Las Vegas

Downtown is the old Las Vegas: The first casinos were located here, long before resorts grew on the Strip. The Golden Nugget opened in 1946, and even today, casinos line Fremont Street, appearing smaller, louder, and more affordable than their rivals to the south.Since 1995, a roughly 420-meter-long and 27-meter-high barrel vault canopy has spanned four city blocks. The Fremont Street Experience was updated in 2019 with over 49 million LEDs; in the evenings, light and music shows run on it, with bands playing on three stages. Beneath the canopy, people zip past on the SlotZilla zipline. The latest addition is Circa, which opened in 2020, an adults-only hotel with a massive sportsbook and a rooftop pool amphitheater. East of Las Vegas Boulevard, Fremont East begins, featuring bars, the Downtown Container Park, and the neon bar Atomic Liquors.During the day, two museums are worth visiting: The Mob Museum, housed in the former 1933 federal courthouse, tells the story of organized crime, while the Neon Museum displays over 200 decommissioned city signs.Come in the late afternoon, visit one of the museums, and stay for dinner and the first light show. Downtown is more compact than the Strip; almost everything is within walking distance.

Between Downtown and the Strip lies the district where Las Vegas looks least like itself: flat commercial buildings, murals, galleries, vintage shops, and breweries instead of casinos. Officially, it's called 18b The Las Vegas Arts District, named for its original 18 blocks. East Charleston Boulevard bisects it, and you'll find most shops and bars on Main Street and Commerce Street.It all began in 1997 with the Arts Factory, when artists moved into vacant spaces. In 2002, antique dealer Cindy Funkhouser launched the First Friday, a monthly art festival that still draws thousands. Since then, theaters, restaurants, and in 2014, Hop Nuts Brewing, the first of many breweries, have joined.By day, browse the shops of Antique Alley on Main Street for Tiki decor, comics, and old Las Vegas souvenirs; pop into the Arts Factory studios and Recycled Propaganda. By evening, it transforms into a nightlife hub: breweries, small cocktail bars, an indie theater, and live music at Swan Dive.The first Friday of the month is the busiest. Following a fatal incident at First Friday in October 2026, the festival's future is under discussion, so check 18b.org beforehand to confirm if and how it's taking place. The district is quieter and more relaxed on weekday afternoons.

North of Flamingo Road, the Strip transforms into its most iconic postcard scene: the Roman splendor of 1966's Caesars Palace, the 167-meter-tall High Roller observation wheel at LINQ, the canals and bell tower of the Venetian. Further north, it becomes more spacious, with greater distances between resorts, until the 350-meter-tall STRAT tower concludes the Strip.This area also marks the genesis of modern Las Vegas. The Flamingo opened in 1946 under Bugsy Siegel's direction, and the Wynn was built in 2005 on the legendary Desert Inn's site. The North Strip is a hub for new beginnings: Resorts World opened in 2021 on the former Stardust property, and the Fontainebleau, after years of construction halts, finally in December 2023. Since September 2023, the Sphere illuminates east of the Venetian, its LED exterior visible from much of the city.Much here is free: the flamingos in the Flamingo garden, the gondolas and St. Mark's Square at the Venetian, the Lake of Dreams light show at the Wynn. For a fee, you can ride the observation wheel, ascend to the STRAT's observation deck, or see one of the immersive films in the Sphere.The most beautiful time is dusk: That's when the Sphere changes its displays, and from the High Roller or the STRAT, you can see the Strip light up beneath you.

The southern section of Las Vegas Boulevard is the Las Vegas of grand backdrops: a black glass pyramid, a fairytale castle, a miniature Manhattan skyline, and at its end, the artificial lake of the Bellagio. Between Mandalay Bay in the south and the Bellagio lie some of the city's largest hotel complexes, connected by pedestrian bridges, shopping arcades, and free trams.The themed hotels tell the story of the Strip: Excalibur opened in 1990, Luxor in 1993, New York-New York in 1997, and the Bellagio in 1998. Newer is the district around the T-Mobile Arena, which opened in 2016 and has been home to the NHL team Vegas Golden Knights since 2017. The neighboring Park MGM was known as Monte Carlo until 2018 and has been the only completely smoke-free casino resort on the Strip since 2020.During the day, the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay is worth visiting; in summer, so is the sandy beach with a wave pool at Mandalay Bay Beach. The Fountains of Bellagio and the floral displays in the Conservatory are free. In the evenings, you have a choice between concerts at the Arena and Cirque du Soleil shows: O at the Bellagio, KÀ at MGM Grand, and Michael Jackson ONE at Mandalay Bay.Distances are deceptive: what looks close from hotel to hotel is often a long walk through air-conditioned casinos. In summer, you best explore the Strip in the early morning or after sunset, when the facades glow and the Fountains of Bellagio are most impressive in the dark.

Just about 27 kilometers west of the Strip, the city abruptly ends. In Red Rock Canyon, red-and-white striped sandstone walls rise from the Mojave Desert; the area has been protected as a National Conservation Area since 1990 and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Its rocks are an international climbing destination; for everyone else, there are hiking trails ranging from short family loops to summit treks.Geologically fascinating is the Keystone Thrust, a fault that formed about 66 million years ago and is visible for about 21 kilometers along the rock face. The red Aztec sandstone originated from dunes that were here about 180 million years ago, glowing particularly intensely in the Calico Hills. In some places, you'll find rock art from earlier indigenous cultures.Most visitors drive the 13-mile (21 km) long Scenic Drive, featuring viewpoints and hiking trail parking areas. Important: From October 1st to May 31st, you'll need a Timed-Entry Reservation via Recreation.gov for entry between 8 AM and 5 PM; this also applies to the Visitor Center. With the ticket, you may enter up to 30 minutes earlier and stay all day, but re-entry requires a new reservation.The best time to visit is autumn, winter, and spring. Those wishing to visit without a reservation can enter before 8 AM or after 5 PM. On weekends, parking lots are often full between 9 AM and 3 PM.