Travel Guide to Las Vegas
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General
Las Vegas is a resort and amusement city for the whole family and not just a destination for gamblers. There is no other city in the US, besides Orlando, where you will find so many diverse and unique entertainment and recreation options. The city is a global tourism hub. Before the COVID-19 period, it was visited by over 40 million tourists per year! The city also serves as a convenient starting point for trips to National Parks: Zion, Bryce, Glen Canyon, and the Grand Canyon. In this article, you will find a description of the many attractions the city has to offer tourists, as well as extensive information regarding luxurious and giant hotels, shows, restaurants, shopping, transportation, weather, timing of the visit, special museums, day trips in the area, and more.
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Timing and Duration of Visit
Las Vegas is a non-stop city; everything is open all year round (except for some of the pools) and since most of the attractions are located inside air-conditioned hotels, weather changes are hardly felt and do not affect the way you spend your time. Inside the hotels, the difference between day and night is barely noticeable. Everything is illuminated, busy, and crowded. Because of this, any season is suitable for a city visit unless you plan to also hike in nature outside the city, in which case the recommended seasons are spring and autumn when it is not too hot and not too cold. It is highly recommended to avoid visiting during holidays and long weekends because then the city is crowded, lines are long, and hotel prices are high. Hotel prices can double or even more during these times. It is best to stay in the city mid-week, Sunday through Thursday (not during holiday periods!), as then prices are cheapest and there is no crowding. The recommended duration of stay in the city is at least four days. Anyone who is in a hurry and thinks they can exhaust it in one night is wrong! A family that loves to spend time in hotels, swimming pools, amusement parks, and shows will find Las Vegas an ideal place.
Weather in Las Vegas
The weather in Las Vegas is desert-like: the city's average rainfall is only about 100 mm per year and the average number of sunny days is about 300. In summer it is very hot and maximum temperatures can reach 40 degrees Celsius and even 45 in the middle of the day. During the night, the minimum temperature in winter is about 0 degrees Celsius. During the winter months, there are extreme fluctuations in temperatures and they can range from zero degrees Celsius at night to 22 degrees Celsius during the day. The most pleasant seasons in terms of weather are spring and autumn, although they also occasionally have sharp fluctuations.
Las Vegas Accommodation Recommendations
The heart of the city of Las Vegas is one wide and long street whose official name is Las Vegas Boulevard, but it is known by its nickname the "Strip" (STRIP) and in it are concentrated most of the large hotels and special attractions. Every hotel has a giant covered parking lot offered even to those who are not staying in the hotel (sometimes for a fee). The main entertainment is moving from hotel to hotel, touring the hotel and marveling at its luxurious design and beauty, its shops, restaurants, and entertainment facilities.
It is important to note that usually hotel prices in Las Vegas (even the expensive and luxurious ones) are much cheaper compared to hotels of a similar standard in other places in the US. This is one of the only cities where I do not recommend staying in a motel because the price difference between a motel and a luxury hotel is quite small. Mid-week, prices drop significantly (unless a large convention is taking place in the city). Try to take advantage of this fact. Although the city is abundant with rooms, book rooms in advance. There have been cases where not a single vacant room was left in the city due to an important conference or an especially busy holiday. In any case, the prices you will achieve by booking early are the cheapest (also, usually you can cancel a reservation even on the day of arrival without charge). It is desirable to live on the "Strip" since most of the centers of entertainment and activity are there. At the same time, take into account that hotels in the city center (the "Fremont" street area) are cheaper than those on the "Strip". The rooms in all hotels are quite similar. They are large and spacious, and one room is certainly enough for a family of 4. Differences in price stem mainly from differences in the level of luxury and pampering of the hotel.
Note: In Las Vegas, most hotels (including the cheap motels) have an additional "Resort Fee" ranging from 20 to 45 dollars per room per night. Sometimes this addition (especially in cheap hotels) almost doubles the cost of the stay or at least adds dozens of percent to the price. Everyone must pay this addition. At the time of booking, pay attention to the small print indicating what the resort fee per night is for the hotel you wish to book. Parking: Some hotels also charge a substantial additional fee for parking.
♦ Most recommended hotels in Las Vegas:
5-Star Hotels
♦ Venetian Hotel - The Venetian® Resort Las Vegas
A 5-star hotel, among the largest in the world, with an amazing design inspired by Venice in a central location on the Strip. The hotel has spacious suites, over 40 types of restaurants! A shopping complex with over 150 boutique shops, 10 outdoor pools! A high-quality casino, free spa and gym, the hotel houses Madame Tussauds wax museum, free internet, and parking.
♦ Bellagio Hotel - Bellagio
A magnificent 5-star hotel with luxurious furniture in the rooms, magnificent fountain shows every night. Artistic design throughout the hotel. The hotel has 5 pools, a gym, a wide variety of restaurants. Parking and internet for a fee. Central location on the Strip.
♦Wynn Hotel - Wynn Las Vegas
A magnificent 5-star hotel, with a large casino, several pools, a luxury shopping complex, and special restaurants. Free parking, internet for a fee.
