If you want to stay off the strip, can you drive your car and park somewhere while you visit the strip? This would be on a weekend. I see where there are lots of parking garages at various hotels, but are those for hotel guests only? What's the average cost to park?

Most of the big hotels let you drive in and park. Then walk through the casino (eyes front!) to the strip.

that's gratis, of course.

Valet service at all major strip hotels is free--just tip the valet. We stayed at TheHotel last summer and parked our car several places along the strip. Caesars in particular has a huge parking garage because of the Forum shops.

Parking is very easy and convenient at Vegas hotels.

Enjoy!

Keith

Sure the parking is free...

But the driving is miserable. Parking lots are not easy to access, so if you must drive, use the valet. This is not just cruise down the strip and turn into the parking garage.

I will assume that this is your first trip to vegas from your post. Weekend driving on the strip is a nightmare from 10am until 6am (and I drive Chicago every day).

If you want to save money off strip I suggest that you stay at the Orleans and take their free shuttle to the strip..it runs every 30 minutes or so, maybe even less. You could also consider the Rio if you wanted a strip type hotel, they have a regular free shuttle as well.

Why would you drive ON the strip?

Keith

<<Why would you drive ON the strip?>>

If that is aimed at my post, I agree with you. However if as I assumed, the OP is a first timer, they WILL drive on the strip. This coupled with the locals and cabs disregard for traffic control devices plus lots of out of towners makes for miserable driving in my experience.

All the big hotels have free valet service--just give the valet $1-2 when you pick up your car.

All hotels also have free garages; however, the walk from a garage to a casino is often VERY LONG and a waste of time because valet service is so inexpensive and because there are more interesting places to walk than through garages.

You can access the west side strip hotels very easily from the n-s highway 1 block west of the strip. I can't imagine ever driving on the strip unless I was trying to kill 2 hours and avoid killing idiot pedestrians!

While I agree that the free self park garages are often (but not always) a long way from the casinos, anyone who has waited nearly an hour to get his car from valet at some of the casinos, will understand why self-parking can be a good alternative.

I don't get why anyone would say the self park garages are so hard to find. We've parked at a number of them -- Bellagio, Mirage, Aladdin, Flamingo, and Bally's to name just a few -- and all are well marked. Actually most are accessed from the side streets so they are often easier than using valet where you often get backed up out onto the strip and have to inch forward waiting your turn to get up to the valet.

I'll give you a good idea with parking in Vegas. If you are going to a major property such as Bellagio to see "O". You are better off parking in the self park (free) because when the show lets out as Neopolitan said you can and will wait a very long time for your car. I used to work valet and show breaks are killer, expect to wait up to 45 minutes for your car, expecially on Fri. or Sat. night. If it is weekday or a smaller property such as the Sahara, it is convenient to park valet. Valet is free, but if you tip a couple bucks "in" a good valet will note that on your ticket, so when you come back out they usually get your car faster because they see you have tipped "in" and most will tip out a few more bucks! Just something to keep in the back of your mind. Have fun!

Self parking is very easy at most of the garages, as others have said they are pretty clearly marked. You may have a bit of a walk from garage to the front of the hotel (Strip), but that's Vegas Many times it is faster to self-park then wait for the valet to bring your car, it just depends on you and how you want to do it.

The Mirage and T.I. parking is very easy to find (we stay at the Mirage often). Just enter off of Spring Mountain or the Strip and the garages are very clearly marked. There are "bridges" from the garage over to the hotels themselves as well. Bellagio & Aladdin parking is also connected to the hotel so you do not need to walk outdoors. The Aladdin parking is actually connected to the Desert Passage Shopping Mall. You can also park at the Fashion Show Mall which is at Spring Mountain & the Strip.

In my experience, the walk from the parking lots is a lot shorter than the walk from the monorail.

Keith