Salt Lake City · Utah, USA
Things to Do in Salt Lake City: Tours, Tickets & Day Trips
The best things to do in Salt Lake City, ranked by real traveller reviews: tour the city and Temple Square by bus or trolley, hear the Tabernacle Choir, float in the Great Salt Lake, meet the bison on Antelope Island, drive the Bonneville Salt Flats, ride up Big and Little Cottonwood canyons and day-trip to Park City and the Olympic Park. Compare 60+ tours, tickets and day trips side by side — most with free cancellation.
174 experiences Free cancellation Top-rated tours Instant booking
Sunset tours in Salt Lake City
Departures that are under way when the sun sets in the coming weeks — start times checked against the local sunset.
Good for families in Salt Lake City
Children can join from a young age and pay less than adults — taken from each operator’s price list.
Browse
Explore Salt Lake City by interest
Whatever brings you to Salt Lake City — world-class museums, the river, or a long lunch — start with the experiences travellers love most.
What to see
Top attractions in Salt Lake City
The landmarks that define the city — and the tickets and tours that get you in, often skipping the line.
Great Salt Lake
Float & bison.
20 toursView tours
Bonneville Flats
White desert.
15 toursView tours
Temple Square
City heart.
15 toursView tours
Yellowstone
National park.
15 toursView tours
Park City
Olympic town.
15 toursView tours
Cottonwood Canyons
Wasatch peaks.
15 toursView tours
Olympic Park
Bobsled rides.
15 toursView tours
Antelope Island
Bison herds.
20 toursView tours
Nature & parks
Salt Lake City nature & parks
- 1Great Salt Lake
- 2Canyons
- 3Yellowstone
- 4Wildlife
45 min awayAntelope Island
Bison & lake.
from $45View trips
2 hr awayBonneville Flats
White desert.
from $65View trips
40 min awayPark City
Olympic town.
from $55View trips
North awayYellowstone
National park.
from $200View trips
East awayCottonwood Canyons
Wasatch peaks.
from $60View trips
Downtown awayTemple Square
City heart.
from $30View trips
Practical guide
Know before you go
Short, straight answers to the questions every Salt Lake City visitor asks before booking.
Spring (Apr–May)
Mild and green, with snow melting in the mountains.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Hot and dry — great for lakes and canyons.
Autumn (Sep–Oct)
Crisp air and golden foliage — ideal for touring.
Winter (Dec–Mar)
Snowy and cold — prime season for Park City skiing.
For parks
Summer and early autumn are best for Yellowstone.
Best overall
May to October is ideal for touring.
One day
Temple Square and the Great Salt Lake.
Two days
Add Park City and the salt flats.
Three+ days
Add a Yellowstone or national parks trip.
For the lake
The Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island.
For the mountains
Park City and the canyons.
For parks
Yellowstone, Grand Teton or Zion.
Tours & transfers
Tours include transport to lake, flats and parks.
By car
A car is handy for the lake, canyons and Park City.
Light rail
TRAX trains serve downtown and the airport.
On foot
Downtown and Temple Square are walkable.
Where to stay
Stay downtown near Temple Square.
US dollar
The US uses the dollar; cards widely accepted.
Great Salt Lake
Visit Antelope Island for bison and the lake.
Salt flats
Bring sunglasses for the blinding white flats.
Temple Square
Take a guided tour of the historic square.
Park City
Ride a bobsled at the Utah Olympic Park.
National parks
Book multi-day tours to Yellowstone or Zion.
Sun & altitude
The high, dry air is intense — bring sunscreen and water.
Lake tours
Popular Antelope Island tours sell out — book ahead.
Salt flats tours
Salt flats trips fill up — reserve early.
Yellowstone tours
Multi-day park tours sell out — book well ahead.
Olympic Park
Bobsled rides have limited slots — reserve early.
Canyon tours
Scenic and UTV tours fill up — book ahead.
Peak seasons
Summer and ski season are busiest — book ahead.
Lake tour
Around $45–90 for a Great Salt Lake tour.
Salt flats tour
About $65–120 for a Bonneville Salt Flats trip.
City tour
Roughly $30–55 for a Temple Square city tour.
Park City tour
Around $55–100 for a Park City and Olympic tour.
Yellowstone trip
About $200–500+ for a multi-day park tour.
How to save
Join group tours and combine sights to save.
When to visit
Salt Lake City through the seasons
What's best, how busy it gets, and one booking tip for each time of year.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Jun–Aug
- Best for
- Lake & parks.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Hot.
Autumn (Sep–Oct)
Sep–Oct
- Best for
- Foliage.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Crisp.
