Phoenix Flights:
Flights to Phoenix
Phoenix is the capital and largest city in the state of Arizona, and fifth largest in the United States. It’s a popular destination all year round because of its mild winter climate and hot summer climate.
Most flights from South Africa to Phoenix involve two stops en-route. From Johannesburg you can catch a flight with Air France, American Airlines, Delta, Virgin Atlantic and South African Airways. The SAA flight has just one stop, via New York where you then board a US Airways flight to Phoenix. The other airlines fly via a combination of the following: Paris, London, New York, Chicago and Atlanta.
You can also fly to Phoenix from Cape Town. All flights from Cape Town involve two stops en-route and the airlines you can choose from include United Airlines, Delta, BMI and SAA.
Book a Flight To Phoenix:
To Book a flight type in where you are leaving from, where you want to go to. Edit the date range and number of passengers and just click on the submit tab.
The Tourist Attractions in Phoenix:
Phoenix is a large and continually expanding city as more and more Americans are relocating here. This is great for the city and for visiting tourists because all the extra money coming in means that parts of Phoenix which were once run down are now being revitalized and regenerated.
Downtown Phoenix is one such area which is benefiting – particularly the Roosevelt Historic District, which is becoming very arty, due in part to the very popular First Friday Artwalk. This happens on the first Friday of every month when hundreds of art galleries and venues open their doors for free to the public. This is a great way of seeing lots of local art which might usually only be displayed in private galleries, and has been going on since 1994.
There are a number of other historic neighbourhoods within the downtown core which are good for strolling around and admiring the various different periods of architecture, which range from Victorian to mid-20th century. The Orpheum Theatre is particularly interesting – built in 1929 in the Spanish Baroque style. If you’re interested in architecture you will enjoy this!
For something more modern, visit the Arizona Science Center in downtown Phoenix. This has 350 fixed exhibits as well a variety of travelling exhibits too, plus an IMAX cinema.
Back to architecture, though now in the Camelback East District of Phoenix… the historic Arizona Biltmore Hotel was built in 1921 and is a very well-known Phoenix landmark. Many famous people have stayed here over the years including Marilyn Monroe, Fred Astaire and Bob Hope.
You may also like to visit the Wrigley Mansion. This was built by the famous chewing gum manufacturer and you can tour the mansion and the grounds.
If you’re interested in finding out some native history of the Phoenix area, there are two places you can do this. The Heard Museum concentrates on Native American cultures and arts, particularly those of Arizona and neighbouring state of New Mexico. Also, the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park is an archaeological site where you can discover the pre-Columbian Hohokam civilization who lived in the Phoenix area.
Phoenix is surrounded by hills and mountains, though there’s also one in the centre of Phoenix, called Piestewa Peak which is situated within Phoenix Mountains Park. You can hike to the top of the peak (an elevation of 2610 feet) to get wonderful views of the city and surrounds. This is also a nice place to come for a picnic but can get very hot in the summer and the hike to the top can be tough.
When Should You Visit?:
The climate in Phoenix is arid; not surprising as it’s situated in the desert! Summers are hot, dry and long and winters are mild.
If you’re not used to the heat, or simply don’t like it, don’t visit Phoenix in the summer! The average high in July is 42C (107F) and the low is 28C (83F).
December and January are the coolest months, with an average high of 19C (67F) and a low of about 7C (45F).