Las Vegas Travel Guide

Situated in the midst of the southern Nevada desert, Las Vegas is the largest city in the state of Nevada. Nicknamed Sin City, Las Vegas and its surrounding communities are famed for their mega-casino resorts, often lavishly decorated with names and themes meant to evoke romance, mystery, and exotic destinations. Along the brightly-lit Strip through the center of the city, visitors will find all manner of amusements and entertainment: circuses, stage shows, thrill rides, erotica, exotic animals, fine dining restaurants, nightclubs, shopping, and elaborate fountain displays, to say nothing of the age-old allure of gambling and drinking.

Southern Californians crowd I-15 every weekend going back and forth to Vegas, and from theBay Areathe quickest route comes down Interstate 5 through the Central Valley, takes State Route 58 east from Bakersfield, and joins Interstate 15 at Barstow. Expect this drive to be crowded and frustrating, unless you can come and go at off-peak hours; you may find air travel to be a better option with service to major California airports and many smaller ones as well. However, many find the 280-mile (450 

If traveling along the Strip, walking is a reasonable option as the hotel-casinos are close to each other. However, what may look to be a short walk of only a couple hotel-casinos away may be farther than you expected as the resorts often look closer than they are due to their large size. In most cases, hotels are connected to each other either by bridge or underground or in the case of Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay, by a complimentary rail shuttle. During the summer, theoppressive heatd

Be vigilant and do not leave any valuables visible in your car. If you are lucky enough to win a large jackpot, you can ask the casino to hold your winnings in its safe or to pay you with a check so that you are not walking out the door with a large amount of cash. If you insist on receiving all your winnings in cash, all casinos have security personnel available to escort you to your car or room upon request. Like most large tourism destinations, the Strip has its share of pickpockets, so keep

Las Vegas is a very peculiar destination - and hotels in Las Vegas have a lot of peculiarities that you won't find in other cities.