What's the Best Way to Get Around in Las Vegas?
 

Hubby and I will be flying out to Las Vegas soon for the first time, staying 6 days. We'll take a tour line day trip to Grand Canyon and another day trip to Hoover Dam.

For our days spent on the Las Vegas strip, what would you say is the best way to get around to all the sights, sounds and activities? We're staying at the Tropicana. Is there a hop-on/hop-off bus? I know it's cookin' out there right now, and I don't know that we want to rent a car for our stay.

We walked up and down the Strip, but it wasn't this hot when we were there.

Renting a car for your entire stay and using it to go to the Hoover Dam might be less expensive than your day trip tour. All of the hotels had free parking, and we also used a car to go DT and to visit Red Rock Canyon, the Atomic Testing Museum, and a nature preserve.

If you just want to stick to the Strip and not go out of town on your own, get the 24 hour pass on "The Deuce" which is a double deck bus that runs up and down the Strip. Last time I bought one it was $7. At the end of my last trip on the bus, I handed it to a lucky guy ready to get on the bus. It had about 6 hours left on it.
There is a free monorail between 3 of the hotels at the southern end of the Strip.
If you decide you want to go out to see Red Rocks or Valley of Fire, you may have to get out to the rental car center to get a car for the day. Don't rent from Fox!

I don't think the monorail is free. It wasn't in April when I went.

http://www.lvmonorail.com/


We used the Bus. You can buy a pass to use all day and take it pretty much anywhere. We went to Fremont Street from the Strip (near Ballys). The bus could not be easier to use. There are kiosks everywhere to buy the passes. Make sure you have exact dollars. The bus drivers were all really helpful too.

The short monorail I referred to is from the Mandalay Bay with a stop at the Luxor and then to Excalibur at the south end of the Strip. We stayed at the Luxor when we stayed on the Strip.
The Luxor has interesting inclinators in the 4 corners of the pyramid. The top has a 42.3 billion candle power Xenon beam that can be seen from about 50 miles.
I never got the chance to ride the other monorail.
Plan to get up to the Fremont Street Experience after dark when the light show happens over the street.

Rent a car. In the summer, you definitely do not want to take the bus. It is hotter than hades and waiting for a bus is torture. Walking is torture. Car rentals are cheap in Vegas, and valet parking is just the cost of a tip ($2-3). If you drive along the Strip, yes it's congested, but the sightseeing is entertaining. Stay cool and comfortable and drive!