In this post, we will discuss about Where to stay in Tucson, best area to stay in Tucson (along with a map), best hotels in Tucson for all budgets, and the safest neighborhoods inTucson.
Tucson was a place regularly mentioned in the Old Wild West. In those days it was the Capital of Arizona, land acquired from Mexico in the middle of the 19th Century.
That is a far cry from the modern-day with Tucson recently being recognized by UNESCO as the USA’s first City of Gastronomy. In the intervening years, it has grown quickly but has been outstripped by the State Capital, Phoenix.
Tucson is overall safe for tourist, but as you travel to any city, there are petty crime exist. If you use your common sense as you should do during any of your travels, you will not have a problem.
Where to stay in Tucson?
The best areas to stay in Tucson are Downtown, North Tucson, South Tucson, East Tucson, and West Tucson. These are popular neighborhoods that offer a range of attractions and amenities.
Downtown is the overall best area in Tucson for first visit as it is the heart of the city and it offers the widest range of accommodations for all budgets. Staying here puts you in the heart of action, within walking distance to many tourist amenities such as restaurants, bars, and shops.
If you have a car, there are really no geographical restrictions on where you should choose to make a base. You will find plenty of choices when it comes to accommodation in Tucson.
There is good campsites, budget bed and breakfast accommodation, top-quality hotels and spa resorts for families, golfers, couples, singles, and businessmen.
You can reach Tucson by airplane via Tucson International Airport, or by train that connects Tucson to Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Chicago. There are also Greyhound and buses to other cities in the South and West USA.
| 💖 Best Area for first-timers: | Downtown Tucson |
| 💎 Best luxury hotel: | JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort |
| 🏨 Best mid-range hotel: | Graduate Tucson |
| 💰 Best budget hotel: | The Downtown Clifton Hotel |
Map of best areas Where to Stay in Tucson, Arizona:
6 Best areas to stay in Tucson for tourists are:
1. Downtown Tucson
Downtown, without a doubt, is the best area to stay in Tucson. It is a safe area for tourist that compassing the areas of Main Gate, Fourth Avenue, Congress Street, Presidio, Convention, and Sentinel.
You can easily get around Downtown by public transport as it is well-served by the four-mile Sun Link Tucson Streetcar, which connected all six districts.
El Presidio is the historic heart of Tucson, where you can take a walking tour that looks both at food and history. It is the place where Tucson began with a Spanish fort in 1775. Before the Spanish, Native Americans lived here for over 2,000 years.
The Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón Museum tells the story of the region and is part of the Turquoise Trail, a walking tour of 2.5 miles Downtown. Nearby, you will find Old Town Artisans, the fort built by the Spanish in 1775, now home to many art galleries and shops.
Culture vultures will love to visit the Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block. It features traveling exhibitions focusing on the art of Native American, American West, Latin America, modern and contemporary art, and Asian art.
If you love Mexican food, head to El Charro Café, the nation’s Oldest Mexican Restaurant in continuous operation by the same family to try traditional Sonoran-style Mexican food.
In the Presidio district, you can find attractions such as El Presidio Plaza, Old Prima County Courthouse, the City Hall, and the Jácome Plaza.
The cultural core of the city, Congress Street District is the area around the historic Congress Street. It’s packed with skyscrapers, historic sites, cafés, restaurants, and vintage shops.
In this area, you will find the Museum of Contemporary Art, Children’s Museum Tucson, Etherton Gallery, Temple of Music and Art, Rialto Theatre, Fox Tucson Theatre, and the train terminal Tucson Amtrak Station.
Move to the gritty, hip end of Tucson, Fourth Avenue district is located just a few blocks west of the University of Arizona. It is well-connected with another part of the city with Sun Link Light-rail Modern Street Car.
Tucson’s 4th Avenue is a famous destination for shopping, dining, nightlife with eclectic bars and experimental eateries. Full of restaurants, pubs, galleries, cafés, souvenir shops, antiques, and jewelry, book stores. It also hosts the Fourth Avenue Street Fair every spring and winter.
Art and music are also signs of Downtown’s revival. Main Gate Square next to the University of Arizona is also worth a visit, especially if you want to do some clothes shopping or are looking for indoor or outdoor entertainment.
Located right next to the University of Arizona, the buzzing Main Gate Square, a pedestrian-friendly dining and shopping destination with many shops and 30 restaurants.
