Las Vegas: Know What You’re Getting Into

Las Vegas is one of those cities that’s simultaneously ridiculous and completely self-consistent. Everything is built around the premise that you’re there to spend money - at the tables, at the restaurants, at the shows, at the pool bars. Once you accept the logic, the city is remarkably good at what it does. People who fight the premise have worse trips than people who surrender to it.

The Strip is about 4.5 kilometres of Las Vegas Boulevard. The major casino-resorts - Bellagio, Caesars, MGM Grand, Wynn, Cosmopolitan, the Venetian - are all there. Walking end to end takes about an hour; visiting any single property takes longer because they are deliberately designed to be difficult to navigate and even harder to exit.

The New Landmark

The Sphere opened in September 2023 adjacent to the Venetian and has become the most significant addition to Las Vegas entertainment infrastructure in decades. The structure stands 112 metres tall and 157 metres wide - the largest spherical building in the world. The exterior is a 580,000-square-foot LED display that runs programming continuously. The interior is more significant: a 160,000-square-foot, 16K-resolution wraparound screen that puts the audience inside the image rather than in front of it. The concerts and experiences hosted here are genuinely unlike any other venue. By 2026, residencies have included the Eagles, Metallica, Phish, No Doubt, and Backstreet Boys. Tickets run $150-400 depending on show and position. It’s expensive; it’s also the most technologically advanced entertainment venue ever built.

What Else to See

The Bellagio Fountains are free, run every 30 minutes in the afternoon and every 15 minutes in the evening, and are legitimately impressive. 1,214 jets choreographed to music in front of the Bellagio lake. Worth watching twice from different angles.

The Neon Museum (770 Las Vegas Blvd North) preserves retired neon signs from the original casino era. The night tour ($30, book online) is far better than the daytime visit; the signs are lit, the desert air is warm, and the effect is genuinely extraordinary. Probably the most interesting two hours available in Las Vegas.

Fremont Street Experience in Old Downtown covers the original casino district under a 460-metre LED canopy. Smaller, older, cheaper, and more historically interesting than the Strip. Worth half an evening.

The Mob Museum (300 Stewart Ave) covers organised crime and law enforcement history with more research and less camp than you’d expect. Genuinely good.

Where to Eat

Las Vegas has a concentration of serious restaurants that would be remarkable in any city. Carbone at Aria is probably the hottest reservation right now; Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand is the most serious French option and priced accordingly. Spago at the Bellagio (Wolfgang Puck) is the classic reliable choice. For something under $20: Eggslut at the Cosmopolitan does excellent breakfast sandwiches worth the queue.

The casino buffets have declined in quality and risen in price. Most are not worth the visit.

Where to Stay

The major resorts are the accommodation. The Bellagio remains the best-positioned and best-maintained. Wynn is slightly quieter with excellent rooms. The Cosmopolitan has the best design of any property and strong in-house dining. For value: The LINQ is well-located mid-Strip and significantly cheaper. Every property charges a resort fee of $40-60 per night on top of the room rate. This is unavoidable.

Practical Notes

Rideshare from the airport runs $15-20 to the Strip. The Las Vegas Monorail runs along the east side and is useful but incomplete. Walking the Strip in July is unpleasant in the heat; October through April is far more comfortable. If you’re gambling, set a budget before sitting down and keep to it. The casino design is specifically engineered to make both leaving and tracking money difficult.