Las Vegas Travel Guide

Nestled in the Nevada desert is Las Vegas. Hotels, casinos, nightclubs, and restaurants all vie for space among the neon and glitz in this city of sin. A lot of people don’t like Vegas – the party, the glitz, the expensive resorts, the fancy see and be seen atmosphere. But those people focus on the negatives of Vegas. I am constantly blown away by the city – the amazing mix of restaurants, diners, people, concerts, shows, and events. There is much more to Las Vegas than the Strip. And despite all the wealth on show, it’s pretty easy to pick up freebies in Vegas. Free drinks, meals, show tickets, and reduced accommodation can all be easily had – if you know where to look!

Destinations

• United States
• Austin
• Boston
• Chicago
• Hawaii
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• New York City
• San Francisco
• Seattle
• Washington D.C.

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Money Saving Tips

• Skip the weekend – Most people visit Las Vegas on a Friday or Saturday and stay for the weekend which means this is the most expensive time to visit. By visiting the city during the week you can avail of the significantly reduced room rates and restaurant prices.
• Gamble responsibly – It’s Vegas, of course, you’ll want to risk a few dollars in a casino, but don’t go wild. Only gamble what you can comfortably afford to lose, because chances are, the house will win.
• Get comps – If you’re gambling the casino will often reimburse some of your losses in the form of meals, discounted show tickets, and rooms. Make sure to ask about these!
• Use coupons – Coupons are almost a currency in Las Vegas; casinos will give you a book of them when you sign up for a (free) player’s card and you’ll find 2-for-1 offers on meals in restaurants on the Strip.
• Don’t pay cabs with a credit card – Taxis charge a $3 service charge when you pay with a credit card. Avoid the charge by paying cash.
• Eat at the buffet – Vegas as some of the best food in the world. With all the money flowing in, it should be no surprise but if you really want to save money on food, stick to the all-you-can-eat buffets. They will cost you about $20 a day.
• Eat cheap at 5-star restaurants – Prime-time seating at the Strip’s five-star restaurants is between 8 and 10pm, but these hot spots like to be full all the time, so most have both happy hour and pre-show menus to kick off their evenings between 4pm and 7pm.
• Go to Reverse Happy Hour – Most Vegas restaurants stop serving food by 10:30pm, but there are so many performers finishing up about that time that the Strip has a tradition of the post-10pm (or 11pm, depending on the place) “reverse happy hour,” with food and drinks starting as low as $3.
• Do brunch – Whether you’re pulling off a hair of the dog or are simply looking for a daytime gossip fest with the girls, a boozy brunch is a Sin City staple. And in Vegas, the best ones come with unlimited food and drinks on the weekends. (I order my mimosas bottomless and tell them to “hold the juice.”)
• Drink at the casino before hitting the club – To cut down on expensive drinks at the clubs, drink on the casino floor. The drinks are free as long as you’re playing one of the games. Sit down at a penny slot machine, play slow, and drink fast. You can have 10 drinks for the price of one at the club! Just make sure you tip the waitress.
• Get discount tickets to shows – My favorite part about living near the Strip is getting to see so many shows. Tix4Tonight has booths at Fashion Show Mall, Circus Circus, Town Square, Four Queens downtown, and various other locations around town. There you can find tickets for shows that night for 50 percent off. The booths open at 10am and accept both major credit cards and cash. Get there early! The location in front of the giant Coke bottle and M&M store is notorious for having the longest line, so try to avoid it.
• Grab a Vegas2Go – It’s a coupon and listings book for shows and some food specials. They’re in kiosks all over the Strip or you can ask the concierge at your hotel. Also check Vegas.com daily. It offers rotating deals on various shows.
• Get the Las Vegas Power Pass – This pass allows you to see a large number of attractions (and includes a free hop-off, hop-on tour as well as transportation on The Deuce). A one-day pass is $85. Some of the things you can enjoy with this pass are a free tour of the Hoover Dam, free entrance to the Divas Las Vegas show, and free entry to the Eiffel Tower experience.
• Save money on rideshares – Uber and Lyft (my preferred company) are way cheaper than taxis and are the best way to get around a city if you don’t want to take a bus or pay for a taxi. The shared/pool option (where you share a ride with other people) offers even better savings. You can save money off your first rides with the following codes: Lyft (MATTHEW999 to save $10) and Uber (jlx6v to save $15).

