Sightseeing

The main attraction in Las Vegas is the city itself - flashy, self-assured and more than a little irreverent. Massive hotel-and-casino complexes line the Las Vegas Boulevard, where neon lights and flamboyant attractions beckon visitors. Miniature cities like Paris and New York are still done on a massive scale, while museums like the Guggenheim Hermitage and the Liberace Museum maintain authentic cultural facilities. For an unrivalled view over the city, visit the observation deck of the Stratosphere.

Las Vegas Boulevard

Also known as the Strip, this is the main artery running through the city with all the major hotel casinos lining either side. A drive down the Strip is a must for all visitors, with a barrage of neon lights and whimsical features along the way. The boulevard is also outfitted with moving walkways to speed pedestrians along to the next casino.

New York-New York

This casino operates a popular roller coaster ride called the Manhattan Express. Riders speed through a recreation of New York City in miniature, over and around the Statue of Liberty, through a jungle of skyscrapers and past Central Park. It's a fun diversion from the slot machines.

Stratosphere

This hotel is popular for its 1,150ft-tall observation tower which is the largest of its kind in the US. The tower offers more than views of the city. A ride called the Big Shot rockets riders high into the air and lands them on an 800ft-tall platform. More popular is the Let It Ride High Roller, the tallest roller coaster in the world with a nerve-rattling drop.

Caesar's Palace

An icon of the Las Vegas Strip, Ceasar's Palace has been standing longer than most of its neighbours. The entire facility is themed to look like a glitzy Roman palace. Columns, beautiful gardens and ornate fountains set the stage. This casino doesn't back away from its theme, and even boasts a collection of imported marble statues and toga-donning employees.

Star Trek: The Experience

A quirky museum, this shrine to the Star Trek universe commands loyal following of die-hard fans. Inside is a collection of memorabilia from the various shows and movies, with a range of gift-shop souvenirs that only a ‘trekkie' could love. There's also a simulator that takes riders on a Star Trek mission of their own.

Guggenheim Hermitage

This mainstream museum is housed in the Venetian and takes itself much more seriously than the city's many over-the-top attractions. The artwork displayed here is on a six-month rotation and has all been borrowed from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia. Monet and van Gough are heavily featured, along with other Cubists and Impressionists.

Paris-Las Vegas

The scaled-down models of iconic Parisian landmarks in this park are still relatively large. Visitors will see mini versions of the Arc de Triomphe, Opera and Eiffel Tower that iare half the size of their authentic counterparts. The tower's observation deck is nearly 550 feet tall. More than just a collection of replicas, Paris-Las Vegas also operates a few excellent French restaurants for an experience that at least suggests an evening in Paris.

Liberace Museum

Liberace was one of Las Vegas' best loved performers. His performance style was perfectly suited for the city of excess of glitz. He lived under constant scrutiny from the press, and the museum displays a comprehensive collection of newspaper clippings and memorable photographs. One of the galleries explores his career through a series of photographs, stunning costumes and stage props. The other gallery displays just under half of his 39 pianos and several of his flashy cars.

Rock climbing

Red Rock Canyon, 30 minutes west of the city centre, is a mecca for sport climbers. The canyon is laid out in many well-travelled paths that cover a range of difficulties. Independent climbers can hire gear from outfitters in the city or near the canyon, while guided tours to specific features are also widely offered.

Getting married

This is a favourite activity in Las Vegas, and it couldn't be any easier. The city's wedding bureau issues marriage licenses until 24:00 and is open every day of the year. Wedding chapels are widespread and cover a variety of tastes. Chapels perform catered and well-planned weddings as well as impromptu, walk-up ceremonies. The quirkiest offerings include drive-through weddings and ceremonies officiated by Elvis impersonators.

Performances

There is always a roster of world-famous performers lined up in Las Vegas. Many megastar singers, comedians, magicians and other large-scale productions move their shows here for an extended period and play in one of the many hotel auditoriums. Tickets can be purchased through the hotel that hosts the event or through independent dealers.

Overview

Las Vegas offers an interesting mix of indoor and outdoor activities. Hotels host impressive shows and productions along with massive casinos that operate every game imaginable. Nearby, Red Rock Canyon is a popular stop for outdoor enthusiasts, catering to rock climbers, hikers and mountain bikers. Balloon rides over the canyon are also possible.

Gambling

The most popular Vegas pastime is trying your luck at any number of table games and gambling machines. Slot machines are everywhere, from the airport to the city centre and even in remote truck stops along the highway. The legal age for gambling in the state of Nevada is 21. The most popular casinos are operated in conjunction with the massive hotels on Las Vegas Boulevard, though there are also several casinos in the city's birthplace on Fremont Street.

Ballooning

A few hot-air balloon companies lead tours over the desert countryside. Balloons depart early in the morning, with most tours starting from a central location like the Strip and then heading for Red Rock Canyon where the play of the early morning light on the red sandstone is ethereal.

Motor racing

The Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosts NASCAR races on a regular basis, generating enthusiasm that spills over into recreational areas. The Las Vegas Mini Grand Prix is a great place for visitors to try their hand at the sport. This seven-acre park operates a banked, oval track and gives adults and children alike the chance to try their hand at the sport in a range of replica Grand Prix cars and traditional go-karts.

Mountain biking

There are excellent mountain biking areas within easy reach of the city centre. Guided tours pass through portions of the open desert and descend into scenic areas like Red Rock Canyon or Bootleg Canyon, the latter of which is more advanced. It is also possible to book guided tours that last several days and cover significant portions of the countryside.

