Here are the Las Vegas Direct Top 20 Vegas Travel Tips to make the most of your stay. They should save you money and make your trip more enjoyable. These tips came from people who really know Vegas the most and included taxi cab drivers, bartenders, and hotel personnel. Do you have any great Vegas advice? Please comment below to share them!
1 – Take a taxi from the airport to your hotel. It will sometimes cost more than a shuttle or an Uber, but it’s definitely worth it for the relatively small increase. The shuttle stops at almost every hotel on The Strip while a taxi takes you straight to your hotel. If you have a larger group traveling, the cost is the same, so in that case you will also save money compared to using the shuttle.
2 – If you stay at the Luxor, request a room in the pyramid when making your reservation.
3 – I’m not sure if Frank Sinatra would have hung out in the Bellagio, but there’s something that’s just right about hearing his voice crooning over the water-fountain show at this opulent hotel. The lobby’s ceiling is a rainbow of colored glass in shapes of butterflies and lily pads–very nice.
4 – Bottled water is very expensive at hotels. If you go to a store on The Strip, you can buy the same size bottle for much less.
5 – It’s better to walk. Taxis are only good if you really need one–say, if you want to go downtown or to a hotel off The Strip, such as Rio or the The STRAT Hotel. Otherwise, with all the traffic on The Strip, you’re guaranteed to spend way too much money getting almost nowhere. Plus, the more you walk, the less guilt you’ll feel about sampling another tasty meal. You can use our Vegas map to estimate walking times.
6 – Don’t take your wallet with you into the casino. Take as much money as you’re willing to lose, bring your driver’s license and a credit card for other purchases, but leave your ATM card and the rest of your money in your room.
7 – You’re still inside (with climate control) when you’re at New York-New York Las Vegas, even though it seems like you are not. Details from the interior: Outdoor cafes in courtyards surrounded by old, weather-beaten ads on sides of buildings, and steam coming out of manhole covers. Pigeons sitting on balcony rails and a high-school basketball trophy and old 40s-style lamp in the window. A bridge arched over a running creek and under a drooping willow tree adds to the illusion.
8 – The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art charges a high admission that is more than you’ll pay at the Met, SFMOMA, or Louvre. Wander through the gift shop and look at the coffee-table books instead.
9 – Talk to your cab drivers. If a cab driver in Elko, Nevada can tell some tall tales, just imagine the height of the tales you’ll get out of a Vegas cabbie.
10 – How to drink cheaply without losing your shirt: Sit down at a low cost slot machine in a high-traffic area and play very slowly. A cocktail waitress will magically appear and take your order. Choose beer unless you want a very watered-down mixed drink. Tip her nicely. Repeat again and again and again.
11 – Just because hotels are right next to each other doesn’t mean that they’re actually close to each other, since the properties are huge.
12 – Don’t stay at a cheap hotel just to save a few dollars. You will regret it and the extra money you will spend on a better hotel is not much compared to meals, entertainment, and gambling. Look for a 4 star or higher hotel.
13 – Catch a sunrise. The vast desert provides a fantastic setting, with the sun peeking over the distant mountains and the sky and landscape constantly changing colors.
14 – Vegas actually has a soul. The front of New York-New York, near the Statue of Liberty, is now a memorial for 9/11. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of t-shirts from various fire and police departments around the world hang on the fence. Very powerful.
15 – Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day and evening (more than you normally do at home). The hot desert sun plus alcohol can really dehydrate you.
16 – Paris Las Vegas does its namesake justice. The walls of the casino area are facades of quaint apartment buildings with lights flickering in the windows. Edith Piaf’s sparrow voice reverberates through the air. And all the signs above the tables and slot machines are replicas of the actual Art Deco gateway-to-the-metro signs.
17 – There are real lions inside the MGM Grand. Get there when it’s feeding time.
18 – Ahhhh, Venice. I didn’t want to like the canals with singing gondoliers coasting past St. Mark’s Square (inside the Venetian hotel, of course). I didn’t want to enjoy a cappuccino at a table outside a cafe on the main walkway, surrounded by shops with faux apartments above them and street performers entertaining the crowds under a painted blue-sky ceiling. But I did.
19 – The Luxor’s pyramid reflects the desert sun into the pool area, turning the chaise lounges into people-size baking trays, so make sure to wear lots of sunscreen.
20 – Lose the watch. Time just doesn’t matter in this town. You’ll find yourself craving breakfast at 7pm and going to sleep at 11 in the morning. Indulge, relax by the pool, have another drink, and have fun.