Another neighborhood in Downtown is the Sentinel district. You can grab a coffee and local food at the open-air courtyard of the Mercado San Agustín and inside modified shipping containers at MSA Annex, which hosts many shops, restaurants, and weekly farmers markets.
The Convention District is concentrated around Tucson Convention Center, home to three performing arts venues including the Tucson Music Hall, Leo Rich Theater, and Tucson Arena.
Around TCC, you will find three historic theaters, Fox Theatre, Rialto Theatre, and Temple of Music and Art. The TCC Arena also hosts the Arizona Wildcats ice hockey team, the Tucson Sugar Skulls indoor football team, and the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners ice hockey team.
Tucson’s largest open space, Reid Park is in Downtown but of course, there are plenty of open spaces outside the city limits. It is home to a baseball stadium, 18-hole municipal golf courses, an amphitheater, and Reid Park Zoo with children’s playgrounds.
That renovation work in Tucson sits side by side with many historical attractions. They include the Hotel Congress designed in 1919, two theatres, the Art Deco Fox designed in 1929, and the Rialto a decade older. St. Augustine Cathedral completed in 1896 is in the National Register of Historic Places.
Downtown Tucson offers a wide range of accommodations from budget hostels to luxury hotels. there are inns, guest houses, B&B’s, apartment rentals, and big chain hotels.
Best places to stay in Tucson Downtown:
luxury ($$$): JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort This 5-star resort features 3 golf courses, 4 dining options, 3 outdoor swimming pools, multiple hot tubs, a breakfast buffet, and an extensive spa. It offers rooms with a flat-screen TV, a safe, a minibar, a balcony, or a patio.
mid-range ($$): Graduate Tucson This 4-star hotel has a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar, a 24-hour front desk, luggage storage space. Each room has a desk and a private bathroom.
budget ($): The Downtown Clifton Hotel This 3-star hotel located near Tucson Convention Center. It has a restaurant, free private parking, a bar, and a shared lounge. Popular points of interest include the Tucson Museum of Art, Rialto Theatre, and Tucson City Hall.
El Amador Downtown Luxury Inn, this hotel features accommodation with BBQ facilities, a garden, and free private parking. Popular attractions nearby include Arizona Stadium, Tucson Museum of Art, and Rialto Theatre.
Hotel McCoy – Art, Coffee, Beer, Wine, 3-star accommodation close to Arizona Stadium, the Tucson Museum of Art, Reid Park Zoo. The entire property is on the ground floor. It has rooms with a desk, a flat-screen TV, and a private bathroom.
2. Main Gate and University of Arizona
Established in 1885, the University of Arizona covers 380 acres in midtown Tucson. It is a hub of community activity where you can experience the arts, scientific discoveries, modern architecture, and nature paths.
The University of Arizona, also known as Science City, UA is a partner of NASA. It is home to one of the best nation’s ranks, two UA medical schools, and the UA BIO5 Institute. There are plenty of things to do and see in this red-brick mini-city. You can start at the UA Visitor Center for directions.
Astro-Tourist can take a tour at the Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium in the Planetarium Theater, the Gem & Mineral Museum with a collection of gemstones and minerals from Arizona and Mexico.
You can take a tour of the world’s largest Earth science laboratory called Biosphere 2. There are also the Sky Nights Star Gazing programs and Astronomer Nights at the Sky center at Mt. Lemmon to explore the universe.
There is also the Arizona State Museum, established in 1893, with a large collection of Southwestern Indian pottery, basketry and fiber arts. The UA Museum of Art, with over 5,000 paintings, sculptures, prints; and The Arizona Poetry Center are open to the public. The Center for Creative Photography with rotating exhibits of 20th-century photographers.
You also have dance and classical jazz, blues, and world music performance at Centennial Hall by UA Presents, the School of Theatre, Film, and Television, Arizona Repertory Theatre, the Hanson Film Institute, and Tucson Cine Mexico film festival in March.
Sports lovers can check out the Arizona Stadium in the fall to watch the Wildcats and Pac-12 football match. There is also the McKale Center, University Football Stadium, Cole & Jeannie Davis Sports Center, and Hall of Champions.
Apart from cultural attractions, this Campus Arboretum has an expansive grassy mall and a network of walking and cycling paths.
On the north side of the Mall east of Old Main, the Student Union Memorial Center has a food court, the Gallagher Theatre, and UA Bookstore nearby.
