The Seven Magic Mountains art installation in the Mojave Desert south of Las Vegas

5 Days in Las Vegas

By Stuart BakBy Stuart Bak

Metropolises the world over dub themselves ‘the city that never sleeps’ on a near-daily basis. But none have turned that tired old cliché into a neon-lit reality with quite the show-stopping aplomb of Las Vegas, where the entertainment – regardless of what time of year you visit – stays turned up to eleven 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Five days in Las Vegas is just about enough time to get a taste of this unique desert city’s hedonistic lifestyle and visit some of its most memorable attractions: the Strip’s mega-hotels, the laidback downtown neighborhood and the Grand Canyon being among the most essential. We’ve put together a suggested 5-day itinerary to help guide and inspire you on your Sin City adventure. So put on your best poker face, cram your pockets full of dollar bills and dive in! Viva Las Vegas! And may lady luck smile upon you...

Day 1: Vegas in a Nutshell

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Kick off your Vegas experience with a spin aboard the hop-on hop-off bus tour. It’s a great introduction to the city’s many pleasures and, best of all, requires minimal effort from you. The tour calls at iconic landmarks along the Strip and Downtown, including the famous ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign, the Strat’s skyscraping SkyPod observation tower and Fremont Street. You can hop off anywhere you like to start filling your Instagram feed with classic Vegas selfies, or stay on for the full two-hour loop to get a proper introduction to Sin City – there’s no better way for a newbie to experience the Strip than from the comfort of an open-top bus, as the supersize hotels and neon-lit casinos roll past.

Book a private pod with a decadent glass of bubbles aboard the High Roller Observation Wheel at the LINQ Hotel and watch the sun go down over the Strip and surrounding desert from a sweaty-palmed 550 feet up. Then, suitably emboldened, it’s time to hit the blackjack and roulette tables and one-armed bandits in your first (of what will no doubt be many) Vegas casino experiences. We favor the old-school glitz of Caesars Palace for first-timers – movie mavens may even recognize its cavernous interiors from the likes of The Hangover and Dream Girls. Stick around for a show at its Colosseum theater, which has hosted megastars including Madonna, Elton and Sinatra in its time, or head to the Bellagio, Mirage or MGM Grand for one of Vegas’s ever-popular Cirque du Soleil spectaculars.

Day 2: A Spot of Culture

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Anyone who tells you Vegas is purely about high rolling and horrific hangovers is missing a trick. Did you know, for example, that Sin City also boasts some pretty great galleries and museums? Fill your pockets with quarters and get down to the Pinball Hall of Fame, where you can try your luck on over 150 antique machines. Or don a fedora, pinstripe and your best Al Capone face and get yourself made at The Mob Museum, a fascinating journey into the US’s history of organized crime, with interactive exhibits that include a rogues’ gallery of gangsters and a shooting range simulator. There’s even a working distillery and Prohibition-style speakeasy tucked away in the basement. Meanwhile, the National Atomic Testing Museum explores Nevada’s explosive past when, in the 1950s, atomic weapons were detonated out in the desert here with alarming frequency.

Check out the ever-changing program at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, which has hosted exhibitions focusing on the work of Warhol, Picasso, Lichtenstein and others. And step inside the mind of a Dutch master at The Immersive Van Gogh experience, where spectacular set designs by Tony-nominated David Korins of Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton fame make you feel like you’re walking through his best-loved paintings, including Starry Night and Sunflowers. Spend your evening in the neon boneyard at the excellent Neon Museum. Here, retired Vegas signs of yore including iconic examples from the Stardust and Lucky Cuss Motel are given a second lease of life.

Day 3: Downtown!

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Often overlooked by visitors here for the higher octane thrills and spills of the Strip, Vegas’s laidback Downtown has many charms of its own. Get yourself down to the Fremont Street Experience, where an arched canopy over the mall area doubles as a giant video screen. And when we say giant we mean length-of-five-football-pitches giant. Expect spectacular hourly light shows as you browse the shops and sip cocktails in the bars below. Stick around for live music across three stages, kicking off at 6pm every evening.

Downtown is also where you’ll find the Las Vegas Arts District aka the 18b. Soak up the boho vibe and shop 18 blocks of art galleries, unique independent stores, vintage clothing boutiques and craft breweries. An arts walk on the first Friday of every month showcases eclectic local art and features live music, fire breathers, fortune tellers and other such Vegas entertainments. Afterwards head over to the nearby Strat, where the Skypod and its utterly terrifying 108th floor thrill rides await nearly 1,000 feet above the Strip.

