Transport Question
 

Hey all,
Forgive the crazy question...I haven't been to Vegas in several years and don't quite remember how close everything is together. I'll be coming in tomorrow night and staying at the Aladdin, and was wondering if I'd be better off renting a car, or taking a cab for the 3 days I'm there...for the areas on the strip, I'm almost positive everything is in walking distance, but for the off-strip hotels and such, would it be cheaper to take a taxi or to get a car? Someone told me that there is a lot of traffic and cabs are expensive. True? False?

FWIW, cars are running about $50 a day ~
TIA,

Aladdin is on strip. Unless you want to go off strip somewhere like downtown, everything else is pretty much walking distance.

Yes traffic is crazy there. If you're not used to that kind of driving it can be nerve wracking. Yes cabs are expensive in LV, but unless you are going to be doing an awful lot of running around I think you would be better off money wise taking cabs, not to mention the convenience.

SNOW

Everywhere is walking distance, if you have the time (Steven Wright) :D

Seriously,

I find it is cheaper and easier to rent a car if you want to do any exploring. You can usually get one around $25-30 per day. One round trip cab ride just about anywhere will equal this. I like to wander, go downtown, etc. so I like the flexibility of a car.

The strip traffic can be bad, but most casinos have entrances in the back. Use Koval east of the strip and Industrial Road west. I think it is the book "The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas" that has a section on the sneak routes into casino garages.

If I want to be center strip I'll park at the Flamingo or Barbary Coast and walk to Ballys, Paris, Bellagio... from there. South Strip I ususally use NYNY for parking. I don't wander the north strip too much. Main Street Station for downtown.

If drinking, the car stays parked.

Thanks for your quick responses, fellas.

How bout the monorail? Is that any good? I'm used to the big city driving and the crazy driving in Vegas (drove there last time a few years back), and being on the strip is nice, but wouldn't mind venturing out to the shopping areas and the Palms and other places off-strip.

Thanks again !
cheers~

I have not tried the monorail since it was extended. I have taken it from MGM to Ballys, and I really think I walked FARTHER going all the way through MGM to get the the station at the back, and then all the way back to the strip from the back of Ballys.

Traffic is absolutely INSANE on the Strip. You couldn't pay me enough to drive on it. With all the transport options, I really don't think you need a car unless you are wanting to go to Lake Mead or some other day trip type place. The Monorail will get you all the way over to the Sahara and from there you can take the bus to Downtown and Fremont street. If you want to go to Rio just take the Shuttle from Harrahs. There are lots of options that I really don't think a car is a necessity. Do you really want to pay $40 a day to have it sit in the parking lot at the Aladdin?

Sam, here is a website for the las Vegas Monorail:

http://www.lvmonorail.com/

It gives the route, the casinos on the route and the hours of operations and ticket prices. I have used it on my last two trips and I have found it to be very good transport.

Also, keep in mind, you can buy the tickets once you get there if you decide to do the Monorail thing. You don't have to buy them in advance online. The only one I don't think you can buy there is the 3 day pass for $40 (which is really a good deal). That one you do have to buy online. The others you can buy at kiosks near the Monorail entrances.

Traffic is bad especially on weekends and even worse on holiday weekends like the one beginning tomorrow. Taxis will be expensive if they drive on the strip to take you to your destination since the traffic is bad you'll sit in traffic and watch the meter go up. If you want to go downtown consider taking The Deuce bus transportation.
http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/deuce/route_info.htm

True, but with all the Construction going on, even Koval is kind of messed up.

Thanks for the info, hlburi!

Cheers~

Cars are nice if you are going off the strip with the exception of d/t. I can't believe unless I missed it someone hasn't mentioned the bus. You can get an all day pass on the buss for I believe 5 bucks. That is a pretty good deal and the bus stops quite frequantly so it is real easy to get on and off how ever many times you wish all for 5 bucks.

Greg

I have never taken the bus. Mostly because every time I've seen that double decker bus, it's been sitting in that Gawdawful traffic on the Strip. Can somone who has taken the bus educate me as to how long it actually takes to ride it from say, the MGM end of the Strip to Las Vegas Hilton or Downtown? I'm curious.

One thing to remember about the Deuce is it stops CONSTANTLY! If you go during an off peak time then its ok, but during peak you can literally stop every other block between South Strip and Downtown. It's so slow you swear you could walk it that fast.

See...and that is my issue with driving down the Strip. The cars seem to be in constant standstills. You can walk faster than the traffic moves on the Strip. Koval or one of the other backroads are definitely the way to go if your goal is to get around quickly.

I like to partake of those "free" drinks you get while I'm in Vegas. That rules out a car for me. :D

Oh dear God do not do that.

And what is wrong with dt?

Other than it would likely take well over an hour to get downtown and maybe save you about $12-15 over a cab, there's nothing wrong with it. I guess it depends on your budget and how much value you put on your time.

Plus you are taking a bus thorugh some not so nice part of town. I always find is amusing how people come to Las Vegas, gamble away hundreds if not thousands of dollars and then worry about saving $20 on cab rides.

