Las Vegas

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Travel Guide North America USA Western United States Nevada Las Vegas

Introduction

Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada, was a simple quiet town until the mob decided to turn it into a gambling mecca. Established in 1905, it became a city in 1911 and from then onwards grew rapidly. Today some of the world's most famous casinos are here and wild nights can be experienced here. The city's tolerance for various forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City. If you want to hit up the big casinos on the strip or some of the smaller ones in downtown there is a casino for everyone. If you don't want to gamble, there are plenty of musicians, dance clubs, magic acts and even some outdoor activities around to entertain you. Remember: what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas and VIVA LAS VEGAS!

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Neighbourhoods

The Strip - Lined by casino hotels, this 4 mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard is the epicenter of Las Vegas. Gambling, shows, eating and drinking, things to see such as replicas of buildings from around the world, gardens, theme parks and even museums - you won't easily run out of experiences here.
Downtown Las Vegas - North of the Strip, this can be considered the 'old town' of Las Vegas and here you can find the oldest casinos still in business, with massive installations of neon and bulbs. Many are along Fremont Street, whose canopy cover doubles as a huge LED screen featuring light shows every half hour or so.
West of I-15 - For experiencing some of the nature of the southwestern U.S. without heading that far out, try Red Rock Canyon on the western rim of the Las Vegas Valley. While largely residential, there are still some casinos and other points of interest west of the I-15.
Henderson and Eastern Las Vegas - While the most famous casinos are along the Strip, there are also many to choose from when going east. If looking for cheaper accommodation and a less hectic Las Vegas trip, this part of the city can be a good choice. There are also a couple of interesting museums here.
North Las Vegas - Administratively separate from Las Vegas, this is mostly a residential part of the Las Vegas Valley. Certainly not as intense as districts further south, it is notable for its motor speedway and air force base.

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Sights and Activities

Las Vegas Strip

Las Vegas

The Las Vegas Strip is where all the action takes place in Sin City. It's a 7-kilometre stretch of the Las Vegas Boulevard where all the hotels and casinos are located and where almost all of the gambling and other activities in the city can be found. Although historically, Downtown Las Vegas had all the gambling going on, the casinos that were not in here along Fremont Street were restricted to outside of the city limits on Las Vegas Boulevard. Quickly, this part, the Strip, grew rapidly and now is the centerpiece with all the famous hotels, shows and casinos.

The Hoover Dam is one of the most famous dams in a North America and is just south of Las Vegas.
Lake Mead is the reservoir behind Hoover Dam and makes it an excellent place to spend a day on the beach or in a house boat.
The Grand Canyon is a United States National Park and is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion in the world. For more information visit the Grand Canyon article.
Madame Tussuads Las Vegas - The one and only celebrity wax attraction on The Las Vegas Strip. Interact with 100+ of your favourite stars at the world famous Madame Tussauds. Address: 3377 S Las Vegas Blvd #2001, Las Vegas, NV 89109, United States, Phone: +1 702-862-7800, Hours: Sun-Thu: 10:00am-09:00pm Fri-Sat: 10:00am-10:00pm

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Events and Festivals

Holidays

New Year’s Eve - The US celebrates the outgoing of the old year and incoming of the New Year quite dramatically. Every state boasts its own parties to ring in the New Year, but none is more extravagant than New York’s Time Square, which sees people overflowing into the neighboring restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and neighborhoods.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King's birthday, January 15. The holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The earliest Monday for this holiday is January 15 and the latest is January 21. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.
St Patrick’s Day - March 17 celebrates the US’s large Irish population. Many cities around the country boast boisterous parades and Irish-themed parties, especially New York and Chicago, where the river is dyed green. Be wary of the drunkenness that dominates as this is definitely a party-day.
Memorial Day - Memorial Day is an important holiday throughout the United States, but not for crazy festivities. Parades commemorating wartime heroes are often held and the day is also the ‘unofficial’ start of summer. Most visitors follow the crowds to parks and beaches, which are capped off with informal BBQs.
Independence Day - Also known as the Fourth of July, Independence Day celebrates the US’s break from the British during the 18th century. Barbecues, street parties, beach trips, and weekend getaways are commonplace to appreciate freedom.
Labor Day is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend. It is recognized as a federal holiday. Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor.
Halloween - Halloween is a fun holiday on October 31 for all generations to dress up in costumes and relive their youth. Children walk around the neighborhood trick-or-treating for candy, while adults attend parties. Other seasonal events include haunted houses, pumpkin farms and carving, and corn mazes.
Thanksgiving - On the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving is held in almost every home in the US. Tourists will have a hard time finding anything to do as the country essentially shuts down in observation. A typical Thanksgiving meal consists of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie commemorating the original Pilgrim’s feast at Plymouth Rock.
Christmas - On December 25, Christians celebrate Christmas as the pinnacle of their calendar by attending church and opening gifts from Santa Claus. Almost everything shuts down to promote family togetherness. The northern regions hope to experience a “white Christmas,” with trees and festive lights blanketed by snow.