Day 4: Get Outta Town!

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We get it: the constant noise, bright lights and general chaos of the Strip can get a little overwhelming. We recommend a relatively soothing day out to the Grand Canyon. Charter a helicopter to the South Rim in the afternoon. You’ll soar over the epic Hoover Dam en route and get the opportunity to take a short hike among the wildflowers and rust-red rocks before returning along the Strip at sundown, as the desert skies turn a bruised purple and the Neon City is at its picture-perfect best.

Or rent a Cadillac, put the top down and cruise south along Interstate 15 to the wildly incongruous Mojave Desert art installation that is Swiss sculptor Ugo Rondinone’s Seven Magic Mountains. These gravity-defying tall stacks of boulders – some as high as 35 feet – are painted in a rainbow of trippy colors. Then make for the nearby Red Rock Canyon, the Grand Canyon’s diminutive sibling which, at a mere 200,000 acres, still offers plenty of hiking opportunities. Look out for hidden waterfalls and ancient Native American petroglyphs among its towering sandstone crags and deep, cacti-filled valleys.

Day 5: Go Hotel-Hopping

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Vegas’s mega resorts are attractions all of their own, and no Vegas vacation would be complete without spending a day wandering the Strip and taking in essential attractions like the dancing fountains outside the Bellagio, or the Mirage’s exploding volcano. If you’re here during pool party season (March to October), get yourself along to Mandalay Bay’s sprawling Daylight Beach Club with its enormo 4,400 square foot pool, massive man-made beach and winding lazy river. Dive in, or grab a cabana and pina colada and people-watch the day away.

Major exhibitions at the Luxor are always worth a couple of hours of anyone’s time and the Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens are a horticultural marvel, with exhibits that change with the seasons and culminate in a hugely over-the-top festive display at year’s end. You’ll also want to ride the gondolas at the Venetian, with its faithful replica of Venice’s Grand Canal, and ride the glass elevator in the Paris hotel’s glitzy half-size Eiffel Tower facsimile. While you’re there you might as well stop to gorge on caviar, steak tartare and escargots in the panoramic restaurant 100 feet above the Strip. Bon appetit!

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Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Freelance travel writer

Stu caught the travel bug at an early age, thanks to childhood road trips to the south of France squeezed into the back of a Ford Cortina with two brothers and a Sony Walkman. Now a freelance writer living on the Norfolk coast, Stu has produced content for travel giants including Frommer’s, British Airways, Expedia, Mr & Mrs Smith, and now Go City. His most memorable travel experiences include drinking kava with the locals in Fiji and pranging a taxi driver’s car in the Honduran capital.

