Las Vegas Travel Guide
Internationally renowned major resort city, known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife.
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Places to See in Las Vegas
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Caesars Palace
Luxury hotel and casino is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks, giving guests a sense of life during the Roman Empire
Circa Resort and Casino
Modern casino hotel in downtown Las Vegas featuring a rooftop pool complex, multiple dining options, and a sportsbook
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HoppingRabbit34 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
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Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
Casino hotel with architectural theme reminiscent of the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne style of Miami and South Beach
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Nate Stiller, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
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The LINQ Hotel + Experience
Casino hotel opened as the Flamingo Capri in 1959, on property located directly north of the original Flamingo resort
Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
Outpatient treatment and research facility in downtown Las Vegas designed by Frank Gehry
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The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort
Luxury hotel and casino resort is the tallest completed building in Nevada and offers luxury in an Italian Renaissance ambiance
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Paris Las Vegas
Casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip with the theme of the city of Paris
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Pinball Hall of Fame
Museum and arcade dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of pinball machines, featuring a wide variety of vintage and modern games
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino
Casino hotel with architecture having a 'Hollywood hip' theme that eschews the popular Art-Deco glamour of similarly imaged venues
Plaza Hotel and Casino
Hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas, at the north end of Fremont Street Experience
Resorts World Las Vegas
Modern mega-resort featuring three luxury hotel brands, a vast casino, world-class dining, and entertainment across a sprawling multi-tower complex.
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Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino
Hotel and casino near the Las Vegas Strip named after the city of Rio de Janeiro and is influenced by Brazilian culture
SAHARA Las Vegas
Hotel and casino anchors the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, at the corner of Sahara Avenue
Shelby Heritage Center
Museum and event space dedicated to the legacy of automotive designer Carroll Shelby, featuring exhibits on his cars and racing history
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Sphere
Entertainment venue known for its spherical shape and cutting-edge technology, hosting concerts and immersive experiences
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Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign
Las Vegas landmark funded in May 1959 and erected soon after that some consider to be the official southern end of the Las Vegas Strip
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Overview
Las Vegas (Spanish for "The Meadows"), officially the City of Las Vegas and often known simply as Vegas, is the largest city within the greater Mojave Desert. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city, known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife. The Las Vegas Valley as a whole serves as the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center for Nevada.
The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous for its mega casino-hotels and associated activities. It is a top three destination in the United States for business conventions and a global leader in the hospitality industry, claiming more AAA Five Diamond hotels than any other city in the world. Today, Las Vegas annually ranks as one of the world's most visited tourist destinations. The city's tolerance for numerous forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of "Sin City", and has made Las Vegas a popular setting for literature, films, television programs, and music videos.
Las Vegas is situated within Clark County, in a basin on the floor of the Mojave Desert, and is surrounded by mountain ranges on all sides. Much of the landscape is rocky and arid, with desert vegetation and wildlife.
The peaks surrounding Las Vegas reach elevations of over 10,000 feet (3,000 m), and act as barriers to the strong flow of moisture from the surrounding area. The elevation is approximately 2,030 ft (620 m) above sea level.
The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about 4.2 mi (6.8 km) long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester, but is often referred to simply as "Las Vegas".
Many of the largest hotel, casino, and resort properties in the world are on the Strip, known for its contemporary architecture, lights, and wide variety of attractions. Its hotels, casinos, restaurants, residential high-rises, entertainment offerings, and skyline have established the Strip as one of the most popular and iconic tourist destinations in the world and is one of the driving forces for Las Vegas' economy.
Historically, casinos that were not in Downtown Las Vegas along Fremont Street sat outside the city limits on Las Vegas Boulevard. In 1959, the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was built exactly 4.5 miles (7.2 km) outside the city limits. The sign is currently located in the median just south of Russell Road, across from the location of the now-demolished Klondike Hotel and Casino and about 0.4 miles (0.64 km) south of the southernmost entrance to Mandalay Bay, which is the Strip's southernmost casino.
In the strictest sense, "the Strip" refers only to the stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard that is roughly between Sahara Avenue and Russell Road, a distance of 4.2 miles (6.8 km).
The Sahara is widely considered the Strip's northern terminus, though travel guides typically extend it to the Strat 0.4 miles (0.64 km) to the north.
