City guides – Las Vegas
Notorious for gambling and consumer excess, Las Vegas, known as the City of Lights, has been dubbed the Entertainment Capital of the World (and also, because of its extravagance, ‘Sin City’). There is undoubtedly nothing understated about it. The famous Las Vegas Strip, at around four miles in length, is home to the city’s biggest hotel and casino resorts, and is characterised by brightly-lit facades, bustling side streets, flashing technicolour neon signs, and diverse buildings, from majestic sky-scrapers to contemporary domes and structures.
A tourist trolley service operates up and down the Strip and stops at most of the major hotels. There is also a free tram service on the west of the Strip and a shuttle service for certain hotel guests. Popular tourist attractions include the Bellagio Fountains, the Mirage’s Volcano Fountain, Shark Reef (a ‘walk through’ aquarium), Zoological Park, Titanic Exhibition, Adventuredome and the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society. You can even book a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon and take in the sights of the vast Nevada desert.
Tourists are spoilt for choice when it comes to hotels and eating out. Although there is plenty to keep you occupied by day, from cinema, comedy and cabaret to museums, theme parks and shopping delights, Las Vegas really comes alive at night, when billions of light bulbs flash up and down the strip and mesmerise you with various tempting ways to part with your money.
Served by McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas is the ‘Disneyland for Grown-ups’, and is definitely choice for the hedonistic traveller with plenty of cash to spend.