Get In

By car
Southern Californians crowd Interstate 15 every weekend going back and forth to Vegas. Expect this drive to be crowded and frustrating, unless you can come and go at off-peak hours. However, many find the 280-mile drive along the I-15 restful and scenic. Attractions along the I-15 include the towns of Barstow, California; Baker, California; the Mojave Desert; and small hotel-casinos at Stateline (Primm), Nevada and Jean, Nevada. Those who traverse the I-15 should remember that they are crossing a desert, and should carry (and drink) ample amounts of water, especially on hot summer days where temperatures can reach 120 degrees F.

By bus
Greyhound operates buses from Salt Lake City, Utah; Kingman, Arizona; and Los Angeles, California to Las Vegas.

By air
McCarran International Airport (LAS) is served by many domestic and international air carriers. Discount air carriers serving LAS include America West, JetBlue, and Southwest. As at most US airports, you can rent luggage carts for $3. A very few hotels offer check-in desks and luggage transfers at LAS. Getting from LAS to your hotel is accomplished by airport shuttle (Bell Trans, $3.50-$10); rent-a-car; taxi ($10-20); or limousine ($35). The taxi line is well organized, the city taxi dispatcher will direct you to a numbered space along the curb. You need not tip the taxi dispatcher. As in any city, you can be taken advantage of if the cab driver thinks you are naive or new to the city. Do not allow the cab driver to take you through the I-15 tunnel (an extra $10) or tell you the story about the "big accident" enroute to your hotel, if either of these happens take down the driver's hack license number and call the Nevada Taxi Commission.

By "rail"
A daily bus route from Needles, California to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, with a stop in Laughlin, Nevada, is operated in concert with Amtrak's Southwest Chief . Amtrak California's San Joaquins route operates 2 buses daily to Las Vegas from Bakersfield, California as part of its service.

Get around

By public transit
The Las Vegas Monorail runs on the east side of the strip behind the hotels with stops at several of the hotels. It costs $3 one-way and $5 round-trip. Do the math before boarding, it could be cheaper for a small group to take a taxi.

The city bus line, Citizens Area Transport or CAT, operates 49 routes throughout the valley. Most routes operate 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. seven days a week. Some routes operate 24-hours a day. The fare is $1.25; $2 for the 301 and 302 routes that connect Strip and Downtown. They follow the same route but they differ in frequency of operation and number of stations along the way. The fare may be paid directly to the driver. You may find these lines overcrowded to the point of unavailability -- a taxi is usually a better idea.

For more information:

 • Las Vegas Monorail, telephone (702) 699-8200, .
 • Citizens Area Transport, telephone (702) 228-7433, .

Taxi
One of the easiest ways to get around is by taxi. It is relatively cheap to go from hotel to hotel. The cab driver is required to turn on the meter and to take the shortest route to your destination. There is a surcharge for rides originating at the airport, but not for extra passengers. Taxi lines (queues) are typically found at the front of hotels. You would be unwise to attempt to hail one on the street, especially on the Strip as it is illegal for a cab to stop traffic to pick up or drop off a passenger. The best way to hail a cab outside of a cabstand is to use the following method: if you are wanting to go north on the strip, stand on the east side about 20 feet before a turn off. The cab you want to wave over will have the yellow lights off. Standing like this allows the cab to turn off the road and pick you up. It is customary to tip the hotel taxi dispatcher $1, and to pay the cab driver $1 for every 3 minutes you ride in the cab (on top of the cost on the taxi meter), and about a $1 per bag of luggage.