Stand on the Strip at dusk and the desert sky goes deep blue behind a line of buildings that should not be there: a campanile, a sphinx, an Eiffel Tower. The dancing fountains of Bellagio throw water into the air on the hour, and further down the road the old town glows under a canopy of LED lights. Las Vegas announces itself all at once, and it is best taken in on foot, slowly, one block at a time.
This guide suits the traveller who wants a mix of spectacle, gambling and a show, and who is happy to spend a day walking between themed casino-hotels. It covers the Strip, Downtown, the city's professional sports, and the museums and gardens that sit inside the resorts.
Everything below is drawn from the district listings and the sections on seeing and doing. Where a place sits inside a hotel, the hotel is the landmark to aim for.
Top things to do in Las Vegas
1. Walk the Las Vegas Strip
The Strip is the city's defining experience: a stretch of themed casino-hotels whose buildings include replicas of the Eiffel Tower, the Great Sphinx of Giza, the Statue of Liberty and St Mark's Campanile, alongside original structures that look just as striking. Travel along it and you pass the dancing fountains of Bellagio, the colourful signs, and crowds moving between hotels.
Go in the evening, when the lights and the fountain shows are at their best, and wear shoes you can walk in for a few hours. Note that the Strip lies outside the city limits, in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester.
2. See the dancing fountains of Bellagio
The fountains are the free spectacle most visitors remember, set in front of the Bellagio and visible from the Strip as you walk past. They are the easiest thing to build into an evening, since you will pass them anyway.
Time your walk so you arrive on the hour or shortly before, and combine the stop with the rest of your Strip walk rather than making a separate trip.
3. Explore Downtown and the Fremont Street Experience
Downtown is the old town of Las Vegas, and its signs are even more colourful than those on the Strip. The Fremont Street Experience is a canopied five-block area with 12.5 million LED lights and 550,000 watts of sound, with shows held at the top of each hour from dusk until midnight.
Come after dark so you catch a show, and allow time to walk the surrounding blocks rather than only standing under the canopy. Fremont Street is named after John C. Frémont, whose writings helped lure pioneers to the area.
4. See a Cirque du Soleil show
Las Vegas hosts eight popular Cirque du Soleil shows, and they are the benchmark for the city's production shows. If you want the best seats, reserve well in advance.
Book directly from the official hotel website, and expect the most popular shows to sell out on weekends. Half-price ticket outlets on the Strip generally do not carry the really popular shows for same-day performances.
5. Catch a comedy show
Different comedians come through Las Vegas continuously, and a comedy show is a straightforward way to end a night out. It pairs naturally with dinner and a walk along the Strip.
Because the line-up changes, decide what you want to see once you are in town rather than booking far ahead, and treat it as the last stop of the evening.
6. Gamble in the casino-hotels
Gambling is available almost everywhere in the metro area, including at Harry Reid Airport and in small supermarkets, but the casino-hotels are where the full range sits: slot machines, card games, craps, roulette and sports betting. Games with the lowest house advantage if you know how to play are craps with full odds and blackjack.
You must be at least 21 and carry a valid, government-issued ID showing your age or full date of birth; photocopies and temporary paper documents are generally not accepted. Avoid blackjack tables where a 21 pays 6:5 or even money instead of 3:2, and if a game is unfamiliar, ask the dealer — during quiet daytime hours most will explain it and even slow the dealing.
7. Play poker, or watch the World Series of Poker
Texas Hold'em, 7-card stud and Omaha can be found at almost all Las Vegas poker rooms, though not every casino has one. During June and July the World Series of Poker is held in Las Vegas, drawing the top players, and skilled players can join the side games running alongside it.
Call the casino or ask a gaming floor attendant before you set out, since not every property has a poker room. Poker rooms on the Strip are non-smoking, but smoke can drift in from the casino floor if the room is not fully enclosed.
8. Watch the Vegas Golden Knights play ice hockey
The Golden Knights are the city's NHL team, playing at T-Mobile Arena on South Las Vegas Boulevard. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in their first season in 2017–18 and lifted the Cup in their sixth season in 2022–23.
Tickets run from $25 to $450, so decide your budget before you book. The team was the city's first in one of the "big four" professional sports of the US and Canada.
9. Watch the Las Vegas Raiders play football
The Raiders are the city's NFL team, playing at Allegiant Stadium on Al Davis Way. They began playing in Las Vegas in 2020 after relocating from Oakland.
