Things to do in Las Vegas for a Birthday

UPDATED JULY 2024By <a href="#author-bio">Stuart Bak</a>
By Stuart Bak
Woman wearing sunglasses and a party hat

Birthdays are precious things, a rare opportunity to make a whole day all about you. And, unless you’re the British monarch, you’ll only get to be this self-indulgent once every 365.25 days, a total of maybe 80-90 times in your lifetime. 

Want to smash your special day right out of the park? There’s perhaps no better place to do so than Las Vegas, the hedonistic neon-lit Nevada playground that’s widely considered to be the entertainment capital of the world. Is Vegas fun for a birthday? Heck, you might as well ask if the Pope is a Catholic. Read on for our fun-packed guide to all the best things to do in Las Vegas for your birthday, including adrenalin-fueled activities, spectacular spa days, exciting live extravaganzas and, of course, a spot of birthday roulette.

Las Vegas Birthday Ideas #1: Cake!

Colorful happy birthday cupcake

Everything about Sin City feels supersized, technicolored and, well, magnificently and flamboyantly OTT. And the cakes in Vegas are no exception. There are dozens of bakeries on and around the Strip. Follow your nose for delectable French fancies at Patisserie Manon, Délices Gourmand, and Bouchon Bakery at The Venetian. Or pick up a face-sized wedge of the good stuff at the self-explanatory Cheesecake Baker, where the kaleidoscope of flavor options includes tiramisu, matcha, butterscotch and black forest. Rainbows of freshly baked doughnuts are the order of the day at Pinkbox and there are TV-famous gateaux to be had at Freed’s. Heck, it’s your birthday. Go wild, get sinful, and try 'em all!

Las Vegas Birthday Ideas #2: Thrills and Spills

Tandem skydivers

Adrenalin junkies rejoice! Las Vegas is where it’s at for high-octane birthday adventures. It doesn’t matter how old you are: the appropriately named X-Scream roller coaster which teeter-totters over the edge of the STRAT hotel some 866 feet above the Strip will make you feel gloriously intensely alive. Likewise the Big Shot, which fires riders straight up the STRAT’s mast to a dizzying 1,081 feet above terra firma. For something (marginally) less terrifying, hit up the SlotZilla zipline at the Fremont Street Experience downtown, or head out on a skydive over the Strip or Grand Canyon. Top tip: all of these experiences are best enjoyed before cake, rather than immediately after, for fairly obvious reasons.

Las Vegas Birthday Ideas #3: Next-Level Pampering

Woman relaxing in a pool at the spa

The proliferation of mega-resorts in Las Vegas means football-pitch-sized spa centers are par for the course. Make like an emperor or empress and spend your day fully horizontal in the treatment rooms, snowy Arctic ice zone and balmy Roman baths at Qua Baths & Spa in Caesars Palace, where a 24-karat gold collagen facial massage is just about as decadent as it gets. Or mosey on down to the distinctly 21st-century Spa at Wynn, where the opulent surroundings and broad range of treatments have earned a coveted Forbes 5-star award. Meanwhile, the simultaneous head-and-foot Euphoria massage in The Spa at Encore has to be experienced to be believed. 

Las Vegas Birthday Ideas #4: Pink Jeep Tour

Sign at Badwater Basin, Death Valley, the lowest point in the United States.

It’s your birthday, so you’ll want to kick back, put your feet up and make someone else do all the hard work. Which is where Pink Jeep Tours come in. All you have to do is choose your adventure – think in-depth guided drives along the Strip, cruises to Red Rock Canyon, and even 10-hour round-trips to Badwater Basin in Death Valley – climb into the titular shocking-pink 4WD and let your driver take up the slack, leaving you to soak up all the very best of Las Vegas and beyond without lifting a finger.

