One day in Las Vegas: the best itinerary

One day is enough for the Strip and one big extra. The Strip is a single boulevard of connected resorts; you can walk it, but distances are longer than they look from a hotel window, and summer heat makes midday walking unpleasant.

Pick one paid attraction or show rather than three. A show, an observation deck or a gondola ride each take 1–2 hours including queues, and booking ahead is cheaper than walk-up for most of them.

If you have a car or a rideshare budget, downtown Las Vegas (Fremont Street) is a different evening: shorter, louder, cheaper drinks. It is a 15–25 minute drive from the Strip depending on traffic.

The Strip runs roughly north–south along Las Vegas Boulevard. The south end holds Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur; the middle holds New York-New York, the Bellagio and Caesars Palace; the north end holds the Venetian, Palazzo and Wynn/Encore. Downtown sits north of the Strip, near Fremont Street.

Approximate anchors: Strip centre around 36.1147, -115.1728; Fremont Street around 36.1707, -115.1420; Harry Reid International Airport around 36.0840, -115.1537. Coordinates are approximate.

Casinos and the Strip are open around the clock; individual attractions, pools and shows keep their own hours and many close one or two days a week. Check the operator's page for the date you are going.

Budget for the extras: resort fees on hotel rooms, paid parking at many Strip resorts, and drinks that cost more inside a casino than at a convenience store. Food ranges from cheap counter service to high-end restaurants, so a day can cost US$80 or US$500 depending on choices.

Fly into Harry Reid International Airport, about 5 km south of the Strip; a taxi or rideshare to a Strip hotel is typically 10–20 minutes and US$20–35 depending on traffic and surcharges.

From the airport, some hotels run shuttles; check with your hotel. If you are driving in from California, I-15 is the main route and can be slow on Sunday afternoons when weekend traffic returns.

Once you are on the Strip, walking and rideshare cover most of a one-day plan. A rental car is only worth it if you are adding Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon or another out-of-town stop.

Start early. Before 10am the Strip is cooler, quieter and easier to photograph; by early afternoon in summer the pavement radiates heat.

Carry water. Desert air is dry and you will not notice how much you are sweating. Refill bottles where you can.

Wear shoes you can walk in for hours. The resorts are far apart and casino floors are deliberately long routes.

Do not walk between distant resorts at night if you are unsure of the area; use a rideshare or the monorail instead.

Set a gambling budget before you sit down and treat it as spent money. Casinos are designed to keep you there; the house edge is real.

If a stranger offers you a free drink, show ticket or club entry, treat it as a sales pitch, not a gift.