Planning a trip to the fabulous Sin City? But not sure where to start? Wondering how to plan a trip to Vegas that isn’t filled with gambling? Continue reading for all of our Vegas vacation tips.
Top Tips for Planning a Trip to Vegas
- Make dining reservations at least two weeks in advance – possibly even earlier if you’re visiting on a weekend. The most popular restaurants on the strip are generally booked full each night.
- If you want to gamble, sign up for the casino’s member club. You’ll generally get some free money to gamble with.
- You can walk around with alcohol on the strip.
- If you aren’t gambling and getting free drinks, booze can be pricy. Stop at a liquor store to buy your booze and then wander.
When to Visit Las Vegas
Spring and Fall are the most popular times to visit Las Vegas. And the prices reflect that. However, the weather is mild and you’ll be able to walk the strip comfortably.
Weekend getaways are also the most popular type of Vegas trip. And the prices reflect that too. So you’ll see pricing surges on the weekends in hotel and show prices.
Winter can also be nice as Las Vegas is warmer than a majority of other U.S. destinations and who doesn’t like to escape to the warmth? Even though the weather is warm, it can get chilly in the winter. And as with any tourist destination, prices during the holidays surge, so avoid the holidays if you want to stay on budget.
Summer is generally considered the off season in Vegas since the weather is very warm. Like – uncomfortably so. However, you can manage to spend a majority of your time inside when you’re visiting Vegas, so if you don’t mind sweating when you’re outside, you can get better prices if you visit in the summer.
Other surge pricing to keep in mind are large scale sporting events. As Las Vegas is a major gambling destination, you can experience high prices during major sporting event, such as the Super Bowl, March Madness, boxing matches, etc. So do your best to avoid these times, in addition to holidays, if you want to avoid increased accommodation and flight prices.
How Long to Stay in Las Vegas
We think that a minimum of 2-4 days is perfect for a Vegas visit. You really need two days to feel like you’ve had a chance to see everything. Vegas is so overwhelming to ALL of the senses. So one day really is just not enough. And because Vegas is just so overwhelming 4 days is almost too much. I’d say 4 days is too much time unless you are a gambler and will enjoy spending times in the casinos. 2-3 days is the sweet spot; it gives you enough time to see everything, appreciate it and then leave before you get sick of it all.
Getting There and Around
Flying in to the Las Vegas airport is generally cheap. Flights come in regularly from around the world. If you’re flying in on a weekday, you can get really good flight prices.
Once in Las Vegas, you can get anywhere on the Strip with a $25 taxi ride. No need for a rental car! Uber and Lyft are also popular here. However, know that when you’re on The Strip you have to go to special pickup stations at the hotels for all cabs and ride shares, not the front door.
Once you’re on the strip, you can get to all of the wonderful things to do in Las Vegas via public transport, taxi/ride share and tours. If you’re leaving the tourist area of Vegas, it’s best to do so with a tour group. You’ll have your ride included along with plenty of fun facts along your drive.
If you want to get around within Vegas, the public transportation works well for tourist areas. You can get a daily bus pass for $8. This works well to shuttle you off the Strip, like if you want to go to Fremont Street. If you just want to save your feet from walking the Strip, you can take the Monorail. Monorail day passes cost $15.
Where to Stay in Vegas
If you plan spend most of the time on the Strip, you’ll want to stay on the Strip. You’ll definitely pay more but being close to the action is important if you’re planning on staying out late and making the most of your Vegas time. And while these hotels may cost more than other U.S. destinations, you really will find one to suit every budget.
In addition to staying on the Strip, we think it’s a good idea to stay in a centrally located place on the Strip. Or a bit north of the middle of the Strip. This seems to be where all the action is located and it will cut down on your walking time.
If you’d still like to stay near the action but the Strip is beyond your budget, check out Fremont Street. Hotels here are still nice but more out of the way of the majority of the action. And while the hotels are nice for the price, they are definitely older and less well renovated.
What to Budget
Las Vegas is expensive. So if you plan a trip to Vegas, set a budget. Then double it. While you can stick to a budget pretty well on flights and hotels, you will break the budget on food and activities.
On our most recent trip to Vegas, we spent $2128 on a three day two night trip, not including the flights. While we generally travel on a pretty tight budget, we know Vegas is famous for excess and we wanted to experience this excess. So we spent a lot more than we needed to on food ($570) and activities ($1120) but also went really cheap on accommodation ($400) and transportation ($35).
Tips For Traveling to Vegas On a Budget
- Visit on a weekday. Weekend surge pricing can definitely hurt the overall budget.
- Visit Fremont Street for drinking and gambling. It’s cheaper.
- Buy booze in the convenience and liquor stores and drink on the street. It’s cheaper than in restaurants and clubs.
- There are no actual penny slots in Vegas. They say penny but the minimum bet is always more. And remember the house always wins. Save your money unless you actually enjoy gambling.
Accommodations Budget
Accommodations are expensive, as with any big city, but you can find more budget friendly options.
