Las Vegas, the city of bright neon lights, gambling, and glitz and glamour. Everyone has a certain image of Las Vegas, and in our opinion, you must visit at least once in your life. Las Vegas is an incredible city, and nowhere else in the world will you find so many casinos in one place. Even if you’re not into gambling, a city trip to Las Vegas is still fun. It’s essentially a huge amusement park for adults, and you’ll be amazed at every turn.
City Trip to Las Vegas
Las Vegas is located in the state of Nevada and was only founded in 1905. The city is situated in the middle of the desert, which means hot summers and mild winters. It’s the ideal destination in America for a city trip, thanks to the direct connections with the Netherlands and the stunning surroundings. Around Las Vegas, there are several beautiful canyons and national parks, such as the Grand Canyon, that you shouldn’t miss. A city trip to Las Vegas can easily be combined with excursions to nature.
✈ Best Travel Time: April, May, September, and October. We were there in October and had fantastic weather! July and August are the peak season, and it’s extremely hot with temperatures around 40 degrees, so try to avoid this season.
✈ Internet in America: Unfortunately, your Dutch internet subscription is not available in America. However, most hotels do offer Wi-Fi, but if you prefer to have internet access everywhere, we recommend an eSIM. This is a digital SIM card that gives you access to local 4G or 5G networks. It’s ideal if you don’t want to be offline! You can purchase an eSIM through the Airalo website.
How to Get to Las Vegas?
If you don’t mind a layover or are looking for the cheapest airline, it’s best to compare all flight tickets on websites like Skyscanner and Tix. On Skyscanner, you can easily view the cheapest days to fly using the calendar feature. Once you’ve found a date, you can also compare prices on the Tix website. Prices and conditions may vary, so it’s worth comparing.
We traveled from Los Angeles to Las Vegas by Flixbus, which is a perfect solution if you want to see more of America and don’t have a rental car. You can also add Los Angeles to your Las Vegas city trip if you have more time!
Prefer to rent a car? We recommend SunnyCars because they offer all-inclusive insurance, which is reassuring when you’re traveling. Cheaper alternatives include RentalCars and Easy Terra.
What to Do in Las Vegas?
Stroll Through Fairy Tales, New York, and Little Paris
Walk from Luxor through the fairytale-like Excalibur, and you’ll arrive at the Statue of Liberty in New York-New York. And that’s not all; the Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, and other iconic buildings are waiting for you. Choose one of the many pedestrian bridges to cross the street and walk via MGM to Little Paris, complete with the Eiffel Tower!
Little Italy in a Big Way
If you think you can quickly pass by Caesar’s Palace, you’re mistaken. This massive hotel seems endless, making you feel like you’re in Italy. You’ll stroll past a real Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum.
You’ll find more of Italy across the street at The Venetian, where Venice has been recreated. The same gondolas and beautiful shopping streets lead you to St. Mark’s Square, but with fewer tourists. Everything is under a light blue sky with subtle clouds, making it look like it’s still mid-afternoon at 8 p.m. It’s both beautiful and surreal.
Theater Shows
Theater lovers can enjoy reasonably priced shows along the Strip. There are so many shows to see that you could entertain yourself for weeks. We’ve already mentioned “O” by Cirque du Soleil at the Bellagio hotel. Cirque du Soleil also performs other shows in Sin City, such as “Michael Jackson One,” a theatrical tribute to the King of Pop, at Mandalay Bay. At MGM Grand, they perform their show “KÀ,” and at New York-New York, you can see “Mad Apple.”
In addition to Cirque du Soleil shows, you can also find comedy, magic shows, musicals, and many concerts along the Strip. For example, at MGM Grand, none other than illusionist David Copperfield performs almost daily.
The Stratosphere Tower
At the edge of the Strip and the northern part of Las Vegas Boulevard is The Strat, a hotel and casino. The hotel’s main attraction is SkyPod, a 350-meter-high observation tower. Here, you have two observation decks on the 108th and 109th floors with a fantastic 360-degree view. You’ll also find “Top of the World,” a great rotating restaurant where you can enjoy both the mega resorts on the Strip and the mountainous landscape to the north while dining. The 108th floor is an excellent spot for drinks!
The Fremont Street Experience
Fremont Street is a long street running from the northwest to the southeast in downtown Las Vegas. In the west, you’ll find the Fremont Street Experience: a shopping promenade that’s open 24/7. This shopping area was often the backdrop for movies and music videos in the late 20th century. Amidst dazzling LED and neon displays, you’ll find countless shops, restaurants, trendy cocktail bars, clubs, and casinos. To keep visitors entertained at night, there are three stages with free entertainment at the shopping center. This district is truly over-the-top and too fun to skip.
The Mob Museum
Just north of Fremont Street, in the old courthouse of Las Vegas, is the Mob Museum. The courthouse was the site of one of 14 hearings in the 1950s aimed at tackling organized crime. For the past decade, this beautiful building from 1933 has been a museum that tells the history of the mafia in America.
It’s an interactive and fascinating museum where you can, for example, investigate the mafia’s involvement in the dark worlds of drugs, prostitution, money laundering, and illegal gambling. There’s also a crime lab and a “Use of Force Training Experience,” where you participate in various digital and live-action scenarios. In the role of a police officer, you must make split-second decisions about the use of force.
What to See and Do Around Las Vegas
What most people don’t expect is that the area around Las Vegas is perfect for outdoor activities. Within a relatively short distance, you’ll find many national parks and reserves, offering endless opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, water sports, and even skiing.
From Las Vegas, you can easily visit attractions in the surrounding area on your own. Alternatively, you can join organized excursions from the city. For example, to Red Rock Canyon and the Spring Mountains. Or how about the hot springs of Lake Mead or a day trip to the Grand Canyon? There are also various options for visiting Death Valley and Zion National Park (in Utah). It’s no wonder that many tourists, including those from the Netherlands, choose Las Vegas as a base. From here, they visit not only the city but also the parks in the area.
Admire the Sphere in Las Vegas
One of the newest attractions in Las Vegas is the Sphere. It’s a spherical structure where music concerts are held. What makes this building so special is that the exterior consists entirely of LED screens, totaling 54,000 square meters, that continuously change color and display videos. It’s a fantastic sight and a real eye-catcher for Las Vegas!
Inside, you’ll find 15,000 square meters of LED screens with a 16K resolution, making the Sphere the sharpest and largest screen in the world! You can imagine that attending a concert here is an experience you’ll never forget. However, it comes with a high price tag of at least 500 euros per person. If this is too expensive, you can opt for the Sphere Experience instead. We only admired the Sphere from the outside, which you can best do at this location.
Gambling in Las Vegas Casinos
Of course, Las Vegas is famous for gambling, and you haven’t truly experienced Las Vegas if you haven’t tried it. You don’t have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars, but it’s at least fun to get a taste of the gambling atmosphere. You can do this with as little as $50. Every hotel has its own large casino that you can enter as a visitor. Some fun casinos include MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, and Planet Hollywood.