Winter (Dec–Mar)
Dec–Mar
- Best for
- Skiing.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Snowy.
Spring (Apr–May)
Apr–May
- Best for
- Mild & green.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Fresh.
People also ask
Salt Lake City travel FAQ
What are the top 10 things to do in Salt Lake City?
Ranked by traveller reviews: 1) the Salt Lake City guided bus tour, 2) the Great Salt Lake boat tour, 3) the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square with a city tour, 4) the storytelling trolley tour, 5) the Antelope Island wildlife expedition to see bison and pronghorn, 6) a boat tour with a swim (float) in the Great Salt Lake, 7) the Bonneville Salt Flats adventure, 8) the Utah State Capitol, 9) the Natural History Museum of Utah and 10) Big and Little Cottonwood canyons — Snowbird’s tram in summer, skiing in winter.
How many days do you need in Salt Lake City?
Plan two days in town and two more for the surroundings. Day one: a bus or trolley tour, Temple Square, the Capitol, lunch downtown and the Natural History Museum. Day two: Antelope Island for bison and the lake, or a Great Salt Lake boat trip, then Ensign Peak at sunset. Day three: Little Cottonwood Canyon and Snowbird, or Park City and the Olympic Park. Day four: the Bonneville Salt Flats (two hours west) or Timpanogos Cave and Sundance.
What to do in Salt Lake City for free?
Temple Square and the Thursday Tabernacle Choir rehearsal, the State Capitol tours, Ensign Peak’s short hike for the city view, the Family History Library, City Creek Canyon, Liberty Park and Tracy Aviary’s grounds, Gilgal Garden, the Salt Lake City Public Library’s rooftop, the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the scenic drives up Big and Little Cottonwood canyons with trailheads to Lake Blanche and Cecret Lake, and the Bonneville Salt Flats. Red Butte Garden and Hogle Zoo are paid.
What are the best day trips from Salt Lake City?
Antelope Island State Park’s bison herd and lake beaches (one hour; guided tours from about $126–150), Park City’s Main Street and the Utah Olympic Park (35 minutes), Big and Little Cottonwood canyons with Snowbird and Alta (30 minutes), the Bonneville Salt Flats (two hours; tours $149–156), Timpanogos Cave and the Alpine Loop (one hour), Heber Valley’s scenic railroad (one hour) and, for a long day, the wild horses and the Uinta Mountains. Yellowstone and Utah’s Mighty Five are four to five hours away — multi-day trips.
What to do in Salt Lake City at night?
The free Tabernacle Choir rehearsal on Thursday evenings, a Utah Jazz game at the Delta Center, the ghost tour or haunted Old Town bus, sunset from Ensign Peak, Red Butte Garden’s summer concert series, downtown’s bars and breweries around Main Street and Sugar House (Utah’s liquor laws are looser than their reputation), the Capitol Theatre and Eccles Theater for shows, and Park City’s High West Saloon 35 minutes away.
What is there to do in Salt Lake City in winter?
Ski ‘the greatest snow on earth’ — Alta, Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude are 30–45 minutes from downtown and Park City and Deer Valley an hour — plus snowshoeing, the Utah Olympic Park’s bobsled rides and the Sundance Film Festival in late January. Temple Square’s Christmas lights run from late November, the Jazz play at home, and the Natural History Museum and Clark Planetarium fill snowy days. Boat tours on the lake pause in winter.
What are the best things to do in Salt Lake City with kids?
Hogle Zoo, the Natural History Museum of Utah’s dinosaur hall, the Clark Planetarium, Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum, Tracy Aviary, Antelope Island’s bison, floating in the Great Salt Lake, the Utah Olympic Park’s ziplines and bobsled, Lagoon amusement park 30 minutes north, the Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, Snowbird’s summer alpine slide and This Is The Place Heritage Park.
When is the best time to visit Salt Lake City?
May to October for the city, lake and canyons, with September the sweet spot — warm days, cool nights and the aspens turning. December to March is ski season, with snowy peaks and sunny valley days. Summer is hot (90s°F) but dry; spring brings melting snow and wildflowers in the canyons by June.
Is Antelope Island worth it?
Yes — an hour from downtown, the largest island in the Great Salt Lake holds a free-roaming herd of 500–700 bison, pronghorn, bighorn sheep and millions of migrating birds, plus beaches where you can float in the salty water. Drive it yourself (park entry per car) or take a guided wildlife tour with sunset timing; go early or late to see the animals, and bring bug spray in May and June.
174 Salt Lake City experiencesfrom $45 · free cancellation
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