Plan your trip to Las Vegas

Planning notes by The Travel Insights · Updated 2026-09-10

Suggested trip lengths and day groupings below are our editorial starting points. Your personalized plan will depend on your interests, pace, and dates.

Three days for more than the Strip

We suggest three days for a first stay, adding a day for a substantial desert or canyon outing. Build the itinerary around the shows or experiences you most want. Resort interiors and transfers can take longer than their map positions suggest.

Separate the Strip and Downtown

Group neighboring Strip resorts in one block and give Fremont Street and the Downtown Arts District another. Avoid scheduling several distant hotel-based attractions back to back. Include time to find the venue inside each large property.

Choose your base around evenings

A Strip hotel near your main shows can reduce travel, while Downtown suits a different nightlife focus. Compare the total room cost and transport needs. Check the actual tour pickup point rather than assuming collection at any hotel.

Compare canyon trips carefully

Identify which canyon area an excursion visits and how much of the day is spent traveling. A helicopter product, a coach trip, and a ground visit offer different experiences. Keep a long excursion clear of a tightly timed show booking that evening.