Located right next to the UA campus, the buzzing Main Gate Square is the go-to place to shop for UofA gear, name-brand denim, hand-made gifts, and home decor. There are boutiques and many local restaurateurs with patio seating. Tree-lined Geronimo Plaza frequently hosts live music, especially during Friday Night Live!
You can take a ride on Sun Link Tucson Streetcar, from the UA to Fourth Avenue and Congress Street District, and Mercado San Agustin’s hip public marketplace.
Best places to stay in Tucson near University of Arizona:
- mid-range ($$): Graduate Tucson
- budget ($): Adobe Rose Inn
3. North Tucson and Catalina Foothills
North Tucson is famous for its art galleries, restaurants, and quality boutiques. The Santa Catalina Mountains are just a short distance further north, hence the popularity of Northern Tucson for those wishing to spend time outdoors in the mountains.
The Catalina Foothills area is home to many art galleries, golf courses, shops, bars, restaurants, and close to the Sonoran Desert, the major wonder in Tucson.
This area has a number of expensive estates while it is where you will find several of Tucson’s top resorts and La Encantada, a shopping mall with the best outdoor merchandise.
If you are interested in art, visit the DeGrazia Gallery of the Sun which is included in the National Register of Historic Places.
At its edges, there are smaller communities, the oldest of which goes back to the early 1940s. The ready availability of good land meant that this area is where you will find a number of popular golf courses. Golfers will certainly do worse than to stay in Northern Tucson to be able to enjoy the reason for their holiday.
There are 35 golf courses in Tucson of which 8 are municipal. A further 9 courses are within 20 miles of the City. It is easy to see why golfers would want to head to Tucson and the north is the favorite choice of many of them.
Tucson has a number of quality resorts with excellent facilities. You will find many of them in North Tucson. Outdoor activities, leisure facilities, and good restaurants are a feature of all of them. There is cheaper accommodation here as well, and often that is the preferred choice of hikers wanting to explore the Santa Catalina Mountains.
You should stay here if The Catalina Mountains are your reason for heading to Tucson; You enjoy outdoor life and intend to hike and cycle; You want to be away from the center; You are on a golfing break and want to play a few different courses during your visit.
Best places to stay in Tucson in Catalina Foothills:
4. South Tucson and Tucson International Airport
South Tucson has a large Mexican-American population, by far the majority. In addition, most of the remainder are Native American. It is important to remember how close Tucson is to the Mexican border, just 60 miles to the south.
As a result of the Mexican influence, you will find some excellent Mexican restaurants within this area, especially on 12th Avenue. In addition, much of the architecture is of Mexican style and there is an abundance of color as well. Murals were once very common but the City opposes such things so many have been painted over.
Southern Tucson is home to the Tucson International Airport so the City of South Tucson is the first area visitors flying into the City will see. There are airport hotels and car rental is an easy process directly from the airport or via your hotel.
Southern Tucson covers an area of about 25 square miles with its most prominent landmark, other than the Airport, the sports stadium, now renamed Kino Sports Complex. It hosts not only sport but also concerts. A mere 1 square mile is actually an incorporated town called South Tucson surrounded by the city as a whole.
For some memorable entertainment experience in Tucson, you can visit two casinos nearby, Casino Del Sol Resort, Spa and Conference Center; and Desert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment.
There are also some historical and cultural attractions in this part of the city such as the Pima Air & Space Museum, Titan Missile Museum, the historic church of Mission San Xavier del Bac.
If you are outdoor lovers, you can head to the Santa Rita Mountains on Tucson’s far south side where you can find Mt. Wrightson, the highest point in Tucson, and a famous spot for bird watching and hiking, Madera Canyon.
You should stay here if you want to be close to the International Airport; you are a particular fan of Mexican cuisine; you enjoy color because even though some of its murals have been painted over, there are still some to enjoy; you are a sports fan and Kino Sports Complex has some events during your stay in Tucson. That could be soccer, baseball or even concerts.
Best places to stay in Tucson near Tucson airport:
Hampton Inn Tucson-Airport This 3-star hotel is less than half a kilometer from Tucson International airport, offers a free 24-hour airport transfer service. It is close to the Bisbee Mining, Historical Museum, the Old Tucson Movie Studio, the stunning Sabino Canyon, and Saguaro National Monument. The University of Arizona, Downtown Tucson, and the Pima Air & Space Museum are both a short drive from this accommodation.
