PHX · Layover Guide
Phoenix
Stop in Phoenix.
Best layover: 2–24h
LayoverScore™
Base city score. Your route score varies by savings and timing.
Exit realism
Comfortable window
Enough room in Phoenix for a real stop. Keep the buffer at the end anyway.
Landside playbook
If time slips
- Drop the last stop. Go straight to the train, taxi rank, or ride pickup you already chose.
- Add 15 minutes to map ETAs for the return leg at rush hour.
- One ticket for the whole trip protects you when the inbound is late. Separate tickets do not.
Worth knowing
- Do not stack three stops. One solid block in the city beats a rushed loop.
- Do not treat one map time as gospel for immigration lines. Pad on your first pass through this hub.
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Places to stay
Search hotelsLayoverScore™ breakdown
Score 66 · Discover 50 · Ease 7
Why Phoenix scores 66
Getting there
Valley Metro Rail $2 · Uber/Lyft $18
min to center
metro- 01Valley Metro Rail (35 min to downtown)
- 02Rideshare/Taxi (15-20 min to downtown)
- 03PHX Sky Train to 44th St station (free)
- 01Hike Camelback Mountain for panoramic desert views
- 02Explore Desert Botanical Garden's Sonoran Desert trails
- 03Visit Heard Museum for Native American art and culture
- 04Stroll Old Town Scottsdale galleries and southwestern shops
- 05Taste Sonoran hot dogs at El Güero Canelo
Experiences in Phoenix
Timed tours and tickets for Phoenix are listed on our partner site.
Open listingsOpens in a new tab.
- Compass Arizona Grill~60 min6 min walk
- Pizzeria Bianco~60 min9 min walk
- Heard Museum~90 min15 min walk
- Desert Botanical Garden~90 min56 min walk
- Roosevelt Row Arts District~75 min10 min walk
- Crescent Ballroom~75 min11 min walk
Need a room for your layover? Browse hotels near the airport.
Where to stay →Drop your luggage. Don't drag it around the city.
Bounce Luggage Storage
Downtown Phoenix partner locations
$6/bag
5 min walk
PHX Rental Car Center lockers
Rental Car Center via Sky Train
$10/day
15 min walk
Hotel Valley Ho Day Pass
Scottsdale
$75/day
0 min walk
From the terminal to the good part.
Valley Metro Rail
Downtown Phoenix
44th St/Washington station via free Sky Train
35 min
$2.00
Uber/Lyft
Downtown Phoenix
Pick up at Terminal curb
15 min
$18.00
Uber/Lyft to Scottsdale
Scottsdale
Old Town Scottsdale area
25 min
$25.00
Taxi
Downtown Phoenix
18 min
$28.00
Phoenix CityPASS
Desert Botanical Garden, Heard Museum, Phoenix Zoo, and more
Valid 9 consecutive days
$59
per day
Getting there
Get an Uber from the airportAt the airport
- 01Phoenix Sky Harbor Museum in Terminal 3
- 02Local Arizona restaurants throughout terminals
- 03Massage Envy spa services in Terminal 4
- 04Outdoor terrace with mountain views at Terminal 4
Read more about Phoenix
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