Getting around Las Vegas

Among the cities in the world you’d have to navigate by car, Las Vegas is one of the easiest. Interstate 15 runs north and south and the resort corridor of the Strip (Las Vegas Blvd.) runs parallel to it. US Highway 95 runs east and west through town, and the I-215 beltway makes a big loop around the west side. The city itself is essentially a grid, with large arterial roads running perpendicular to the Strip. To the west, you’ll see the mountains, and if you get disoriented, look for the iconic observation tower at The STRAT – the tallest in the Western Hemisphere.

Taxis are still plentiful in and around Las Vegas. If you don’t like using a rideshare or don’t have a smartphone, it’s easy to jump in the taxi line outside the baggage claim at the airport. Taxi rates are regulated by the Nevada Taxi Authority, so you won’t find surge pricing, but fares run between $19 and $27 from the airport to the hotels, about twice the cost of a rideshare. Keep in mind that taxi fees can creep up: Just getting in the taxi costs $3.50; there’s a $2 fee to pick up at the airport; and if the taxi has a credit card machine it will charge you $3 to use it.

Hopping on Lyft or Uber just minutes after you get of a plane at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) is a lightning-fast way to get to your hotel. There are clearly marked rideshare lots in the parking garages of both Terminal 1 and 3, and organized lettered signs keep them moving. All the resorts in Las Vegas now have rideshare pickup and drop-off locations and rideshares often cost half the fare of a taxi. Keep in mind that surge pricing is in effect here, so if you’re trying to get picked up from a huge game at Allegiant Stadium, for instance, or get to the Strip before it closes to car traffic on New Year’s Eve, you’ll likely pay a premium.

The Las Vegas Monorail runs from the Sahara at the Strip’s north end to MGM Grand on the south. Six hotels have Monorail stations, plus the Las Vegas Convention Center, and you can travel the length of the Strip in about 13 minutes—a fraction of the time you’d spend in increasingly busy traffic. Fares range from a $5 single entry ride to $32 for a three-day unlimited pass, to $62 for 168 hours of unlimited riding. The stations have ticket vending machines, but you can save yourself some money by buying e-tickets on the monorail’s site (that $62 price tag falls to $57.50, for instance). Keep in mind that the Monorail is best for those staying on the east side of the Strip.

Those who want to get up and down the west side of the Strip can take the free tram that runs between certain resorts. The sourthernmost tram connects Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur; another connects Treasure Island and Mirage; and there’s a tram that runs from Bellagio to CityCenter to Park MGM. They all run about every seven minutes. If you’re running on a schedule, remember to factor in the time it can take to walk to a resort’s tram station.

Buses aren’t fun in every city, but The Deuce, run by Southern Nevada’s Regional Travel Commission, is a double-decker transit bus that stops every 15 to 20 minutes along the Strip to Downtown. You can buy a two-hour pass for $6 or a 24-hour pass with unlimited rides for $8. You can find self-service kiosks at many of the stops, but it’s easier to buy and download a pass on the commission’s rideRTC app. It doesn’t just stop at hotels, but at important locations like the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, The Arts District, and the Fremont Street experience.

Las Vegas doesn’t have a subway, but it’s doing one better and building The Vegas Loop, a system of tunnels being built right now. You hop into one of the electric Tesla vehicles and will eventually be able to speed your way among over 65 stops, easing traffic congestion and alleviating the annoyance of huge, busy parking situations at places like Allegiant Stadium. It’s already operating at The Las Vegas Convention Center, zipping passengers from one end of the campus to another in two minutes, versus the 25 minutes it would take to walk. The Resorts World spur has also opened, taking guests from there to the convention center in minutes. When it’s fully operational in the coming years, it is planned to transport up to 57,000 passengers an hour.

Not to be confused with the Vegas Loop, a free shuttle bus called the Las Vegas Downtown Loop travels a Downtown circuit that includes The Arts District, Mob Museum, Las Vegas North Premium Outlet, Pawn Plaza, Fremont Experience and more. Just jump on at one of its stops.

You can book virtually any kind of ride via one of the city’s private limo companies, from a stretch limo to a Hummer to a party bus with a stripper pole inside (hey, this is Vegas). Expect to pay between $80-$120 an hour not including the tip. Some of the resorts have their own limos and some have arrangements with operators in town. Wynn Las Vegas has its own fleet of over a dozen Rolls-Royce Phantoms. With most resorts, you’ll either need to be gambling at a certain level, reserve a certain level of suite, or be invited as a VIP by the hotel.