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Las Vegas in March

March marks the start of spring and kicks off Sin City’s popular shoulder season in earnest. Neither as chilly as deepest, darkest winter nor as intolerably sweaty as June and July, it’s a fine time to vacation here. Read on for our expert guide to visiting Las Vegas in March. Visiting Las Vegas in March Average Temperature: 57°F • Average Rainfall: 5 days/mth • Average Sunshine: 10 hours/day The period between March and May is among the very best times of year to visit Vegas, thanks to increasingly summery days and balmy evenings, though perhaps 'balmy' is a little optimistic for March. Still, what you can expect from a March Vegas vacation is highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s and clear blue skies stretching all the way to the horizon; cloud and rain at this time of year is rare, if not entirely unheard of. But hey, there’s plenty to keep you entertained indoors in this huge desert playground in the unlikely event you’re dealt a poor hand with the weather. Milder weather does of course go hand in hand with rising hotel prices though there are bargains to be had if you're willing to shop around. Vegas is traditionally a weekend destination but, frankly, the party here doesn’t stop just because it's Tuesday, so it’s worth considering a mid-week trip if you want to bag the best room rates. Prices also tend to start rising mid-month due to upcoming Easter holidays and increasingly pleasant temperatures. It’s also a good idea to do some research to find out about any major conventions taking place in or around specific hotels that might be pushing prices up. Things to do in March March means one thing in Vegas: it’s time for pool season, baby! Sure, the weather may still be a little too chilly for some. Nevertheless, March is when the vast majority of pools that closed down for winter begin to reopen again. You know what to do: claim your cabana, order a pina colada and peer over the tops of your dark glasses as the beautiful people emerge butterfly-like from hibernation and the pool decks of Sin City begin to throng with party people once again. Among the first to open will be Mandalay Bay’s sprawling Daylight Beach Club with its enormo 4,400 square foot pool, Wet Republic at the MGM Grand, and Flamingo’s Go Pool Dayclub. Dive in! (Or use the steps if the signs say ‘no diving’, obvs). If you prefer your entertainment a little... weirder, try Area15. The play on ‘Area51’ is deliberate as what goes on inside this massive warehouse is kept largely under wraps until after you’ve entered. What we do know is you can expect supersize art installations, VR experiences, altered universes, thrill rides and fantastical immersive experiences like the Illuminarium, an epic out-of-this-world space adventure where you can cruise through technicolor nebulae and asteroid belts to infinity (and beyond!). March is also prime time to visit the Neon Museum, an organization dedicated to preserving and exhibiting that most Vegas of art forms: the neon sign. Because the whole thing is outdoors it becomes somewhat less enjoyable to visit when temperatures start to soar, so March’s milder temperatures are ideal for wandering among these hulking relics that so deftly evoke Sin City’s gaudy history. Visit at night to enjoy the full impact and to feel like you’ve walked straight into a scene from Blade Runner. Las Vegas (or, at least, the mountains and canyons that surround it) are an absolute paradise for hikers. You can (and must) take a trip out to the Grand Canyon, whether by helicopter (spectacular) or coach (long). There are many variations of tours that depart Vegas for the West and South rims, but most include a bit of rambling among the wildflowers and distinctive red rocks. Bolt on posh picnics, champagne lunches and Hoover Dam excursions at your leisure. Or why not hire a car yourself and swing by the Red Rock Canyon? Much closer to Vegas – just a few miles west in the Mojave Desert, in fact – it offers many attractions along well-worn trails that weave past towering sandstone stacks, rushing waterfalls and caves daubed with Native American petroglyphs. You can find a comprehensive guide to the canyon’s marked hikes and trails here. Finally, in March as in every month in Vegas, you’ll find casinos that are open 24/7 and more magnificent magic shows, comedy acts, visual spectaculars and music concerts than you can shake a very large stick at. Take in a classic Cirque du Soleil performance or check listings at the MGM, Colosseum and T-Mobile Arena for some of the biggest names in rock and pop. What’s on in March? St Patrick’s Day Paint the town green on this special day, when revelers the world over honor the world’s most celebrated saint in the traditional manner: by dressing up as leprechauns, downing pint after pint of Guinness, attempting a dodgy Irish accent, then falling over. Vegas is no different, with major landmarks including the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign and the High Roller lit up in bright green and Patrick-lovin’ parties running the length and breadth of the Strip. Head to O’Sheas at the LINQ for the ultimate St Paddy’s party pub. Here, lurid green drinks accompany high-energy beer pong and classic casino table games including blackjack and roulette. Don’t forget your novelty green hat! March Madness March Madness is the nickname given to the fantastically popular NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament that sees cavernous Vegas sports bars full to bursting for much of the second half of the month. Sports fans and gamblers alike pour into town for a piece of the action, with giant screens showing the games in many of the major casinos, including the Venetian, MGM Grand and Caesars Palace. Difficult to avoid completely and occasionally overwhelming, it can feel like the whole town’s gone, well, basketball crazy. Head to the relative calm of downtown if you fancy a bit of respite away from the fanatics. Boulder City Beerfest A mere 20-odd miles south of Vegas is where you’ll find this annual mecca for beer lovers. Ok ok, so it’s a little out of town, but you managed to make it all the way out to the Grand Canyon, didn’t you? And that’s in Arizona! Expect award-winning ales and more from dozens of top Nevada brewers, soaked up with hearty fare from local food trucks. Save on attractions in Las Vegas Save on admission to Las Vegas attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
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Las Vegas Itinerary – 3 Days in Vegas for First Timers

Our guide to spending three days in Vegas.
Katie Sagal
Las Vegas helicopter going past the Eiffel Tower
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Adventurous things to do in Las Vegas

