Las Vegas is two trips in one. The first is the Strip: four miles of resorts, fountains, shows and pool parties built to keep you inside. The second is the desert around it — Red Rock Canyon 25 minutes away, Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, and the Grand Canyon, Zion and Death Valley within a morning’s drive. Most travellers do both, and Vegas is the cheapest place in the West to fly into and rent a car.
Things to do in Las Vegas
Walk the Strip at night
Start at the south end near the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, then walk north: New York-New York, the Bellagio fountains (every 15 minutes in the evening), the Eiffel Tower at Paris, Caesars Palace, the canals of the Venetian. Pedestrian bridges link most crossings; it is longer than it looks — two miles from MGM Grand to the Venetian.
The Bellagio Conservatory, next to the lobby, changes its giant floral displays with the seasons and is free.
2The Sphere
The 366-foot LED globe beside the Venetian is the city’s new landmark: the outside alone is worth seeing at night. Inside, the immersive films and concerts on a 16K wraparound screen are expensive but genuinely unlike anything else.
See tours and tickets partner linkFremont Street & downtown
Old Vegas: the Golden Nugget, cheaper tables, the LED canopy of the Fremont Street Experience with its hourly light shows, and the zipline that flies under it. Next door, the Fremont East district has the city’s best independent bars. The Neon Museum’s boneyard of retired signs is a 5-minute ride away; book the night tour.
See tours and tickets partner link4A show
Cirque du Soleil’s “O” at the Bellagio (an aquatic stage) and “Mystère” at Treasure Island are the classics; residencies change every season. Same-day discount booths along the Strip sell leftover seats, but the big names sell out — book those ahead.
See tours and tickets partner linkRed Rock Canyon
A 13-mile scenic loop through red and cream sandstone 25 minutes west of the Strip. Calico Tanks and Ice Box Canyon are short, rewarding hikes. A timed-entry reservation is required for the scenic drive from October to May.
Go at sunrise: cooler, and the cliffs glow.
Valley of Fire State Park
Nevada’s oldest state park, an hour north-east: Fire Wave, Elephant Rock, petroglyphs at Atlatl Rock, and slot-like White Domes. Half a day, and far fewer people than Red Rock.
Hoover Dam
The 1936 Art Deco dam on the Colorado River, 45 minutes south-east. Walk the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge for the view down onto the dam; the power plant tour shows the turbines inside.
See tours and tickets partner link8Grand Canyon by helicopter
The West Rim is 2 h 30 by road; helicopters reach it in under an hour and some land on the canyon floor. The South Rim, the classic viewpoints, is 4 h 30 each way: better as an overnight stop on a road trip than as a day trip.
See tours and tickets partner link
Resort fees, parking and the real price of a room
The price you see first is rarely the price you pay.
Almost every Strip hotel adds a daily resort fee of roughly $35–$55 on top of the room rate, plus around 13% hotel tax. Since 2025 a federal rule requires the total price to be shown up front, so read the final figure on the booking page, not the teaser rate. Most Strip resorts also charge for self-parking; downtown hotels are often cheaper on both counts.
| Night on the Strip | Weekday | Weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Value (Flamingo, Excalibur, Luxor) | $60–$120 | $150–$250 |
| Mid-range (Paris, Planet Hollywood, Mandalay Bay) | $120–$220 | $250–$400 |
| Luxury (Bellagio, Venetian, Wynn, Cosmopolitan) | $220–$450 | $450–$800 |
When to go (and the summer heat)
March to May and October to November are perfect: warm days, cool nights, pools open from March. From June to September highs sit above 100°F (38°C) — fine by the pool, risky on a trail. Winter is mild in the city but nights can be near freezing, and it is the cheapest season outside big conventions (CES in January floods every hotel).
Road trips from Las Vegas
Vegas is the start of the Southwest’s best drives.
| Destination | Drive | Best as |
|---|---|---|
| Zion National Park | 2 h 45 · 160 mi | 1–2 nights |
| Death Valley | 2 h · 120 mi | Long day trip (not in summer) |
| Grand Canyon South Rim | 4 h 30 · 280 mi | 1–2 nights |
| Antelope Canyon & Page | 4 h 30 · 275 mi | 1 night |
| Bryce Canyon | 4 h · 260 mi | 1 night, after Zion |
| Los Angeles | 4 h 30 · 270 mi | Next stop west |
The loop that ties them together is our Grand Circle road trip.
