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Walking
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Walking is
the absolute best way to navigate the
Strip. Cabs are expensive,
and you usually have to wait in a long
line at the hotel to get one. (They
can't and won't stop on the street.)
The bus is cheaper but it's usually not
much faster than walking, although it
does get you out of the heat when it's
hot, and is nice when you're tired of
walking. Renting a car is a big waste
-- traffic on the Strip is often
gridlocked and you have to park so far
away that you'll wind up walking
anyway. If you're able to walk, I
strongly recommend you do so. If not, I
recommend the bus.
The whole strip is only four
miles long and you could walk the whole
thing in an hour and a half. One
minor annoyance you'll notice is that
at certain intersections you can't
cross at street level, you have to go
up to a pedestrian overpass. At least
there are always escalators to take you
up and down, and it eliminates the
chance that you'll get hit by a car
when crossing the street.
Speaking of that, wait for the
green light when crossing.
Tourists seem to have no regard for the
traffic signals, and many of them pay
the ultimate price for that lack of
judgement. Walking is fast and safe as
long as you pay attention and follow
the signals.
Again, walking is absolutely your
best bet for getting around the
strip, with the bus being a close
second.
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Bus
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Strip &
Downtown -- The Strip
bus is a bronze double-decker called
the Deuce. It runs 24/7 every 5-10
minutes, the entire length of the strip
and between the strip and downtown. $2
for one ride, or get a day pass for $5
when you pay your fare, good for 24
hours from the minute you buy it.
When the Strip
is congested the bus isn't much faster
than walking. Downtown to Mandalay
Bay (5.7 miles) once took me 1:23 by
bus in July 2006 (I could walk it in
1:44), but I've done that bus route as
quick as 40 minutes. When I ran the
Vegas Marathon, I did that route in 51
minutes -- way faster than the slowest
bus. But even though the bus is often
barely faster than walking, it does get
you out of the heat, and is a relief
when you're tired. Also, if you're able
to snag the front two seats upstairs
then you get a great, cheap tour of the
Strip.
Airport
-- The buses from the airport touch
the Strip only at the Stratosphere and
the Sahara, but if your hotel is
different there are some easy
workarounds.
The
bus stop at the airport isn't well
marked. There's a down escalator
between the two baggage claim areas.
Take the escalator down, go outside,
and the bus stop is the last stop on
the right, right under the little
canopy. You'll see airport employees
waiting for it. Important: When you get
on the bus, buy a day pass for $2.50
and then it's only $0.50 every time you
want to ride the Deuce for the next 24
hours.
To go to
the North Strip, Mid Strip, or
downtown, take the #108.
To go to the
South Strip, Mid Strip, or
downtown, take the #109
South. The marquee will say
"To SSTT." Do not get on the
#109 North.
The #108
Paradise/Swenson bus leaves from the
airport every 20 minutes, going
straight to Sahara & the
Stratosphere (North Strip) and then to
to downtown. You can also get to
Riveria & Circus Circus by getting
off at Riveria Blvd. and walking 10
minutes west towards the strip. For any
other Strip hotel, just can get off at
the Stratosphere and then take the
Deuce bus down the Strip. Remember, you
can use the day pass you bought when
you got on the #108.
Late night
notes on the #108: Service is normally,
every 20 minutes, then every 30 minutes
between 11pm and 1am, then once an hour
until 2am. The bus doesn't run between
2am and 4am, but then, neither do the
planes.
The #109
South goes to the "South Strip
Transfer Terminal" (SSTT), just beyond
the Strip. From there you can transfer
to the Deuece which comes every 5-10
minutes for 50¢ and head straight
north to the Strip.
Cheap Deuce Day Pass. Here's a
special exclusive tip from VegasClick
which you won't read about anywhere
else. Let's say you didn't take the bus
from the airport so you don't have one
of the $2.50 day passes which let you
ride the Deuce for only 50¢. You
could get a day pass on the Deuce, but
it'll set you back a whopping $5.00.
Solution: Go to a cross street (like
Sahara, Flamingo, or Tropicana), get on
that crosstown bus, buy a $2.50 day
pass, and then immediately get off the
bus without going anywhere. Now you can
march over to the Deuce with your $2.50
day pass and pay just 50¢ every
time you ride it for the next 24 hours.