4-Star Hotels
♦New York New York Hotel: New York New York
A 4-star hotel built like New York skyscrapers with a large Statue of Liberty in its front and a roller coaster surrounding it. Spacious rooms, various restaurants, pool, parking and internet for a fee. Central location on the Strip.
♦Paris Hotel - Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
A 4-star hotel in a Parisian atmosphere with an Eiffel Tower, rooms in French design and more. Pool on the hotel roof, 11 restaurants, 5 bars and a large casino. Internet and parking for a fee. Central location on the Strip.
♦ Mandalay Bay Hotel, Mandalay Bay
A 4-star hotel with pools and a water park that includes a sandy beach. A variety of clubs, bars and a casino. The hotel has an aquarium with a variety of sharks and other animals. Internet and parking for a fee. Rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows for maximum view. Located in the southern part of the Strip.
3-Star Hotels
♦The Strat Hotel - The STRAT Hotel, Casino and Skypod
A 3-star hotel with a high observation tower that includes cool amusement rides for the brave at the top of the tower! At the top of the tower is also a rotating scenic restaurant. Located in the northern part on the Strip. Free internet and parking. 2 pools and a variety of restaurants. Music with a DJ every night, show hall.
♦Excalibur Hotel - Excalibur
A 3-star hotel in the middle of the Strip, built as a castle, with 4 pools, 6 restaurants, gym, internet and parking for a fee.
Recommended suite hotels in a central location:
♦ Marriott's Grand Chateau - Marriott's Grand Chateau
A 4-star hotel with rooms and family villas, near the Strip, outdoor pool, gym, free internet and parking. Non-gaming and non-smoking hotel.
♦ Desert Rose Resort - Desert Rose Resort
A 3-star resort with suites of one or two rooms plus a living room and equipped kitchen. Heated outdoor pool. Gym and jacuzzi. Free internet and parking.
♦ Holiday Inn Club Vacations - Holiday Inn Club Vacations: Las Vegas at Desert Club Resort
A 3-star suite and room hotel. In the suites there is an equipped kitchen. 5 heated pools, restaurant, 2 gyms, 5 jacuzzis, game room, mini golf. Free internet and parking.
Transportation in Las Vegas
Las Vegas has an airport called: McCarran International Airport (code: LAS) which is located within a few minutes' drive from the heart of the city "the Strip". Almost all American airlines operate flights to this popular city.
If you are arriving by car from California, Utah, or Arizona, you will be surprised by the sharp difference between this crowded and glitzy city and the desolate desert that surrounds it. Average driving times by car: from Los Angeles: 4.5 hours, from San Diego: 5 hours, from the Grand Canyon: 6.5 hours, from Zion Park: about 3 hours. The most convenient way for a family to tour Las Vegas is in a rental car, especially in the scorching summer months where every minute outside the air conditioning is oppressive. This way you can pass leisurely from hotel to hotel and attraction to attraction and look out from the air-conditioned car at the surrounding hotels. It is very easy to navigate the city since it is primarily one long avenue, but take into account that the road along the "Strip" is quite jammed but parallel to the Strip there is also a convenient freeway. Each hotel has a large covered parking lot so you will not run into parking problems, although today more and more hotels charge money for parking. On the Vegas.com website, a list of places in Las Vegas that still do not charge for parking is provided. With a rental car, you can also go out from the city for nature trips in the vicinity.
Those who decided not to rent a car can tour the city by bus, trolley (a tourist bus that travels the city on a fixed route), taxi, or the newest means of transportation in the city, the "Monorail," the Las Vegas Monorail. This is a single-track train that travels along the Strip and the Convention Center area and has seven stations between the Sahara Hotel in the north and the MGM Hotel in the south (a distance of about 6.5 km from end to end). You can purchase a single-ride, daily, 3-day, or 10-ride ticket. The service operates from seven in the morning until 2 at night with a high frequency of a train every 4-12 minutes. The travel time from end to end is about fifteen minutes.
Attractions in the Spectacular Hotels on the Strip of Las Vegas
The number one destination for a visit to Las Vegas is its amazing hotels. Just entering and touring inside each such giant hotel will leave you speechless. Las Vegas is home to some of the largest hotels in the world, with each hotel being like a small city with unique attractions and amusements. The hotels have invested a fortune in grandiose decor that will attract as many tourists as possible. The hotels are built around a certain theme, such as: circus, knights, carnival, Egypt, Paris, Venice, and the list goes on.
Each hotel has thousands of rooms, casino halls, restaurants of all kinds, world-class shows, children's amusements, roller coasters, special amusement park rides, giant fountains, shops, pools, and additional attractions.
