7 Days in Salt Lake City: One Week Exploring Utah’s Capital
If you’re looking for a 7 Days in Salt Lake City itinerary, I’ve got you covered. When I visited, I wanted to see and do as much as possible, and I definitely kept myself busy. From hiking mountain trails to exploring museums, breweries, gardens, and colorful murals, I built an itinerary that was packed from morning until night. My schedule was full and a little exhausting at times, but it gave me such a great mix of everything Salt Lake City has to offer. Here’s exactly how I spent one full week in Utah’s capital.
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Day 1 – Exploring Downtown Salt Lake City
- Walk around downtown and photograph murals
- Dinner at The Copper Onion
- Overnight at the Peery Hotel
Day 2 – Museums, Murals, and Local Pubs
- Breakfast at Eva’s Bakery
- Visit Clark Planetarium + 3D Shark Kingdom movie
- Walk over to Union Station & take the train to Main Street
- Beer at Beehive Pub
- Lunch and beer at Beer Bar
- Pick up rental car & check in to Airbnb
- Dinner at The Pie Pizzeria
Day 3 – Hiking, Museums, and Breweries
- Hike the Lake Blanche Trail
- Lunch at Airbnb
- Visit Salt Lake City Public Library rooftop viewpoint
- Explore The Leonardo Museum
- Beer at Fisher Brewing Company
- Photograph more murals
- Shopping at IconoCLAD
- Visit Gilgal Sculpture Garden
- Dinner from Cluck Truck at Fisher Brewing
Day 4 – Waterfalls, Art, and the Aquarium
- Hike to Gloria Falls
- Breakfast at The Atomic Biscuit
- Visit the Utah Museum of Fine Arts
- Explore the Natural History Museum of Utah
- Coffee stop at Björn’s Brew
- Drive out to Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
- Dinner and beers at Proper Brewing Co. & Burgers
- Evening mural tour
Day 5 – Gardens, Shopping, and Red Iguana
- Morning at Red Butte Garden
- Breakfast at Hub & Spoke Diner
- Shop at the Patagonia Outlet Store
- Walk around Hidden Hollow Park
- Shop the Sugarhouse Shopping Center
- Beers + work at RoHa Brewing Project
- Samples at Templin Family Brewing
- Check into 2nd Airbnb
- Dinner at Red Iguana
- Evening mural photos
Day 6 – A Relaxed Day in Salt Lake City
- Breakfast at The Park Café
- Short walk around Liberty Park Lake
- Work at The Sunroom Coffee Shop
- Hike up Ensign Peak for sunset
- Errands: fill up gas, prep for departure
- Dinner at Airbnb (leftovers) & pack up
Day 7 – Departure Day
- Quick breakfast at McDonald’s
- Return rental car
- Lyft to the airport
- Coffee at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
- Fly home
What I Didn’t Get to See This Time
Even though I packed a lot into my 7 days in Salt Lake City, there were still a few places I didn’t make it to that are worth checking out. Two of the big ones on my list were:
- Bonneville Salt Flats – a surreal landscape about an hour and a half from Salt Lake City.
- Antelope Island State Park – perfect for hiking, wildlife viewing, and catching lake views.
- The Homestead Crater – a unique opportunity to swim inside a crater just outside of SLC.
If you’re building your own itinerary, I’d definitely recommend looking into tours or day trips to both of these spots.
Getting Around Salt Lake City
There is plenty to do in downtown Salt Lake City without having to rent a car, but if you want to explore some of the outdoors surrounding SLC, I highly advise you rent a car.
Although much of Salt Lake City is accessible via public transport, I still chose to reserve a car through Turo for this trip because it was a much more affordable option than reserving a rental car at a rental car agency. If you decide to rent a car through Turo, be sure to check your credit cards for money-saving options. My Capital One Quicksilver card almost always has a deal for booking rentals through Turo!
Wrapping Up My 7 Days in Salt Lake City
After a full week in Salt Lake City, I left feeling like I’d only scratched the surface of what this city and its surroundings have to offer. Between hiking, sightseeing, and exploring different neighborhoods, my 7-day itinerary was busy but so worth it. If you’re planning your own trip, use this outline as inspiration to create a week that matches your travel style—you won’t run out of things to do.
Katelynn is a Texas-based writer and travel enthusiast who makes the most of her time exploring new destinations while balancing a full-time 9-5 job. She has visited 12 countries and 27 U.S. states. She describes herself as a weekend warrior and shares her passion for travel, outdoor adventures, and solo journeys on her blog, KatelynnOutLoud.
None Right Now.
Wreck - Catherine Newman
Great itinerary for a longer stay!
Looks like you were on the go everyday. I wouldn’t have thought to spend more than 3 days in Salt Lake City but clearly there is plenty to do.
I really was busy from the moment I woke up to sundown! There was quite a bit I didn’t get to do as well. It’s a great place to visit!
Great mix of museums, outdoors and breweries! I love museums and a good view.
The view from the Natural History and Science Museum was so unexpected, and absolutely worth visiting the museum for that alone! Thanks for reading! (:
Salt Lake City has been on my list of places to visit for a while. This is a great itinerary! Also great tip about Turo, we used it once when we went to Arizona and I totally forgot it’s a thing! I’ll have to look into it for my next trip because I also have a Capital One Quicksilver.
SLC wasn’t actually on my list of places to visit, but once I found out I was flying out there for a conference for work, I started researching. Once I got to researching, I had constructed a pretty big list of things to do and I loved my entire visit! I had a great time!
I know there are quite a few people who are anti-Turo because of poor customer service or other bad experiences, but I’ve now rented 7 vehicles from Turo and haven’t had one bad experience (knock on wood!)
Salt Lake City looks AMAZING! I wish I could visit. And…..Patagonia Outlet Store? SOLD!!
I know right! I was super excited about the Patagonia Outlet Store! Unfortunately, it was a smaller store and they didn’t really have anything in my size that I liked, but I loved roaming around none-the-less!