Things to know BEFORE you go to LAS VEGAS | Nevada Travel Guide 4K

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May 27, 2020

Watch at: 00:00 / 00:00:20In this video, we’ll cover all you need to know before traveling to Las Vegasincluding maps, transportation, where to stay, best apps, best city views,Vegas specifics, and much more.Here are our 12 essentials tips:NUMBER 12: THE MAP OF LAS VEGASLas Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, lies in the greater Mojave Desert.Watch at: 00:20 / 00:40Let’s start with the Strip, stretching approx.4.2 mi or 6.8 km, filled with famous resort hotels and casinos.Downtown Las Vegas, which is located in the northern part of the city includes:The Neon Museum with iconic neon signs, The mob museum,Watch at: 00:40 / 01:00Downtown Container Park, built from shopping containers, featuring shopping center, and galleries,and Fremont Street Experience, an incredibleentertainment and gaming destination with SlotZilla Zip Line.If you continue south, you’ll find Art district, a place for the city's thriving culture, housing,Watch at: 01:00 / 01:20indie art galleries, and warehouses for performances,Adventuredome Theme Park, with fun rides, and arcades,AREA15, an area dedicated to retail and entertainment events such as immersiveart installations, is located in the northern part of Las Vegas.If you continue south, you’ll find The Linq Promenade with great dining and entertainment options,Watch at: 01:20 / 01:40FLY LINQ Zipline Las Vegas and High Roller, the world’s tallest Ferris Wheel.Across the street, there is the VooDoo Zipline.Continue down the Strip, and you'll find The Park,an engaging experience for dining and entertainment, and T-Mobile Arena.If you’re in the mood for a coffee and tasty dessert, don’t miss Hard Rock CaféWatch at: 01:40 / 02:00right next to the Coca-Cola Store, where you can taste different flavors of Coca-Colafrom all over the world.Hershey's Chocolate World, housing a number of sweets, chocolates, and gifts,and is located right across the street.The famous Las Vegas Sign is located in the Southern part of the city.Watch at: 02:00 / 02:20Also, don't miss Ethel M. Botanical Cactus Gardenand Ethel M Chocolate Factory right next to it.Korean and Chinatown are located off the Strip and offer great restaurants.Vegas is known for its glamorous hotels and casinos.Check our travel guide for more information and the maps to easily locate them.Watch at: 02:20 / 02:40Here are just some of the most interesting ones.Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower with observation deck,Encore and Wynn,The Mirage with erupting volcanoes and an indoor rainforest,Watch at: 02:40 / 03:00Flamingo, home of a tropical oasis with flamingos,Caesars palace with Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen,The Bellagio hotel and its famous fountains with lights and music shows,Cosmopolitan with Block 16 Urban Food Hall,Vdara Hotel & Spa and across the street Aria Resort & Casino,Park MGM with Eataly, a food hall serving Italian food and groceries,Watch at: 03:00 / 03:20MGM Grand - a huge casino resorts with trendy clubs,New York New York with famous Replica Statue of Liberty,Luxor with famous pyramids,Mandalay bay with Shark Reef Aquarium and Polar Journey.And finally, there are other interesting attractions worth visiting just outside Vegas.Watch at: 03:20 / 03:40The world-famous Hoover Dam bordering Nevada and Arizonaand Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, as well as many other places to discover.Las Vegas is spread out.To get a better sense of the distances, a seven mile or approximately 12 km walk fromDowntown Las Vegas to New York New York Hotel takes about 2 hours or about 15 min by carWatch at: 03:40 / 04:00or taxi/Uber, depending on the traffic.A 1.5 mile or 2.5 km walk from the Venetian Hotel to New York New York hoteltakes about 30 minutes or a little over 10 minutes if you take an Uber.The main airport is McCarran International Airport, located just 3 milesWatch at: 04:00 / 04:20or five km from Mirage Hotel or about eight miles or 13 km from downtown Las Vegas.NUMBER 11: WEATHER & CLIMATELas Vegas has a desert climate with mild and cold winters and very hot summers.Temperatures in winter are mild during the day, while nights are cold, with minimum temperaturesWatch at: 04:20 / 04:40often around freezing, and ranging between 41 °F and 50 °F or 4 °C and 17 °C.There’s a lot of sunshine during the day with cold nights, and snow is very rare.The coldest month is January with 39 °F or 4°C.Watch at: 04:40 / 05:00In the spring, the weather can often change from relatively mild to cold.The temperatures range between 44 °F and 88 °F or 7 °C and 30 °C.Summer is very hot with the dry wind, although short thunderstorms can occur.Temperatures range between 69 °F and 106 °F or 21 °C and 41 °C.Watch at: 05:00 / 05:20The hottest month is July with an average of 104 °F or 40°C, but the temperature can go beyond that,especially in July and August.Weather in the fall