DISTANCE: 4–5 miles (6–8km) for the daytime tour; 3–9 miles (5–14km) in the evening
TIME: A full day
START: SLS Hotel & Casino
END: Fremont Street
POINTS TO NOTE: Start early. The double-decker Deuce bus (a 2-hour pass costs $6, a 24-hour pass costs $8, and a 3-day pass costs $20) runs along the Strip and north to the Bonneville Transit Center (101 East Bonneville Avenue) every 6 to 15 minutes round the clock. Purchase a pass at a ticket vending machine (TVM).
Let’s face it, Las Vegas is a bad place to be broke. Both the police and the resorts are notoriously intolerant of vagrants. For those who have lost all their money, the only realistic choice is to leave. But if you’re a backpacker exploring America on a few dollars a day, or want to keep your spending for the casinos, the city does offer a lot to see and do on the cheap.
The Strip by bus
Start early, around 8am, and catch the double-decker Deuce bus up or down the Strip, depending on where you’re staying. When you board, buy an $8 all-day pass. Get off at the SLS Hotel & Casino 1 [map] (2535 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 702-761-7000; www.slslasvegas.com; for more information, click here), which is at the far north end of the Strip, amid the ghosts of former hotels that have been razed to make way for future condominium towers and resort complexes.
The Venetian
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Slots-A-Fun
Walk down the Strip from SLS to this small casino next to Circus Circus. At Slots-A-Fun 2 [map] (2800 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 877-849-4868) you can gamble almost for free. About half the slot machines take pennies or nickels. There is also nickel video poker, as well as $1 blackjack tables. Instead of free drinks, the casino offers donuts to players in the morning, and little sandwiches throughout the day.
Slots-A-Fun
Nowitz Photography/Apa Publications
Strip attractions
Continue strolling down the Strip from one air-conditioned resort lobby to the next. There are numerous free attractions along the way.
Trapeze Show, Circus Circus
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Circus Circus to the Venetian
On your right as you head down the Strip from Slots-A-Fun is Circus Circus 3 [map] (2880 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 702-734-0410; for more information, click here or click here). Free attractions here include the extraordinary circus acts that take place above the casino floor.
Next, five blocks down on the left, is the Venetian 4 [map] (3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 702-414-1000; for more information, click here or click here). Free highlights here include the Grand Canal and St. Mark’s Square.
Mirage to the Flamingo
Opposite the Venetian, on your right, is the Mirage 5 [map] (3400 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 702-791-7111; for more information, click here, click here, or click here), which marks the start of the southern stretch of the Strip. Without spending a dime here, you can marvel at the Siegfried and Roy Plaza, the lobby aquarium, and the tropical rainforest.
Walk back to the Strip, head down and cross over to the Linq 6 [map] (3535 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 702-794-3174; for more information, click here). Here, you can visit the auto museum (Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; free). If you fancy some refreshment, look out for the Yard House, see 1.
Adjacent to the Linq is the Flamingo 7 [map] (3555 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 702-733-3111; for more information, click here or click here). Stop by here to see the flamingo habitat.
Bellagio Conservatory
Al Argueta/Apa Publications
Bellagio and Paris Las Vegas
One block farther on and on the other side of the road is Bellagio 8 [map] (3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 888-987-6667; for more information, click here or click here). Time your walk so that you are at the lake in front of this hotel at 3pm, which is when the Strip’s most spectacular free show, starring the Bellagio’s choreographed fountains, takes place. It continues every half hour until dusk and runs every 15 minutes after dark. Next door, the volcano at the Mirage erupts during the evenings. Both of these are particularly impressive when viewed at night, should you wish to return on another occasion.
After you have admired the fountain show, head inside and see the conservatory and botanical gardens, again all at no cost.
Cross over the Strip again to reach Paris Las Vegas 9 [map] (3655 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 702-740-7000; for more information, click here). Here, the architecture and decor are the highlights.
New York New York
Al Argueta/Apa Publications
The world-famous Bellagio fountains
Public domain
MGM Grand to the Luxor
On the same side of the road, just one block down, is the MGM Grand ) [map] (3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 702-891-1111; for more information, click here, click here or click here). Opposite is New York New York ! [map] (3790 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 702-740-6969; for more information, click here, click here or click here), remarkable for its architecture. The 47-story behemoth is Nevada’s tallest casino at 529ft (160 meters) and its multiple facades are among the Strip’s most visually exciting.
Finally, you reach the Luxor @ [map] (3900 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 702-262-4000; for more information, click here or click here), where attractions include the inclined elevators (please note that these can only be ridden by guests) in the atrium, which is said to be spacious enough to accommodate nine Boeing 747s.
Inside the Luxor
Al Argueta/Apa Publications
Downtown
From the southern end of the Strip, take the Deuce double-decker bus all the way to Downtown (for more information, click here). The bus makes frequent stops along the way. Our recommendation for dinner is the Heart Attack Grill, see 2, on Fremont Street £ [map] .
Fremont Street Experience
Stay on Fremont Street for the centerpiece of Downtown’s Fremont Street Experience: Viva Vision (daily 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, and midnight; free). This spectacular sound and light show is projected onto the world’s largest LED screen, a vaulted canopy that covers four blocks of the pedestrian-only Fremont Street, and has a 550,000-watt sound system. There are more than a dozen shows, and no show is presented twice in the same night. They range from Lucky Vegas, featuring classic Vegas icons, and Speed, Smoke, and Spinning Wheels, with an auto racing theme, to the extra-terrestrial Area 51, the psychedelic The Drop, and the sexy, adult-oriented, late-evening Fahrenheit at Night.
Food and Drink
1 Yard House
The Linq 3545 Las Vegas Boulevard South; tel: 702-597-0434; www.yardhouse.com; daily 11am–1am (until 1.30am Fri–Sat); $$
The Linq Promenade is part of a recent initiative to shift some of the attractions of the Strip outdoors, but the best reason to visit here is a bar called the Yard House. It’s actually a chain, with about 100 bars across the whole of the US, but don’t let that fool you; this is one of the best bars you’ll ever visit. It’s big inside, but it’s tasteful; it’s modern, but maintains an elegant look and feel. The food here is excellent and there’s a choice of literally hundreds of different craft beers, bitters, and ales on draft. There are TVs, but this isn’t a sports bar. Even if you’re not a particularly big beer drinker, there’s enough choice here to tempt even the most tentative of palates.
2 Heart Attack Grill
350 Fremont Street; daily 11am–10pm; tel: 702-333-5555; $$
As the name suggests, this is a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience. Not only is the food super tasty, but it’s also plentiful. The Heart Attack Grill offers a range of delicious burgers and hotdogs and then offers you the chance to make double-up, triple-up, and, if you think your arteries can take it, customize your burger with eight meat patties. Punters must don hospital gowns before they dine and are served by a plethora of naughty nurses.