Attraction
Fountains of Bellagio
Free choreographed water and light show on the 8.5-acre lake in front of Bellagio, with fountains set to music that run from the afternoon until midnight.
There are more things to do in Las Vegas than most visitors expect, and the city rewards anyone who looks beyond the casino floors. The Strip is the main draw, with free sights such as the Fountains of Bellagio, giant resorts like The Venetian and Wynn, the Sphere and the High Roller. A short ride north, Downtown has the Fremont Street Experience, The Mob Museum and the Neon Museum, while the Arts District and Chinatown have some of the most interesting places to eat and drink.
Food ranges from celebrity-chef fine dining and lavish buffets to Northern Thai cooking, late-night taco counters and classic steakhouses from the 1950s. The desert is close by too, with Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire and the Hoover Dam all within easy reach, and the Grand Canyon is a popular longer day trip by coach or helicopter. Three to four days covers the Strip, Downtown and a show, and a week allows time for day trips into the desert.
Attraction
Free choreographed water and light show on the 8.5-acre lake in front of Bellagio, with fountains set to music that run from the afternoon until midnight.
Attraction
Outdoor museum of rescued casino and business signs north of Downtown, with daytime and evening admission, guided history tours and the Brilliant! Jackpot light show.
Attraction
Five-block pedestrian mall in Downtown Las Vegas under a giant LED canopy, with free nightly light shows, live music on three stages and the SlotZilla zipline.
Attraction
Museum of organised crime and law enforcement in Downtown's restored 1933 post office and courthouse, with a basement speakeasy and distillery, open daily from 9am to…
Attraction
Desert conservation area about 15 miles west of Las Vegas, with a 13-mile one-way scenic drive past red sandstone cliffs, hiking trails and a visitor centre.
Attraction
Historic 726-foot dam on the Colorado River about 30 miles south-east of Las Vegas, with a visitor centre, guided tours and a walk across the top…
Café
Thomas Keller's French bakery at The Venetian, known for artisanal breads, viennoiserie and traditional French desserts, with coffee blended by Equator Coffees.
Café
Canteen-style neighbourhood café and coffee bar in Fremont East, serving specialty coffee drinks alongside hearty breakfasts and lunches.
Café
Award-winning Las Vegas coffee roaster with a café and on-site roastery in the Arts District, open daily from 7am to 4pm and selling its own beans.
Café
Las Vegas doughnut shop with a late-opening branch in the Plaza Hotel & Casino Downtown, known for its doughnut boxes and a changing Doughnut of the…
Café
Las Vegas coffee roaster with a café at Fergusons Downtown on East Fremont Street, serving its own hand-roasted coffee with scratch-made pastries and monthly specials.
Café
Local coffee house in Boca Park, Summerlin, serving espresso, specialty lattes and loose leaf teas with croissants and pastries, plus its own coffee beans to take…
Hotel
Luxury resort on the North Strip with Wynn and Encore towers, a Forbes Five-Star spa, the only golf course on the Strip and a wide choice…
Hotel
All-suite resort on the Strip inspired by Venice, with large suites with sunken living rooms, gondola rides on an indoor Grand Canal and direct access to…
Hotel
Luxury resort on the North Strip that opened in December 2023 in Nevada's tallest building, with more than 3,600 rooms, a large pool deck, Lapis Spa…
Hotel
Adults-only Downtown resort on Fremont Street, opened in 2020, with the Stadium Swim pool amphitheatre, a three-storey sportsbook and the Legacy Club rooftop lounge.
Hotel
Historic casino hotel on Fremont Street dating from 1946, with more than 2,400 rooms, The Tank pool complex and the Hand of Faith gold nugget in…
Hotel
Value-focused North Strip hotel at the foot of the 1,149-foot STRAT tower, with 2,427 rooms, the SkyPod observation decks and the revolving Top of the World…
Bar
Fremont East bar that calls itself Las Vegas' oldest freestanding bar, with 20 rotating draft beers, bar food and a history that has drawn film crews…
Bar
Round-the-clock tiki bar on West Charleston with an interior by Bamboo Ben and carvings and art by well-known tiki artists, serving tropical cocktails 24 hours a…
Bar
24-hour tiki bar in Chinatown serving traditional and original tropical cocktails, with a pirate backstory, a daily happy hour and a late-night food menu.