Description of the attractions inside the main hotels on the Las Vegas Strip in the article:
♦ ♦ ♦ The attractions inside the Las Vegas "Strip" hotels ♦ ♦ ♦
Attractions Outside the Hotels in Las Vegas
Apart from the attractions inside the luxurious Strip hotels in Las Vegas, many of which are free, there are also plenty of attractions in the city outside the hotels such as: the Ferris wheel near The Linq hotel and other attractions near it, the Meow Wolf art and entertainment center, the light show on Fremont Street, car races, zipline, museums, and more, which you will read about in the following article:
Description of the attractions of Las Vegas and its surroundings in the article:
♦ ♦ ♦ A trip to Las Vegas attractions and its surroundings ♦ ♦ ♦
Trips in the Immediate Vicinity of Las Vegas
After a few days in Las Vegas, where everything in it is artificial, it is recommended to vary and wash the eyes with natural sights. Las Vegas is an excellent starting point for excursions of a few hours and up to over a day to some of the wonderful nature creations (in some of which man influenced their design).
Travel destinations located less than 3 hours' drive from Las Vegas include: the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, the Grand Canyon, Red Rock Canyon, and Death Valley.
About a trip to these destinations, read in the article: A trip to Las Vegas attractions and its surroundings.
♦ Booking helicopter flights over Las Vegas and over the Grand Canyon:
You will get a special experience in helicopter tours departing from Las Vegas. Below is a variety of fascinating tours to book from Viator:
♦ Attractions in Las Vegas - to order from Viator:
Shows in Las Vegas
♦ Shows in Las Vegas - to order from Viator:
In the hotels in the city, there are performance halls with thousands of seats and many of them put on expensive and glitzy productions. Those of you who were not satisfied with all the free performances are invited to enjoy these prestigious shows which of course cost quite high amounts.
Tickets for shows from GetYourGuide.com:
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A recommended and large site for purchasing tickets to music, sports, and theater shows, including shows in Las Vegas:
In the article: Shows in Las Vegas description of the various shows that are available, in which places they perform and where tickets can be ordered..
Restaurants in Las Vegas
The selection of restaurants in Las Vegas is huge and the prices are attractive. Special restaurants that are worth visiting, even for just a light meal (as they are not cheap):
Rain Forest - a restaurant in the shape of a dense forest with lovely decor of animals, plants, and air roots. Located inside the MGM hotel. This is a branch of a chain with global spread. It is worth ordering a dessert dish called "Volcano" for the experience.
♦ "Summit of the World," Top Of The World, is located at the top of the Stratosphere Tower and rotates 360 degrees every hour. It offers the most beautiful view of the city.
♦ Benihana Village, located in the Fashion Show Mall and built in the shape of a Japanese village with waterfalls, thunder, and fireworks. Special effects await you during the meal. This is a Japanese hibachi restaurant where the food is prepared right in front of your eyes.
♦ There are several unique and interesting restaurants in the city built around a certain theme and designed accordingly, for example: Hard Rock Cafe, Address: 4475 Paradise Rd., Las Vegas, NV, 89109.
♦ House of Blues, in the Mandalay Bay hotel.
♦ Recommended Chinese restaurant - Din Tai Fung located in the Aria hotel. The restaurant is part of a chain and its other branches: 7 in California, 4 in Washington state, 1 in Oregon.
Other recommended family restaurants:
♦ The Cheesecake Factory - (it has a branch in the Forum of Caesars Palace).
♦ recommended Thai: Lotus of SIAM - Address: 953 E Sahara Ave, Las Vegas.
♦ recommended steakhouse in the Wynn hotel - SW Steakhouse
The city is also known for its "all-you-can-eat" restaurants called Buffet. In each of the large hotels, there is such a restaurant (of enormous dimensions, like everything in Las Vegas). But please note, during the COVID period the buffets were closed and now only some of them are open. A list of open buffets in Vegas is given on the Las Vegas Then and Now website.
Shopping in Las Vegas
Las Vegas is an excellent place to do your shopping. It is better to do the shopping in the shopping centers detailed below and not in the shops in the hotels which are much more expensive.
Most visitors to the city wander among the large hotels which have shopping areas including souvenir shops, shops of well-known designers, jewelry, toys, and more. The shops are designed in an eye-catching way but remember that the prices in them are not cheap at all. Especially impressive shopping areas are the "Forum" (Forum), found in the "Caesars Palace" hotel, Miracle Mile Shops in the Planet Hollywood hotel, and of course "Crystal" adjacent to the Aria hotel.
In Las Vegas there are many modern shopping centers, both inside the large hotels on the Strip and outside of it, which makes it a paradise for shopping lovers.
The large shopping centers in Las Vegas:
♦ Las Vegas Premium Outlets - South Address: 7400 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89123
♦ Las Vegas Premium Outlets – North
Address: 875 South Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89106
♦ Fashion Show Mall
Address: 3200 Las Vegas Blvd S. Ste. 600, Las Vegas, Nevada
♦ The Boulevard Mall
Address: 3528 South Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas.
♦ Meadows Mall
Address: 4300 Meadows Ln, Las Vegas, NV 89107,
You will also find in the city, within a short drive from the Strip (another reason for the convenience of a car), branches of most large department store chains such as: Walmart, Target, and discount stores.