Top Las Vegas Shows:

Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular

Absinthe

PeepShow

Hard To Get Las Vegas Shows and Show Ticket Tips:

Buy well in advance, but remember: some tickets are not released more than three months ahead. Keep checking back. For reserved seat shows (most Las Vegas shows), the earlier you buy, the better the seats.

How Do I Get Around In Las Vegas?

• Walking: If you are a first time visitor, bring comfortable shoes! The Las Vegas Strip is 4.5 miles long and even if you use transportation to get from general one area to another, you will be doing plenty of walking.
  
  The casinos are huge. Distances outdoors are deceiving. That casino may look like it's a five minute walk up The Strip and you get there 20 minutes later. On the flip side, the strip is so bright and exciting it makes walking fun!
  
  
• Cabs: Cabs are fine if you are coming to gamble, sit by the pool, and you don't care about running all over the place. However, if you are staying on The Strip, want to visit the Fremont St. Experience (Old Vegas downtown), maybe have tickets to a show, concert or headliner playing at another hotel, want to do see something like the free Masquerade Sky Show at The Rio, you'd better have deep pockets for cab fare. Add airport transportation to that and you may wish to rent a car.
  
  
• Airport Shuttles: Follow the signs to ground transportation from baggage and you will find a number of shuttles that will take you from the airport to most any hotel in town for between $4.00 - 6.00.
  
  
• Rental Car:
  
  There are many great reasons to rent a car:
  
  
  • Your vacation time is valuable. You are paying good money for airfare and room. Is a shuttle or crowded public bus worth the extra 30, 45, or 60 minutes that the ride takes?
    
    
  • Cabs aren't cheap, and during busy periods it can be a long wait to get one and an expensive trip in traffic as the meter runs while you sit. You can have a car for the price of a couple of cab rides a day. Plus, our staff has been misrouted on longer trips by cab drivers who didn't know we were locals and knew the area. Sad but true.
    
    
  • Parking in Las Vegas is free! All of the casinos on The Strip offer free garage self-parking, and all the hotel casinos in town offer free valet parking. When using valet, it is polite to give $1 tip to the person who brings you your car.
    
    
  • The Las Vegas strip is over 4 miles long, downtown is a couple more miles, and scenic areas like Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon and other sites are on the far outskirts of town. To see it all, a car is a must.
    
    
  • You are staying downtown or off the Strip. It's good to be able to get down the the Strip and other attractions.
    
    
  
  
• City Bus: The city bus runs up and down The Strip continuing into downtown and the Fremont Street Experience every 5-10 minutes. Fare is only $2 per person. The downside? They are slow and sometimes very crowded. Might not want to be how you spend valuable vacation time.

Rental Car Tips/Insurance

Rental companies push their expensive insurance on you. Most people can decline it, because home auto policies and some credit cards already provide this coverage. Before declining rental car company insurance:

1. Ask your insurance agent first to confirm that you are covered on a rental car. With so many different type of auto insurance policies available and so much fine print, it never hurts to be certain.
   
   
2. Many upper-end credit cards (platinum and gold) also offer complimentary coverage, making it unnecessary to buy additional coverage. Call and confirm that your credit card does, and use that card.
   
   
3. When you first get to the car, do a complete once-over for dings, dents, scratches, as well as any interior flaws. Yes, I know it is a hassle when you are tired or excited about getting your vacation going. But you are possibly liable for any dent you don't note was there when you picked it up.
   
   

   If it is a 1/2 mile hike back to the rental counter, at least call back to that local counter (local number should be on the rental form) and tell them the pre-existing problem. Get the name of the agent and note the time of the phone call. On return of the car, say to them "I called "Kathy" here at your counter from your car lot immediately when I got to the car and noted the previous damage. Not as safe as actually hiking back and amending the rental form to note a ding, but generally will keep you out of trouble.

I'm Terrified To Drive In Another Town

You can risk the cabs. Why do I say "risk"?

Cab drivers here are notorious for "long hauling" customers. They know that you probably don't know the shortest distance between two points so they can take you the long way. Yes, the Taxicab Authority is trying to crack down on this, but they can only do so much. There has been extensive coverage in our local paper about this.

Bottom Line?

Come have fun! There is so much to do and see you would have to stay a couple of months to do it all, so probably wise to research and get an idea first. We have plenty of information here on AccessVegas.Com.

Don't go nuts trying to plan an hour-by-hour itinerary. What Las Vegas offers is freedom from time. You can do just about anything, any time of the day or night. Boardwalk Hotel on The Strip (across from The Aladdin) even has a 24 hour buffet.

We do suggest booking certain things ahead of time. If you want to see a certain show, concert, or headliners then get your tickets as early as possible. Some events are more popular than others, but it never hurts to have your seats locked up. We even offer online booking for most entertainment! Same with tours and golf -- plan those ahead of time if possible. You can do that online with us also if you choose by clicking on them.