Top Things to See and Do in Las Vegas

• Take in a show – Vegas does entertainment better than anywhere else and you’ll find some of the best acts in the world here. It’s often a good idea to book tickets with your accommodation as it can work out cheaper.  Tix 4 Tonight has booths at Fashion Show Mall, Circus Circus, Town Square, Four Queens downtown, and various other locations around town. There you can find tickets for shows that night for 50 percent off. Check coupon books for discounts, but aside from this, you’ll find that ticket vendors offer huge reductions on unsold tickets on the day of the show, but get there early. The most famous shows are the Cirque De Soleil shows. There are usually about five going on at any given time. They are worth seeing.
• Gamble – Let’s face it: Vegas is a casino city. Even at the airport, you find slot machines. There is every type of game in Las Vegas. If you can bet on it, you’ll find it in Vegas. And if you can’t bet on it, well, someone will let you in Vegas. All the casinos are different and while some of the better ones are experiences in themselves even if you don’t gamble, you can see my guide to the best casinos in Las Vegas for details on all the casinos.
• Head to Hoover Dam & Lake Mead – It’s worth making a couple of side trips while in Vegas. Thirty-five miles south of the city, you’ll find Hoover Dam. The dam is a massive curved wall, towering 726 feet above bedrock and acting as a plug between the canyon walls to hold back over 9 trillion gallons of water in Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir, which was created by its construction. It was constructed in the 1920s and attracts millions of people per year. Once you get to it, the dam is free to see but the visitor center costs $10 and the 1-hour tour costs an additional $20. The visitor center is open daily from 9am-5pm.
• Take a trip to the Grand Canyon – You can combine a trip to the Grand Canyon with an outing to Hoover Dam if you take one of the many coach tours for around $85. Try to factor in an entire day for your tour though as the canyon isn’t that close to the city. Since they are over 250 miles away, a tour of the Canyon and Hoover Dam can easily take up to 14 hours. While I think the Grand Canyon deserves its own trip, if this is the closest you can get to it, a rushed visit is better than no visit.
• Explore Shark Reef – As one of the most prestigious sea-life centers in the world, Shark Reef Aquarium is a must see. Shark Reef tunnel, which is designed to look like a sunken ancient shipwreck allows you to come face to face with all kinds of sharks, sawfish, giant rays, endangered green sea turtles and rare golden crocodiles. Tickets cost $20, and it is located in Mandalay Bay Resort. It’s open daily from 10am-10pm.
• See Vegas from Stratosphere – Offering the best views of Vegas, Stratosphere is the tallest free-standing observation tower in the US. If you’re feeling brave then consider having a go on one of the extreme rides at the top. The aptly named X-Scream propels you headfirst 27ft over the edge of the tower and leaves you hanging over 850 ft in the air. Admission to the tower and all rides costs $40. It’s open daily from 10am to at least 1am.
• Hike Red Rock Canyon – If the bright lights of Vegas get too much for you then head out to Red Rock Canyon for a day’s hiking. The canyon is ringed by a road and each trailhead has a parking lot where you can leave your car to go hike before driving to the next trailhead. At 2.5 miles long, the Calico Tanks trail is the most popular in the area. You’ll pass a natural water tank on the way which leads up to a summit offering a great view of Las Vegas. Make sure to come early in the morning before it gets too hot, and bring a lot of water. Entrance costs $7 per vehicle and the scenic loop is open from 6am to at least 5pm. The visitor center is open daily from 8am-4:30pm.
• Check out the Mob Museum – Las Vegas started with the mafia. Bugsy Segel built the Flamingo and, since then, the mob has controlled Vegas (see the movie “Casino”). With the rise of the mega resorts, they have had less influence, however. Still, the mob and Vegas are tied together and a wonderful and very detailed museum has opened to discuss the history of the two. Fun fact: my family used to be involved with the mob out in Vegas. It’s open daily from 9am-9pm and admission costs $25 (if you buy online, tickets are $20).