Although I will say, sometimes it IS good to have a car. It all depends on where you are going. One trip, the Ex and I went to the Gamblers General Store. It's kind of on the outskirts of Downtown out by itself. We shopped for a while and then when we were ready to leave, we couldn't flag a cab down to save our lives. Come to find out later, cabs won't stop if you flag them (like they do in NYC). Apparently by law, they can't. (or at least that is what we were told). It was kind of irritating. So just be aware if you take a cab somewhere, you may have to call and have them come pick you back up. You should not have an issue getting a cab in the more "touristy" spots though. They hang around the Strip hotels and the Downtown hotels too.

R E N T A C A R

The hotels have free valet parking and as stated in the previous posts, cabs are expensive

[QUOTE=hlburi]... Come to find out later, cabs won't stop if you flag them (like they do in NYC). Apparently by law, they can't. (or at least that is what we were told). It was kind of irritating. ...QUOTE]

I believe the law is that they can't stop on the street. Years ago we stayed at the Day's Inn Town Hall Casion - dumpy place on Koval behind Ballys - its been torn down now. We would call for cabs, but they rarely showed up. If we flagged one on the street they would circle back and stop in the parking lot.

I guess it boils down to personal choice. :D I've never found myself needing a car when I've stayed on the Strip. And on the rare occasion I did need one, I would just rent one for the day. Cabs aren't terribly expensive (as opposed to cabs I've taken in LA and other places). And then as mentioned previously, you also have the choice of taking the monorail or the bus.

But definitely do what works best for you. Have a great trip!

You might be right. It's been a while and I don't recall exactly. I just remember trying to flag one down and they wouldn't even turn around for us. Maybe I wasn't showing enuf leg?? :D

Anyhow, what was really ironic is that right across from the Gamblers General Store was a cab dispatch station. :cool:

I DISAGREE... even if I don't take into consideration the fact that I always get limo pickup at the airport,

When in Vegas, I always stay on the strip... and find walking and cabs to be just fine. When I'm on vacation, I hate to deal with traffic and driving; NOT to mention the fact that I really enjoy my cocktails, especially in The Vegas... I spend most of my life having to drive... it is nice to not have to worry about it sometimes. Since your schedule is often wacked in Vegas [up much later than usual] and most drink a bit more than usual, driving is more of a liability IMHO.

If you decide you must leave the strip for a day trip... then you can always just rent a car at that time; but it seemed that the OP was looking for advise on a short 3 day strip trip....

Well, I must assume that the OP is already on his way to Vegas, so this is for posterity...

I've done all the permutations of renting a car vs. cabs vs. buses vs. free shuttles vs. hotel trams vs. monorail vs. walking, etc...

In general, first time visitors are best served using taxis and the bus. They're usually on the strip, and most of the major sites are within a few miles and well served by the bus or hotel trams. Besides, walking the strip and taking in the sights can be great fun.

It doesn't take that long to get to downtown from the strip on the bus, depending on time of day. If you're going in the morning, it's pretty fast. Late afternoon, it's not too bad, but it'll take about 30 minutes. It does slow quite a bit mid-strip, but once you get past the Wynn, it picks up. Besides, if you're a first time visitor, most people use the time to sightsee, which is good from the double-decker buses.

For subsequent visits, getting a car is useful because it gets you to the off-strip properties and other sites, like Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, or Hoover Dam. If you take the time to become familiar with the backstreets around the strip, a car can be a relatively quick way to get around. People are usually at the point where they have a specific idea of where they want to go, rather than simply casino-hopping and wandering around.

As noted, if you're partying or drinking, then cabbing it is the way to go, unless you have a designated driver.

I personally don't find the traffic or driving on the strip to be all that daunting, and I don't find it all that much slower than taking a cab. After years of commuting in the SF Bay Area, stop-and-go traffic doesn't faze me. Besides, I enjoy driving the strip and taking in all the neon.

At this point, I usually base my decision on whether to rent a car or use other transportation entirely on economics. I figure it takes about $10 to cab it to most places I go. So, roundtrip is $20. I can usually rent a car for around $25 a day, so if I'm going off strip more than once a day, I rent a car. If not, I stick with public transportation and cabs. For me, the decision is based on what I intend to do while in Vegas and where I want to go.

For example, I'm headed to Vegas for March Madness - arriving the Wednesday night before the first game and leaving Sunday evening. I'm staying at the Aladdin for the first two nights, and then moving to the Stratosphere for the second two nights. I won't bother with a car during my stay at the Aladdin since I'll be mostly at the sportsbooks all day and won't venture far from the strip - maybe a trip to the Palms or Hard Rock. Any occasional trips I have up and down the strip can be handled via the Deuce or a combination of walking and trams. However, I'll rent a car for the time I'm at the Stratosphere. The Strat is far from most places I want to visit, so it'd be easier to have a car to get around. I could just take the bus, but since I'll be "commuting" fairly often, it's just more convenient to have a car.

I do find that if I have a car, that I tend to travel around a lot more.