Sport

Super Bowl Sunday - the world’s most watched sporting event and one of the highest grossing TV days of the year, Superbowl Sunday is a spectacular extravaganza. Held the first Sunday in February, the Superbowl is the final playoff game between the NFL’s top two teams. The venue rotates every year around America, yet the local parties seem to remain. Pubs, bars and restaurants are great places to enjoy the Superbowl or locals throw their own parties with different variations of betting.
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America, contested since 1903 between the American League (AL) champion team and the National League (NL) champion team. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy. As the series is played during the fall season in North America, it is sometimes referred to as the Fall Classic.

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Weather

Las Vegas has an arid climate with low precipitation year round, just over 100 mm annually. From June to September, average daytime temperatures are between 35 °C and 40 °C, sometimes hitting 45 °C. Nights are pleasantly warm during this time. Winter days are between 15 °C and 20 °C, with nights around zero. Occasionally, snow is possible during this time. March to May and October and November are pleasant months for a visit.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg Max	14.1 °C	17.4 °C	20.4 °C	25.3 °C	31 °C	37.9 °C	41.1 °C	39.6 °C	34.8 °C	27.8 °C	19.7 °C	14.2 °C
Avg Min	0.9 °C	3.8 °C	6.6 °C	10.4 °C	15.7 °C	20.8 °C	24.6 °C	23.4 °C	19 °C	12.4 °C	5.9 °C	1.1 °C
Rainfall	12.2 mm	12.2 mm	10.7 mm	5.3 mm	7.1 mm	3 mm	8.9 mm	12.4 mm	7.1 mm	5.3 mm	10.9 mm	9.7 mm
Rain Days	2.1	1.8	2.1	1.2	0.9	0.5	1.6	2	1.2	1	1.3	1.7

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Getting There

By Plane

McCarran International Airport (LAS) is the main gateway to Las Vegas and Southwest Airlines offers most flights to/from here. Destinations include Albuquerque, Baltimore, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Los Angeles, Houston, Oakland, New Orleans, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Washington, D.C. and San Diego, among many more.
US Airways offers a lot of flights as well, including most of the above places and Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Toronto and Vancouver. Westjet has flights to quite a few Canadian cities as well.
New York is served by Continental and Delta and international connections include Mexico City, Frankfurt, Guadalajara, London, Manila, Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester and Monterrey.

The airport is located about 5 miles (8 kilometres) from the business district of Las Vegas, and just a mile or so from the Strip.

To/from the airport

Car: Access to McCarran Airport is from Tropicana Avenue (State Route 593) to the north or the Las Vegas Beltway (Interstate 215) to the south. Vehicles enter the airport via the McCarran Airport Connector, which includes Paradise Road/Swenson Street and the airport tunnel. Rental cars are available at the airport, with companies like Hertz, Avis, Budget, Thrifty, Enterprise and Alamo/National.
Numerous taxis are generally waiting to take you there or get you from the airport to your hotel/casino.
RTC Transit has buses: Route #108 provides service to Downtown Las Vegas, Route #109 services the South Strip Transfer Terminal, the consolidated rental car facility and Maryland Parkway and the "ACE Gold Line" bus service along the Las Vegas Strip connects with Route 109 (south) at the South Strip Transfer Terminal. There is no direct bus service from the airport to The Strip. Both Route #109 and "ACE Gold Line" operates 24 hours a day.