is still sunny and warm in October and November, but it then quicklyWatch at: 05:20 / 05:40becomes colder in November.Temperatures range between 43 °F and 95 °F or 6 °C and 35 °C.Of course, these are all just averages.The weather and temperatures can be different when you visit, so remember always to checkthe weather forecast before you travel.NUMBER 10: BEST TIME TO VISITWatch at: 05:40 / 06:00The best time to visit Las Vegas is from March to May in the springand in September to November in the fall when the weather is warm,and you can avoid the summer heat.Vegas gets lots of tourists all year round.The cheapest time to visit Las Vegas is in the summer and before and after holidays whenthere are a few tourists and the prices of accommodation are lower.Watch at: 06:00 / 06:20However, be prepared for some hot weather, often for a long period of time during the summer.And how can you figure out the best days and hours to see the attractions?Just check Google to see how crowded a specific location is at a particular time of day.Of course, we recommend going early during the week and/or in the morning.Watch at: 06:20 / 06:40If you can, don’t go to Vegas when it’s the holiday season or when there is a bigconvention in town.For example, the largest convention is the Consumer Electronics Show, with 180,000 visitors.Check the convention calendar online to make sure you are not there on those dates.The room prices will be much higher, sometimes even three-time the normal price.Watch at: 06:40 / 07:00Many travelers stay in Las Vegas for three days.It depends on what you want to do since there are many places to explore in the city.And if you want a more relaxed experience, you can stay an extra day or two.NUMBER 9: WHERE TO STAY & PRICESIf this is your first time in Las Vegas, chooseWatch at: 07:00 / 07:20to stay on the Strip where you’ll have many of the best sights, casinos, bars, and restaurantsjust minutes away.You’ll be able to save some money since the sights are walking distance from each other,and there are many free activities to do in the Strip.Staying at the Vegas Strip also means you’re close to the nightlife- where everything happens.Watch at: 07:20 / 07:40If you’re on a budget, you can stay at the budget hotels near the end of the Stripor in Downtown Las Vegas.If you’re traveling with the family, you can stay at the West end of the Stripwhere it’s quieter.You can also find kid-friendly hotels such as The Mirage, Circus Circus, and Excalibur.A mid-range hotel double room in Las Vegas cost about $100 to $150 on average.Watch at: 07:40 / 08:00For budget hotels, the cost range from $50 to $100.And hostels cost from $50 to $70.Staying in Vegas usually includes resort fees, which aren’t included in the room rate.The resort fees can range from $10 to $40 per night, so be sure to always checkWatch at: 08:00 / 08:20what the resort fee is on top of the room rate.Again, the prices we covered here are just average prices, and the ranges for differenthotel categories are quite extensive.However, with a little research online, you can get better deals, especially if your datesare flexible and you don’t travel in high season.Watch at: 08:20 / 08:40Check out our video on the best apps for booking your stay.NUMBER 8: TRANSPORTATIONFROM AND TO THE AIRPORTTo get to and from McCarran International Airport, you can use:Bus: From Terminal 1 you can take the route 108, 109, and Westcliff Airport Express route.And from Terminal 3 you can take the Westcliff Airport ExpressWatch at: 08:40 / 09:00or the Centennial Express route.Shuttles: the Airport Shuttle.The following companies have shuttle services from the airport tohotels and resorts.Taxi or limousines,Uber or Lyft,or a car rental.ARRIVING BY CARYou can use Google Maps to get driving directions to Las Vegas.Watch at: 09:00 / 09:20There are many parking garages available in the city and most of them have parking fees.There are still some free parking spots and some hotels and resorts allow validation.Parking is usually free for the first hour and then gets quickly very expensiveabout $9 on average for one to two hours.By the way, there’s currently no train that goes directly to Las Vegas.Watch at: 09:20 / 09:40GETTING AROUND THE CITYWhile sights on the Strip all located next to each other,the Strip itself is very long, and while exploring the Strip is great on foot,here's what you can do to get from A to B more easily:Know your shortcuts between the hotels.Watch at: 09:40 / 10:00There are internal corridors between different casinos such as Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay.Use Las Vegas Monorail.A ticket for one ride cost $5 and passes from one day to one week range from $13 to $56.There are also free trams operating in the West side of the Strip:Watch at: 10:00 / 10:20From Mandalay Bay to Luxor to Excalibur.From Bellagio to Crystal Mall to Monte CarloAnd from Mirage to Treasure Island.You can also use a bus.Deuce passes along the Las Vegas Boulevard,Downtown Express passes from the Strip to