Las Vegas works as a base far better than as a destination. Three days is enough for the city itself and for the desert around it, which is what most visitors miss entirely.
Day 1 — the Strip
The Strip is four miles long and the hotels are much further apart than they look; walking end to end takes over two hours in heat that regularly exceeds 40°C in summer. Start in the evening. The Bellagio fountains run every fifteen minutes, the conservatory inside is free and changes seasonally, and the volcano at the Mirage and the canals at the Venetian cost nothing to look at. Most of the Strip's appeal is architectural spectacle you can enjoy without spending a dollar.
Day 2 — Red Rock Canyon and the desert
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area starts seventeen miles west of the Strip: a thirteen-mile scenic loop through sandstone cliffs, with trails from twenty minutes to a full day. Valley of Fire State Park is an hour northeast and has the more dramatic rock — brilliant red Aztec sandstone, petroglyphs, and slot canyons. Both require a car and an early start in summer.
Day 3 — Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon
Hoover Dam is forty minutes away and can be toured inside. The Grand Canyon is further than people expect: the West Rim is two and a half hours, the far superior South Rim is four and a half each way, which makes it a very long day trip. If the canyon is the point, stay overnight there instead.
Downtown and the old city
Fremont Street is the original Las Vegas, ten minutes north of the Strip and a different city — smaller casinos, cheaper drinks, and the Neon Museum, where the old signs go when they are replaced. The museum is best booked for a night tour.
Practical notes
- Resort fees are added to almost every hotel rate and are not in the advertised price. Expect 40–50 dollars a night on top.
- Summer heat is genuinely dangerous for hiking; between June and September, be off the trails by mid-morning.
- Distances on the Strip are deceptive — the Monorail and rideshare are worth using.
- Shows book out; buy ahead rather than relying on discount booths.