El Paseo shopping guide

El Paseo runs about a mile through Palm Desert, parallel to Highway 111, and it is the closest thing the Coachella Valley has to a shopping street rather than a shopping centre. Galleries, independent boutiques, national labels and restaurant patios alternate along both sides, with public sculpture between them and the Santa Rosa mountains closing the view south.

How to walk it

Start at the Gardens on El Paseo, the open-air centre roughly in the middle, where the parking is free and structured. From there, walk east for the galleries and independents, west for the larger labels. The whole street takes about two hours at browsing pace. Sidewalks are wide and shaded in stretches, but there is no getting around the heat — from May to September, do not start before 5pm.

What is actually here

The strength of El Paseo is its galleries and its interiors shops: mid-century furniture, desert landscape painting, jewellery, and a rotating outdoor sculpture exhibition that changes every couple of years. Fashion runs from resortwear boutiques to a handful of designer names. It is not a bargain destination — for that, drive to Cathedral City's Perez Road for consignment and vintage furniture, or to Cabazon's outlets 25 minutes west.

Eat while you are here

Clementine Gourmet Marketplace & Cafe is the daytime stop for coffee and lunch. In the evening, Pacifica Seafood has a rooftop patio with live music, and Cuistot serves the best food on the street. Book ahead from January to April.

Season and hours

Most shops open around 10am and close by 5 or 6pm, which surprises visitors who plan to shop after dinner. Sundays are shorter, and August is genuinely quiet — several independents take two or three weeks off. High season, January through April, is when the street is at its best: full patios, art walks, and comfortable evening temperatures.