What to See in Downtown Tucson

When I first went looking for things to do in Tucson, I was mostly trying to fill the hours around a travel conference. I wasn’t renting a car, and I assumed I’d see a little of downtown, eat dinner, and spend the rest of my time at the convention center.

I was wrong about the “little” part. I followed a turquoise line through historic streets, hopped on a free streetcar, ate a Sonoran hot dog, and rode an e-bike through Saguaro National Park.

Tucson gave me much more than I expected, especially for a city I’d barely thought about visiting before.

Start With These Tucson Favorites

1. Get out among the saguaros at Saguaro National Park

The Saguaro National Park e-bike tour was the best thing I did in Tucson. Picture riding through the desert with giant saguaro cacti all around you. Some have arms sticking out in every direction, and they’re so much bigger up close than you expect.

And riding an e-bike was fun all by itself. We practiced in the parking lot first, which I appreciated because those bikes had some power! Once I got used to the assist, I was happily pedaling along, getting a boost up the hills instead of huffing my way through them. We rode the Cactus Forest Loop in Saguaro East with a small group and two guides.

But mostly, I was just excited to be out there riding through a landscape I’d only seen in pictures.

If cycling doesn’t appeal to you, driving the loop is another way to see it, and the park’s hiking suggestions can help you pick a trail that suits your time and energy.

Saguaro National Park has two districts on opposite sides of Tucson. My bike tour was in Saguaro East. The west district is the side to consider if you’re also planning the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum or Gates Pass. The east and west districts aren’t close together, so check the drive before putting both in the same day.

This is the tour I took. Saguaro National Park East E-bike Tour. For more on the route, the small group, and what it felt like riding solo, read my full Saguaro bike tour review.

2. Follow the Turquoise Trail through downtown Tucson

Downtown Tucson is easy to explore on foot. There’s a turquoise line painted right on the sidewalk that takes you past historic buildings, murals, and other downtown sights. I just followed the line and stopped whenever something looked interesting.

You can start anywhere you find the turquoise line. The main starting point though is at the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum, 196 North Court Avenue, where you can pick up a paper map with information about the stops.

The route is a loop of about 2.5 miles, so you can walk it in a couple of hours or take longer if you stop for food, photos, and a look inside the buildings. Check the Presidio Museum’s Turquoise Trail page for map and guided walk options.

I walked it on my own, which was easy to do. If you’d rather have someone explain the history as you go, look at the Presidio Museum’s guided walks or this downtown Tucson walking tour.

You could walk the Turquoise Trail in the morning, grab lunch, and use the streetcar for the afternoon. The Trail covers several of the downtown stops below, so there’s no need to plan a separate trip to each one.

3. Wander through Barrio Viejo’s adobe streets

Barrio Viejo was one of my favorite parts of Tucson. Its colorful adobe homes have thick walls, flat roofs, and painted doors right along the sidewalk, with courtyards tucked behind them.

Many date from the late 1800s and early 1900s, when this was a busy working-class neighborhood. Sadly, much of it was demolished for the convention center and other development, but you can still walk through the remaining historic streets.

Head toward Stone Avenue, Sixth Avenue, and 18th Street to find Five Points. The five giant steel arches celebrate the surrounding historic neighborhoods.

While you’re here, grab breakfast at 5 Points Market & Restaurant nearby. Or continue down Sixth Avenue to Ruiz Hot Dogs, which had the best Sonoran hot dog I ate in Tucson. You’ll find both in my downtown Tucson food guide.

4. Find Tucson’s colorful murals is one of the fun things to do

Murals are everywhere in Tucson. How many? A local mural guide from Tucson Murals lists more than 500 across the city!

One of the spots I saw was the parking lot surrounded by murals near Congress Street. That’s Rock the Spot, in the Pueblo parking lot at 3 West Congress Street. The walls around it are covered with work by different artists, so you can see several murals in one stop. Artists repaint sections during Rock the Spot events.

The huge cowboy mural at the top of this post is Los Vaqueros, painted by Ignacio Garcia on the east wall of the Tucson City Court building at 103 East Alameda Street, near Sixth Avenue. It was created for the Tucson Rodeo’s 100th anniversary in 2025. If you saw three enormous cowboys looking down over downtown, that’s the one.

Another one to look for now is Joe Pagac’s Desert Colossus, a 153-foot saguaro painted on the Transamerica building at 177 North Church Avenue. I was there just as it was being finished which was pretty exciting.

