Las Vegas

Las Vegas is the largest city in Nevada, grown up in the middle of the scorching Mojave Desert and turned into the world capital of gambling and entertainment. Here the night is brighter than the day: millions of bulbs, giant casino resorts, star concerts and shows you will not see anywhere else sit alongside the harsh natural wonders of the American Southwest.

History and character

Founded in 1905 as a railway stop, the settlement stayed an unremarkable dot on the map for a long time. The turning point came in 1931, when Nevada legalised gambling — and construction of the Hoover Dam drew thousands of workers. In the 1940s and 50s the first big casinos rose along what would become the Strip, and the Rat Pack era of Frank Sinatra sealed the city's reputation as a centre of nightlife. The name means "the meadows" in Spanish: springs once rose here among the sands. Today Las Vegas is a metropolitan area of some two million people, living on tourism, hospitality and business conventions.

Main sights

• The Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard) — the city's grand axis, about 6.8 km long, lined with legendary resorts: Bellagio, Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, The Venetian with its canals and gondolas, the glass pyramid of Luxor, Paris with a replica Eiffel Tower and New York-New York with a scaled-down Manhattan. Walking the boulevard is free and has no natural end.
• The Bellagio fountains — a water and music show on an artificial lake, with jets rising tens of metres to classical and popular music. Performances run every 15–30 minutes in the evening; the pedestrian bridge is the best vantage point.
• Fremont Street Experience — the heart of the historic downtown, a covered pedestrian zone under a vast LED canopy about 400 metres long, with free concerts, street performers and the spirit of old Vegas.
• Cirque du Soleil — several resident productions by the Canadian company have run in the city for years. The water show "O" at the Bellagio is the signature one; tickets usually start around $80.
• The High Roller — one of the world's largest observation wheels (over 160 m) at The LINQ, with a panorama across the valley.

Nature nearby

Vegas makes a convenient base for day trips to natural wonders. The Grand Canyon (South Rim) is 4–5 hours away, with coach tours around $80; the closer West Rim is known for the Skywalk glass bridge. The Hoover Dam, a monumental piece of 1930s engineering on the Colorado River, is only 45 minutes from the city. On the way and nearby lie the scenic Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon, worth a trip for the contrast with the neon of the Strip.

Food

The city surprises with its range. The classic format is the casino buffet, from budget options around $25 to luxury ones nearer $90. Celebrity chefs are well represented: Gordon Ramsay's burgers, Nobu's Japanese cooking, steakhouses such as Carnevino. Even so, an unpretentious café or food court is never far away. According to Numbeo, an inexpensive lunch costs from about $12, dinner at a mid-range restaurant around $50, a coffee about $4.

Transport and accommodation

A monorail runs along the Strip (about $5 a ride), but walking is often simpler between neighbouring resorts. Taxis are noticeably dearer than Uber and Lyft; the trip from Harry Reid airport to the centre takes about ten minutes and costs roughly $12–15. Hotel rates swing sharply: on weekdays a room can be found from $30 a night, while at weekends rates start from $120 and climb.

Practical advice

• Plan a weekday arrival — both rooms and show tickets are cheaper.
• Air conditioning in casinos and malls runs at full blast, so a light layer is useful even in summer.
• Gambling and buying alcohol are legal from 21, and identification is checked strictly.
• Summer daytime heat exceeds +40 °C: carry water, wear a hat and save walking for the evening.
• Three days is enough to cover the Strip and downtown, see a show and set aside a day for the Grand Canyon or the Hoover Dam.