---
node: dest_las_vegas
type: destination
slug: las_vegas
title: "Las Vegas"
lead: "Las Vegas is a city of casinos and neon in the Nevada desert, built for entertainment on a scale found nowhere else. Its famous Strip of themed mega-resorts, shows and nightlife makes it one of the world's great playgrounds."
published: 2026-08-10
updated: 2026-08-10
image_file: las_vegas.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Las_Vegas_(Nevada,_USA),_The_Strip_--_2012_--_6232.jpg"
image_author: "Dietmar Rabich"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## Overview

Risen from the desert around gambling, Las Vegas turned itself into a resort city of vast themed hotels, each a world of casinos, restaurants, shows and pools. The Strip is its heart, a few miles of neon where replicas of Venice, Paris and ancient Rome stand side by side, busiest and brightest after dark. Hot and dry, it is a city of excess and spectacle, and also the gateway to some of the American West's greatest landscapes.

## Highlights

The Strip is the show in itself, walked past the fountains of the Bellagio, the replica Eiffel Tower and the themed mega-resorts, dazzling at night. Beyond the casinos are world-famous residencies, shows and restaurants, and the old downtown on Fremont Street keeps a brasher, older Vegas. Day trips reach the Hoover Dam, the red rocks of nearby canyons and the Grand Canyon further east.