk and jazz, brewery patios, sunset terraces in the hills and food after the show.
Day trips guide
24 places
Ghost towns and saguaro forest on the Apache Trail, a paddle-wheel cruise on Canyon Lake, cliff dwellings, red-rock Sedona and long days to Tucson and the Grand Canyon.
Budget guide
25 places
Free trails and sunset spots, a free museum in the old capitol, filling plates for little money, museum deals and the transit trick that makes the airport ride cheap.
Why an interactive guide beats a list
Tick places off
Mark each place as done and watch your progress, so you always know what is left.
Your own notes
Write notes on any place and add your own finds. They stay on your phone.
One tap to Maps
Every place opens in Google Maps, and the day route puts your picks in a sensible order.
Open now, near me
Filter by what is open right now or what is closest to you.
Works offline
Open the guide once with a connection and it keeps working without data.
Print it or save as PDF
On a computer, print any guide or save it as a PDF to take with you.
Three places from the guides
Pizzeria Bianco
Adams St, downtown
The wood-fired pizzeria that gave Phoenix a reputation for pizza: a thin, charred crust and a lively tomato sauce. Ask for the Wiseguy with fennel sausage and onion. From the food guide.
Desert Botanical Garden
Papago Park, Galvin Parkway
Kilometres of trails through cactus, agave and desert flowers, with the red buttes of Papago Park behind. Winter is the season, and in November and December the paths glow with luminarias at night. From the things to do guide.
Crescent Ballroom
Downtown, 308 N 2nd Ave
The mid-size room locals rate highest, with touring indie, rock and hip-hop acts, good sound and a stage that still feels close. Grab tacos from the cantina before the doors open. From the nightlife guide.
Plan your days in Phoenix
Day one: stay downtown and along Central Avenue, with museums from the things to do guide in the morning, lunch from the food guide and a gig on Roosevelt Row from the nightlife guide. Day two: hike at first light with the budget guide, spend the late morning in Papago Park, then drive up to a lookout for sunset and end at a brewery patio. For a slow or rainy day, the family guide’s aquarium, butterfly dome and museums keep you indoors, and the day trips guide has Sedona or the Apache Trail ready when you want the open desert.
Questions about the Phoenix guides
What do the Phoenix City Guides include?
Six guides with 143 places in total: food, things to do, family, nightlife, day trips and budget. For each place you get why it is worth going, the area, notes on opening times and a practical tip.
How do I receive the guides once I have paid?
The links show up on your order page straight after payment and in the confirmation email. They open in any browser on a phone or laptop, with no app and no account.
Can I use the guides offline in Phoenix?
Yes. Open each guide once while connected and it keeps working without a signal, ticks and notes included, which helps on desert trails. Map links need mobile data.
What languages are the guides available in?
The guides open in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. You can switch the language inside the guide at any time.
Is it possible to buy only one guide?
Yes. One guide is $5.99, two are $10.99, four are $18.99 and the full set of six is $23.99.
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