Las Vegas & Grand Canyon

Las Vegas, officially the City of Las Vegas and often known as simply Vegas, is the most popular city in the U.S. state of Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city known primarily for gambling, shopping, fine dining and nightlife and is the leading financial and cultural center for Southern Nevada. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous for its mega casino–hotels and associated entertainment. The primary drivers of the Las Vegas economy are tourism, gaming and conventions, which in turn feed the retail and restaurant industries.

The Las Vegas Strip is internationally known for the concentration of resort hotels and casinos along its route. The Strip is approximately 4.2 miles (6.8 km) in length, located south of the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester. Most of the Strip has been designated an All-American Road, and is considered a scenic route at night. Many of the largest hotel, casino, and resort properties in the world are located on the Las Vegas Strip. Fifteen of the world's 25 largest hotels by room count are on the Strip, with a total of over 62,000 rooms.

This is a 3 day trip itinerary I have made for people visiting with family and friends. This includes few of the major must-see attractions the area offers for its countless visitors every year. The itinerary is intended to cover the major attractions at a relaxed pace.

Day 1: Grand Canyon

GoTo Bus Tours : 1-Day Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon South Rim Tour from Las Vegas

• We visited Grand Canyon South rim with GoTo Bus Tours and it was an amazing experience. I would definitely recommend that to everyone. 
• They pick you from your hotel in the morning, provide you some light breakfast, shows Hoover dam on the way to Grand Canyon South rim. 
• You get around 3 hours to visit the Canyon and the nearby village and then they drop you back to Las Vegas in the evening, everything for a very small price, $65 per person. 
• You can sit back and relax in a Luxury bus with your loved ones together watching movies while the Tour guide entertains you and provide awesome information about the spots on the way. 
• In the evening you can have dinner at the Vegas strip and enjoy playing in the Casinos till you drop.

 

Day 2: Exploring Vegas Strip

• Start your day a little late with amazing breakfast buffet at the Bellagio Hotel. Another good option is Hash House at Imperial Palace, they have big portions and the food is great, but it’s definitely a special treat sort of breakfast. Verandah and Tableau also offers great variety food for a breakfast treat.
• The day time you can spend visiting different hotels and embracing the amazing architecture each one offers. Must visit Hotels are: The Venetian, The Bellagio, MGM Grand, Luxor, Stratosphere, The Mirage, Circus Circus etc. Each of these hotels have Casinos, food courts, live show concerts, shopping malls and something unique than the other. 
• Try Gondola ride at the Venetian, see Bellagio Fountains, Mirage Volcano, Paris Eiffel Tower view, Luxor Pyramids. Try your luck with some slot machines, a round of Blackjack and some Craps. A tip here, look for hotels with low table minimums (eg. Circus Circus, Harrah’s) so that you can enjoy playing for hours spending less money. Also enjoy free drinks while you are in casinos as long as you are playing on one of the tables/machines. 



Gondola Ride at the Venetian Hotel

• You will be amazed with the amount of time you will spend inside Casinos, it’s extremely addictive. Have dinner and relax in your hotel.

Day 3: Adventure and Concerts

Stratosphere Ride

• Have breakfast at one of the places mentioned above and leave for hotel Circus Circus. 
• They have an Adventure Superdome. It’s a fun place with a lot of fun adventurous activities for kids as well as adults. There are all sorts of rides, family, junior, coaster and some premium rides, couple of 4-D movie rides as well. You can purchase an all- day pass for $29.99 or pay for individual rides. See http://www.adventuredome.com/ for more details, fun time with family.
• Afternoon time try to catch a show, we recommend Cirque Du Soleil. It’s an amazing in door circus experience with some great performers. See this for details: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/destinations/las-vegas/home.aspx
• There’s a David Copperfield Magic show in MGM Grand, that is an another great option to spend your afternoon.
• In the evening, head towards The Stratosphere. Stratosphere is located at the extreme end of Vegas Strip. There are a lot of Adventurous activities at the top of Stratosphere. If you are feeling brave try Sky Jump, Insanity, X-Scream and Big Shot rides, amazing views from the top of Stratosphere, extreme adrenaline rush rides. If you are not a big fan of crazy rides you can just visit the Observatory deck and enjoy the view, it’s amazing. I remember we did the Big Shot ride and it was by far the best ride I have done. There is an amazing bar lounge at the top where you can have dinner and relax enjoying the views with your drink.

Places to Stay:

• The Bellagio
• The Mirage
• Paris
• Harrah's
• The MGM Grand

Vegas Strip Hotels

Transportation:

• Personally, you don't need to rent a car in Vegas. There are shared shuttles from Airport to all major hotels on the strip. Or else the Cab takes around $20 from airport to any hotel on the street, 15-20 mins depending on traffic. 
• While in Vegas, most of the attractions and casinos you will be visiting are on the Strip and so if you choose to stay on the Strip in any of the Hotels suggested above you can surely avoid rental car money and just walk to all the attractions.
• There are also monorails to travel the strip running parallel to the strip. Some are premium and some are free of cost.
• You can take minimum amount cab rides($8) to Hotels like Stratosphere and Circus Circus which are located a bit away from the center of the strip. Also there are local buses running on the strip with frequent stops just in front of all major hotels. You can get a daily pass for $8 and ride any number of times.
• Here's a Map showing all major Hotels on the Strip: 

Hope you have a Wonderful Trip. If you have any suggestions regarding this trip, please add those in the comments below.