Things to do in El Paso
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit El Paso
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather, warm days and cool nights, prime hiking, climbing and patio conditions.
Worst heat, often over 100 F. Hiking is dawn only and White Sands glare is punishing at midday.
Mild and underrated winter, 50s to 60s F days and cold nights, cheap hotels outside Sun Bowl week.
Monsoon storms can bring sudden downpours and flash flood cautions in arroyos. Never hike a wash with storms building.
What's on
- Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl late December, traditionally Dec 31
Second oldest bowl game in the US, founded 1935, with parade and Fan Fiesta. Hotels price up.
- WinterFest Nov 21 to Jan 3
Downtown ice rink, lights parade, holiday markets, Plaza Theatre films and a New Year's Eve Star Drop.
- Dia de los Muertos parade and celebrations around Nov 1
Altars, floats and community art downtown and around Concordia Cemetery.
- El Paso Chihuahuas season April to September
Triple-A season at Southwest University Park with fireworks and theme nights.
- Fall festivals and Best of the Border season October
Fall festivals, Third Thursdays art nights and Party on the Plaza in the year's best weather month.
Best things to do in El Paso
Franklin Mountains State Park
Huge desert mountain park inside the city, with the Aztec Cave Trail and Scenic Drive for Rio Grande Valley views.
El Paso Mission Trail
Three working adobe missions from the 1600s and 1700s, ending in San Elizario with galleries and a presidio chapel.
San Jacinto Plaza
Central downtown plaza with the alligator statue, the natural pick for a walkable day in the core.
El Paso Museum of Art
Free museum strong on border and Southwestern art, with Leo Villareal light installations.
El Paso Museum of History
Free history museum a few blocks from the art museum, known for its interactive DIGIE wall of community photos.
La Nube STEAM Discovery Center
New downtown discovery center for children and science, listed among the core family draws in the centre.
El Paso Streetcar
Free restored vintage streetcars running a 4.8 mile loop through Downtown and Uptown.
Plaza Theatre
Restored 1930 atmospheric theatre with a Wurlitzer organ, hosting concerts, Broadway tours, comedy and film.
Where to stay in El Paso
Downtown
first trip, couples, anyone without a car
Museums, Plaza Theatre, ballpark, streetcar and landmark hotels within a few blocks, the only happy on foot base.
Westside / Upper Valley
families, golf and mountains trips, calmer stay
Leafier side of the Franklins near west side trailheads and Sunland Park, with space and parking if you have a car.
Airport / Airway Boulevard
one night stops and early flights
Cluster of airport hotels minutes from ELP and Butterfield Trail, functional rather than a sightseeing base.
Eastside (Cielo Vista / Zaragoza corridor)
visiting family nearby or Hueco Tanks at dawn only
Cheap chains and closest to Hueco Tanks, but long drives back to downtown dining and sights and a freeway feel.
Think twice about
- Segundo Barrio, Chamizal and the border crossing fringe
Essential to visit in daylight for murals and history, but almost no visitor hotels and streets feel empty and under lit after dark.
- Lower North Mesa motel strip, University to Sunland Park Drive
Cheap, poorly kept and less secure budget motels. Lodging improves noticeably on Mesa north and west of Sunland Park Drive.
- Alameda Avenue, Lower Valley and Northeast motel strips near Fort Bliss
Ageing motels with small savings over a decent downtown or Westside hotel in a cheap hotel city, so the trade is not worth it.
- Downtown fringe north of Mesa and the Paisano corridor
Dimmer streets and vacant properties outside the lit core. Walk the core, garage park and rideshare back late at night.
Best restaurants in El Paso
L&J Café
Operating since 1927 by Concordia Cemetery, voted best Mexican food locally for green chile enchiladas and carne asada.
Elemi
Modern Mexican flagship built on handmade heirloom corn tortillas and inventive tacos, led by a Beard nominee.
Taconeta
Downtown taqueria praised for its tempura mushroom taco and tres leches, with counter service and serious cooking.
Kiki's Mexican Restaurant
Locals' favourite for brisket machaca smothered in green chile and cheese, plus crab tacos and daily specials.