Downtown Las Vegas.And of course, you can also use Ubers, Lyfts, or taxis.Watch at: 10:20 / 10:40By the way, if you can't hail a cab, you can go in front of the hotels.It's important to know there are some taxi scams, but more on that later.Limousine: You can easily rent a limo in Vegas and it will cost youalmost the same as a taxi.Of course, you can use a rental car and other transportation such as bikes.Watch at: 10:40 / 11:00If you use public transportation such as bus, you will pay $6 for two hours, $8 for a 24-hourpass, and $20 for a three-day pass.The rush hours in the city are usually between 7 to 9 am and 4 to 7 pm.Check out our travel guide for more useful information on transportation and prices.Watch at: 11:00 / 11:20NUMBER 7: VEGAS SPECIFICSResort fees: As we already mentioned most hotels charge resort fees upon checkout,so don't forget to calculate the fees.There might be some hotels that don't charge the fees.There are tons of clubs, pool parties, concertsand other interesting experiences in Vegas.Watch at: 11:20 / 11:40Check out our travel guide for more information.By the way, our travel guide is a mobile-friendly .pdf document covering all the things in thisvideo, plus the Top 20 things to do in Vegas including multiple maps.If you’re driving to Vegas, avoid a trip from LA to Vegas on Fridayor Vegas to LA on Sunday afternoon since it will take you 7 hours instead of 4.Watch at: 11:40 / 12:00Gambling downtown: The casinos are cheaper, and the odds of winning are better downtownas opposed to the Strip.Also, try to avoid gambling at the airport as the payouts are one of the worst.And s peaking of gambling, some casinos offer free gaming lessonsWatch at: 12:00 / 12:20on blackjack, roulette, poker, etc.Get a player’s club card and get benefitssuch as discounts, free shows, and membership-only events.Vegas is the city that never sleeps.Most establishments are open 24/7, even for holidays.You can drink alcohol in the streets as long as it’s in a plastic cup.Watch at: 12:20 / 12:40No glass is allowed on the street, even if it’s a nonalcoholic beverage.Avoid casino ATMs: they charge a fee for $3 to $8 on average along with bank charges.Instead, just bring the cash with you.Smoking: Smoking and e-cigarettes are now banned in Nevada,and only select areas allow smoking.Watch at: 12:40 / 13:00Time/share sales pitches: avoid these since they take too much time.Loyalty programs like Ceasars reward you for playing games or staying in their hotels.Taxis are expensive: drivers often use tricks like long hauling or taking the longerroute to get more money out of you.For a buffet, you will usually have to wait in a line, so it's best to go on a buffetWatch at: 13:00 / 13:20during lunchtime or the weekdays.There are some scams in Vegas like rip-off free tickets to see the shows and others.Check out our travel guide for more information on Vegas scams.NUMBER 6: GENERAL INFORMATIONHere are some other things you should knowfor a pleasant and smooth experience in Las Vegas.Watch at: 13:20 / 13:40DRINKING WATERIt is perfectly safe to drink tap water in Vegas.While some drinking water fountains are available in hotels, if you can’t find one,just buy bottled water in a store.TOILETSThere are many public toilets in Las Vegas, located in hotels and casinos.If you want to see where public restrooms are located, you can use an app on your phone.Watch at: 13:40 / 14:00More about that later.FREE WiFiYou can get free WiFi at plenty of outdoorand indoor hotspots all over the city, including restaurants, hotels, and casinos.Some casinos, like those that are part of the MGM Resorts,allow free internet access in public areas.CROWDS & LINESWatch at: 14:00 / 14:20Las Vegas is a popular tourist destination,so be prepared to wait in line, especially during the weekends, holidays, major events, etc.The same goes for restaurants and other public places.Even if you can't avoid all the crowds, you can do some things to make your tripto Vegas more pleasant.You can, for example, avoid peak seasons,Watch at: 14:20 / 14:40avoid traveling during rush hours,make reservations or book in advance to skip the line,use Google Maps or similar apps to check how crowded a specific location is at a particular time of daySAFETYLas Vegas is generally a very safe place for tourists.A few areas are better avoided by night, and it's better to stay on the Strip, since there'sWatch at: 14:40 / 15:00more security and it is well lit.Typical for all major cities around the world, beware of pickpockets, especially around significantattractions and areas with crowds.Watch your valuables and use common sense.For emergency services, dial 911.NUMBER 5: FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERSWatch at: 15:00 / 15:20TRAVEL ADAPTERSIf you’re coming from outside the US, youwill probably need a special US travel adapter to charge your phone and other devices.We recommend purchasing a travel adapter before traveling to Las Vegas.In fact, it is worth buying a universal adapter so you can use