Between that and the real saguaros out in the national park, you’ll have no shortage of cactus photos from this trip.

You can find these on your own, or book this downtown Tucson mural walking tour if you’d like someone to show you the locations and explain the artists’ work.

5. Stop at Hotel Congress

You’ll recognize Hotel Congress by its huge neon sign. But here’s the part you’ll want to tell someone later: when the hotel caught fire in 1934, some guests asked firefighters to save their unusually heavy suitcases. Those guests turned out to be members of John Dillinger’s gang.

Hotel Congress is still a hotel, with places to eat and drink. Even if you don’t go inside, it’s worth passing on your downtown walk and taking a look at that sign.

6. Visit the Transportation Museum and old train depot

The Southern Arizona Transportation Museum is at the historic Southern Pacific depot, 414 North Toole Avenue, right near Hotel Congress. Admission is free, and you can see the indoor exhibits and the outdoor locomotive on the same visit.

The railroad first reached Tucson in 1880 with the present depot opening in 1907 and is still used by Amtrak.

Inside, look for historic photos, railroad memorabilia, lanterns, and even china and silverware used on passenger trains.

Outside, you’ll find Southern Pacific steam locomotive No. 1673, built in 1900. It spent much of its working life in southern Arizona and also appeared in the movie Oklahoma!

By the tracks there are bronze statues of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Their connection to Tucson comes from the 1882 killing of Frank Stilwell near the old depot, after the fighting in Tombstone.

This is an easy stop to combine with Hotel Congress. Check the museum’s hours before you go if you want to see the indoor exhibits too.

7. Step inside St. Augustine Cathedral

Even if you don’t usually visit churches when you travel, take a look inside St. Augustine Cathedral at 192 South Stone Avenue.

The painted details are so realistic that I kept looking twice to see what was actually three-dimensional.

The technique is called trompe-l’œil, French for “deceive the eye.” Artists use shading and perspective to make a flat painted surface look as though it has depth. So some of the decoration that appears to be carved or raised is actually paint. It’s really impressive up close.

The church’s roots go back to a presidio chapel built in 1776, but the building you see today has been rebuilt and changed several times since then.

8. See the Pima County Historic Courthouse

You can’t miss the courthouse’s colorful tiled dome at 115 North Church Avenue. Go inside too. The building now houses the Southern Arizona Heritage & Visitor Center which feels like a small history museum with free exhibits about Tucson and the surrounding area.

On the second floor, visit the restored Dillinger Courtroom, where John Dillinger was arraigned after his capture in Tucson in 1934. If you’ve already stopped at Hotel Congress, this is where that story continues.

If you want a longer museum visit, consider the Tucson Museum of Art or the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum.

9. The Sinner’s Shrine is a unique thing to see in downtown Tucson

The Sinner’s Shrine, also called El Tiradito, was one of the most unusual stops I found in Barrio Viejo.

Local legend tells of a man killed after a love affair went wrong, who couldn’t be buried in consecrated ground. The story has several versions, but the shrine built in his memory is still here, with candles and messages left by visitors.

The shrine is easy to miss if you don’t know to look for it in the first place.

10. Ride the free streetcar to go around downtown Tucson

The free Sun Link Streetcar connects downtown with Fourth Avenue, the university area, and the Mercado district. I used it whenever I wanted to go farther than the blocks around my hotel.

I’d ride west to the Mercado San Agustín for its courtyard, shops, and food, then look around the nearby MSA Annex.

Fourth Avenue is another useful streetcar stop if you want more browsing and a different stretch of town to explore.

The streetcar is wonderful for the central districts, but it won’t take you to Saguaro National Park.

11. Explore Mercado San Agustín

Take the streetcar out to Mercado San Agustín, especially if you’re hungry. The shops and restaurants face a pretty courtyard with tables outside.

I liked Seis Kitchen enough to eat there twice, and La Estrella Bakery is right across the courtyard if you want something sweet afterward.

Before choosing a day to come over, check the Mercado District events calendar. The district hosts markets, music, and seasonal events, with many of the larger gatherings happening at the nearby MSA Annex.

12. Browse the MSA Annex

The MSA Annex is close to the Mercado, with fun little shops and food spots set among converted shipping containers.

The Mercado and MSA Annex are close enough to visit on the same streetcar outing.

Thursday afternoons are a good time to come over for the Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market at the Annex, 267 South Avenida del Convento. It’s a year-round market with locally grown produce, food samples, and cooking demonstrations. Hours are generally 3–6 p.m. from October through April and 4–7 p.m. from May through September.

