Vegas Basics: Everything You Need Before You Book

Five things: (1) every Strip hotel charges a daily resort fee on top of the rate you see online — see our resort fees guide for current per-hotel amounts. (2) The Strip is much longer than it looks; "next door" hotels are often a 20-minute walk. (3) Drinking and gambling age is 21 with a mandatory physical ID. (4) Rideshare on Friday and Saturday nights surges hard — budget extra. (5) Vegas runs on tips: $1–2 per drink, 18–20% on meals, a few bucks for valet, dealers, and housekeeping.

A 3-night budget trip runs about $650–1,100 per person all-in including flights. Mid-range with a Strip hotel, one nice dinner, and a show is $1,400–3,000 per person. Luxury with top-tier hotel, fine dining, and bottle service starts around $3,500 and climbs from there. See our full cost breakdown for a line-by-line view.

March–May and September–November are the sweet spots — pleasant weather, lower hotel rates, and pool season is either ramping up or winding down without the brutal summer heat. Avoid major event weekends (F1, Super Bowl, NFL Draft, EDC, NYE, March Madness, CES) when rates can triple. January through early February and the back half of August are the cheapest windows of the year.

No, unless you plan to leave the Strip for day trips like the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, or Red Rock. Most Strip-only trips run on rideshare, the free hotel trams, walking, and the occasional Deuce bus. Renting a car also means dealing with parking fees at most Strip hotels — see our resort fees guide for current per-hotel parking rates.

Three nights is the sweet spot for a first trip — long enough for two big nights out, two nice dinners, and a show without burning out. Two nights feels rushed. Four nights is great if you want to add a pool day or a Grand Canyon excursion. Anything beyond five nights and most people are ready to leave.

The Strip and Fremont Street are heavily policed, well-lit, and full of cameras — extremely safe for tourists who use normal city precautions. The most common issues are petty theft (drinks getting drugged at bars, phones lifted in clubs), street performers and "monks" pressuring for tips, and inflated taxi fares from people who don't know better. Stick to rideshare, watch your drink, and you'll be fine.

Comfortable walking shoes (non-negotiable — you will walk more than you think), one nice outfit per night you plan to go out (most clubs enforce dress codes for men: no athletic wear, no shorts, no open-toe shoes, collared or fashion shirt), swimwear and a coverup for pool season, a light layer for over-air-conditioned casinos and restaurants, and a portable phone charger. Sunscreen and sunglasses year-round.

Almost everything takes cards, including most table games via casino markers. Bring $100–300 cash for tips (housekeeping, valet, bartenders, dealers, club staff), the occasional cash-only situation, and to keep gambling money separate from your trip money. ATMs inside casinos carry steep convenience fees on top of your bank's — pull cash from a non-casino ATM before you arrive.