The Las Vegas Strip is well known for its lounges, showrooms, theaters and nightclubs; most of the attractions and shows on the Strip are located on the hotel casino properties. There are several Cirque du Soleil shows, such as Kà at the MGM Grand, O at Bellagio, Mystère at Treasure Island, and Michael Jackson: One at Mandalay Bay.
Many notable artists have performed in Las Vegas, including Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Wayne Newton, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Liberace, and in more recent years Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Barry Manilow, Cher, Elton John, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Donny and Marie Osmond, Garth Brooks, Jennifer Lopez, Reba McEntire, Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, Criss Angel, Olivia Newton-John, Queen + Adam Lambert, and Lady Gaga have had residencies in the various resorts on the Strip.
Las Vegas offers an incredibly diverse dining scene, from high-end celebrity chef restaurants like Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen, Thomas Keller’s Bouchon, and Giada’s Italian eatery, to global cuisine hotspots such as Kabuto and Nobu for sushi, and Gymkhana for Michelin-starred Indian dishes. Buffets remain iconic, with Bacchanal at Caesars Palace and Wynn Buffet leading the pack for variety and quality. For casual and budget-friendly options, favorites include Mon Ami Gabi for French bistro fare, Tacos El Gordo for authentic street tacos, and classic diners like The Peppermill. Off-Strip neighborhoods like Chinatown feature gems such as Lotus of Siam and Kabuto, while the Strip boasts trendy spots like SushiSamba and Morimoto. Whether you’re seeking fine dining, comfort food, or adventurous flavors, Las Vegas caters to every taste and budget.
Downtown Las Vegas (commonly abbreviated as DTLV) is the central business district and historic center of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the original townsite and was the gambling district of Las Vegas prior to the Strip, and the area still incorporates downtown gaming. As the urban core of the Las Vegas Valley, it features a variety of hotel and business highrises, cultural centers, historical buildings and government institutions, as well as residential and retail developments. Downtown is located in the center of the Las Vegas Valley and just north of the Las Vegas Strip, centered on Fremont Street, the Fremont Street Experience and Fremont East.
Fremont Street is home to most of downtown's hotels and casinos. These are the original casinos of Las Vegas, which existed before the more famous Las Vegas Strip. The Fremont Street Experience is a canopied street of the downtown area where casinos have been connected to the street and to each other in a unique visual manner. An audio-visual system consisting of more than 2 million lights and a sound system allows for nightly shows. A variety of events also occur at the Experience, including several live concerts. Various entertainment and dining options are also located in the area.
In 2002 the city of Las Vegas created the Fremont East Entertainment District (FEED), an entertainment district in the heart of downtown Las Vegas. In 2004 the city announced plans to redevelop a three block section of Fremont Street east of the Fremont Street Experience as an arts and entertainment area within FEED. The area was redesigned to increase the draw to downtown, with a compact entertainment area of bars and clubs.
Downtown is a hub for arts and culture in the metro area. The main venue for performing arts is the Art Deco-inspired Smith Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to The Smith Center and 18b, The Las Vegas Arts District, there are a number of educational facilities in the Cultural Corridor, located just north of the immediate downtown area. They include the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, the Neon Museum and Boneyard and the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park. Also in this area are a number of neon signs from former Las Vegas casinos and landmarks, which have been restored and installed on several streets around downtown, as well as throughout the Fremont Street Experience. A famous neon icon of downtown Las Vegas is the Vegas Vic sign, also located at the Fremont Street Experience.
The city is home to several museums, including the Neon Museum (the location for many of the historical signs from Las Vegas's mid-20th century heyday), The Mob Museum, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, the DISCOVERY Children's Museum, the Nevada State Museum and the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park.
As Las Vegas boomed, more recent buildings tended to take inspiration from a variety of styles. The Clark County Government Center has a red sandstone exterior invoking a desert motif. The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, opened in 2012, is a more modern example of Art Deco design. Architect Frank Gehry designed the building for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health building in deconstructionist style. It was completed in 2010.
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) is about 3.5–4 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, making it a quick 10–15 minute drive. Taxis charge flat rates of roughly $21–$29 depending on your Strip zone, while Uber and Lyft typically cost $15–$25, though surge pricing can increase that. For budget travelers, RTC buses run about $6 per ride and take 30–40 minutes, while shared shuttles cost $8–$17 and take 30–60 minutes with multiple stops. Private shuttles or luxury options are faster but much pricier. Overall, taxis and rideshares are the fastest and most convenient, while buses and shared shuttles are the cheapest.