Four Points by Sheraton Tucson Airport This 3-star hotel is just 190m from Tucson International Airport, offers a free 24-hour airport transfer service. it features rooms with warm colors and wood furniture, a flat-screen cable TV, free wifi, microwave, and fridge, a work desk, and a lounge chair. it has an outdoor pool, a fitness center, an on-site bar, and a business center.
Baymont by Wyndham Tucson Airport This budget hotel offers air-conditioned rooms with a 32-inch flat-screen TV, a microwave, and a small refrigerator, a seating area and tea- and coffee-making facilities.
See more:
5. East Tucson
East Tucson is the newest region of Tucson with development starting in the middle of the 20th Century. It is an area stretching from east of the University District towards the Rincon Mountains and Saguaro National Park East.
Real estate is towards the top end of the market. Locals and visitors can enjoy a fine range of cuisine. Corporate and financial establishments within Tucson have tended to choose Eastern Tucson for their offices.
Saguaro National Park is one of the definite highlights of Eastern Tucson. A saguaro is the largest cactus you will find in the USA and it is regularly used in promotional photographs of the South West USA. If you get the chance, take a photograph of these cacti as they sunset. It will get pride of place in your album.
Fort Lowell stood here in the 19th Century. It fell into ruin but restoration work on the surviving adobe buildings makes the site worth a visit. The National Register of Historic Places recognizes the value of this area which includes the restored San Pedro Chapel.
There are so many other natural sights to explore on the east side like the Colossal Cave Mountain Park, Tanque Verde Ranch, and Agua Caliente Park..
Many artists and academics have chosen Eastern Tucson for their homes over the years. There are a number of prominent art galleries in Tucson and with a large university in the City, academics live there in numbers.
Tucson continues to expand, primarily to the south and east. The Davis Monthan Air Force Base is there with plenty of demand from military personnel for housing. However, bird watchers will certainly enjoy the species they can see at Atterbury Wash.
You should stay here if you enjoy history and want to know more about Fort Lowell and San Pedro Chapel; you are a keen birdwatcher; you intend to fire a car so your base does not need to be close to any particular locations.
6. West Tucson
West Tucson sits between the Santa Cruz River and the Tucson Mountains. There is significant residential development here but much more. Visitors will find the International Wildlife Museum, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Sentinel Peak, Saguaro National Park West, and the Old Tucson Movie Studios, now a theme park.
John Wayne made a number of western movies which used western Tucson as a location. They included ‘’Stagecoach’’, ‘’Rio Bravo’’, ‘’El Dorado’’, and ‘’Red River’’ and Wayne’s love of Arizona meant he spent a portion of his life living there with his family. ‘’The Little House on the Prairie’’ was also filmed here.
The view from Sentinel Peak down over Tucson is most impressive. It is something that no visitor to the City should miss while there. If you approach Tucson overland from the west, you will see plenty to impress you. Most will make a mental note to head back once they have booked into their accommodation.
Sentinel Peak gets the nickname ‘’A Mountain’’ because of the giant ‘’A’’ that has been a feature for over a century representing the University of Arizona. Freshmen at the University whitewash the ‘’A’’ each year. The ‘’A’’ is visible from many miles away while from the Peak, you can see many miles ahead of you.
You can see how many of the region’s major outdoor attractions are west of the center of Tucson. there are not much restaurants and accommodations on this west side of the city.
You should stay here if you intend to explore the natural environment; you want to hike and cycle during your time in Tucson; you intend to visit some of the places that Hollywood has used in its movies.
Check out my virtual tour about the best places to stay in Tucson:
Where should I stay in Tucson for the first time?
Downtown is the best area to stay in Tucson for first-timers due to its prime location. If you book a hotel here, you will be located in the heart of action, within easy access to tourist attractions and amenities.
What are the best areas to stay in Tucson?
Downtown Tucson, North Tucson, South Tucson, East Tucson, and West Tucson are some of the best areas to stay in Tucson due to convenient locations for visitors.
How many days should I stay in Tucson?
Well, that really depends on what you want to do while you’re in Tucson. If you’re just passing through, a day or two might be enough. But if you want to explore the area and all it has to offer, you might want to plan for a longer stay.
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Overall, Downtown is the best place to stay in Tucson for tourists, especially for first-time visitors due to its prime location. If you stay here, you will be located in the middle of action, within walking distance to famous tourist attractions, as well as many restaurants, bars, and shops.
Now as you know where to stay in Tucson, all you need to do is to book your accommodations and ready to go.