By Car

Las Vegas can be approaced from all directions. The main Interstate 15 (I-15) runs from northeast (Utah) through southern Nevada and Las Vegas, towards the southwest crossing into Caliornia at the Mojave Desert and continuing towards LA. Route 93 runs from Kingman, Arizona, into Nevada passing Las Vegas and continuing north. Route 95 from southern California runs to Las Vegas and onwards in northwestern direction parallel at the California-Nevada border.

By Bus

Megabus offers three daily connections to Los Angeles. They take around 4 to 4.5 hours. It works as a lowcostairline, that is if you book well in advance you can get seats for as little as one dollar! Greyhound has buses to San Diego, LA and San Francisco, among other places. There are even buses run by Amtrak (train company) from LA as well.

Welcome in Las Vegas

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Getting Around

By Car

Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, SIXT Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

By Public Transport

Citizens Area Transit offers city and suburban bus routes usually from 5am to 2am daily, with the double-decker Deuce buses running 24/7 along the Strip and to downtown. The regular fare is $1.25 per ride, except on Deuce buses ($2). Exact change is required!
The Las Vegas Monorail travel up and down the main part of The Strip between the Sahara hotel and the MGM hotel.
It costs $5 one-way, $9 return and $15 for a one-day pass.

By Foot

If traveling along the Strip, walking is a reasonable option as the hotel-casinos are close to each other. However, note that what may look to be a short walk of only a couple hotel-casinos away may be farther than you expected as the resorts often look closer than they are due to their large size. In most cases, hotels are connected to each other either by bridge or underground or in the case of Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay, by a complimentary rail shuttle. Be aware that during the summer, the oppressive heat during the daylight hours may make walking a very uncomfortable activity.

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Eat

Large casinos will invariably offer a variety of dining options, ranging from the omni-present buffet to simple cafes to gourmet restaurants.
The most famous buffets in Las Vegas are at the Rio, Bellagio, Paris and Planet Hollywood, though the newly opened Wynn buffet is becoming more and more of a favorite with tourists and locals alike. The best buffets typically run about $30 a person for a weekend dinner. Lunch is your best value at most buffets when they are around half price, breakfasts are cheapest and often have a great spread too. Do not forget that tipping your buffet waiter 10-15% is customary. You can leave cash on the table at the end of your meal or tip the cashier at the counter on a credit card. Some buffets give "early bird" discounts, which means that if you arrive early the price is a few dollars lower.

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Drink

In Las Vegas, free drinks are offered to all gamblers, even those playing 5-cent slot machines. You should tip the waitress at least $1 per drink; failure to do so will likely cost you free drink privileges.

Although it is officially not allowed per the lawbooks, drinking on public sidewalks and other areas on the Strip and Downtown is rarely if ever enforced. Thus it is entirely common to consume alcohol in public areas, including the public sidewalks within the Las Vegas city limits which includes all of Downtown, The Strip and close-by areas. Again, as previously mentioned, over-intoxication and disorderly conduct is frowned upon, so stay within your own limits. On special occasions (New Year's Eve and Independence Day for example) there may be bans on glass bottles and/or aluminum cans for the Strip and the Downtown area. Plastic cups and sports bottles are allowed at these times and either provided at purchase or often available at hotel/casino exit doors. When inside a casino or hotel there is seldom any restrictions on carrying drinks from one bar, restaurant or playing location to another with the exception of some showrooms and theaters where it will be clearly posted. Individual shops may also have rules about carrying in food and drink of any kind.

The towns of North Las Vegas, Henderson and other outlying areas have very different regulations forbidding removal of alcohol from bars, etc. so check with your host or doorman if in doubt. Many bars and liquor stores are open 24 hours a day. There are also special posted laws for convenience stores, grocery stores and other retail liquor outlets restricting consumption in the immediate vicinity. Most of all, always remember to drink responsibly and realize that the hot, dry desert air in the summer months can have very adverse health affects on people consuming alcohol such as rapid dehydration and deadly heat stroke, even after dark. Drink plenty of water as well!