For more shopping, the Mercado Flea usually runs on the second Sunday of the month from October through April, with vintage and secondhand finds.

The Annex also hosts summer night markets, concerts, and a holiday bazaar. Check the current calendar for dates and times before you go.

13. Eat something that tastes like Tucson

Tucson is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, and I ate ridiculously well without going anywhere fancy. Most of my meals were at casual restaurants, cafés, bakeries, or a hot dog truck.

Here’s my full post on everywhere I ate.  10 Delicious Places to Eat in Downtown Tucson

At El Charro Café you’ll want to order the carne seca enchiladas. The beef is air-dried in a metal cage up on the restaurant’s roof. On the roof! How crazy is that? The dry desert air and sun do the drying, then the beef is shredded and cooked.

And if you’re wondering what’s in the Sonoran hot dog I mentioned in Barrio Viejo, it’s a bacon-wrapped hot dog in a soft bun then topped with pinto beans, chopped tomatoes, onions, mustard, mayo, and jalapeño sauce. It sounds like a lot because it is. Get one at Ruiz Hot Dogs.

For breakfast, I loved the huevos rancheros at 5 Points. I also stopped at La Estrella Bakery more than once.

You could get breakfast before the Turquoise Trail, have lunch downtown, then ride the streetcar to the Mercado for dinner or a snack.

If you’d like someone to take you to a few local spots, here’s some of the best Tucson food tours to check out.

More Tucson attractions to consider if you have extra time

My visit focused on downtown and Saguaro East. If you have more time, here are a few other places to add, depending on whether you’re after hiking, museums, gardens, or more desert views.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is west of Tucson near Saguaro National Park West. Its exhibits combine desert wildlife, plants, and natural history, much of it outdoors. If you’d like to learn more about the Sonoran Desert without a long hike, this is one to look into. The museum says most visitors spend two to three hours there.

You could combine it with Saguaro West if you have a car.

Gates Pass and Saguaro West

If you have a car for the west side, Gates Pass is a scenic viewpoint in Tucson Mountain Park, just outside Saguaro National Park West. It’s a popular sunset stop and fits with a visit to the Desert Museum or Saguaro West.

Sabino Canyon

If you’d like more hiking trails, look into Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. There’s a narrated shuttle as well as trails. Check shuttle tickets, weather, and trail information before you go.

San Xavier del Bac Mission

The San Xavier del Bac Mission is south of downtown on the Tohono O’odham Nation. It’s an active church, so check the visitor guidance and service schedule before you go. Visit for the architecture and to learn about the area’s Native American and mission history.

Tucson Botanical Gardens

The Tucson Botanical Gardens is another option if you’d enjoy a garden within the city. It has themed spaces and rotating exhibits, so check what’s on during your visit. It’s a handy option if you want to see desert plants without planning a hike or a drive through the national park.

How I’d plan two or three days in Tucson

One day: Spend the morning on the Turquoise Trail, including the courthouse, Hotel Congress, and Barrio Viejo. Stop for a Sonoran hot dog or Mexican lunch. Ride the streetcar to the Mercado in the afternoon and eat dinner there or back downtown. You’ll see a lot without a car.

Two days: Keep the downtown day, then devote the next morning or half day to Saguaro East. The guided e-bike tour is my pick if you’re comfortable riding and can arrange the transfer. Then head back downtown for lunch or dinner.

Three days: Use the extra day for a west-side outing such as the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Gates Pass. If you’d rather hike, look into Sabino Canyon. Tucson Botanical Gardens is another option if you want something closer to town. Pick the outing that interests you most instead of cramming all of them into one day.

Where to Stay in Downtown Tucson

For a first solo visit, downtown makes an easy base. I stayed at the DoubleTree next to the convention center and could walk into the center of town in roughly five minutes.

Several people I met at the conference stayed at Home2 Suites and liked it.

Use the map below to compare Tucson hotels and find a place to stay near the sights you want to see.

Getting around Tucson without a car

If you’re mainly visiting downtown, Barrio Viejo, Fourth Avenue, and the Mercado, walk and use the streetcar. That’s what made the city feel manageable to me on my own.

The desert attractions are spread out. I had a TravelCon conference shuttle for the Saguaro e-bike tour, but that isn’t a normal part of booking the tour. An Uber or rental car can work for a separate visit.

For several stops outside downtown in one day, a rental car may be easier.