Flying into Vegas

McCarran International Airport (LAS) is the sixth busiest airport in the United States and eleventh in the world. It is convenient to the Las Vegas Strip, being located at the south end. The address is “5757 Wayne Newton Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119.” To get there, turn on Paradise Road heading south, parallel to the Strip and east of it. Just keep going until the airport appears. Paradise changes its name to Wayne Newton Boulevard inside the airport property. For public parking, follow the red triangle pointers on the road. There are two terminals: Terminal 1 with four concourses for most scheduled domestic flights, and Terminal 2, which is used mainly for international and charter arrivals and departures.

After arriving at Terminal 1 at McCarran, taxis can be hired outside exits 1 to 5 to the east of baggage claim. Terminal 2 taxis are right out front. (Taxis have a $1.20 surcharge for pickups at the airport). The local bus system, CAT, also operates bus routes 108 and 109 from the airport to Downtown Las Vegas. Almost all casino hotels and resorts have shuttle arrangements. Airport limos are also widely available, charging fixed rates for one-way or round trip arrangements.

Regional airports also provide access to Las Vegas with general aviation services. They are at North Las Vegas (Executive), Henderson (Executive), Jean (Sport Aviation Center) and Overton (Perkins Field). It is also possible to land private aircraft at McCarran. The site of a new commercial facility to alleviate pressure on Las Vegas’ busy commercial airport has been identified in the Ivanpah Valley, about 38 miles to the south of Las Vegas.

Bus and Rail Service

One important piece of advice in looking for bus and train connections to Las Vegas is to be aware there is also a Las Vegas, New Mexico. It is on the road from Denver to Santa Fe, several miles south of the Colorado-New Mexico border. Las Vegas, Nevada has the city code LV in the Greyhound and Amtrak systems. (LVS is Las Vegas South, the McCarran International Airport stop,) Greyhound is the only scheduled interstate bus line serving Las Vegas. The travel time to Las Vegas from Los Angeles is about 6 hours unless there is an intermediate stop or connection. From Denver, the ride takes about 14½ hours unless there are connection delays. From Dallas, it’s almost twice as long a ride (30 hours, two transfers), and from Chicago, 43 hours (2 transfers).

The main bus station is downtown, at 200 South Main Street (89101). A secondary station is also found at McCarran International Airport. These stations are also described as “Amtrack connecting Thruway bus service.” This is because Amtrack trains serve Las Vegas, but only indirectly.

Amtrak’s Southwest Chief goes from Chicago to Los Angeles via Albuquerque, New Mexico. It stops in Kingman, Arizona and Laughlin, Nevada/Needles, California. Bus connections to Las Vegas from those two stops are available. Westbound, the Chief stops in Kingman at 11:41 pm. The eastbound stop is at 2:03 am. The Laughlin/Needles stop westbound is at 12:44 am and the eastbound stop is at 12:56 am. (Times are standard, and may be affected by daylight savings time). No tickets are sold at either stop; rather, they should be purchased online, through the mail, or at some other ticket location or travel agency. Greyhound operates the connection bus for Amtrak, either from the station in Los Angeles (a 6 hour ride) or from Kingman and Laughlin/Needles. The bus leaves Kingman at 11:50 pm, stops in Laughlin/Needles at 12:50 and arrives at McCarran International Airport at 3:10 am, The McCarran departure for Laughlin/Needles and Kingman is at 10:45 pm daily.

Local Transportation

Once a visitor has arrived in Las Vegas and gotten settled in a hotel room or condo, the next order of business is usually to go look around and see some sights. Navigating Las Vegas is not difficult, and several modes of local transportation are available to help. This section describes them.

But foremost, travelers should be aware of two local phenomena: First, Las Vegas is in a desert, that is, it can be blistering hot, and the air is almost always very dry. Before any outing that will involve walking outdoors, travelers should be sure to drink lots of water and stay hydrated all day. People who lounge by the pool and then shower, change and go walking often suffer heatstroke because they do not realize how dehydrated they have become. When in doubt, drink some more water. Second, Las Vegas buildings are farther away from you than they seem, particularly on the Strip. The large scale of many of the attractions creates the optical illusion that something may be only a few hundred yards away, when in fact it is a couple of miles’ walk. If you are tired, or it’s a hot day, use local transportation instead of “hoofing it.” It will make the Las Vegas vacation much more enjoyable.

The main methods of local transport are rental cars, limos and taxis, the city bus service, the deuce, the trolley and the monorails.