There’s no place quite like Las Vegas for satisfying the senses – the flashing signs, bright costumes, music, traffic and the sound of chips being counted are enough to overwhelm even the hardiest of visitors. It’s not a place for the faint hearted! And of course, a place like Vegas is bound to attract thrill-seekers and risk-takers, looking for a novel and exciting experience. Fortunately, there’s much more to Vegas than gambling your fortunes on the spin of a wheel or the chance to get married on a whim – there’s plenty more for the courageous spirit here! Our picks for the best Vegas adventures include: Vegas Strip helicopter tour SkyJump from the STRAT The Fly LINQ Zipline The Big Apple Roller Coaster The Blair Witch escape room Hiking to hot springs The Vegas Strip helicopter tour Feel your adrenaline pumping as you launch upward in the ‘limousine of the sky’. Hear the roar of the propellers as you soar along the famous strip, and see the Luxor Pyramid, Bellagio Fountains and the streets of Downtown Vegas from a whole new, colorful perspective. This Vegas Strip helicopter tour takes you from Las Vegas Boulevard to Fremont Street and back again, over neon signs, searching spotlights and crowds of people all looking tiny from your high vantage point. The ECO-Star helicopter is spacious and comfortable, and you can take as many photos as you like – but don’t forget to pause and take it all in, because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! SkyJump from the STRAT Head up to the top of the STRAT, where you can enjoy 360-degree views from 108 floors above the Strip. Then hop into a jumpsuit, strap yourself to the descender machine and jump! You’ll feel like superman leaping tall buildings in a single bound as you hurtle down the only Sky Jump in North America at speeds up to 40 miles per hour. Feel the wind whipping your face and roaring in your ears – if that doesn’t get the adrenaline pumping, nothing will! As you reach the ground the landing will be carefully controlled, and you’ll have a chance to look at photos of your descent while you get your land legs back again. Then you can head to one of the lip-smackingly good restaurants of the STRAT, since all that jumping is bound to have worked up an appetite. Ride the Fly LINQ Zipline If jumping from a 108-storey building is just a little too much for you, how about a 1,121-foot zipline? When you ride the Fly LINQ, you’re strapped into a harness and ride in a seated position, and while you can still reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, you’re only launching from 122 feet up, so you travel at a slightly less alarming angle. You’ll have plenty of time to take in the views, which include the open-air LINQ shopping center, the Brooklyn Bowl and the broad, twinkling streets and promenades of Vegas. Then you’ll finish at the High Roller Observation Wheel, which is the tallest observation wheel in the Americas and makes a wonderful backdrop for your souvenir photo! Ride the Big Apple Roller Coaster If there’s anything cooler than a roller coaster in the middle of a city, it’s a roller coaster with a New York Subway-inspired platform and cars designed to look like NYC taxi cabs. And sure, the Big Apple Coaster makes a very impressive skyline, but the best way to experience it is to ride it. It’ll take you slowly up to around 80 feet, where you’ll get a brief glimpse over the city before being whisked down again through a series of loops, spirals and inversions at a heart-pumping speed. You’ll believe you’re in New York as replicas of the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building whizz by. And if you find it all happened a bit too fast – perhaps you’ll have to go and ride it again! Escape the Blair Witch Project experience Escape rooms come in many shapes, sizes and difficulty levels, and themes to suit all tastes and interests. In the Vegas Number One Escape Room, for example, you can choose to escape from a creepy cabin in the woods, Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s house, foil a jewelry heist or follow up a bigfoot sighting. But the most daring will want to try the Blair Witch Escape Room, based on the terrifying movie franchise. Begin at the Burkittsville Ranger’s Station in the Black Hills Forest and follow the clues to find out exactly what happened to some missing students. Featuring creaky doors, dark, dank rooms and actual props from the movies, fans and thrill-seekers alike will be drawn into this heart-pounding experience. The question is, will you be able to get out again... Go hiking to hot springs If you’re looking for a little adventure out of the city, just downstream from Hoover Dam in the Black Canyon is the Gold Strike Canyon, where you’ll find the Gold Strike and Nevada Hot Springs. To get there, it’s an hour or so’s hike from the highway over rocks and other obstacles, some of which require hauling yourself up fixed-place ropes. Anyone of reasonable fitness should be able to manage it, but take note that the hike is not recommended in summer because of the potential presence of rattlesnakes. Once you get there you can have a relaxing soak in the hot springs, enjoying the quiet and isolation of the hills and rocks. Note there are risks associated with the springs as well, so be sure to check for any health warnings before you jump in. Have more adventures with Go City With Go City, you can save on dozens of attractions in and around Las Vegas. Whether you’re trying to be a bit braver, or a full adrenaline junkie, bring out your adventurous side with a Las Vegas Explorer or All-Inclusive Pass whenever you find yourself sightseeing in Sin City!
Karleen Stevens

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