Las Vegas Guide
Four miles of resort corridor, one desert valley, and a calendar that runs on conventions and fight weekends.
The Strip is a single boulevard where the walk between two hotels can take twenty minutes, so plan by cluster rather than by address. Room rates here track the convention calendar far more than the season — the same suite can triple in price the week CES is in town.
Las Vegas business directoryThe Strip, end to end
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Where to stay
Hotels
The KEY2 list
Happy Hour
Daylight
Hotel Pools & Pool Clubs
Eat
Best Food
Mornings
Breakfast & Brunch
Recover
Health & Wellness
After dark
Nightlife
Arenas
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Tonight
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Say it here
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Book the room
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Experiences
100 Other Things To Do
Las Vegas explained
Hour-by-hour plans drawn by hand — pick one and follow it from first coffee to last call.
24 Hours in Las Vegas
One day, done properly: brunch off-Strip, desert light, a great dinner and one nightcap.
48 Hours in Las Vegas
A full weekend across the Strip, downtown and the desert.
Las Vegas travel guide
The practical layer: when to come, how to arrive, how to move, where to base yourself and what it costs.
Best time to visit
March to May offers the most comfortable temperatures for walking the Strip and side-tripping to Red Rock Canyon; October and November are a close second once the summer heat breaks.
Getting in
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) sits about 10 to 15 minutes from the Strip. A taxi or rideshare runs roughly $20 to $30 with tip; the RTC Deuce bus is cheaper but slower, and most resorts run their own shuttle desks near baggage claim.
Getting around
The Strip itself is walkable but distances between resorts are longer than they look, so budget 15 to 20 minutes on foot between properties at either end. The Las Vegas Monorail links several east-side hotels, rideshare is the default for downtown and off-Strip trips, and a rental car only pays off if you are heading out to Red Rock, Hoover Dam or Valley of Fire.
What it costs
Mid-range Strip hotel: $120 to $250 a night outside major conventions. Dinner for two at a mid-tier steakhouse: $150 to $220. A single rideshare hop along the Strip: $10 to $15 including surge.
Where to stay
- Center Strip
- Closest to Bellagio, Caesars Palace and the fountains; best for first-time visitors who want everything walkable.
- North Strip
- Quieter and cheaper, near the Venetian and Wynn, with easier access to the convention centre.
- Fremont Street / Downtown
- Older, grittier and better value, popular with visitors who prefer classic casino floors over nightclub resorts.
- Off-Strip near the airport
- Budget-friendly chain hotels with easy LAS access, best for a short layover-style stay.
Traveller tips
- Resort fees of $35 to $55 a night are added at checkout and are rarely included in the quoted room rate.
- Reserve popular restaurants and dayclubs several days ahead, especially on weekends and during conventions.
- Tipping is expected everywhere: $1 to $2 per drink at the bar, 15 to 20% at restaurants, and $1 to $2 per bag for bellhops.
- Check the convention calendar before booking; a mid-week trade show can push rates above a Saturday night.
- Smoking is still permitted on casino floors, so ask for a non-smoking room if it matters to you.
- The Strip closes to vehicle traffic on New Year's Eve and during the November Formula 1 race weekend, so plan transfers accordingly.
The Las Vegas calendar
The dates that actually move prices, crowds and opening hours.
January
CES
The convention centre and every Strip hotel fill; expect peak rates, hour-long rideshare waits and booked-out steakhouses.
March
March Madness
Sportsbooks are standing-room only from the first Thursday tip-off; reserve book seating weeks ahead.
May
Pool season opens in earnest
Dayclubs move to full weekend programming and rooftop temperatures are still tolerable before June.
September
Formula 1 build-out begins
Grandstand construction along the Strip starts weeks before the November race and closes lanes at night.
October
When We Were Young / festival season
Festival weekends at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds spike downtown and mid-Strip hotel demand.
November
Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
The most expensive weekend of the year: road closures, resort minimums and multi-night stay requirements.
December
National Finals Rodeo & New Year's Eve
NFR reshapes the whole city's crowd for ten days; NYE closes the Strip to cars.
Seasonal highlights
- Spring (Mar–May)
- The best weather of the year — 70s to 90s°F, Red Rock and Valley of Fire are still comfortable at midday.
- Summer (Jun–Sep)
- 110°F afternoons. Days belong to pools and air conditioning; hiking is a sunrise-only activity.
- Autumn (Oct–Nov)
- Patios reopen, the desert cools, and the sports and race calendar peaks.
- Winter (Dec–Feb)
- Cool, dry, quiet after New Year — the cheapest rooms of the year land in the second half of January.
Off-peak intel
- Sunday through Wednesday is a different city: same restaurants, half the resort fee-adjusted rate, no queue at the door.
- Late January and the first weeks of December (before NFR) are the softest demand windows of the year.
- Check the convention calendar before you book — a mid-week trade show costs more than a Saturday.
- Book headline shows for weeknights; the same production plays to a smaller, cheaper room.