Las Vegas Birthday Ideas #5: Roll the Dice

Red dice in a cocktail glass in Las Vegas

You’re in Vegas and it’s your birthday. Frankly it would be rude not to try your luck in one of the dozens of casinos for which Sin City is famous. Get your glam on at some of the glitziest addresses on the Strip. We’re talking winning streaks at The Wynn, blackjack and bubbly at the Bellagio, and poker in Paris. Or go old school Vegas at Caesars Palace, the Golden Nugget and the Fremont. Top tip: many casinos, including the Wynn, Excalibur, Luxor and MGM Grand, offer free casino credit on your birthday. So grab your ID, stake your claim, and get ready to roll!

Las Vegas Birthday Ideas #6: Buy Yourself a Birthday Gift

Gondolier at The Venetian in Las Vegas

Vegas’s arsenal of credit card-melting activities isn’t just limited to gambling, dining and entertainment you know. No! There’s world-class shopping to be had too, much of it with eye-watering Vegas price tags to match. But, hey, it’s ya birthday, so get yourself over to The Venetian, where the Grand Canal Shoppes boast some of the most luxurious brands in town, and gondola rides along the replica of Venice’s Grand Canal might just be exciting enough to distract you from that four-figure designer watch you’ve been ogling…

Las Vegas Birthday Ideas #7: The Grand Canyon

Nighttime helicopter ride over the Las Vegas Strip

Outdoor types will struggle to resist the lure of the Grand Canyon, just a short and spectacular helicopter or plane ride out of Las Vegas (or a long and rather less wow coach trip). For our money, helicopter rides are the best value, affording quite remarkable panoramas and the flexibility to touch down among the canyon's rust-red rocks and wildflowers for bolt-on champagne picnics and other special birthday experiences. The sunset ride back along the Strip against flaming orange and bruised purple skies, as the city lights up with its trademark neon glow, is the kind of unforgettable experience of which Las Vegas birthday dreams are made.

Las Vegas Birthday Ideas #8: Showtime!

Concert-goer filming the show on a phone

Fancy taking in a show? You’re spolit for choice in Vegas. Hit up the legendary Colosseum at Caesars Palace to experience some of the planet’s biggest music and entertainment stars up close (Cher, Mariah, Elton, Celine and Adele have all had residencies here), or catch one of the ubiquitous Cirque du Soleil spectaculars at major hotels across town. Then there’s the Blue Man Group at the Luxor and countless other live spectaculars, including magic shows, musicals, comedy, cabaret and more up and down the Strip and beyond. Fill your birthday boots!

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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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The 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas' road sign at sunset
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Things to do in Las Vegas at Night Time

