Exploring urban Arizona: Tucson, Flagstaff, Phoenix and Scottsdale

The Grand Canyon State. Arizona’s nickname celebrates one of Mother Nature’s greatest spectacles – an epic expanse of fiery, river-carved rock that draws around 5 million visitors per year. But while the state is known for its natural wonders – canyons, lakes, saguaro-studded deserts – its cities sparkle just as brightly.

Arizona’s urban jewels range from Flagstaff, a quirky mountain town swaddled by the San Francisco Peaks, to Scottsdale, a desert oasis known for its mid-century Modern architecture and gallery-packed Old Town. Then there’s Tucson, a city soaked in Mexican heritage with one of the USA’s most distinct culinary scenes, and Phoenix, the state’s sprawling capital, whose cultural museums are among the finest in the country. Best of all, visitors can easily join up all four of Arizona’s urban blockbusters on a south-to-north road trip.

Tucson’s Mexican roots run deep. It’s thought that Indigenous peoples inhabited the region for thousands of years, long before the Spanish arrived and established Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón in 1775 (the 250th anniversary of its founding will be marked with events and concerts this month). Then, when Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, Tucson was absorbed into the country. It wasn’t until the Gadsden Purchase in 1854, when a swathe of Mexico was acquired by the United States, that it changed hands for the last time.

Today the city moves to a distinctly Mexican beat. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Barrio Viejo, a historic Mexican neighbourhood set to be designated a National Historic Landmark in 2025. The district, whose colourful Sonoran row houses line up like crayons in a box, preserves its Mexican heritage with restaurants such as El Minuto Cafe, which whips up traditional Sonoran cuisine. These old-school spots are now joined by artisanal coffee shops (such as EXO Roast Co), makers’ studios and galleries. It’s well worth ducking into Etherton Gallery, whose exhibitions focus on Southwestern photographers.

Teatro Carmen – a 1915-built Spanish-language theatre – is also currently being restored and is poised for a 2025 reopening.

The best way to get to grips with the neighbourhood is to take Borderlandia’s Tucson Origins Tour (borderlandia.org), which explores both Barrio Viejo and El Presidio. You’ll dive into the region’s Native American heritage (including the O’odham, Yaqui and Apache peoples), its Spanish colonial history and its enduring Mexican culture.

Another way to sample this distinct culture is with a feast. The city celebrates a decade as America’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy this year, a designation hinged on its use of heritage ingredients, from white Sonora wheat to fiery chiltepin peppers. Zio Peppe restaurant imaginatively mingles Italian and Sonoran cuisine (think arancini with corn and queso fresco), while pozole (a traditional Mexican stew) is on the menu at contemporary Tito and Pep.

Tucson’s Spanish Baroque-style Mission San Xavier Del Bac might be Arizona’s greatest architectural feat. Its ‘White Dove of the Desert’ nickname seems apt when you take in its soaring snowy towers, which shoot towards the sky as though they might take off in flight. The interior, meanwhile, is characterised by bold arches, biblical murals and gilded sculptures. This mission was established by Jesuit missionary Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who arrived on the lands of the Indigenous Tohono O’odham peoples in 1692 to spread the Catholic word. Today you can explore the church on a guided tour (patronatosanxavier.org) and purchase baskets, jewellery or fry bread from members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, who sell their wares in the plaza.

Art lovers should beeline for the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, the light-filled gallery and home of lauded Arizona artist Ted DeGrazia, whose works fill the adobe-style space. Pore over everything from oil paintings retelling tales of Spanish expeditions to depictions of missionary Father Kino.

North-west of Tucson, Scottsdale is another desert city with art and design in its bones. Take a wander around the Old Town, which heaves with galleries filled with Southwestern landscape paintings and boutiques selling handmade crafts and jewellery. A favourite is the Native Art Market, an Indigenous-owned store whose shelves are bright with turquoise jewellery and pottery. The store also regularly hosts performers, including hoop dancers (a Native American form of dance). Then head downtown to visit Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, where you’ll see a diverse collection of Western art alongside displays of spurs, saddles and cowboy hats.

