Las Vegas, NVBy ArrivLast checked
Plan a trip to Las Vegas
Vegas runs on reservations and walking distance. Book the dinners. Lock the one big night early and leave the afternoons loose, because the good version of this trip has an empty Saturday morning in it.
- Bachelor parties
- Bachelorette parties
- Group trips
- Weekend getaways
Free to run, and you keep editing after. Add who's coming or a pace like “slow mornings” to shape the result.
Las Vegas at a glance
Skip this if you have already been. What follows is a first trip to Las Vegas: The Strip and three more stops that hold up, Mid-Strip or Downtown / Fremont East for a base, and the months that are worth the airfare. 3 to 4 days is the usual answer on length.
- How long
- 3–4 days
- When to go
- March to May and September to November sit in the seventies and eighties. Skip July. Highs then regularly clear 105°F, which pushes the whole day to pools and indoor hours.
- Getting around
- Rideshare between resorts, and walk within a cluster. The Strip is about four miles end to end, so the walk in summer heat is a bad plan you will regret by the second casino. A car is only worth it for Red Rock or Hoover Dam.
What to build the plan around
- 1
The Strip
Walk the stretch from the Bellagio to the Cosmopolitan once at night, though the distances between casinos run much longer than they look.
- 2
Bellagio Fountains
Shows run every 15 to 30 minutes into the evening, though the view from the Cosmopolitan's terrace beats the sidewalk.
- 3
Fremont Street
Downtown, cheaper, and a different crowd, so it is worth one evening away from the Strip.
- 4
Red Rock Canyon
Twenty minutes west for a scenic loop drive and short hikes, which is the morning-after fix.
Where to stay in Las Vegas
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- Mid-Strip
- Between the Bellagio and the Venetian, which puts most dinners and clubs within a walk. Browse stays in Mid-Strip
- Downtown / Fremont East
- Lower room rates and a bar scene that runs on its own steam, though you rideshare to the Strip. Browse stays in Downtown / Fremont East
- Summerlin
- A quiet base near Red Rock for a group that wants a pool and a car, though it is the wrong one for anybody hoping to walk home from dinner. Browse stays in Summerlin
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More itineraries to copy
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Las Vegas planning questions
- How many days do you need in Las Vegas?
- Most people take 3 to 4 days, and the extra one earns its keep if you dislike rushing. Three nights is the standard Thursday-to-Sunday shape. A fourth night usually goes to Red Rock or a Grand Canyon run, though the Grand Canyon day is far longer than anybody expects on a Sunday.
- What is the best time to visit Las Vegas?
- March to May and September to November sit in the seventies and eighties. Skip July. Highs then regularly clear 105°F, which pushes the whole day to pools and indoor hours.
- Where should I stay in Las Vegas?
- Mid-Strip, Downtown / Fremont East, and Summerlin, in roughly that order of convenience, though convenience and rate rarely move together. Mid-Strip: Between the Bellagio and the Venetian, which puts most dinners and clubs within a walk. Downtown / Fremont East: Lower room rates and a bar scene that runs on its own steam, though you rideshare to the Strip. Summerlin: A quiet base near Red Rock for a group that wants a pool and a car, though it is the wrong one for anybody hoping to walk home from dinner. Any of them beats booking out by the airport.
- How do you get around Las Vegas?
- Rideshare between resorts, and walk within a cluster. The Strip is about four miles end to end, so the walk in summer heat is a bad plan you will regret by the second casino. A car is only worth it for Red Rock or Hoover Dam.
- What should I see first in Las Vegas?
- Start with The Strip, Bellagio Fountains, Fremont Street. Schedule the first of those before anything else, because it is the one that suffers most from a late start. Walk the stretch from the Bellagio to the Cosmopolitan once at night, though the distances between casinos run much longer than they look.
- Is there a free Las Vegas itinerary I can copy?
- Yes, and reading it costs nothing. Arriv has a Las Vegas itinerary with every stop mapped and a day-by-day order to follow, which is enough to plan from without touching it. Duplicate it into a trip of your own and the dates, the places, and the order are all yours to change.