It’s difficult to accurately convey the excitement of Las Vegas after dark. It’s the kind of thing that really has to be experienced, at least once, to be believed. We’re talking kaleidoscopic neon lights that set the night sky ablaze from dusk till dawn, larger-than-life dancing fountains and exploding volcanoes on the Strip, and hands-down the best nightlife on the planet, from mega-clubs to world-class concerts to huge, cavernous casinos. And that’s just for starters. They don’t call it the entertainment capital of the world for nothing, you know! We’ve attempted to distill the very essence of Sin City into just 10 essential after-dark activities. Check out our favorite things to do in Las Vegas at night time below, including: The Strip by bus and by helicopter Flamboyant Bellagio and Mirage hotel shows The Fremont Street Experience A date atop the Eiffel Tower A cacophony of clubs, concerts and casinos The Neon Museum The High Roller observation wheel Vegas Night Rider A bus tour is one of the easiest ways to get a flavor of Sin City at any time. But it’s particularly special at night, when the desert city transmits its bright neon glow out into the stratosphere and the streets are abuzz with party people. Ride the Strip and marvel at the flamboyant mega-resorts, pause for a night time selfie at the iconic ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign and experience a little old-school Vegas downtown, where you’ll have free time to explore the epic Fremont Street Experience and nab yet more snaps in front of the famous Golden Nugget casino, an essential part of the landscape here since 1946. Free Strip Entertainment You can find all the night time entertainment you’ll ever need along the length of Las Vegas Boulevard, aka the Strip, where mega-hotels vie for your attention with increasingly flamboyant live spectacles, perfect for lighting up your Insta. Chief among these must-sees are the Bellagio fountains: great skyscraping jets of balletic water that sway in time with classical music belters and modern pop bangers. Then there’s the volcano at Mirage, complete with leaping flames, eyebrow-singeing fireballs and, um, pina colada-scented smoke. Only in Las Vegas. Both shows run at regular intervals throughout the evening, right up until midnight. Ride the High Roller Towering a casual 550 feet above the Strip, the Las Vegas High Roller is second only in height to the Ain Dubai in the hotly contested observation wheel world league. As the sun sets over Sin City, the High Roller is illuminated with 2,000 LED lights, creating an eye-popping display that stands out superbly against the night sky even in this perpetually neon-lit metropolis. Step aboard at the LINQ Promenade for a smooth 30-minute ride that soars over the streets, affording dizzying views along the Strip and beyond. Over 21? Steady vertigo-induced nerves with a Dirty Martini in one of the open-bar cabins. Feeling Lucky? Can you even say you’ve been to Vegas if you haven’t spent time in one of the city’s cavernous mega-casinos? No, dear reader, you cannot. Take your pick of the slots or try your luck on the poker, craps, roulette and blackjack tables. There are (obvs) dozens of casinos to choose from (it’s Vegas, baby!) but for pure old-school