Some budget locations on the Strip include Ballys, Treasure Island and The Flamingo. You can find nightly room rates here around $200/night.
If you want to splurge, MGM, The Venetian, Wynn and the Bellagio are the most glamorous of the strip hotels. Suites here can cost thousands of dollars each night.
Wherever you stay on The Strip, make sure to check the resort fees before you book your hotel. These are fees that are charged when you check in to the property. They say they pay for things that are normally included, like WiFi, telephone and pools. However, this is really just a clever way to con you into thinking Vegas isn’t as expensive as it is. There are very few hotels without a resort fee so it’s pretty inescapable. However, be aware of it before committing to a property.
If you choose to stay on Fremont Street, prices there range from $90-200/night.
You can also choose to stay throughout the city of Las Vegas in some pretty nice home shares. However, we do not recommend this, because you’ll blow the money you save on rides to the hoppin’ areas of town. It is an option and you can find decent places for as cheap as $50/night. However, make sure it is properly licensed as Vegas is pretty strict on home rentals and an unlicensed stay has the risk of being canceled.
Travel Budget
Travel to and within Las Vegas is actually pretty reasonable. When you plan a trip to Vegas, you should be able to set a budget similar to other U.S. destinations for travel expenses.
You can find flights into Vegas for under $100 rather frequently.
You do not need a vehicle to get around Vegas and one is actually an inconvenience. If you are bringing a car, make sure your hotel has free parking. Plan on budgeting $50 to get to and from the airport.
Food Budget
You can really blow the budget on food in Las Vegas. When you plan a trip to Vegas, take what you normally spend on food and then triple it.
Sit down restaurants generally cost between $50-$100/person, with several even higher priced than that. This even includes the famous Las Vegas buffets.
If you want to save money on food, we recommend a grazing strategy. Grabbing snacks here and there will avoid a hefty price tag that a formal dinner will incur. You can also get snacks in the many stores along the Strip – there are plenty of CVSs and Walgreens with beer and snacks.
Activities Budget
You can find a range of activities for a range of prices. However, you should be aware that if you plan a trip to Vegas for a longer period of time, we think your cost per day for activities will go up. This is because, while there are free and cheap things to do in Las Vegas, you tend to run out of those on day two and have to start upping your daily entertainment and activities budget.
As you can see from our list of things to do in Las Vegas, pretty much every attraction has an upgrade option available. From souvenir photos to skipping the line, you can always pay more to do not much more in Vegas.
What To Pack For Vegas
Pack a pair of good walking shoes. You’ll be doing tons of walking along the Vegas strip and even within single venues.
While Vegas is hot, the casinos are cold. They blast the AC. And while that feels nice when you come in from the heat, it gets cold quickly. Make sure to bring a jacket or sweater along, especially at night when the temperature drops.
All the hotels have pretty nice pools. And pools are the most popular way to spend your days in Vegas. So make sure to pack a swimsuit.
I always forget sunscreen when I’m in cities. But you probably will spend a lot of time outside in Las Vegas as you walk from one hotel to another. We didn’t wear sunscreen and got burnt. Pack your sunscreen.
If you want to save some money pack snacks and water. Simple things are overpriced in Las Vegas.
For clothes, for daytime make sure you have comfortable clothes for the temperature. You’ll probably be walking a lot (did I say that already) and you’ll want to be comfortable. Casual clothes are fine for the day time. For the evening plan on dressier clothes if you’re going out. Jeans are fine as long as they are fitted and dark. If you plan on visiting a nightclub, check the dress code as you’re packing to make sure you have what you need.
Safety
The Vegas Strip is a pretty safe place as there are tons of people around at all times deterring crimes. However, as it is a popular tourist area, petty theft is pretty common.
However, it is worth noting that there are lots of individuals experiencing homelessness that you’ll encounter on the streets. They may be asking for money but generally don’t interact with you. As someone who frequently works with this population, it didn’t make me uncomfortable. But I did see several people who were visibly uncomfortable around these folks. Particularly the people who were talking to themselves. So just remember to treat everyone with compassion (and a Midwest smile if that’s your thing) and be aware of your surroundings.
I will also say that we did walk outside of the tourist area near Fremont Street and have never felt so unsafe. It was probably the police getting into an altercation with a group of individuals that made us feel that way. Or all the gated shops. Either way, we’d advise sticking to the tourist areas.
We hope this has helped you plan a trip to Vegas for yourself. If you’re looking for some fun inspiration, check out our Las Vegas itinerary for first time visitors.
I have only been to Vegas during sema show week at the beginning of November. I booked my hotel thru their site at a discounted rate. Airfare isn’t too bad I used spirit yea it’s wwe in the sky but cheaper than the legacy 3. No frills tight seating for a 5 hour flight out of Newark. I often found cheap eats out there nothing too expensive. Beer I picked up from a arco station even cigarettes were cheaper there than New Jersey where I’m from. Uber or Lyft is $25 from Harry Reid to I’d say the Excalibur casino. I stayed at the Excalibur so a trip on Lyft back was $11
Wow! Thanks for all of that helpful info!