Several Las Vegas Strip hotels still offer free parking in 2025, though most major resorts now charge. The best options for completely free self-parking include Sahara Las Vegas, Circus Circus, and Treasure Island, with Sahara and Treasure Island also providing free valet. Fontainebleau Las Vegas offers four hours of free parking for all visitors, while Wynn and Encore allow hotel guests to park free and give non-guests three free hours. Additionally, shopping venues like Fashion Show Mall, Shops at Crystals, and Mandalay Place Shoppes provide free parking, making them convenient alternatives for visitors.
The Mandalay Bay Tram is a free, convenient transportation option on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip, connecting Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur. It operates roughly every 3–7 minutes from about 9 AM to midnight (extended to 2:30 AM on weekends), making it easy to move between these major resorts without walking long distances. The ride is quick, air-conditioned, and ideal for avoiding traffic or heat, and from Excalibur, visitors can easily access New York–New York via pedestrian bridges.
While not on the Strip itself, the Las Vegas Monorail runs a 3.9 mile route on the east side of the Strip corridor from Tropicana Avenue to Sahara Avenue, with stops every 4 to 8 minutes at several on-Strip properties including the MGM Grand and the Sahara at each end of the route. The stations include:
- SAHARA Las Vegas Station
- Westgate Station
- Las Vegas Convention Center Station
- Harrah's/The LINQ Station
- Flamingo/Caesars Palace Station
- Horseshoe/Paris Station
- MGM Grand Station
Trains operate daily starting at 7 AM, with service until midnight on Mondays, 2 AM Tuesday–Thursday, and 3 AM Friday–Sunday, arriving every 4–8 minutes. A full ride takes around 13 minutes. Pricing starts at $6 per one-way ticket or $15 for a 1-day unlimited pass when purchased online
Las Vegas hotel resort fees are mandatory nightly charges added to room rates, typically ranging from $30 to $55 per night (plus about 13% tax), bringing the total to roughly $50–$63. These fees cover amenities like Wi‑Fi, fitness center access, pool use, and local calls—even if you don’t use them. Major Strip hotels such as Bellagio, Caesars Palace, and MGM properties charge around $50–$56 before tax, while Wynn and Encore are about $55. Off-Strip hotels often have lower or no fees. As of 2025, new FTC rules require hotels to display total costs upfront, including resort fees, for transparency. To avoid or reduce fees, consider loyalty programs, off-Strip hotels, or special promotions.
Popular day trips from Las Vegas include Red Rock Canyon (30 minutes away) for scenic drives and hikes, Hoover Dam and Lake Mead (about 45 minutes) for engineering marvels and water activities, and Valley of Fire State Park (1 hour) with striking red rock formations and petroglyphs. Longer excursions include the Grand Canyon West Rim (2 hours) with the Skywalk, Zion National Park (2.5–3 hours) for dramatic canyons, and Death Valley (2–2.5 hours) for unique desert landscapes. For cooler mountain escapes, Mount Charleston is just 40 minutes away, while Bryce Canyon (4 hours) offers stunning hoodoos for those willing to make a full-day trip. These destinations provide a mix of natural beauty, adventure, and history within easy reach of Las Vegas.
On the Las Vegas Strip, the glamorous showgirls you see are no longer part of traditional stage productions—they’re independent street performers dressed in elaborate costumes who pose for photos in exchange for tips, often asking for $20–$60. Alongside them, you’ll find a variety of costumed characters like superheroes, cartoon figures, and mascots, all working for tips. While they add color and entertainment to the Strip, tipping is voluntary, and visitors should be cautious to avoid aggressive upselling or misunderstandings.
Walking the Las Vegas Strip is a scenic experience spanning about 4.2 miles from Mandalay Bay to the Stratosphere, typically taking 1.5–2 hours nonstop or 3–6 hours with stops. The best time to walk is in the evening for cooler weather and vibrant neon lights, and the route includes pedestrian bridges, wide sidewalks, and easy access to casinos for rest, air-conditioning, and water. Wear comfortable shoes, bring water and sunscreen, and use free trams or the monorail for breaks.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Las Vegas", "Downtown Las Vegas", and "Las Vegas Strip", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
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