A traveler's guide to Las Vegas
Treat the Strip as a district, not the whole map. Sleep where you want to walk at night, and put the desert on the calendar before you fill it with buffets.
Las Vegas is a strip of theaters, pools, and bad decisions, and also a gateway to red rock an hour away. Stay for one big night. Use the mornings. The city is more interesting at the edges than under the chandelier you already saw online.
When to go
Spring and fall are when you can be outside. Summer heat is a reason to stay indoors until evening. December is cold at night and bright at noon. Big fight weekends and conventions double the room rate.
Neighborhoods
Center Strip if you want to walk to shows. Downtown for a cheaper, stranger night. The west side if Red Rock is the point of the trip. A hotel on the far south end means a lot of cabs.
Eating
The celebrity dining rooms are optional. The better plates are off-Strip Thai, a serious steak you booked, and a breakfast that is not a buffet line. Drink water. The desert does not care that you are on vacation.
If you only remember this
- Resort fees and parking are part of the price.
- Rideshares are painful at show closing.
- Book Red Rock or a show before you land.
- What happens on the Strip is billed later. Watch the check.