Explore Las Vegas With Someone Who Actually Lives There

Do the Strip without overpaying

Which shows are worth it, which buffets aren't, where the free spectacles are, how resort fees and parking add up. Locals know the Strip's tricks because they work there; a Local Friend saves you money the first evening.

See the Las Vegas off the Strip

Fremont Street's old casinos, the Arts District's bars and vintage shops, Chinatown along Spring Mountain Road, which has some of the best Asian food in the West. Most visitors never leave Las Vegas Boulevard.

Get into the desert

Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire and Lake Mead are under an hour away and nothing like the casinos. A Local Friend knows when to go, how to avoid the heat and which trail fits your day.

The Strip

Four miles of resorts, from Mandalay Bay to the north end. It looks walkable and isn't quite: the distances between casinos are longer than they appear, and the heat makes them longer still.

Downtown & Fremont Street

The original Las Vegas: older casinos, cheaper tables, the light canopy over Fremont Street, and Fremont East's bars and live music. Looser and more local than the Strip.

The Arts District (18b)

Antique and vintage shops, galleries, breweries, coffee and some of the city's best small restaurants, just south of Downtown. First Friday each month fills the streets.

Chinatown (Spring Mountain Road)

Miles of plazas with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Filipino restaurants, many open very late. Where chefs from the Strip eat after their shifts.

Summerlin

The west side, at the edge of Red Rock Canyon: quiet streets, parks, and Downtown Summerlin's shops and restaurants. The suburb most locals point to.

Henderson

South-east of the Strip, with the Water Street district, trails, and an easy run to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam.

March to May and late September to November: warm days and cool nights, perfect for the desert. Summer (June to September) is extremely hot, often well over 40°C (105°F) — hiking is for sunrise only. Winter is mild by day and cold at night. Hotel prices change more by day of the week than by season: Sunday to Thursday is much cheaper, unless there's a big convention.

The Strip and Downtown are busy around the clock and generally safe. Watch your drink and your belongings in crowds, ignore people handing out cards or selling tickets on the street, and be careful with ATMs inside casinos (high fees). The real danger is the heat: carry water, and never hike at midday in summer.

Walking the Strip takes longer than it looks; the Las Vegas Monorail runs along the east side, and the Deuce bus runs the length of the Strip and to Downtown around the clock. Rideshare is easy. For Red Rock, Valley of Fire or the Hoover Dam you need a car or a Local Friend who drives.

Light clothes, a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses for the day, and a layer for the freezing air-conditioning inside. Proper shoes for the desert. Something smarter for clubs and better restaurants, which often have dress codes. A refillable water bottle.

English, with Spanish spoken widely across the city and in many hotel and casino jobs. Tagalog is common too. Locals are used to visitors and happy to give recommendations — ask the people working in a casino where they eat.

Hard to predict, because hotel prices swing by day. Budget: about $100–150/day before accommodation (buses, Chinatown, free shows, one paid sight). Mid-range: about $250–400/day with a hotel. Most hotels add a nightly resort fee on top of the room rate, and many charge for parking. Show tickets $60–200+. Restaurants expect an 18–20% tip, and dealers and bartenders are tipped too.