Once a visitor has arrived in Las Vegas and gotten settled in a hotel room or condo, the next order of business is usually to go look around and see some sights. Navigating Las Vegas is not difficult, and several modes of local transportation are available to help. This section describes them.

But foremost, travelers should be aware of two local phenomena: First, Las Vegas is in a desert, that is, it can be blistering hot, and the air is almost always very dry. Before any outing that will involve walking outdoors, travelers should be sure to drink lots of water and stay hydrated all day. People who lounge by the pool and then shower, change and go walking often suffer heatstroke because they do not realize how dehydrated they have become. When in doubt, drink some more water. Second, Las Vegas buildings are farther away from you than they seem, particularly on the Strip. The large scale of many of the attractions creates the optical illusion that something may be only a few hundred yards away, when in fact it is a couple of miles’ walk. If you are tired, or it’s a hot day, use local transportation instead of “hoofing it.” It will make the Las Vegas vacation much more enjoyable.

The main methods of local transport are rental cars, limos and taxis, the city bus service, the deuce, the trolley and the monorails.

Monorail and Trams

Three different rail facilities connect hotels and other attractions on the Las Vegas Strip:

The Las Vegas Monorail links the MGM Grand with the Sahara, and five stops in between. All seven stops, from south to north: MGM Grand, Bally’s & Paris, the Flamingo, Harrah’s & Imperial Palace, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Las Vegas Hilton, and the Sahara. The monorail stays open from 7 am until 2 am (3 am on Friday through Sunday). The fare is $5. Multiple-ride discounts and day passes are available.

The Treasure Island-Mirage Tram is a short ride between two neighboring properties. It runs every 15 minutes from 9 am until midnight and takes about 4 minutes. There is no fare.

The Excalibur-Mandalay Bay Tram is also fare-free and a short ride. There is an intermediate stop at the Luxor when going from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur. It comes by every 4-5 minutes, and operates 24 hours a day. The ride to Mandalay Bay takes 4 minutes, and the return, via the Luxor, takes about 7.

CAT Bus Service

Cat Bus Service. CAT (which stands for Citizens Area Transit) operates 49 bus routes up and down the Las Vegas Valley and to Henderson. Route 301 is the route along the strip. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. One-way fare is $2. The fare on the other routes is $1.25. Complete routes and schedules and maps are available. The phone number is 702-228-CAT-RIDE (228-7433). The web site is http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com. Click on “Citizens Area Transit” on the left of the page.

The Deuce. The Deuce is a fun ride. These double-decker buses offer excellent views of all the sights along the Strip. The ride is $2, and an all-day pass is $5. The Deuce is operated as part of the Citizens Area Transit system.

Las Vegas Strip Trolley

Las Vegas Strip Trolley. Like the Deuce, the Strip Trolley provides transport up and down the famous Las Vegas Strip between Mandalay Bay in the south and the Stratosphere to the far north, making side trips to off-Strip destinations like the Convention Center and the Las Vegas Hilton. The Trolley stops at all the major casinos, hotels, resorts and shopping centers on the way. Trolley extensions include the south loop, which connects Mandalay Bay to the Las Vegas Outlet Center in the south. An east loop serves the Hard Rock and other east strip hotels and restaurants. A sibling ride, called the Downtown Trolley, serves Fremont Street, connecting the Las Vegas Premium Outlets to the Golden Nugget, the Fremont and Neonopolis. Trolleys run between every 15 minutes and half hour, all day from 9:30 am to midnight. The fare is the same as the Deuce and CAT. A $5 day pass is available.

Car Rentals

The best approach to car rental is to shop ahead of your arrival and make a confirmed reservation. All types of cars are available, from the most boring and standard to the most swank and sporty. Car rental counters can be found at the airport, of course, and also in many of Las Vegas’ casinos and resorts. The major companies are all represented, as well as some discount companies available through the internet. Just search for “Las Vegas Car Rental.” When driving locally, be sure to look for good parking locations.

Limousine services

Limousine services are widely available and can be arranged through a concierge or just by picking up the phone an calling them. The following list names many of the larger limousine companies functioning in Las Vegas as of December, 2007. Most charge by the hour in the range of $40 and up for a sedan, more for a true limo. Trips to and from the airport are around $7 per person to Strip Hotels, a dollar or two more than that for off-strip and downtown hotels. Most function from 7 or 8 in the morning until midnight. After hours service is available by previous arrangement, and at a surcharge.

In addition to hiring limousines or taking taxis, a group can always charter a mini-bus and or a full-sized bus. It is usually best to work through the concierge desk of the hotel or a travel agent.