Venture north of downtown to visit the quirky Cattle Track Arts Compound, an artists’ colony that has been a stomping ground for creatives since the 1930s. Visitors can wander the tangle of studios, chatting to potters, painters and printmakers, or catch an artist’s talk or concert.

Push further north still and you’ll happen upon Cosanti Originals, the whimsical studio and gallery of architect and bell founder Paolo Soleri. Take a guided tour to wander amid a labyrinth of arching, earthen structures (designed and built by Soleri using an elaborate casting method), ducking beneath chiming windbells as you go. The tour includes a chance to see modern founders work with molten bronze as they cast their own bells.

Soleri was a student of America’s most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, who left his own mark on the desert. Scottsdale’s crown jewel is Taliesin West, Wright’s desert home and studio, stooping in the wake of the McDowell Mountains. True to form, Wright was inspired by his surroundings, crafting the dwelling from local rock and sand and opting for canvas roofs that spill light throughout the spaces. Explore this UNESCO site with an hour-long self-guided audio tour.

Beyond its astronomical prowess (see ‘Did You Know’) and proximity to the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff has another claim to fame: it’s located on the original path of Route 66, the historic roadway that went from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, which celebrates its centenary in 2026. You can still drive stretches of the ‘Mother Road’ here. Or, for a further deep-dive, take a self-guided audio walking tour (download at flagstaffarizona.org/blog/walk-this-talk). You’ll hit sites such as the 1926-built Coconino Rowhouse and the Sierra Vista Motel, one of the earliest in the US, and hear tales of the Roaring Twenties.

Today the city’s Southside neighbourhood has modern nods to the highway, such as the Mother Road Brewing Company, a cool stop along the original route. Drop by for hoppy pale ales surrounded by Route 66-inspired artworks. The Museum of Northern Arizona, which is filled with displays exploring the human history and cultures of the Colorado Plateau, will mark the road’s centennial by opening the Wagon Road to Mother Road exhibit in November 2025. This will look at the highway’s impact on this region.

While it can be tempting to escape into Phoenix’s desert surroundings, travellers who spend time in the capital’s museums are richly rewarded. Begin at the Heard Museum, which celebrates the ingenuity of the Southwest’s Indigenous communities. Pore over intricate Apache basketry, see Navajo-crafted jewellery and take in examples of Hopi weaving, plus a collection of Hopi katsina dolls (traditional religious effigies).

Next, set your sights on the Phoenix Art Museum, which has burgeoned into the Southwest’s biggest art collection. This contains everything from fine Chinese ceramics to paintings by European masters (including Les arceaux fleuris, Giverny by Claude Monet), to the Thorne Rooms, a series of intricate miniature rooms that explore the interior designs of yore. Finish by stretching your legs at the Desert Botanical Garden. This al-fresco museum spotlights the biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert, with pathways fringed by agave and cacti.

Canyons and the cosmos in Tucson

Saguaro National Park’s mountains loom large over Tucson. Divided into an East and West District, the park is characterised by its skyscraping namesake cacti that typically grow up to around 15m tall. It was also designated an Urban Night Sky Place in 2023, on account of the super-dark star-spangled skies that stretch out just a stone’s throw from Tucson. Another must-visit is Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, east of downtown. Electric shuttles cruise through the saguaro-studded wilderness, while rugged hikes strike out to mountain and waterfall viewpoints.

A desert playground in Scottsdale

If you can tear yourself away from Scottsdale’s urban treasures, the McDowell Sonoran Preserve sprawls into the city’s backyard. Book onto a guided hike with the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy (mcdowellsonoran.org) and learn about the Sonoran Desert’s incredible biodiversity. Your guide will point out everything from prickly pear to fuzzy-looking cholla cacti.