charm, Caesars Palace and the Golden Nugget are tough to beat. Good luck, and don’t forget to gamble responsibly, kids. Fremont Street Experience Easily one of the coolest things to do in Las Vegas at night time, the Fremont Street Experience is an epic downtown entertainment complex that includes fine-dining restaurants, trendy cocktail bars and – because this is Las Vegas – a 1,700-foot-long zip wire with a launch platform that’s designed to look like a slot machine and comes complete with 35-foot showgirls. Highlight of the complex is the utterly bonkers LED canopy; essentially a wraparound video screen that’s the length of five football pitches. Don’t miss its mesmerizing nightly Viva Vision light show every hour between 6PM and 2AM. See the Strip in Style If there’s a better way to see Vegas at night than from a helicopter we’ve yet to discover it. Hop aboard for a whirlwind adventure that takes in the bright lights of the Strip and the sparkle of downtown. Eyes peeled for Vegas giants including the STRAT’s rooftop roller coasters, Paris’s replica Eiffel Tower, the High Roller observation wheel, and the ever-changing facade of the Sphere. Romance, Europe-Style Looking to impress your date? A night ride along the Venetian’s replica Grand Canal, complete with singing gondolier, is sure to set hearts aflutter. Afterwards, head over to the Paris resort’s glitzy Eiffel Tower facsimile, where a ride up in the great glass elevator is rewarded with fine French dining far above the Strip. Bon appetit! See the Bright Lights The Neon Museum is a quite astonishing al fresco boneyard that preserves and showcases that most Las Vegas of art forms: the neon sign. Check out retired masterpieces of the Sin City skyline including signage from Sassy Sally’s, the Stardust, the Hard Rock Cafe and the Lucky Cuss Motel. This is a favorite night time activity in Las vegas, so be prepared to queue for those all-important Instagrammable photo opportunities, with the signs lit up against the desert sky in all their technicolor glory. Take in a Show Las Vegas doesn’t half know how to put on a show. Magicians, musical icons, comedians, theatrical groups: there’s something for everyone here. Check out one of the many spectacular Cirque shows at resorts including the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay, catch the legendary Blue Man Group at the Luxor, or go old school at the Coliseum in Caesars Palace, where mega stars including Cher, Adele, Mariah and Elton have all held long-running residencies. Get Your Boogie On The club scene in Las Vegas is legendary, from night time pool parties to cavernous clubs like Hakkasan at the MGM Grand where superstar DJs such as Calvin Harris and Tiesto bring the beats. Hit up Omnia in Caesars Palace with its huge outdoor terrace, or enjoy some of the best people-watching in town at Mandalay Bay’s upscale LIGHT venue. It’s Vegas, so naturally there’s also the option of joining a VIP nightclub tour, an ideal entry point for the uninitiated. Save on attractions in Las Vegas  Save on admission to Las Vegas attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Silhouette of man drinking water on a hot day
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Things to do in Las Vegas When It's Hot Outside

