Las Vegas is the city of sin and extravagance, the city that never sleeps. As Elvis Presley says, if you visit Las Vegas even once, you’ll never be the same again. This Nevada city is famous for its casinos and endless nightlife. Las Vegas has an infinite tourist offer, worth seeing at least once in a lifetime. Therefore, in this post we have selected the most important things to do in Las Vegas. So that you don’t miss anything and know what to choose among so many attractions.
Las Vegas is located in the Mojave Desert, Nevada where Spanish adventurer Antonio Armijo first arrived in 1829, christening this unique enclave as Las Vegas. As the entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas is a city made by and for tourism. It tries to continually renew itself and always seeks to offer something new. Everything that’s done here is done in a big way, and as you know, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
Find out more about the cities of the United States by reading our post: What to see and do in the USA.
Things to do in Las Vegas
The Strip, one of the things to do in Las Vegas
Officially known as Las Vegas Boulevard, the Las Vegas Strip is the most famous street in the city. It is home to Las Vegas’ most famous hotels and casinos, making it one of the most photographed and visited avenues in the world. The Strip is approximately 5 kilometres long and its ends are the Stratosphere Tower in the north, and the MGM Grand Hotel and the New York New York in the south.
With the continued growth of Las Vegas it is understandable that the Strip ends at the Mandalay Bay hotel in the south, very close to the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign. In addition to the best hotels, there is always a unique atmosphere on the Strip. For much of the day, the hotels put on shows, especially the Bellagio fountains. But without a doubt, the best time to walk the Strip and enjoy the atmosphere is at nightfall, when Las Vegas is at its best.
Downtown and Freemont street
It represents the old part of Las Vegas and is one of the must-see spots in Las Vegas. Until the creation of the big hotels and casinos on the Strip, Downtown was the most representative area of Las Vegas, and Freemont street was the most important thoroughfare. It was home to the most famous casinos such as the Golden Nugget and its lights were featured in dozens of films. One section of the street was known as Glitter Gulch because of the many neon signs and casinos that lined it. Freemont Street is the second most important street in the city after the Strip, where the Fremont Street Experience is held.
The Fremont Street Experience
The Fremont Street Experience is a covered, pedestrianised shopping area covering the five blocks at the westernmost end of the street, including Glitter Gulch. Also, the Fremont Street Experience is one of the biggest shows in Las Vegas. The experience seamlessly blends light and sound, as well as providing the backdrop for a variety of concerts and performances.
The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign
This sign, located on the south side of Las Vegas Boulevard near the Mandalay Bay Hotel, marks one of the boundaries of the Strip and is one of the symbols of Las Vegas. As a curiosity, on the back of the sign you can read the phrases “Come Back Soon” and “Drive Carefully”.
Stratosphere Tower
The Stratosphere Tower, at 350 metres high, is the tallest building in Las Vegas and the entire state of Nevada. The tower opened on April 30, 1996, and the views from the Stratosphere Tower are magnificent at any time of the day. Our favourite time to go up is when the sun goes down and the lights begin to illuminate the city. The tower has two observation decks about 280 metres above the ground, one inside and one outside. The inner one has the particularity of having oblique glass walls, which makes it a bit dizzying to look at the ground. In addition to the views, the Stratosphere tower is known for the attractions at the top.
Bellagio Hotel Fountain
The Bellagio Fountains water show is almost as iconic as the welcome to Las Vegas sign. Make time during your visit to the city to watch more than 1,200 fountains spout water up to 140 metres into a 10-acre man-made lake, synchronised to songs such as Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas and Céline Dion’s My Heart Will Go On. Unless time does not permit, the show is held every half hour during the day and every quarter hour at night.
Grand Canyon of Colorado, one of the things to do in Las Vegas
The Grand Canyon is one of the natural wonders of the world and is a must-see excursion from Las Vegas. Carved by the Colorado River for more than 2 billion years, the Grand Canyon is an incredible 446 kilometres long with a maximum gorge height of 1,500 metres. The Grand Canyon of the Colorado presents different routes and areas to visit:
West Rim
The west side of the Grand Canyon (West Rim or Grand Canyon West) is the most popular part for travellers visiting Las Vegas, as it is the closest point to the city (about 180 kilometres) and is owned by the Hualapai Indian tribe and is characterised by its incredible cliffs, which are narrow and at their deepest. It is also famous for being the site of the Skywalk, the glass-floored observation deck located on a 1,300-metre-deep cliff.
South Rim
Located in the heart of Grand Canyon National Park, the South Rim is the most visited of the three parts of the Grand Canyon. Its nearest towns are Phoenix, Las Vegas and Albuquerque. Geographically, it is a more uncluttered, unreal area with lower elevations than the West Rim.
North Rim
The northern part of the Grand Canyon is the least visited of the three, as it is more isolated and the views are less interesting. As the highest area, it is usually snow-covered and can only be visited between May and October. There are no tours to this area from Las Vegas.
