Desert city of casino resorts, shows and neon on the Strip and Fremont Street, with red-rock landscapes a short drive away
Las Vegas sits in a desert valley in southern Nevada, and for most visitors it means the Strip: Las Vegas Boulevard lined with giant resorts, from the Bellagio and its fountains to Paris Las Vegas and Caesars Palace. Strictly speaking, most of the Strip lies outside city limits in the unincorporated communities of Paradise and Winchester, while the historic downtown, with Fremont Street and its canopy light show, is the city proper.
Beyond gambling, the city runs on entertainment: resident shows and concerts, sporting events at T-Mobile Arena and Allegiant Stadium, the Sphere, celebrity-chef and Michelin Guide restaurants, and pools in summer. Plenty is free, from the Bellagio fountain shows to murals in the Arts District, and the surrounding Mojave Desert offers hiking and scenic drives.
The name is Spanish for the meadows. The modern city began in 1905, when 110 acres beside the Union Pacific Railroad tracks were auctioned off, and Las Vegas was incorporated in 1911. In 1931 Nevada legalised casino gambling and cut the residency needed for a divorce to six weeks, and work began the same year on tunnels for the Hoover Dam, completed in 1935, bringing workers and visitors to the valley.
The Fremont Street Experience, a five-block canopy with millions of LED lights, opened downtown in 1995. At the 2020 census Las Vegas had 641,903 residents, and the wider metropolitan area about 2.4 million.
Behind the resorts is a metropolitan area of around 2.4 million people. The city has its own professional sports culture, with the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena and the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, and a busy calendar of festivals and events, from the Electric Daisy Carnival to the Neon City Festival downtown and the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Dining ranges from buffets to Michelin Guide restaurants, and the Arts District downtown is home to galleries, artists' studios and murals.
A typical stay mixes the Strip's resorts and free attractions, such as the Bellagio fountains, the Wynn's Lake of Dreams light show and the circus acts at Circus Circus, with an evening show, a concert or a game. Downtown, the Fremont Street Experience, Container Park, the Arts District murals and museums such as the Neon Museum and Mob Museum offer a different side of the city. AREA15 and the Pinball Hall of Fame are popular with families. For a break from the neon, Red Rock Canyon's scenic drive is about 30 minutes away, and the Seven Magic Mountains art installation is around half an hour into the desert.
Las Vegas has a hot desert climate with about 310 sunny days a year. Summers are long and very hot, with average July highs of about 40°C, and pool season starts in June. Winters are short and mild, with December highs around 14°C. Spring brings mild weather and wildflowers, which makes March and April good months for hiking at Red Rock Canyon, and autumn is similarly comfortable.
Checked against the sources on 29 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.
General guidance from our specialists, not official information.
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area lies about 27 kilometres west of the Strip, and the Seven Magic Mountains installation is roughly half an hour into the desert. Henderson, with the Ethel M chocolate factory and cactus garden, and Boulder City are close by, and Hoover Dam tours are a popular outing from the city. Las Vegas is also a common starting point for road trips to Zion and the Grand Canyon, and scenic flights over the canyon leave from the city.
A national park of about 4,900 square kilometres in northern Arizona, protecting the canyon the Colorado River has carved into the Colorado Plateau over about 445 kilometres. The gorge averages around 1,200 metres deep and exposes rock layers that UNESCO describes as a geological record of some two billion years.
ExploreA national park of about 590 square kilometres in south-western Utah, centred on Zion Canyon, which the North Fork of the Virgin River has cut up to around 800 metres deep through red and cream sandstone. It is known for its canyon shuttle and for hikes such as The Narrows and Angels Landing.
ExploreA town of under 10,000 people in Arizona's northern Verde Valley, set among red sandstone buttes and the Coconino National Forest. It is known for hiking and mountain biking, Jeep tours, art galleries and the canyon of Oak Creek, about two hours' drive from both Phoenix and the Grand Canyon.
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United States · 9 nights4★ HotelUnited States · 8 nights3★ LodgeThis guide was researched from the sources below and reviewed by our team on 29 October 2026. Facts under “Verified information” link to the page they were checked on; travel tips are general guidance. Photos are credited on each image. The ambient recording’s author and licence are shown in the sound player.