Where to stay in Las Vegas
Choose your part of the Strip first, then the hotel: walking from one end to the other takes an hour in the heat.
Our 2 hotel picks in Las Vegas
Photos, facilities and tips →Not sure which area? Compare Las Vegas’s neighbourhoods for a first stay.
Luxury$$$$Wynn Las Vegas
North Strip, opposite the Las Vegas Convention Center
A garden-and-lagoon resort on the North Strip, with a Five-Star spa and its own golf course.
Mid-range$$$$Golden Gate Hotel & Casino
Downtown, at the west end of the Fremont Street Experience
The 1906 hotel at the head of Fremont Street, with free parking and Circa’s pools a short walk away.
Center Strip
$$$$Best for: first-timers
Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Paris, the Cosmopolitan, the Venetian: the fountains, the shows and the restaurants are on your doorstep.
Hotels in Center Strip partner linkSouth Strip
$$$$Best for: value, airport access
MGM Grand, New York-New York, Luxor, Mandalay Bay with its wave pool. Ten minutes from the airport, cheaper rooms, a longer walk to the center.
Hotels in South Strip partner linkDowntown (Fremont)
$$$$Best for: budget, old-school Vegas
Lower room rates and resort fees, cheaper tables, a real bar scene on Fremont East. Fifteen minutes from the Strip by Deuce bus or ride-hail.
Hotels in Downtown (Fremont) partner linkOff-Strip & Summerlin
$$$$Best for: road trippers
Free parking and calm, on the west side toward Red Rock Canyon — practical the night before a dawn departure.
Hotels in Off-Strip & Summerlin partner linkWhere to eat
Every celebrity chef has a Vegas outpost, and the buffets are back. Our picks mix both with the places locals go.
Bacchanal Buffet
Caesars Palace
The benchmark Vegas buffet: crab legs, dim sum, a dessert room. Go at lunch on a weekday.
$$$
Lotus of Siam
East of the Strip
Northern Thai cooking and a German-heavy wine list that critics have praised for decades.
$$
Secret Pizza
The Cosmopolitan
Unmarked hallway on the third floor, lined with record covers; late-night slices.
$
Chinatown on Spring Mountain Road
West of the Strip
Two miles of Asian restaurants open late: ramen, Sichuan, pho, dim sum. Where the chefs eat after their shifts.
$
Golden Steer
Sahara Avenue
Red leather booths, a steakhouse since 1958 where Sinatra and the Rat Pack ate.
$$$
Weather in Las Vegas by month
Best time to visit Las Vegas, month by month →
Compare every destination month by month in the when-to-go explorer.
Las Vegas: your questions
How many days do you need in Las Vegas?
Two nights covers the Strip, Fremont Street and a show. Add a third for Red Rock Canyon or the Hoover Dam, and more if Vegas is the start of a national parks road trip.
What is a resort fee in Las Vegas?
A mandatory daily charge, usually $35–$55, added to the room rate at most Strip hotels for Wi-Fi, pool and gym access. It applies even if you use none of them, and taxes are added on top.
Can you do the Grand Canyon as a day trip from Las Vegas?
The West Rim, yes (2 h 30 each way, or a helicopter). The South Rim is 4 h 30 each way: a very long day. Spend a night there if you can.
Is Las Vegas too hot in summer?
Highs above 105°F (40°C) are normal in July. The city is air-conditioned and the pools are the point, but hiking and outdoor sightseeing should happen only at dawn.
Do I need a car in Las Vegas?
Not for the Strip: walk, take the Monorail along the east side, or ride-hail. Rent one only for the day trips and the parks — and only for those days, since hotels charge for parking.
How old do you have to be to gamble in Las Vegas?
21, and the casino will ask for ID. Under-21s can walk through casino floors but cannot stop at tables or machines.
Written by Kylian Dev · Last reviewed October 21, 2026. Prices are in US dollars, before sales tax.