Bar
Arts District craft cocktail and beer bar opened in 2013, known for seasonal cocktail menus, eight rotating taps, vintage furniture and a pink outdoor patio.
Bar
Rooftop cocktail lounge at Circa in Downtown Las Vegas, with busts of 11 Las Vegas figures, a display of gold bars and views over Fremont Street…
Bar
Off-Strip cocktail bar and steakhouse on West Sahara Avenue, open Monday to Saturday from 5pm until 3am, known locally for its cocktails as much as its…
Restaurant
French fine dining from chef Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace, with a Michelin star, Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond awards, tasting menus and a Krug…
Restaurant
Family-run Northern Thai restaurant off the Strip from James Beard award-winning chef Saipin Chutima, known for its crispy duck, garlic prawns and wine list of more…
Restaurant
Neon-lit Strip diner and cocktail lounge open since 1972, serving big breakfasts and diner classics late into the night, with the fire-pit Fireside Lounge next door.
Restaurant
Classic Las Vegas steakhouse on West Sahara Avenue founded in 1958, once frequented by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., with themed private dining…
Restaurant
Chef Brian Howard's live-fire American restaurant on Spring Mountain Road in Chinatown, serving sharing plates and craft cocktails nightly from 5pm to 10pm.
Restaurant
Chef James Trees' seasonal Italian restaurant in the Arts District, known for house sourdough, fresh pasta and pizza, with weekday lunch, weekend brunch and dinner every…
Thing to do
550-foot observation wheel at The LINQ on the Center Strip, with 28 cabins that complete a full rotation in about 30 minutes.
Thing to do
Observation decks and thrill rides near the top of The STRAT's 1,149-foot tower on the North Strip, including SkyJump and the revolving Top of the World…
Thing to do
Downtown neighbourhood around East Charleston Boulevard with galleries, murals, antique shops, breweries and some of the city's most talked-about independent restaurants.
Thing to do
Ugo Rondinone's desert installation of seven towers of fluorescent-painted boulders, about ten miles south of Las Vegas near Jean Dry Lake and Interstate 15.
Thing to do
Cirque du Soleil's original water show, resident at Bellagio since the resort opened in 1998, performed in and around a 1.5 million gallon pool.
Tour operator
Helicopter tour operator with a terminal on South Las Vegas Boulevard, flying Strip night flights and Grand Canyon tours that land on a bluff above the…
Tour operator
Grand Canyon air tour company flying daily since 1965, with helicopter tours from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West, canyon-floor landings and a Strip night flight.
Tour operator
Tour company founded in Sedona in 1960, formerly Pink Jeep Tours, running guided desert day trips from Las Vegas in custom pink Jeep Wranglers and Tour…
Tour operator
Kayak tour company based in Boulder City, permitted by the National Park Service and Bureau of Reclamation to run Hoover Dam, Emerald Cave and Willow Beach…
Tour operator
Las Vegas food tour company running guided restaurant and cocktail tours on the Strip, Downtown, in the Arts District and Chinatown, with VIP service at each…
Three to four days covers the Strip, Downtown and a show, while five days to a week leaves time for day trips to Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, the Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon.
The Center Strip puts you within walking distance of the biggest resorts and shows, the North Strip has newer luxury hotels, and Downtown around Fremont Street offers lower prices, historic casinos and easy access to the Arts District.
Harry Reid International Airport is close to the Strip, and most visitors take a taxi, ride-share or hotel shuttle; RTC buses also serve the airport.
It can be, especially at weekends and during big events, when hotel rates rise and resort fees, parking and drinks add up, but free sights such as the Bellagio fountains and Fremont Street and good-value food off the Strip help keep costs down.
The main visitor areas are busy and well patrolled, but take normal precautions: watch your belongings in crowds, drink plenty of water in the heat and use taxis or ride-shares late at night.