Dining and shopping

Las Vegas' hospitality industry is first-class, with an expansive array of dining and shopping options. The enormous hotel-and-casino operations usually host several restaurants, the finest of which are run by world-class chefs. Buffets are also part of the quintessential Vegas experience. Shoppers will find everything from exclusive, upmarket boutiques in the major hotels to affordable factory outlets on the outskirts of town.

The dining scene in Las Vegas is world-class, with internationally-renowned chefs presiding over the kitchens of the city's five-star restaurants. Virtually every kind of cuisine is represented, with the large hotels operating numerous restaurants up and down the Strip.

The mainstay of the Las Vegas dining scene is the all-you-can-eat buffet, which gives gamblers the chance to eat as much food as they like for a relatively low price. Each casino operates a buffet, though most of the worthwhile establishments are independently-run and offset slightly from the Strip. There are even a few ‘upscale' buffets that cost as much as a low to mid-range restaurant and offer some truly creative cuisine.

Themed recreational areas are an integral part of the city, and many of the restaurants fit into these areas. French restaurants are found in the Paris Hotel and Casino, while Italian food is available in Bellagio. International cuisine is also found independent of themed areas.

While there are restaurants, buffets and fast-food establishments available across the city, the best selection is found all along Las Vegas Boulevard. Local agriculture is limited by the arid conditions so a great deal of food has to be flown in, sometimes from a great distance. This affects dinner prices in finer establishments that operate complex menus.

The city is also well-known as a shopper's paradise. The largest hotel and casino establishments also operate shopping malls with boutiques and department stores that give lucky gamblers a chance to burn through their winnings. Popular hotel shopping centres are Desert Passage at Aladdin, the upscale boutique offerings at Bellagio and the Forum at Caesar's Palace.

There are also a number of independently-run shopping areas, where the selection includes more mid-range goods and prices are lower. Town Square is a shaded, outdoor mall modelled after a Mediterranean village. The range of shops here spans clothing, accessories, electronics and home furnishings.

Factory outlet stores are widespread here in the desert. These establishments sell name-brand and designer goods that have been moved off the shelves due to minor defects or poor sales. The result is exceptionally low prices on a range of expensive, designer goods.

Antique shops are a popular subset of the local shopping scene. The best selection clusters on Charleston Boulevard, with many of the atmospheric shops housed in homes that were built in the 1930s.

Las Vegas has a penchant for going over and above visitor expectations, and the dining scene is no exception. World-famous chefs are seemingly everywhere, some of them only in name or by proxy, but many are actually at work in their kitchens. There are excellent options in every price range, with those who are willing to splurge in line for some of the finest dining in the country. Another facet of local dining is the all-you-can-eat buffet, which exceeds hometown expectations with truly inventive offerings that are well-priced but still delicious.

Overview

McCarran International Airport is the main gateway into Las Vegas, receiving regular flights from around the world. Buses are a secondary form of transportation between Las Vegas and regional cities. Local transportation spans citywide buses and a more limited network of trolleys and a monorail along the Las Vegas Strip. A hire car is essential for anyone who plans to take an excursion outside of the city centre.

Public transportation

There was a time when Amtrak ran rail service to Las Vegas, though this has not been available for more than a decade. Amtrak does, however, run a bus route from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. The main form of ground transport to the city is Greyhound buses. They depart from the Las Vegas South Main Street Terminal and travel to all major cities and even cross into Mexico via El Passo, Texas.

Travel by car is still a mainstay of US transportation, and the route from Los Angeles to Las Vegas via I-15 (4 hours) is crowded on Friday evenings as Californians cross the state line for a weekend of revelry. The interstate clogs up in the opposite direction on Sunday evenings when everyone returns home. Bear in mind that this popular route bisects a desert and has fewer petrol stations than expected.

The local transportation network is limited given the fact that a million locals live here in addition to the number of tourists that pass through. Buses are a main form of public transport when it comes to leaving the main strip. There are 49 routes that take in primary attractions as well as commuter suburbs. Visitors make the most use of lines 302 and 201, both of which ply the Strip. Month-long passes are available for long-term users.

A tourist trolley is also available on the Strip. The Downtown Trolley runs the Strip and connects to the Stratosphere. Another option, the Las Vegas Street Trolley, operates nostalgic oak-clad cars and sticks only to the Strip.

A monorail is also available in the central district. It connects Sahara Avenue to the MGM Grand Casino and can accommodate more than 200 passengers at a time with mixed standing and seated space. Trains depart every 5 to 10 minutes. Taxis are also on hand throughout the city.

Airports

McCarran International Airport is a busy facility that serves as Las Vegas' primary gateway. At five miles away, it's exceptionally close to the city centre by big-city standards. This two-terminal facility serves almost 90,000 passengers on a daily basis, with flights to every major city in the US and a broad selection of international destinations. Major carriers serving the airport are US Airways, Allegiant Air, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United Airlines.

Facilities include all standard amenities such as boutiques, duty-free outlets, restaurants, bars, banks and ATMs. The latter are especially important here, as there are more than 1,000 slot machines in the terminals for those who want to get a head start on gaming before they enter the city.

Completing the five-mile journey from the airport to the city is painless. Most major hotels operate regular shuttles to and from the airport, and there are also minibuses travelling fixed routes to the major districts in town. Public buses run to the airport, through their routes are limited. Taxis are quick and convenient, and many visitors choose to hire a car for the duration of their stay.