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Sleep

The vast majority of visitors to Las Vegas arrive on Friday or Saturday nights and stay for the weekend. As such, room rates can seem ridiculously cheap from Sunday-Thursday night but zoom upwards on weekends. Travelers can plan a trip to their advantage: by staying, say, Sunday through to Thursday, one can not only save a bundle on hotel rates, but also take advantage of package deals that may include a show, meals, and gambling coupons - occasionally worth more than the cost of the hotel room itself.

A bad surprise at check in are so-called "Resort Fees". Many hotels in Las Vegas collect this fee on top of the actual room charge(typically between $10 and $20 per night) when you check in. You won't get around paying it, even if you claim that your hotel booking website had indicated the total pricing as final. The resort fee is apparently an attempt at introducing low-cost airline-style pricing to hotels: splitting up the price into an attractively cheap basic fee, and charging the customer for almost everything separately. Thusly, in Las Vegas, the resort fee typically "covers" the usage of the swimming pool and of the fitness center. Some hotels do not collect resort fees. It may be worth it to ask the front desk to remove this fee; especially if you had a bad experience with your stay. However, keep your expectations low but be polite and reasonable.

Be aware that in Las Vegas hotels, even the resort fee does not always cover hotel amenities that are included for free in hotels in the rest of the world: These charges may be quite expensive; most hotels charge for use of the fitness center with rates around $20 to $40 per visit, local calls are usually billed, and wireless internet is generally at least $12 per day. Unless the service is free; it is better to use your own cell phone or mobile router.

Due to the flamboyant and lively atmosphere of most casino hotels, be aware that you may not get a good night's sleep, especially on weekends or during busy tourist seasons. Drunken parties and associated recklessness are frequent occurrences in most of the motels and hotels on The Strip. Most hotels will send security personnel up to dispel loud parties or to warn drunk patrons to keep the noise down if you call the front desk, but their effectiveness may vary. Quiet alternatives include the Four Seasons Hotel, Mandarin Oriental, and Skylofts at MGM Grand.

In Las Vegas parlance, the words "hotel" and "casino" are interchangeable. There is a big difference between casino hotels and mainstream hotels without gambling. Casino hotels tend to be large (often with a long walk from the parking to your room and often via the gambling floor). The size of casino hotels means that they often have a wider range of services (restaurants, bars, shops, coffee shops, etc.) and many facilities have long opening hours or are open 24 hours.

Budget

You can use the form below to search for availability (Travellerspoint receives a commission for bookings made through the form)

Booking.com

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Casinos and Hotels

The Bellagio is class and style.
Caesars Palace - This is the place to stay if you want to live like an emperor.
Circus Circus is one of the old original classics still on the strip.
Excalibur- If medieval knights and princesses is your idea of fun here is your casino
The Flamingo is the original casino opened by the mob.
Harrahs
Las Vegas Hilton
Luxor - here you will find the Egyptian themed sphinx and pyramids. The pyramid is the 4th largest in the world!
Mandalay Bay is one of the hottest casinos.
MGM Grand
The Mirage is famous for its siberian tigers.
Monte Carlo
New York New York Don't have enough time for New York try out this small version of Manhattan.
Paris Las Vegas Hotel is about halfway The Strip, with a replica (half-size) of the Eiffel Tower.
Sahara - This is just like a sultans palace.
The Treasure Island casino lives up to its pirate name by having live action pirate fights every night.
The Venetian is now the world's largest 5 star diamond resort.

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Learn

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

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Keep Connected

Internet

There is a very small internet bar/cafe culture in the USA. Even then most of the internet bars/cafes tend be located in major urban centers. Accessible WiFi networks, however, are common. The most generally useful WiFi spots are in coffee shops, fast-food chains, and bookshops, but also restaurants and hotels more and more have a network to connect on. Some of them might require you to buy something and you might need a password too, especially in hotels.

Phone

Post

The US Postal Service is a very good and well priced mail system. There are post offices in every small and large town for sending packages internationally or domestically. Although some might keep longer hours, most are open at least between 9:00am and 5:00pm. If wanting to send a letter or postcard it is best just to leave it in a blue mail box with the proper postage. First-class international airmail postcards and letters (up 28.5 grams) cost $1.10. There are also private postal services like FedEx, UPS, TNT and DHL, which might be better value sometimes and are generally very quick and reliable too.

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