Las Vegas for first-time visitors
Sphere is a music and entertainment arena whose exterior is the show before the ticketed show begins. Five of the picks for first-time visitors in Las Vegas open by 09:00, so mornings can start early.
Las Vegas for first-timers, in numbers
- Picks on this page
- 24 places across 2 lists, led by Sphere, Las Vegas Little Theater, The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
- Posted hours
- 10 picks post hours earliest 00:00, latest 02:00; 5 open by 09:00, 7 past 21:00
Questions first-timers ask about Las Vegas
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Must-see
The Las Vegas Strip after dark. Walk south from The Venetian to the Bellagio, roughly a mile. The fountains fire every 15 minutes from 8pm, with jets reaching up to 460 feet in 28°C desert air. The Sphere, opened 2023, is the one structure worth booking a ticket for. The High Roller wheel gives the orientation view from 550 feet.
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Best time to visit
Go in March, April, or mid-October to mid-November, when daytime highs run in the 70s and low 80s °F (21-28°C), the Strip is walkable at noon, and Red Rock Canyon is safe to hike. Skip June through August, when highs pass 104°F (40°C). Check the convention calendar before you book: one large trade show can triple a midweek room rate.
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Airport to city
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) sits about 2.5 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip. Take a rideshare (Uber or Lyft) for $15-25 and 10-15 minutes to most Strip hotels. Pickup is on Level 2 of the parking garage at both terminals. Taxis cost $5-10 more and carry a common long-haul scam risk.
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How to get there
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) sits 8 km south of the Las Vegas Strip, with nonstop flights from most major US cities and select international destinations. Southwest, Spirit, and Frontier carry the bulk of budget domestic traffic. From Los Angeles, the 430-km I-15 drive takes 4 hours. Domestic round-trip fares average $200-400.
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Getting around
Uber and Lyft for everything beyond a 3-casino walking radius. The Strip stretches 4 miles, but pedestrian skybridges and casino-floor crossings double actual walking time. Summer daytime temperatures reach 40°C on the pavement. The Deuce bus runs 24 hours on Las Vegas Boulevard, $8 for a day pass. The monorail covers only the east side of the Strip and does not reach the airport.
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Curated for first-timers
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Must-see attractions
Las Vegas is not shy about promoting its attractions, which means the real work is deciding what earns your time. This list spans a lot of ground: from a music and entertainment arena dating from 2023 at 255 Sands Ave to a neon sign dating from 1959, and from the Strip, open 24/7, to a state park on East Washington Avenue. Two of the entries are National Register of Historic Places listed places: the welcome sign and a wedding chapel dating from 1943. There is a theater dating from 1978, a Catholic cathedral dating from 1963, and a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sunrise Manor. The list works for first-timers after the big set pieces and equally for repeat visitors who suspect the city carries more history than its casino floors suggest. Pick three or four a day, mix the boulevard with the older addresses, and leave time to walk between them.
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Best restaurants
Downtown Las Vegas eats differently than the Strip. The twelve rooms below cluster along a walkable spine that runs from the Fremont East blocks around Carson Avenue down South Las Vegas Boulevard to the base of the Stratosphere tower, and they are what people who live in the 89101 and 89104 postal grids put on repeat. You will find a chef-driven small-plates room, a downtown pizzeria that stays open past 02:00 on weekends, a sandwich counter that closes at 16:00 because that is when the sandwiches run out, a Mexican dining room that has held its corner for years, and a steakhouse 800 feet up with a booking that is worth the elevator ride. Skip the casino-floor buffets and the theme-restaurant chains along the middle Strip; this list is for a visitor who would rather walk a few blocks, sit at a real counter, and eat where the address is doing some of the work. Hours, phones and street numbers are cited so you can build a day around them without guessing.
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Browse experiences
Things to do in Las Vegas, by interestOther traveler types
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Las Vegas for foodies
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Las Vegas for families
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Las Vegas for digital nomads
- For solo travelers
Las Vegas for solo travelers
- For couples
Las Vegas for couples
- For budget travelers
Las Vegas on a budget
- For luxury travelers
Las Vegas for luxury travelers