Ancient cliff dwellings in Flagstaff

Lean into the region’s Indigenous heritage with a trip to Walnut Canyon National Monument, whose intricate cliff dwellings were carved by the Sinagua people more than 700 years ago. Follow the 1.6km Island Trail, a short but steep trek that plunges dramatically into the canyon and takes in the park’s historic pueblo homes along the way.

A mountain hike in Phoenix

Plenty of Phoenix city-breakers tackle the ascent to the summit of Camelback Mountain, the peak that lords it over Arizona’s capital. You’ve a choice of two trails – the Cholla and Echo Canyon Trail – and both are equally challenging. Still, the sweeping city vistas are well worth the trek.

Flagstaff was the world’s first International Dark Sky City (designated in 2001). The city is also home to the Lowell Observatory, one of the most historic astronomy centres in the USA. It was founded by lauded astronomer Percival Lowell, who is remembered for his pivotal role in the discovery of Pluto. Visit the observatory and you’ll see the very telescope with which the dwarf planet was first sighted, as well as the impressive Clark Refractor, that Lowell used to scour Mars for intelligent life. Last year also saw the opening of the Observatory’s brand new Discovery Center, which includes an open-air rooftop planetarium and interactive space-themed exhibits.

Stay here…

Built in the 1950s, Hotel Valley Ho is an enduring echo of an era when the Hollywood elite all holidayed in Scottsdale. Everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Humphrey Bogart came to bask in the desert sun, and the hotel retains plenty of mid-20th century glamour, with its palm-decorated pool deck and chic retro room décor (think popping orange furniture and low-slung wooden beds). Onsite restaurant ZuZu has a solid modern-American menu with plenty of Southwestern twists.

More information: hotelvalleyho.com

Perfectly capturing the retro spirit of Route 66, this long-serving motor lodge off the ‘Mother Road’ originally opened back in the 1960s; however, after years of dutifully welcoming road-trippers, it was given a sparkling facelift and reopened in 2023. Expect to find some bright and gloriously kitsch decor (right down to the disco balls and vintage-style art prints in the guest rooms) as well as a down-to-earth kitchen dishing up tacos and ceviche.

More information: americanamotorhotel.com

Opened at the end of 2023, this upscale hotel has already cemented its reputation as one of the capital’s finest. It offers a lesson in luxury, from its sumptuous mid-20th century-inspired rooms to a glittering lobby bar that buzzes at weekends. The onsite spa includes
cutting-edge treatments such as cryotherapy (cold exposure that purports a range of health benefits), and its culinary options run the gamut from Parisian-inspired steakhouse Le Âme to rooftop dining spot Théa, which accompanies its Mediterranean menu with stellar views of Camelback Mountain.

More information: globalambassadorhotel.com

Sprawling in the shadow of the Santa Catalina Mountains, this resort dates from 1929, when it began as a girls’ school whose register included famous names such as ‘Vanderbilt’. Almost a century on, this Spanish colonial-style property provides a luxurious base for those exploring the Tucson region, and it has retained historical features such as its wood-clad library, which is filled with antique books. Modern comforts include a spa, a restaurant whose windows frame mountain vistas and wood-beamed rooms, patterned rugs and art inspired by the surrounding landscapes.

More information: haciendadelsol.com

When to go

Time your trip for spring or autumn, when the heat of Arizona’s southern reaches has subsided but snow has yet to fall in Flagstaff.

Getting there & around

Airlines including British Airways (ba.com) and American Airlines (aa.com) operate direct flights from London Heathrow to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport from around £598 return, with the journey taking about 11 hours.

Renting a car and self-driving is the best way to get around Arizona, and it gives you the freedom to explore both the state’s cities and its wild spaces. A light rail system (Valley Metro Rail) operates in Phoenix, with stops including city highlights such as the Heard Museum.

Further reading & information

See visitarizona.com for state-wide information, or find further city-specific recommendations at: visitphoenix.com, experiencescottsdale.com, flagstaffarizona.org and visittucson.org.

The author’s trip was supported by the Arizona Office of Tourism.