It’s built slap bang in the middle of one of the planet’s hottest deserts, so it should come as no surprise that Las Vegas can get uncomfortably warm from time to time. Indeed, it’s not uncommon to experience triple-digit days between June and September, when the mercury hits a sweltering 100°F on the regular and has even been known to top out at an earth-scorching 115°F.  So yeah, Sin City simply sizzles in summer. But fear not: there are plenty of ways to beat the heat in Las Vegas, from lazy rivers and frozen cocktails to ice rooms and air-conditioned mega malls. Here’s our guide to the best things to do in Las Vegas when it’s hot outside. Ice Ice Baby So you’ve donned your Saturn-sized sun hat, slathered on the sunscreen and kept well hydrated with chilled water, but you’re still overheating like a faulty gasket. Good news: Las Vegas caters for precisely this issue and you never have to walk far before stumbling upon some fine purveyor of frozen drinks, extravagant ice creams, boozy popsicles or other thirst-slaking concoctions. Hit up Sticks and Shakes on the Strip for a quite dizzying selection of gelato and milkshakes (literally hundreds of flavor combos available), or head to the colorful Best Friend bar at Park MGM for some of the best spiked slushies in town. The signature CrazyShakes at Black Tap in the Venetian – spectacular frozen confections topped with candy, cookies and whole slabs of cake – are pure Las Vegas. Dive in! Pool the Other One Huge aquatic playgrounds abound in Sin City, where man made beaches, staggeringly large swimming pools, VIP cabanas, poolside cabanas and servers that could be models are de rigueur. And let’s face it, floating down a lazy river, pina colada in hand, is probably just about all you’re good for in this heat anyway, right? The Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, the MGM Grand… take your pick. The modestly monikered Garden of the Gods at Caesars comes complete with epic Romanesque columns, statues and fountains, as well as a whopping SEVEN pools. Meanwhile over at the Golden Nugget, you can ride a water slide right through the middle of a 200,000-gallon shark tank. Only in Vegas.  Get Wet and Wild More water-based activities await at Cowabunga Canyon Waterpark, a bumper 40-acre attraction that presents dozens of inventive ways to cool off in the hot Las Vegas sun. We’re talking high-octane water slides with names like the Ricochet Racer and Boomer Wrangler, the massive Cadillac Shores wave pool, the Piñata Falls play area (complete with refreshing 1,100-liter tipping bucket), and the thousand-foot-long Cactus Creek lazy river. A fine way to keep the kids entertained (and cool) all at the same time. Get Outta Town! Temperatures on majestic Mount Charleston in Clark County tend to be around 20-30 degrees lower than in the city during summer, making this fine natural wonder a great choice for escaping the Las Vegas heat. The scenic drive northwest out of Sin City is worth the journey in itself, as the otherworldly landscape transforms from the rust reds and arid heat of the desert floor to a cooler alpine environment. This lush wilderness, all pine forests, wildflower meadows and crashing waterfalls, offers a wide range of hiking opportunities, from canyons to high summits. Steel yourself for the 16-hour round-trip ramble to Charleston Peak, 11,916 feet up, where intrepid explorers are rewarded with life-affirming views of Death Valley, the Sierra Nevada, and Las Vegas itself.  Splash the Cash It goes without saying that Las Vegas is no slouch when it comes to indoor entertainment. Casinos, malls, bars, buses: every square inch of Sin City real estate is air-conditioned to within an inch of its life, the welcoming Arctic blast that greets you in every single doorway providing the most straightforward solution available to beating the desert heat. And, here in the world’s entertainment capital, it’s near-impossible to run out of fun ways to occupy yourself. Where, then, to begin? You could try your luck in any one of dozens of Vegas casinos: keep your cool at the Cosmopolitan’s craps tables, go for gold at the old-school Golden Nugget downtown, play hundreds of slots at the STRAT, and recreate your favorite scenes from The Hangover at Caesars Palace. Assuming you haven’t just bankrupted yourself at blackjack, you might also consider taking yourself off to one of the city’s mega malls. These great cavernous cathedrals to capitalism are lovely and cool inside, meaning the only thing at risk of going into meltdown is your credit card. Try window-shopping the Venetian’s upscale Grand Canal Shoppes, where a gondola ride on the replica of Venice’s Grand Canal may be just enough to distract you from that eye-wateringly expensive Dior choker you’ve been coveting. Cool Cultural Highlights Thankfully there are plenty of alternative indoor attractions that are far less likely to break the bank. Ride the (fully air-conditioned) Deuce bus for a cost-effective way of seeing some of the Strip’s highlights, including the Bellagio fountains, the Mirage volcano and the iconic ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign. Or drop by one or two of Sin City’s rather awesome museums: the Pinball Hall of Fame contains more than 150 fully operational old-school arcade classics, while The Mob Museum charts the history of organized crime in the USA and – bonus alert! – comes with its own with Prohibition-style subterranean speakeasy, serving real cocktails. Then there’s the cooling effects of the lush vegetation in the Bellagio’s eye-popping Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Or the fantastical, futuristic worlds to be found inside Area15 and the epic Las Vegas Sphere, both, of course, air-conned up to the hilt. Chill Out! Still too hot? You need to get yourself over to the opulent Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars Palace. Inside the Arctic Ice Room, the mercury drops to a teeth-chattering 55°F – not quite cold enough for snow in the real world, but this is the surreal world of Las Vegas, baby, so snow you shall have nevertheless. There’s also ice to rub on your skin should you feel inclined to do so. Believe us when we say it won’t be long before you’re begging for some of that circulation-reviving 100-degree outdoor heat! Save on attractions, tours and activities in Las Vegas Save on admission to Las Vegas attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Young couple kissing by the 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas' sign
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Las Vegas Airport to City Travel Options (Harry Reid)