Cattleman's Steakhouse at Indian Cliffs Ranch
Huge expertly cooked steaks and family style sides on a working ranch, voted best dining experience locally.
Café Central
Downtown's century old fine dining room for prime steaks and Continental cooking, the classic pre theatre dinner.
Anson Eleven
Two level downtown restaurant by the Plaza Theatre, bistro below and upscale dining room above, good before a show.
Taft-Díaz
Contemporary Mexican restaurant inside Stanton House, repeatedly listed among the city's best new rooms.
Outdoor things to do in El Paso
Butterfield Trail Golf Club
Tom Fazio par 72 course near the airport, the consensus best public round in El Paso at about 40 dollars.
Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course
27 hole desert course against the Franklin Mountains, praised for fast tiered greens and mountain scenery.
Ascarate Golf Course
Cheap 18 hole local course by Ascarate Lake for a casual, beginner friendly round.
Underwood Golf Complex
Semi-private par 72 complex at Fort Bliss offering good value golf for a spare afternoon.
Aztec Cave Trail
1.2 mile moderate climb to a cool cave with sweeping views over the Rio Grande Valley.
Ron Coleman Trail
Hard 5.9 mile traverse of the Franklins with panoramas north to UTEP and south across Juarez.
El Paso Tin Mines Trail
6.6 mile history hike to early 1900s tin mine workings at Mundy's Gap, with wildflowers in season.
Chuck Heinrich Memorial Park
Urban trailhead park whose desert trails feel out of the city within minutes, start of the Tin Mines hike.
Best hotels in El Paso
Hotel Paso del Norte, Autograph Collection
Grand 1912 Trost landmark with a stained glass dome bar and rooftop pool, the best overall splurge in the city.
The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
1930 Art Deco boutique tower, once a Hilton, with Ambar restaurant and top guest ratings downtown.
Stanton House
Sleek art filled downtown hotel, home to Taft-Diaz, the most contemporary of the three luxury pillars.
Hotel Indigo El Paso Downtown
Well run downtown hotel with rooftop pool and bar and desert border design, the sensible mid range default.
Courtyard by Marriott El Paso Downtown/Convention Center
Reliable mid range hotel in the walkable core by the convention centre and Museum of Art.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel El Paso Downtown
Reliable downtown hotel by the convention centre, noted by local guides for its 7th floor lounge.
Aloft El Paso Downtown
Social loft style downtown hotel with good bar energy for groups in town for a game or festival.
Gardner Hotel
Historic downtown budget stay with Dillinger era lore, basic, central and cheap.
Is El Paso expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $140 a person |
| Splurge | $300 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Plaza Theatre: weeks ahead
- Southwest University Park: a few days ahead
- Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site: weeks ahead
- Butterfield Trail Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site: weeks ahead
- Cattleman's Steakhouse at Indian Cliffs Ranch: a few days ahead
- Elemi: weeks ahead
- Cattleman's Steakhouse at Indian Cliffs Ranch: a few days ahead
- Hueco Tanks tours at least a week ahead by phone and day permits reserved. No walk up assumption.
- Reserve Elemi and Cafe Central dinners, Plaza Theatre headliners and downtown hotels in Sun Bowl and WinterFest weeks.
Is El Paso safe?
- El Paso is among the safest large US cities. Main visitor risk is vehicle break ins, so lock the car and leave nothing visible.
- Desert hiking is the bigger risk: no shade, heat and wildlife. Start early, carry far more water than you think and share your plan.
- Juarez only on a reputable guided daytime tour with a passport. Do not drive a rental across or cross independently at night.
El Paso travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Judging the city from the I-10 corridor, spending Mesilla time at outlet malls, and driving to Hueco Tanks unbooked.
- Eating only downtown hotel or chain Mexican food. The best rooms, L&J, Kiki's, Elemi and Cattleman's, need a short drive.
Getting around El Paso: public transport and more
- Rent a car at ELP for most itineraries. A downtown weekend can work car free with the free streetcar, walking and rideshares.
- El Paso is on Mountain Time, an hour behind the rest of Texas. Downtown to airport is about 15 minutes, Hueco Tanks 45 to 60.
Who El Paso suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make El Paso your trip
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