it in other countries too.CURRENCYLas Vegas uses US Dollars.Watch at: 15:20 / 15:40At the time of making of this video 1 USD equals approximately 0.92 EUR or 0.77 GBP.Don’t forget to check the exchange rate before traveling.It’s better to exchange your money before traveling.Most hotels, stores, and restaurants in the city accept major credit cards like MasterCard.But it is always wise to have some cash with you, especially if you plan to gamble.Watch at: 15:40 / 16:00ATMs AND MONEY EXCHANGEIn Vegas, ATMs typically charge a fee for $3-$8.There may also be a limit on how much you can withdraw in a day.There are a lot of ATMs along the Strip, and it's better to avoid the ATMs inside the casinos.Also, try to withdraw as few times as possible to avoid multiple ATM fees.Watch at: 16:00 / 16:19You can choose to exchange your foreign cash at currency exchange offices, but commissionsvaries widely, so always compare the exchange rate on your phone to the board displayedin the exchange office.Exchanging money at the airport can cost you more than 25% in fees.Watch at: 16:19 / 16:40You can also exchange at casinos or any bank in the city.Some banks are open 24/7.PREPAID SIM CARDS AND POCKET WIFIYou can purchase a prepaid SIM card to accessthe internet on your phone.Some options provided by local carriers are T-Mobile, Verizon, WorldSIM, and AT&T.You can buy one that includes the internet before you get to the cityWatch at: 16:40 / 17:00and have it delivered. to you.Alternatively, you can consider renting a pocket WiFi or a mobile hotspot.See our travel guide for more information.NUMBER 4: BEST APPSHere is a list of useful apps:Vegas.com: an insider guide to what to do and where to go when you’re in the city.Watch at: 17:00 / 17:20VegasMate: where you can plan your trip with all the information you needon hotels, restaurants, and attractions.SmarterVegas.com to get the best deals and offers in Vegas.InMapz Indoor navigation Apps which helpsyou find casinos and malls with maps and other information.Watch at: 17:20 / 17:40Groupon: For promo codes and savings alerts for nearby dining and other deals.TripAdvisor and Yelp for reviews of restaurants, hotels, museums, tours, etc.Uber or Lyft for getting around the city.Google Maps or Apple Maps for walking,public transportation, driving, etc.Google Maps also lets you download maps, which is a great option if you don’t want to use roaming.Watch at: 17:40 / 18:00NUMBER 3: FOOD PRICES & TIPPINGLas Vegas has plenty of dining options and offers a great variety of international andtraditional dining options.We suggest using Yelp or TripAdvisor to find nearby places with good reviews.Las Vegas also offers numerous amazing buffets.Watch at: 18:00 / 18:20An inexpensive restaurant meal ranges from $25 to $50, and a three-course meal at a mid-rangerestaurant is about $50 to $100.The very popular buffets cost about $30 to $60, depending on the day.Cheaper buffets can go as low as $10, and the price is usually lowerWatch at: 18:20 / 18:40during brunch or lunchtime.You can get a slice of pizza from 5 to 10 USD.As for drinks in bars, a coffee costs around $5, a bottle of water about $3, a bottle ofsoda about $2 to $3, a pint of beer about $4 to $8, a glass of wine costs up to $10,and cocktails go for about $15 to $20 in clubs.Watch at: 18:40 / 19:00A popular yard drink at Fat Tuesday costs $18, and if you get a refill, you can paya couple of dollars less.If you want to save some money, you can get discounted drinks during happy hours.Bottled water can be expensive in casinos , but you can buy it at supermarkets at a muchWatch at: 19:00 / 19:20more reasonable price.Of course, prices are higher in more famous restaurants and hotels.There are plenty of great cheap eats in Vegas, especially in Downtown and Chinatown.Check out our guide for maps with the best cheap eats.NUMBER 2: CITY PASSES & EXPLORING THE CITYIf you want to save on attractions, you canWatch at: 19:20 / 19:40choose to buy a Las Vegas Pass, a Go Las Vegas Card, or a Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass.All options offer free entry to some top attractions and shows,and various kinds of discounts, and more.You can also opt to include guided tours with your city passes.Check our travel guide for current prices and links.There are also many different tours organized in Vegas.Watch at: 19:40 / 20:00See our travel guide for links to websites of other exciting tours of Las Vegas.NUMBER 1: BEST VIEWS OF LAS VEGASVegas has one of the most unique skylines in the world.You can enjoy amazing views of this fascinating city from one of the following places:The High Roller Ferris wheel,The Foundation Room in Mandalay Bay,Watch at: 20:00 / 20:20The VooDoo Rooftop Nightclub at Rio Las Vegas,Wraparound Terrace Suite at The Cosmopolitan,from Stratosphere Observation Deck,from Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas,and much more.Don’t miss our video on Top 10 Things to do in Vegas, just click here.

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