Expect the spectacular in Las Vegas. Stroll the Strip by the light of a neon-lit sky, testing your luck at the slot machines and poker tables. Or soak up the desert sunshine, golf clubs in hand, before indulging at award-winning restaurants or restocking the wardrobe at resort shops.
Las Vegas was merely a frontier town until 1931, when Nevada legalised gambling. Downtown's Fremont Street harks back to this era with nostalgic 1940s and '50s casinos and neon cowboy Vegas Vic, the world's largest neon mechanical sign. Extending southeast from Downtown is the Boulder Strip, with low-key casinos and the University of Las Vegas sports stadium. Southwest of Downtown runs the world-famous Strip, drawing 37 million visitors yearly to some of the world's biggest casinos, hotels and entertainment venues.
Get caught up in the whirlwind of entertainment that dominates the Strip. Lose yourself in the sprawling MGM Grand, float in a gondola at the Venetian or roll the dice at dozens of other casinos. Cirque du Soleil's Beatles-themed LOVE show provides an evening of song at the Mirage, and Wynn has a range of luxurious spa treatments. Refresh with cool cocktails, snack by the pool or tuck into gourmet cuisine at Las Vegas' best resorts.
Pack your bags with everything from designer shoes to fashion jewellery at Las Vegas resort shops, or look down on the Strip with a helicopter ride. Friendly, relaxed games of chance are found in Las Vegas' lesser-known entertainment districts, Downtown and the Boulder Strip, or play golf at top-ranked Bali Hai or Wynn. Las Vegas' most famous bejewelled performer is honoured at the Liberace Museum. If the mood strikes, whisk your partner off to a Las Vegas wedding chapel.
The sixth busiest airport in the US, Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport funnels around 40 million passengers annually through two terminals with nearly 100 gates divided into A, B, C, D and Terminal 2 designations. The world-famous Strip is a short one-mile taxi ride from the airport.
