What's a good 3-day itinerary for Las Vegas?

Start at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign on Las Vegas Boulevard around 8 AM, before the June heat climbs past 38°C. The sign sits at 5100 Las Vegas Blvd South, and a taxi from Harry Reid International Airport runs about $20 with tip. Walk north on the Strip's west side for shade. By 10 AM you'll reach the Bellagio, where the conservatory is free and holds a steady 21°C year-round. The fountains fire every 15 minutes after noon. Lunch at Mon Ami Gabi on the Paris Las Vegas patio puts you at sidewalk level with the fountain lake, and the steak frites runs about $38. Cut through the Cosmopolitan's second-floor lobby after lunch to reach the LINQ Promenade and the High Roller observation wheel. It opened in 2014 and rises to 167 metres. Tickets cost $25-37 depending on time slot. End the evening at the Bellagio fountains after dark, when the water catches the neon and the desert air drops to about 27°C.

Day 2 moves 6 km north to downtown. Take the Deuce bus from any Strip stop for $6 on a 24-hour pass, or grab a rideshare for about $12. Fremont Street Experience runs 5 blocks under a 27-million-LED canopy that fires light shows every hour after dark. Get there by 9 AM, though, and the casino floors at the Golden Nugget and Four Queens sit nearly empty. The Golden Gate Hotel has operated at 1 Fremont Street since 1906, the oldest hotel in Las Vegas. Two blocks south, the Arts District lines Main Street between Colorado and California Avenues. Container Park at 707 Fremont Street has a 12-metre praying mantis sculpture that shoots real flames from its antennae after sunset. Worth seeing. Lunch at Le Thai on Fremont Street, where the pad krapow runs $16 and the sidewalk tables face the pedestrian mall. The Mob Museum at 300 Stewart Avenue costs $30 and needs about 2 hours. It sits in the former federal courthouse where the Kefauver Committee held organized-crime hearings in 1950.

Day 3 starts 27 km west of the Strip at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The park opens at 6 AM, and the 21-km scenic loop drive takes about an hour without stops. Entrance costs $15 per vehicle. Go early. By 10 AM the parking lots at Calico Tanks trailhead fill, and the sandstone radiates enough heat to feel through your shoe soles. The canyon walls glow red-orange before 8 AM, when low sun hits the Aztec Sandstone formations. Back in town by early afternoon, eat at Lotus of Siam on East Sahara Avenue. The Northern Thai sausage and khao soi each run about $16. The Sphere behind the Venetian opened in 2023 and runs immersive films on an interior LED screen that covers 15,000 square metres. Tickets start at $49. The exterior is worth seeing after sunset too, when its 54,000-square-metre outer shell displays full-motion graphics you can spot from 3 km away. End at Herbs & Rye on West Sahara Avenue, where pre-Prohibition cocktails run half-price from 5 to 8 PM.

The Strip measures 6.8 km from Mandalay Bay to the SAHARA, but casino detours, pedestrian bridges, and escalators add roughly 40% to any Google Maps estimate. Budget 10 km of walking on Strip days. In June the humidity sits around 14%, and you lose water faster than you feel thirsty. Carry a refillable bottle and drink before you notice the need. Every casino has free water stations near the restrooms. The Las Vegas Monorail runs the east side from MGM Grand to the SAHARA for $5 per ride, but stations sit far behind the casino entrances, so it often saves less time than it promises. Rideshare pickup zones are marked at every major resort. A typical fare from the Strip to downtown runs $12-18.