Las Vegas is a resort city dropped into the Mojave Desert. The Strip is one long boulevard of casino resorts: walking it end to end, from Mandalay Bay to the STRAT, is a little over four miles on the sidewalk, about an hour and twenty minutes without stopping. The resorts also look closer together than they are. Bellagio and Caesars Palace sit 0.24 miles apart as the crow flies, but the walk is 0.46 miles because you have to cross Flamingo Road on a pedestrian bridge.
The city drew 38.5 million visitors in 2025, by the convention authority's count. Downtown, around Fremont Street, is the older Las Vegas, and its hotel rooms averaged about half the Strip's rate in 2025. Beyond both, the desert starts fast. Red Rock Canyon is about 35 minutes from the Strip, Hoover Dam about 45, and Grand Canyon West, Zion and Death Valley are all within three hours.
The desert also sets the terms. Las Vegas averages 78 days a year at 100°F or hotter and just over four inches of rain. That decides which month to come and what time a canyon tour picks you up.
Plan the trip
The decisions worth making before you book a flight.
Best time to visit
How hot it gets and what rooms cost, month by month.
Where to stay
Strip or Downtown, and what a room costs once the fees are added.
3-day itinerary
Two days in the city and one out in the desert.
Getting around
From the airport to your hotel, and around town without a car.
Things to do
What is worth paying for in the city itself.
Free things to do
The fountains, light shows and gardens that cost nothing.
Tours and day trips
Compared on what each tour includes, not what its title promises.
Grand Canyon tours
Which rim to visit, and how to get there
Helicopter tours
Ten minutes over the Strip or a landing in the canyon
Day trips
Red Rock, Valley of Fire, Zion, Death Valley and more
Hoover Dam tours
Which tours take you inside the dam
Grand Canyon Skywalk
Which pass gets you onto the glass
Antelope Canyon
Whether it works as a day trip
The best-rated tours out of Las Vegas
Ranked by rating weighted for review count, among tours with at least 15 reviews. Prices and ratings from GetYourGuide.
| Tour | Duration | Price | Rating | Best For | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley of Fire Guided Hike with Drinks and Snacks
Top Pick
| 4 - 6 hours | $129 | ★ 4.9 (570) | National and state park tour | Book on GetYourGuide |
| Valley of Fire State Park with Deli Lunch Max 13 Tour | 6 hours | $99 | ★ 4.9 (838) | National and state park tour | Book on GetYourGuide |
| Death Valley Guided Day Tour | 12 hours | $175 | ★ 4.9 (440) | National and state park tour | Book on GetYourGuide |
| Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon Day Trip | 8 hours | $148 | ★ 4.9 (326) | National and state park tour | Book on GetYourGuide |
| Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend | 17 hours | $346 | ★ 4.8 (2074) | Grand Canyon tour | Book on GetYourGuide |
| Small Group Grand Canyon Skywalk, Hoover Dam Tour | 12 hours | $205 | ★ 4.8 (517) | Grand Canyon tour | Book on GetYourGuide |
| 3-Hour VIP Hoover Dam Small-Group Mini Tour | 3 hours | $70 | ★ 4.8 (928) | Hoover Dam tour | Book on GetYourGuide |
| Grand Canyon Skywalk Express Helicopter Tour | 2.5 hours | $639 | ★ 4.8 (574) | Helicopter tour | Book on GetYourGuide |
When to come
Spring (March to May)
Average highs run from 71°F in March to 88.5°F in May, and April is the windiest month of the year. Four conference basketball tournaments fill early March 2027, and EDC takes two May weekends.
Summer (June to August)
The cheapest rooms of the year in the convention authority's figures, and the hottest: July averages 104.5°F with nights around 82°F. Plan desert trips for early morning, or stay by the pool.
Fall (September to November)
September still reaches 90°F on about 24 days. October was the priciest month for rooms in 2024 and 2025. The Formula 1 race runs Nov 19 to 21, 2026; in 2025 the circuit roads closed to traffic from 1pm on each track day.
Winter (December to February)
Average highs of 57°F to 63°F and a few freezing nights. Rooms are not cheap: January 2026 averaged $199.73 a night, and CES runs January 6 to 9, 2027. Arizona sights run an hour ahead of Las Vegas from November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027.
Las Vegas in numbers
- Visitors in 2025
- 38.5 million
- Days at 100°F or more
- 78 a year on average
- Rain
- 4.18 inches a year
- The Strip on foot
- About 4.3 miles end to end
- Cheapest months for rooms
- June to August
- Time zone
- Pacific; Arizona is an hour ahead Nov to mid-March
Climate from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Harry Reid International Airport; visitors and room rates from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's 2024 to 2026 reports; walking distance by routing engine, Mandalay Bay to the STRAT. Checked October 2026.
Day trips by drive time
Measured by a routing engine from the middle of the Strip, at Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road, with no stops.
| Destination | From the Strip |
|---|---|
| Red Rock Canyon | About 35 min |
| Hoover Dam | About 45 min |
| Valley of Fire | About 1 hr 10 min |
| Grand Canyon West and the Skywalk | About 2 hr 45 min |
| Zion National Park | About 2 hr 40 min |
| Death Valley | About 2 hr 40 min |
| Antelope Canyon | About 4.5 hr |
| Grand Canyon South Rim | About 4 hr 45 min |
Big days and nights out of Las Vegas
- Check availability on GetYourGuide →
Small Group Grand Canyon Skywalk, Hoover Dam Tour
★ 4.8 (517 reviews) · 12 hours · from $205
No more than 12 people, with the Skywalk pass in the price
Read our full review - Check availability on GetYourGuide →
Grand Canyon Skywalk Express Helicopter Tour
★ 4.8 (574 reviews) · 2.5 hours · from $639
Meet at the Maverick heliport for a Grand Canyon landing and Skywalk entry
Read our full review - Check availability on GetYourGuide →
Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend
★ 4.8 (2,074 reviews) · 17 hours · from $346
Leaves the Bellagio at 4:30am and gets back about 17 hours later
Read our full review - Check availability on GetYourGuide →
Helicopter Night Flight over the Strip
★ 4.7 (2,011 reviews) · 11 minutes · from $99
Ten to 12 minutes over the Strip after dark
Read our full review
Booking through these links supports this guide at no extra cost to you.
How the picks are made
Prices, hours and rules come from whoever sets them: the National Park Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Hualapai Tribe's Grand Canyon West, Nevada State Parks, the convention authority and each tour's own listing, with the date they were checked. Tours are ranked by a score that weighs a tour's rating by how many people have reviewed it, so a 5.0 from three reviews doesn't outrank a 4.8 from two thousand. More on that, and on how Vegas Visitor Guide makes money, is on the about page.
Disclosure: booking links on this page go to GetYourGuide or Expedia. If you book through one, this site earns a commission at no extra cost to you. Commissions don't decide which tours are recommended or how they rank; see how tours are ranked.