Courtesy Colony
Palm Beach is having a moment. Its midcentury, Lilly Pulitzer–splashed, technicolor heyday is on full display in Apple TV+’s Palm Royale (whose second season debuted in November) starring Kristen Wiig and Carol Burnett. Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s private club and residence, provides a near-daily source of intrigue. And last winter saw the opening of Palm Beach’s first new hotel in four years, Palm House, while this winter brings the luxurious 41-room Vineta by Oetker Hotels in the renovated Chesterfield landmark building.
Although it’s just 16 miles long and less than a mile wide—a mere sliver of an Atlantic Coast barrier island—Palm Beach has long attracted the spotlight. It entered the nation’s consciousness at the end of the 19th century, when Henry Flagler established a railway to the area and wealthy snowbirds claimed it as their winter playground. Flagler went on to develop the grand Breakers hotel, plus his own extravagant Gilded Age residence called Whitehall (which now houses the Flagler Museum). In the 1910s and ’20s, architect Addison Mizner began dotting the island with Mediterranean-Revival architecture, including that of the still-famous, members-only Everglades Club.
Today, Palm Beach’s affluence and fame combine with South Florida’s irrepressible subtropical kitsch, making it eternally fascinating for people of all walks of life. Winter, of course, is high season, when social calendars fill with galas and major events, including the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival (December 11–14). So ditch your winter coat (the temps rarely dip below 70) and pack your Chanel tweed: We’ve curated your Palm Beach itinerary so you can experience the best this legendarily wealthy, wild, and wonderful destination has to offer.
Courtesy the Palm Beaches
Standard Setter
Developed by renowned industrialist Henry M. Flagler in 1896, the Breakers put Palm Beach on the map as a vacation playground for such families as the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers. Today, the oceanfront property remains Palm Beach’s premier resort destination—no small feat, considering the competition (see: the Colony, Palm House, Brazilian Court). Spanning 140 acres with architecture inspired by the Italian Renaissance, it’s home to multiple restaurants, bars, swimming pools, and golf courses, as well as a brand-new $12 million tennis and racquet complex with 16 courts for tennis, pickleball, and padel. The palatial, high-ceilinged lobby features ornate columns, a vaulted ceiling corridor, and original 1920s-era Italian paintings. Come nightfall, it doubles as the lively HMF (i.e. Henry Morrison Flagler) cocktail bar, where locals and visitors alike mingle over classic cocktails and live music amid the opulent surroundings. It’s a rite of passage for every visitor.
Courtesy Colony
Pink Paradise
Standing at the foot of Worth Avenue since 1947, the Colony has hosted everyone from John F. Kennedy to Frank Sinatra within its iconic pink-stucco walls. It remains a staple of the Palm Beach social set thanks to Swifty’s, an all-day restaurant (once a fixture of Manhattan’s Upper East Side) overlooking the property’s Florida-shaped swimming pool. On Sunday evenings, Palm Beach locals and hotel guests gather on Swifty’s shaded outdoor terrace for bingo, complete with colorful daubers and cards—a rousing ritual of throwback Florida kitsch for a contemporary crowd. Of course, a cocktail is de rigueur; try the signature Pink Paradise, made with vodka, grapefruit, pink peppercorn, and hibiscus. Don your most colorful resort wear and lean into the whimsy.
Courtesy the Palm Beaches
Worth It
Spanning the width of the island (about a half mile), Worth Avenue is Palm Beach’s historic shopping corridor, lined with designer boutiques, art galleries, and cafes. It began taking shape in 1918, when architect Addison Mizner (who was often seen around town with his pet spider monkey on his shoulder) designed the Everglades Club on the avenue’s western edge. He soon extended his signature Mediterranean-Revival architectural style along Worth Avenue, including the high-end Via Mizner shopping arcade. With limestone arcades, terracotta tile roofs, and romantic pathways leading to courtyards with bubbling fountains, Worth Avenue is imbued with subtropical European elegance. This is where Lilly Pulitzer first opened shop in the 1960s, selling her now-iconic, tropical-print shift dresses. And while the avenue is now home to brands such as Chanel and Gucci, there’s still plenty of local color, including art galleries tucked away on Via Parigi, Raptis Rare Books, locally owned Piccolo Gelato, and Marley’s Palm Beach Collection—a fashion boutique with a more approachable price point.
Courtesy the Palm Beaches
Royal Palm
Think of Royal Poinciana Plaza as a younger, trendier sister to Worth Avenue. The shopping plaza debuted in the 1950s on the site of the demolished Royal Poinciana Hotel and was redeveloped under new ownership 10 years ago. With ample parking and a uniform Colonial Revival design in light-blue stucco, this is Palm Beach’s version of a strip mall—one that attracts the well-heeled set. It’s home to popular eateries like Sant Ambroeus (a chic Italian cafe with locations in New York, Aspen, and Milan) and classic-American staple Palm Beach Grill. You’ll find contemporary brands and boutiques, such as Alice + Olivia, LoveShackFancy, and Staud, alongside legacy luxury brands like Saint Laurent, Cartier, and Hermès. Don’t miss outposts of two New York galleries, Acquavella and Sotheby’s, that offer a variety of high-end art.