Las Vegas is the world’s entertainment capital; truly a city that never sleeps. So you’ll want to spend as little time as possible between touching down at Harry Reid International Airport and getting yourself to the heart of the action. We’re talking supersized casinos, malls the size of aircraft hangars and some of the biggest, glitziest stage shows outside of Broadway. Marvel at the Mirage’s erupting volcano, take the great glass elevator up the (replica) Eiffel Tower at Paris, grab a selfie by the Bellagio’s legendary dancing fountains, and hitch a gondola ride down Venice’s Grand Canal at The Venetian. All this and more (so much more) awaits you in Sin City. Read on for our guide to all the transport options from Harry Reid International to downtown Vegas… Las Vegas Harry Reid Airport in Brief There’s only one international airport in Las Vegas. Harry Reid International was known as McCarran International up until 2021, when controversy over the antisemitic and racist beliefs of former Nevada senator Pat McCarran finally boiled over, prompting a 21st-century update. Senator Harry Reid lived just long enough to see the airport take his name in December 2021, just two weeks prior to his death. In spite of this, many still know the airport as McCarran. Or just plan Las Vegas Airport. The airport identification code – LAS – remains unaltered. Depending on direction of travel (and which side of the plane you’re sitting on), you might well get to enjoy cracking views of the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and the Strip on your descent into fabulous Las Vegas. No matter how experienced your pilot, you’re also reasonably likely to experience a turbulent landing here. That’s due to unpredictable mountain air currents and hot dry desert air. The effect is particularly pronounced in summer. Still, the excitement will set you up rather nicely for all the thrills and spills that await in Sin City. But first, let us address the rather more prosaic matter of getting from LAS to downtown. The good news is that Harry Reid is a mere hop and a skip from the Strip, from a little over a mile if you’re staying at the southern end (MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay) to more like five miles if you’re bedding down at e.g. The STRAT, at the northern end. It’s nine miles to the Fremont Street Experience in downtown, technically the center of Vegas. Harry Reid Airport to Las Vegas by Public Transport Proximity of landing strip to actual Strip means there’s no need for stacks of transit options. Buses are frequent, reliable and – if a little slow – certainly the cheapest way of getting from A to B, useful if you’ve just accidentally dropped 100 bucks on the airport’s 1,000+ slot machines. Viva Las Vegas, baby! Getting from the Airport to Downtown This is pretty straightforward. There are three public bus services out of Harry Reid, and all of them bypass the Strip and make straight for downtown. One-way tickets cost $2 and should be bought (exact fare only!) on the bus. Routes 108 and 109 run most frequently and will get you to the Bonneville Transit Center bus stop in around 35-45 minutes. Route 109 runs around the clock. Alternatively the Centennial Express CX out of terminals 1 and 3 takes around 45 minutes to reach the end of the line at Casino Center & Fremont. However, this service only runs once per hour. You can also pay a little more ($3) for a 2-hour ticket that allows you to bus-hop around on Nevada’s RTC network until the time runs out. This excludes The Deuce, of which more below. Top tip: once in downtown Las Vegas, you can make use of the excellent Downtown Loop bus service for free.  Getting from the Airport to the Strip There are two options for getting to your Strip hotel from the airport using public transport: Take the Centennial Express CX, which departs from terminals 1 and 3, and disembark at the Tropicana after Koval Ln stop after around 20-25 minutes. From here you can transfer to the Las Vegas Monorail, which runs roughly parallel to the Strip along its eastern side and stops at several stations close to major hotels. A single one-way ride on the monorail costs $5.50 and multi-day passes are also available. Take the 109 bus route from the airport and disembark at South Strip Transit Terminal Bay 18. From there it’s a short walk to the South Strip Transit Terminal Bay SSTT for transfers to The Deuce, a 24/7 coach that services 28 stops along the length of the Strip. A one-way ticket costs $4 and it’s $6 for a two-hour pass. Again, multi-day passes are also available. Harry Reid Airport to the Strip or Downtown by Cab You’ll have to spring more for a cab than for the bus, but there’s no doubting this is the fastest and easiest way to get to your Vegas digs from the airport. Flat rates apply for rides from the cab ranks at terminals 1 and 3 to the Strip, and these vary depending on where you want to go, as follows: Zone 1 (Sunset North to Tropicana): $21. This covers Excalibur, the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Tropicana, the Luxor and other hotels towards the Strip’s southern end. Zone 2 (Tropicana North to Flamingo): $25. Mid-Strip hotels in zone 2 include Paris, the Bellagio, Planet Hollywood and the Cosmopolitan. Zone 3 (Flamingo North to Stratosphere): $29. Zone 3 covers the northern end of the Strip, which includes Caesars Palace, the Venetian, the Wynn, Circus Circus, the STRAT and more. Note that flat-rate fares within these zones don’t include credit card fees, the $2 fuel surcharge or that all-important tip. Cabs to Downtown are metered and should set you back around $40. Operators including Lyft and Uber are a little less convenient but can cost up to 30% less than official airport cabs, so are always worth considering. Harry Reid Airport to Downtown Las Vegas by Rental Vehicle The Harry Reid Rent-a-Car Center is on Gilespie Street, around three miles south of the airport. You can catch a free shuttle there from the terminals; the journey takes 10 minutes and services depart every five minutes. You’ll find all the usual suspects here, including Alamo, Budget Hertz and Thrifty, with vehicles available from as little as $20 a day, right up to the kind of soft-top shocking-pink cadillac you might favor if you really want to stand out on the Strip. Save on attractions, tours and activities in Las Vegas Save on admission to Las Vegas attractions with Go City. Grab a Las Vegas pass, and make sure to check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak

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