You'll save money vs. a Deuce day pass
if you ride the Deuce four times or
fewer, and you'll break even at five
rides. However, if you were gonna ride
the Deuce like crazy (6 or more times
in 24 hours), then it's better to get
the $5 Deuce day pass.
For more info,
check out the bus
system website.
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Shuttles
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Airport
shuttles will take you to
your Strip hotel for $5.50, much
cheaper than a taxi, if you don't mind
riding with other tourists who are
going to their own hotels. To find the
shuttles, go to the space between the
two big baggage claim areas and face
the direction of the escalators that
are coming down from the second floor.
Go right past the escalators, walk out
the door, and look left or right. Not
that you need them, but Vegas.com
and UNLV
a list of airport shuttles if you want
to check them out before you come to
town.
The more expensive hotels have
free
airport/hotel shuttle
service. Check with
your hotel to see if they do. The
pickup area is next to the bus stop
described in the Bus section, at
left.
Off2Vegas has a list of hotel
shuttles, which go from casino to
casino.
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Monorails
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The Big
Monorail. The big monorail
is a joke. If you're going to or from
the Convention Center it's great. But
it's useless for traveling the strip.
It's too far away, too expensive, has
too few stops, and doesn't go the whole
length of the strip. For traveling the
Strip, it's much faster (and cheaper)
to take the bus or walk.
The monorail isn't actually on the
strip. You have to walk one block to
the west to get on it. When you do
you'll pay a pricey $5 for a one-way
ride (vs. $2 for the bus, or $5 for a
24-hour pass for the bus). Then
when you get off the monorail you've
got to walk a block back to the strip.
The monorail makes few stops and does
not go to the airport or downtown. And
it stops at midnight, while the bus
runs 24/7.
Casino
Trams. Several casinos run
their own private trams between their
properties. These trams are fast, free,
and run 24/7. The only downside is they
don't take you very far. Trams run
between:
- Treasure Island < >
Mirage
- Monte Carlo < >
Bellagio
- Mandalay Bay < > Luxor
< > Excalibur
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Taxis
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I generally boycott the taxis
because most drive so dangerously,
threatening pedestrians and bicyclists,
and because it's cheaper and not too
much slower to take the bus or walk.
But if you're going a long distance or
have many people in your party, the
taxi becomes a better deal. Up to four
people ride for the same price as one,
so $8 in a cab is equivalent to $2 on
the bus.
It's $3.30 to get in and then $2.20
per mile. (2008 rates)
Riding the whole strip, from
Mandalay Bay to Stratosphere, would
cost about $13. Airport trips have a
$1.20 surcharge. A 10% tip is
recommended, but if my driver runs red
lights or drives dangerously (a common
occurrence), I don't tip and I tell him
why.
From the airport, cabbies will try
to take the tunnel because it's longer
and increases the fare. Make sure to
tell your cabbie not to take the tunnel
unless you're going to Mandalay Bay or
Excalibur, when the tunnel makes
sense.
Taxis aren't allowed to pick you up
directly on the strip so don't try to
hail one there -- go to the the taxi
area at the nearest hotel, or a parking
lot if one is available.
You can find the fares for typical
trips as well as tips for not getting
ripped off at LasVegasTaxi.com.
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Don't
rent a car
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If you're not venturing beyond the
Strip and Downtown, you absolutely do
not need a car. In fact, a car will
just slow you down. Between gridlocked
traffic, parking, and walking (you
can't park directly on the strip -- you
have to go to a parking garage and then
walk), taking the bus or just walking
is just about as quick, and a lot less
stressful (not to mention cheaper).
Even if you're going to Hoover Dam,
the bus is often a better option. It's
cheap, safer, less polluting, more
relaxing (you can sleep on the bus),
and your driver will point out
interesting things about the places you
pass, which you wouldn't know about if
you were driving yourself. There are
places along the strip and downtown
that sell the cheap Hoover Dam bus
tours.
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Maps.
Check out our Vegas
maps page.
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