Old Town Scottsdale
Old Town Scottsdale is the Valley's most concentrated walkable district for nightlife, galleries, boutique shopping, and dining, and it also sits close to the resort and golf corridor that runs through north Scottsdale. It's a natural fit for travelers who want to leave the car behind for evenings out and who are prioritizing a resort or golf-focused trip.
It sits farther from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport than some Phoenix or Tempe lodging options, so factor a longer airport drive into your planning if you're flying in and staying here. It also tends to run at a higher price point during the Valley's busy winter and spring season, when both the golf and general tourism calendars overlap.
Downtown Phoenix
Downtown Phoenix centers on the city's sports, convention, and arts scene, with venues, a growing dining and bar district, and proximity to museums and the state capitol area. It suits travelers whose trip revolves around a specific event, conference, or an urban city-break style visit rather than a resort or desert-nature focus.
It's also closer to Sky Harbor Airport than Old Town Scottsdale, which can matter for a shorter trip or one bookended by early flights. Downtown is less centrally located relative to the Camelback-area hiking trails and the Scottsdale resort corridor, so weigh that tradeoff if outdoor activities are a bigger part of your plan than the city's urban core.
The Camelback Corridor
The area around Camelback Mountain, sometimes described loosely as the Camelback corridor, sits roughly between downtown Phoenix and Old Town Scottsdale and includes a mix of resorts, residential neighborhoods, and shopping districts. Its central location makes it a practical middle-ground base if your trip mixes elements of both cities -- a golf round one day, a downtown Phoenix event the next.
It also puts you within a reasonably short drive of family-friendly Papago Park attractions -- the Phoenix Zoo and the Desert Botanical Garden, both on Galvin Parkway inside the park -- as well as the Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak hiking trailheads themselves. That combination of central location and proximity to both hiking and family attractions makes it a common pick for visitors who don't want to commit fully to either city's identity.
One planning caveat if the trailheads are why you're choosing this area: the City of Phoenix closes them in extreme heat. On any day the National Weather Service issues an Extreme Heat Warning, Camelback Mountain's Echo Canyon and Cholla trails, the Piestewa Peak Summit trail and its associated trails, and four South Mountain access points -- the Holbert, Mormon and Hau'pal Loop trails plus National Trail access from the Pima Canyon trailhead -- close from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In 2024 that meant 45 closure days between May and mid-October. Phoenix also rates both Camelback trails Extremely Difficult, with steep grades, uneven footing, and no shade, and more than 200 hikers are rescued from City of Phoenix preserves each year. A summer stay here means hiking at dawn or not at all -- check the city's trail status before you drive to a trailhead.
Tempe
Tempe sits close to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which makes it one of the more convenient bases for a short trip or one bookended by early flights, and its role as home to Arizona State University gives it a livelier, more walkable core than many other airport-adjacent areas, with its own restaurant and bar scene along Mill Avenue and around Tempe Town Lake.
It's a reasonable central point for day trips as well, though it sits a genuine drive from both Old Town Scottsdale's nightlife district and the Camelback-area hiking trailheads, so it works best for travelers prioritizing airport convenience and a college-town atmosphere over proximity to those specific attractions.
Who Each Area Suits
Old Town Scottsdale suits travelers focused on resort golf, nightlife, and a walkable evening scene. Downtown Phoenix suits event, conference, and sports-driven visits, plus travelers who want an urban city-break feel. The Camelback corridor suits families and hikers who want central access to Papago Park attractions and the marquee mountain trailheads without committing fully to either downtown scene.
Tempe suits travelers prioritizing airport convenience and budget, along with anyone drawn to a college-town atmosphere along Mill Avenue. None of these areas is a wrong choice on its own -- the right pick depends mainly on which parts of the Valley -- golf, hiking, downtown events, or airport access -- matter most for your specific trip.
Day-Trip Access from Each Base
Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and the Apache Trail and Superstition Mountains are all reachable as day trips from anywhere in the Valley, since the drive time difference between basing in Scottsdale, Phoenix, or Tempe is generally a modest fraction of the total trip rather than a major factor. The interstate and highway corridors connecting the Valley to these destinations run through the north and east side of the metro area regardless of exactly where you're staying.
That said, a base on the Camelback corridor or in Scottsdale tends to shave a little time off trips heading north toward Sedona, Flagstaff, or the Grand Canyon, since those routes generally start from the northern side of the Valley. Whichever base you choose, check current drive-time estimates and road conditions before a day trip, since desert highway conditions and seasonal traffic can shift the actual travel time.