Check the schedule before you plan your trip around a game, and build the rest of your day around the Strip, which is easy to reach from the stadium area.
10. Watch the Las Vegas Aces play basketball
The Aces are the city's WNBA team, playing at Michelob Ultra Arena on South Las Vegas Boulevard. The arena is part of the Mandalay Bay casino resort, which makes it simple to combine a game with an evening on that end of the Strip.
Because the arena sits inside a resort, arrive early enough to walk through the property rather than rushing straight to your seat.
11. See the Las Vegas Aviators play baseball
The Aviators are a Triple-A baseball club and have been in Las Vegas longer than any other professional sports team, beginning as the Las Vegas Stars in 1983 and later playing as the Las Vegas 51s before taking the Aviators name for 2019. They opened a new ballpark in Summerlin in 2019.
Tickets run from $5 to $30, which makes this the cheapest of the city's spectator sports. Note that the ballpark is in Summerlin, away from the Strip, so plan the trip there separately.
12. Watch the Henderson Silver Knights play hockey
The Silver Knights are the Golden Knights' top minor-league team, playing in the American Hockey League at Lee's Family Forum on South Green Valley Parkway in Henderson.
This is a Henderson trip rather than a Strip one, so pair it with whatever else takes you to that side of the valley rather than squeezing it into a Strip day.
13. Go to a NASCAR weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas hosts NASCAR for a weekend every year, usually in March, and the race draws a large crowd of race fans to the city.
Because it is a single weekend a year, check the date before you book travel if the race is the reason for your trip.
14. Visit the flamingo garden at Flamingo
Hotel casinos in Las Vegas usually carry a theme, and some are decorated to match it or feature attractions built around it — the flamingo garden at Flamingo is the example worth seeking out. It is a quiet counterpoint to the noise of the gaming floor.
Fold it into a Strip walk rather than treating it as a separate destination, since you will already be passing the property.
15. Use the Las Vegas Power Pass for attractions
The Las Vegas Power Pass is a combination pass giving holders free admission to many of the attractions listed in the district articles, including the Stratosphere Tower Observation Deck, Madame Tussauds, Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, Springs Preserve and the National Atomic Testing Museum, as well as numerous activities and tours.
Work out which of those you actually intend to visit before buying, since the pass only pays off if you use enough of them. Several of the attractions it covers, including the Mob Museum and the Neon Museum, opened as part of the downtown revitalisation that led 2012 to be dubbed "The Year of Downtown".
If you only have one day
Morning. Start Downtown, walking the blocks around the Fremont Street Experience while the signs are still easy to read in daylight, then stop at the flamingo garden at Flamingo on your way back toward the Strip.
Afternoon. Spend the afternoon on the Las Vegas Strip, moving between the themed casino-hotels and their replicas of the Eiffel Tower, the Great Sphinx of Giza, the Statue of Liberty and St Mark's Campanile. If you want to gamble, this is the time to do it: tables are quieter in the daytime, and dealers are more likely to explain a game you do not know.
Evening. Time your walk to reach the dancing fountains of Bellagio, then take in a Cirque du Soleil show or a comedy show. If you are still going, return to the Fremont Street Experience for a show at the top of the hour, which runs from dusk until midnight.
Frequently asked questions
How old do you have to be to gamble in Las Vegas?
State law requires gamblers to be at least 21, and also prohibits anyone under 21 from loitering in any area where gaming is present. Bring a valid, government-issued ID showing your age or complete date of birth; photocopies and temporary paper documents are generally not accepted.
Is there a curfew for under-18s?
Yes. There is a curfew for those under 18 unless accompanied by an adult: 9PM for the Strip and Downtown areas, and 10PM for other areas of Las Vegas. During certain events, such as New Year's Eve, the curfew hours are extended.
Which casino games give the house the smallest advantage?
Craps with full odds and blackjack have the lowest house advantage if you know how to play. Slots, roulette and some craps bets such as hardways and propositions give the casino its best advantage. Blackjack tables where a 21 pays 6:5 or even money rather than 3:2 give the house a big advantage and are best avoided.
When is the best time to see a show?
Reserve well in advance for the best available seating, and book directly from the official hotel website. The most popular shows sell out on weekends, and half-price ticket outlets on the Strip generally do not offer the really popular shows for the same day's performance.
Decide which shows and games matter most to you, check the dates for any sporting fixtures or the NASCAR weekend, and start booking your tickets and your room.