Las Vegas, USA-3-day-itinerary
Three days threads a needle: long enough for one desert excursion, short enough that you still remember which night you saw which show. This build leans on the Strip’s greatest hits plus a single Red Rock afternoon, which is about all a 72-hour trip can honestly fit.
Day 1: Saturday
Morning
- 9:00 AM - Check in at the hotel
- Bellagio remains the pick for atmosphere and location, especially if you can snag a room facing the fountains.
Mid-day
- 10:00 AM - The High Roller Observation Wheel
- A 550-foot wheel with genuinely strong views over the Strip. Check current pricing before buying; it moves with demand.
- Air-conditioned cabins are a real relief if you’re doing this in summer.
Afternoon
- 12:00 PM - Lunch at Eggslut
- Inside The Cosmopolitan, still the reigning egg sandwich in town.
Evening
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7:00 PM - Fountains of Bellagio
- Free, choreographed, running every 15-30 minutes depending on the time of day. Grab sidewalk real estate a few minutes early.
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9:00 PM - Dinner at Joël Robuchon
- A three-Michelin-star French dining room in the MGM Grand, one of the actual splurges worth making on a short trip. Foie gras and the tasting menu both deliver.
Day 2: Sunday
Morning
- 9:00 AM - The Mob Museum
- Housed in a former federal courthouse downtown, genuinely well-curated exhibits on organized crime history.
Mid-day
- 12:00 PM - Lunch at Lotus of Siam
- Off-Strip Thai food with a cult reputation that’s earned, not hyped. The green curry alone justifies the drive.
Afternoon
- 1:30 PM - Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
- About 20-30 minutes from the Strip. Between February and November, book the $2 timed-entry reservation online before you drive out, on top of the standard vehicle entrance fee. Rent a car for this stretch of the trip; rideshare gets expensive and inconvenient out here.
Evening
- 6:00 PM - Dinner at Eataly
- Italian market-style dining inside Park MGM, good for splitting several small plates rather than committing to one entree.
Day 3: Monday
Morning
- 9:00 AM - The Neon Museum
- A better start-of-day stop than the old Mirage volcano circuit, which no longer exists since the Mirage closed and reopened as Hard Rock Las Vegas. The Neon Museum’s outdoor sign collection is the more durable Vegas photo op now.
Mid-day
- 11:00 AM - Lunch at Hash House A Go Go
- Oversized portions, good waffles, the kind of meal that sets you up for an afternoon of walking.
Afternoon
- 12:30 PM - The LINQ Promenade
- Open-air shopping and people-watching, walkable straight from lunch.
Evening
- 7:00 PM - O by Cirque du Soleil at Bellagio
- A strong closer: water, acrobatics, and lighting design that’s held up remarkably well since it opened.
Transportation
- Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)
- The airport’s name since 2021; ignore any reference to “McCarran” you find elsewhere.
- Rideshare pickup is inside the parking garages, not curbside, and carries a flat $4.50 surcharge on every trip. To mid-Strip, budget 15-20 minutes and $20-35 plus that fee.
Tips and Other Things of Interest
- Getting Around Las Vegas
- Free casino trams still run: Mandalay Bay to Excalibur to Luxor, and Bellagio to CityCenter to Park MGM. Both are legitimately useful and completely free.
- The Las Vegas Monorail only covers the east side of the Strip, MGM Grand to SAHARA, seven stations, and skips Bellagio, Caesars, and Wynn, so don’t count on it for a full Strip loop.
- Weather in Las Vegas
- Summer (June-August) regularly clears 100°F and can push past 110°F; hydrate seriously. Winter is mild, dipping to around 40°F at night, so pack a layer even in December.
- Tipping Culture in Las Vegas
- 15-20% at restaurants, bars, and for hotel staff is standard.
- Resort fees are the thing nobody warns you about: expect $45-60+ a night added at checkout, separate from the room rate, on top of whatever you tipped along the way.
Book Joël Robuchon before you land, not after. It’s a small room with a loyal following, and same-day reservations rarely exist for a Saturday night.