• Watch the Bellagio Fountain Show – Soaring as high as 460 ft, The Bellagio has a fountain show that performs a magnificent light and water display set to music. It happens every fifteen minutes and crowds form about five minutes before the light show starts. I think it overhyped (probably due to Ocean’s 11) and while I wouldn’t make my night revolve around it like some people do, it’s worth seeing if you are nearby.
• See the Mirage Volcano – Set to its own soundtrack, the volcano erupts finely choreographed fireballs and smoke 100ft into the air from the waters below, turning the waterfall to molten lava. The volcano show happens 7pm and 8pm and, on Saturdays, there’s also a 9pm show.
• Stay at Aria – This my favorite hotel. Hands down. I love everything about Aria. I love the high tech rooms, the pool area, outdoor club, delicious restaurants, and modern look and feel to the hotel and casino. But my favorite thing? The smell. The whole place is scented with vanilla. It’s by far the best-smelling place on the Strip. I would recommend staying here but if you choose somewhere else, make sure you come and visit and at least enjoy one of the great restaurants.
• Visit the Venetian – While gondola rides are super cheesy, overpriced, and touristy (just like in Venice!), the architecture and construction of this casino is magnificent and one of the best on the Vegas Strip. If anything, just walk through here. Simply put – it’s pretty and makes for a good stroll.
• Eat, eat, eat – Forget the buffets. Las Vegas has some of the best food in the world. With all that money flowing in, it is easy to see why. A trip here isn’t complete without at least one fine dining experience. My favorite restaurants are Yellowfish (Bellagio), Sirio (Aria), American fish (Aria), Lemongrass (Aria) The Peppermill, Firefly, Aureole (Mandalay Bay), and Otto (Palazzo).
• Go clubbing – Clubs in Vegas are some of the most prestigious (read: pretentious) in the world, so you can expect to wait in line for a long time, pay outrageous prices for drinks and entry into the club, as well as being rejected if you’re not dressed smartly enough. The biggest ones are Lavo, Tao, Marquee, and Haze.
• Hang out in Boulder City – Along the way to the Hoover Dam, this suburb can give you a taste of local life in the area. Milos is the hot restaurant in this town. There’s also a main street and some shopping you can do, but not much more than that. But despite the lack of “things to do,” strolling around this quiet little community is a nice contrast to the crowds of Vegas.
• Experience Fremont Street –  The glitz, the lights, and the high prices of the Strip are all a far-off land compared to downtown Vegas. Here you’ll find sketchy bars, sad casinos, cheap drinks, and more of a New Orleans Bourbon Street vibe. It’s a great area for entertainment, people-watching, cheap slots, cheaper drinks, and a more laid-back atmosphere. Be sure to also check out the Golden Nugget, where you can see the shark tank.
• Go Golfing – There are many golf courses in Vegas, including Shadow Creek, one of the best in the world. If you aren’t a member of any local clubs, many of the casinos can arrange day passes.
• Visit the Neon Museum – This outdoor lot is loaded with the huge signs that once beckoned you into casinos like the Silver Slipper, Stardust, and El Cortez. Now, this casino graveyard lets you explore the city’s sinful past. The museum recently expanded and now features more signs, a park, and guided tours of their collection. It’s pretty cool wandering through these old signs, learning the history of the city as you go, and getting a different perspective on Vegas. Make reservations in advance. The tour is $18 (daytime) or $25 (nighttime).
• Relive the past at Bonnie Springs – Pure tourist cheese (but that can be fun), Bonnie Springs Ranch is a former mining town that is now a “ghost town” where you can experience life in the Old West, ride horses, and watch reenacted gunfights. Admission to the Old Town is $10.
• Get artistic at First Friday – On the first Friday of every month, the downtown area fills up with exhibits and displays from local artists during First Friday. It’s free and a great way to get a sense of the local art scene as well as mix with locals. Be sure to also check out Arts District 18B, the arts center of Las Vegas, which is home to cool bars, shops, galleries, and more. 

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