This is the third part and continues Las Vegas: Hotels and Buffets which can be found here.
Walking Along the Strip – Measuring Distances
Distances along the Strip are not short. It’s sometimes difficult to reach anywhere. The Strip has a 7.2 km length; most southern point is the Mandalay Bay Hotel. I was in Las Vegas several times, also in several seasons and heat periods. Once even on New Years. In winter you can easily walk along the Strip. 7 km is doable, the weather is convenient.
In summer, in Las Vegas summer means most time of the year, this is no longer the case. It is extremely hot, dry and the sun is strong. It becomes very clear that the city is in the desert. In August, I was exhausted only walking from the Flamingo Hotel to Caesar’s Palace (both hotels are located opposite of each other on the Strip). In August, you basically rescue yourself by finding shelter in an AC hotel. There is almost no pedestrian traffic on the Strip, everyone just stays inside.
In summer, never underestimate how far it is from one place to another. You look from the Flamingo Hotel to Bellagio and think it’s not a problem to walk there. But the heat makes it a problem, definitely. For any hotels at the beginning or end of the Strip, it’s better to take a cab or the bus.
Outside it is extremely hot; inside in all the hotels it is almost cold, due to the AC. That makes quite a difference in temperature. It was cold in the hotels most of the time. Better take a thin jacket or pullover with you for that.
In winter, the Strip was crowded. From the list of the 25 biggest hotels in the world, 14 are in Las Vegas on the Strip. All these people need to be somewhere. In winter, they walk along the Strip.
Las Vegas has many bridges for pedestrians. These bridges connect several hotels and help to cross the main street. Finding them is easy, just follow the crowd. Many people with different messages are on the bridges. Some ask for money, others are musicians who want to sell their music. Soliciting is common on the bridges. We ran into several demonstrations by Christian fundamentalist. They protest against the lifestyle of Las Vegas in general (gambling, gluttony) and prostitution in particular. Only a few steps away, promoters deliver flyers for prostitutes. Men always get little sheets with naked women on it and a telephone number to call and order a girl. An ad for prostitution (“Girls4less”) is on a car and drives up and down the Strip all day long.
The pedestrian bridges usually end in hotels. You need to walk through a hotel and casino most of the time to keep moving. Because of this, you cover quite some distances while walking along the Strip. Anyways, all other options aren’t any better.
Driving along the Strip in your own car is quite stressful. We happened to arrive in Las Vegas on a Saturday. The roads were very busy, full of pedestrians, many of them drunk and tottering. You need to be very careful to not crash into someone. On a weekday it’s better. Anyways, the main road on the Strip is always busy; you get stuck in traffic several times.
All hotels offer valet parking. Sometime, the valet has a long waiting line. Up to 30 minutes is normal. After shows and in the morning at check-out, waiting time can be much longer. To me, this is always a bit of dead time, time that was wasted just sitting at the valet and waiting for my car. You are not allowed to go and get your car yourself. While arriving, valet is very convenient of course; you can just leave the car in front of the hotel. Sometimes there are self-parking areas. But they are usually full and far away from the hotel, you need to walk quite a bit to reach the hotel from there.
Another option is to take a cab. In Las Vegas, cabs don’t stop at the street. There is no need to wave at them. In the hotels, there is a cab stand usually right next to the Valet. Either cabs are already waiting there or a hotel employee blows a whistle and thus signals them to come. It is possible that you are the only one at the taxi stand, and get a cab right away. But it is also possible that you need to wait in a line.
The last option to move along the Strip is to take the bus. There are many bus stands, but you always need to walk a bit the reach the next one. Schedules can be found at the bus stand, but there are also guides who give you information about the bus system. The bus system is called RTC busses.
In general, the Strip is always busy. No matter if you take a cab, the bus or your car you will definitely move slowly. Always plan enough time to reach; it’s never fast even though the distances seem short.
When Is the Best Time to Visit Las Vegas?
Las Vegas is usually combined with a tour in California. That is why many people come to Las Vegas in summer. From June till September it is extremely hot. In July, Las Vegas has an average temperature of more than 40 degrees. You should definitely consider that. In the dry heat of the desert, walking is challenging.
I liked October in Las Vegas a lot. It was warm but not too hot. It would recommend going to Las Vegas in these between-times. That means October, April, May. It don’t recommend the summer months.
I also enjoyed winter in Las Vegas, once in November, once in December. It’s warmer than Germany but still a little cool. In the mornings and evenings, you need a jacket. A pullover is not enough. Most people can hardly imagine that because they come to Las Vegas in summer. Las Vegas had snow in December several times. If you decide to go in winter, be prepared for some cooler weather.
Las Vegas is highly visited on the weekends. Many US-Americans go there to gamble. Hotel prices rise on the weekend and fall on weekdays.
When you prefer hustle and bustle, go there on the weekend. But most offers are also available on weekdays, shows are running, restaurants are open. Almost anything you get on the weekend is also there on a weekday. Only exceptions are certain shows, sports and unique events.
Is Las Vegas worth a trip? How much time do I need there?
Yes, Las Vegas is one of the cities you should have seen. It is an entirely artificial city in the desert. Because of all the visitors, the city has grown a lot over the years. Words like sea of lights, crowds of people but also light pollution get an entirely new meaning here. Lights are everywhere, everything is colorful and someone always plays music. Something is always going on, lots of actions; it’s always loud (except in your hotel room). Some people in my travel group found it too artificial, too restless, too wired and too loud. I cannot disagree. That is how Las Vegas is. A restless gambling city in the desert. But that is exactly why you should have seen it at least once in a lifetime.
Reaching Las Vegas is very simple. There are many flights from Europe, some of them even non-stop (e.g. from London). The flights are mostly cheap. Coming here might be a cheap option to travel to West of the US. The airport is not far from the Strip. There is no need to plan a lot of time for that drive, maybe 20 minutes.
Las Vegas is a good starting point for the West of the US. You can either head east to Arizona and Utah (Grand Canyon, Zion Nationalpark, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Arches Nationalpark, Capitol Reef Nationalpark). There are many options, almost an endless number of combinations. Instead of going east, you can also head west to California in particular to Los Angeles.
I would stay in Las Vegas for 3 to 5 days. You have never seen everything; you can always go see another hotel. About four nights would be enough for me (assuming you arrive in the evening). I would not do much less, cause in that case you would practically see nothing. You need some time here at last. Depending on how much risk you are willing to take and how much you tend to gamble, don’t stay too long.
This is the end of the Las Vegas Article. Part 1 can be found here, Part 2 here.
Information about the Flamingo Hotel can be found here.
Information About Outlet Shopping can be found here.