Courtesy the Palm Beaches
The New Kid
When Palm House debuted last winter, it became the island’s first new hotel in four years. Situated inside a low-rise, pink, Mediterranean Revival–style property a block from the beach, you’d never guess the building had sat vacant for much of the last two decades. Now, the opulent seashell–encrusted lobby doubles as a cocktail lounge where barmen in white tuxedo jackets shake up martinis beneath a vaulted ceiling, leaving you wondering if you’ve been swept under the sea into some fabulous mermaid temple. For something even more indulgent, reserve a table for dinner at Palm House’s excellent Nobu-inspired restaurant, known simply as the Dining Room. Here, you can orchestrate a tasting menu of decadent dishes, from black cod wrapped in butter lettuce, to lobster-and-wagyu taquitos, to toro tartare with caviar.
Courtesy the Palm Beaches
Picturesque Pedal
One of the best ways to get the lay of the land in Palm Beach is a bike excursion along the Palm Beach Lake Trail. A paved path running 5.5 miles along the island’s western shore, it offers views across Lake Worth Lagoon to the West Palm Beach skyline, flanked by megayacht-filled marinas. Pedaling parallel to some of the island’s most lavish private homes, you’ll also see a hodgepodge of architecture, from historic cottages to modern condos. Don’t miss natural wonders like banyan tree canopies, sheer coral-rock cliffs, and an enormous kapok tree near the Flagler Museum. Top Cycle and Palm Beach Bicycle Trail Shop both offer bike rentals, and tours can be arranged by request.
Courtesy the Palm Beaches
That’s Amore
A white-tablecloth Italian restaurant situated on a romantic pathway off Worth Avenue, Renato’s has been a staple of Palm Beach since 1987. The dining room is intimate, with low, mirrored ceilings, red brocade wallpaper, and red-leather backed chairs, while the outdoor courtyard, with its twinkling lights amid bougainvillea and palms, is irresistible on winter evenings. Renato’s is not merely resting on its laurels: The food here is consistently excellent with flavorful, straightforward Italian dishes. The fiori di zucca—tempura-fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with smoked mozzarella—is a wonderful place to start, and among the many pasta dishes on offer, the spaghettini fra diavolo with Maine lobster is a particularly strong choice. Career waiters in black bowties deliver brisk, courteous service for a night out that’s always beautifully orchestrated.
Courtesy the Palm Beaches
Holding Court
Celebrating its centennial in 2026, the Brazilian Court hotel is styled like a Mediterranean villa, with plush guest rooms wrapping around dual courtyards, ornate fountains, and a swimming pool lined with lounge chairs. Perhaps the most lavish perk of a stay here is a complimentary two-hour boat ride aboard the hotel’s 44-foot BC One Italian Solaris motor yacht, best paired with a bottle of Champagne. During this cruise along the Intracoastal Waterway, you’ll spy everything from Sylvester Stallone’s waterfront home and private beach to Flagler’s Gilded Age mansion and Peanut Island. The hotel is also home to an outpost of acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud’s Café Boulud, serving modern French fare that draws a strong local crowd. The freshly baked scones with Devonshire cream at breakfast are not to be missed.
Photo by Robert Stevens
Art Scene
A cultural institution founded in 1936, the Society of the Four Arts places equal emphasis on music, visual art, theater, and literature. Set on a campus anchored by a Mizner-designed, Mediterranean- Revival building, it’s home to art galleries, libraries, a sculpture garden, and a demonstration garden designed to illustrate the variety of gardens—from formal to jungle—that can thrive in Palm Beach’s subtropical climate. This winter, the Esther B. O’Keeffe Gallery will showcase Edgar Degas, The Private Impressionist (through February 1), featuring 104 works on paper that the French Impressionist created mainly for himself, shedding light on a more private side of his creative process. These works will be displayed alongside those of Degas’s 19th century contemporaries, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Cézanne, and Édouard Manet. The Society of the Four Arts also hosts regular concerts, dance performances, a speaker series, library programs, and film screenings, making it a true bedrock of Palm Beach culture.
Courtesy the Palm Beaches
Hot Table
To snag a reservation at Buccan, you’ve always had to book when new tables are released a month in advance—and that was before Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were spotted dining here last summer. A perennial hotspot helmed by local chef-owner Clay Conley, Buccan is known for its eclectic menu that includes hamachi tiradito, a cheeky hot-dog panini made with sauerkraut and gruyere, and a sweet corn agnolotti that has a local cult following. The conversation-starting food here is matched by the scene, with a dining room that’s full the moment doors open at 5 p.m. and a buzzy front bar stocked with local characters dressed in their Palm Beach best. (Pro tip: Buccan also operates a lunchtime sandwich-shop window ideal for beach picnic provisioning.)
Courtesy the Palm Beaches
Gilded Age Glory
Situated inside Whitehall, Henry Flagler’s turn-of-the-century mansion overlooking Lake Worth, the Flagler Museum is a bastion of Palm Beach history. Flagler was an oil baron and railroad tycoon who was largely responsible for the development of South Florida as a resort destination in the 1880s. His estate, spanning 100,000 square feet and 75 rooms, is sheer spectacle, dripping in Louis XIV–style opulence with breathtaking frescoes, a grand ballroom, and ornate bedrooms. There’s also a grand Beaux Arts pavilion where Flagler’s personal railcar from 1886 is on display. Docent-led tours are available throughout the day, but it’s just as fun to wander around on your own and let your imagination run wild.
This article appears in the Winter 2026 issue of Southbound.