Travel Tip: To organize your trip we recommend using Passporter totally free. You can be inspired by the experiences of other travelers, choose the places that interest you most, create the travel route with a geolocated map, upload all important documents such as reservations and invite your friends so that everyone can participate in the organization of the trip.
Things to do near Las Vegas
Valley of Fire
The Valley of Fire State Park is Nevada’s oldest and largest state park. It was declared a state park in 1935. The colour, the rock formations and the road that runs through the park are some of the details that make it a spectacular and worthwhile place to visit. These formations are sand dunes that were fossilized in the age of dinosaurs, 150 million years ago.
Due to its location, next to Lake Mead, 88 kilometres northeast of Las Vegas, it is one of the favourite places for camping, hiking and picnicking in the area, and among the different areas of the park, the most recommended are those hidden in the northern part: Mouse’s Tank, Rainbow Vista and White Domes. On the main road, don’t miss Atlatl Rock, Arch Rock and Seven Sisters. The Valley of Fire’s breathtaking photography has made it the set for films such as Transformers and Total Recall.
Lake Mead
Lake Mead is the largest man-made lake in the United States. It covers 640 square kilometres, 10 times the size of Manhattan. Today, with more than nine million visitors a year, Lake Mead has become one of the top tourist destinations in the United States thanks to its proximity to Las Vegas.
With almost 900 kilometres of shoreline, the lake caters to all types of tourism. Scuba diving, rock climbing, jet skiing and horseback riding are some of the most popular activities at Lake Mead. You can also simply enjoy the nearby plant and animal life, rent a boat, or eat at the many picnic areas.
Hoover Dam
The Hoover Dam is one of the most important engineering works of the 20th century. With a length of 380 metres, a height of 220 metres and a width of 200 metres at its base, it is one of the largest dams in the world and gave rise to Lake Mead. Today the Hoover Dam supplies electricity to the states of Nevada, Arizona and Southern California, and is visited by more than 1 million people annually.
Most famous hotels to see in Las Vegas
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is one of the most famous hotels in the world. Throughout its history, this legendary 5-star hotel has been used on numerous occasions as a luxurious film set for numerous movies and video games.
The hotel has 4,000 rooms spread throughout its 6 buildings, Forum, Roman, Centurion, Palace, Octavius and Augustus, and the pools at Caesars Palace are also among the best in Las Vegas, with 6 pools and 2 Jacuzzis. Upon entering the hotel and the rooms, you get the impression that everything is brand new. Its unbeatable location in the centre of the Strip and the luxury of its facilities will not disappoint anyone. It is one of the hotels that we have liked the most on our trips.
Venetian Hotel
The Venetian Hotel is one of the most luxurious hotels in Las Vegas. As soon as you see it, you will feel the freshness of Venice and, as you enter its facilities, you will have the sensation of admiring the Sistine Chapel itself. Visiting the Venetian Hotel is an experience in itself, as the most important landmarks of Venice have been impressively recreated, such as the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark’s Square. This hotel even offers gondola rides along the canal while the gondolier sings a serenade.
New York New York
New York New York offers one of the most spectacular images of Las Vegas. The recreation of New York includes the most characteristic buildings, such as the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. As well as other famous landmarks, such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. Surrounding the hotel is the Roller Coaster at New York-New York, an attraction that reaches 100 kilometres per hour.
Luxor Hotel
The Luxor Hotel is one of the main symbols of Las Vegas. Its large pyramid and the spotlight that illuminates the sky every night are details that do not go unnoticed. In 1993, when the Luxor was built, the 30-storey pyramid was the tallest building in the city. In addition to the Great Pyramid, the recreation includes the Sphinx and other symbols that inevitably evoke Egypt. The Luxor hotel has 4,408 rooms (both in the pyramid and in the adjacent towers) and a casino of more than 11,000 square metres. These figures make it one of the largest hotels on the Strip.
How to organise what to see in Las Vegas?
You can use this post as a reference and combine it with the options suggested by the Passporter app. You’ll find a wide variety of ideas and inspiration on what to see and what to do in Las Vegas. If you don’t have the Passporter app yet, download it and count on it to help you organise your next trip.
If you have any doubts about how to plan your trip before leaving home, you can check our post: How to create a travel itinerary in Passporter, where we explain step by step how to create your ideal trip so you don’t miss anything and get the most out of your visit to Las Vegas.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Armijo expedition took note of the lush fertility of the plains surrounding the water sources, and so they named it “Las Vegas,” which in Spanish means “fertile plains.”
You can get to the Grand Canyon by road or by air, either by helicopter or small plane.
The price to go up to the observation deck is US$25 (€20.70).
From 3pm to 8pm every 30 minutes, from 8am to midnight every 15 minutes. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays start at 12 noon.
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