Las Vegas Itinerary: Everything You Need to Know

Whether your reason to go to Vegas is to party, indulge at fine-dining restaurants or explore the desert outside of Vegas, there really is something for everyone! Yes, it’s touristy. Yes, it’s extravagant. And yes, it’s crowded. But it has to be one of the most unique cities around and we are here to tell you why you must visit at least once in your lifetime. As well as tell you what should be included in an unforgettable Las Vegas itinerary. We had 5 nights there recently and it was not nearly enough. It’s a place we could easily return to time and time again!

How to Get to Vegas

Las Vegas is a city found in Nevada in the United States of America. There are daily flights in and out of the City from many major airports throughout America. For us coming from Australia, our most direct route is to fly via Los Angeles. While we chose against driving, another option is to pick up a car in Los Angeles and drive from there! There are endless breathtaking spots to stop along the way.

Once you are in Vegas, everything is centrally located. We used Uber to get around as there are so many drivers that you are bound to be picked up within a few minutes of ordering!

When’s the Best Time to Visit?

With more than 300 days of sunshine in a year, the chance that you will have great weather during your trip is high! Summer months are from June to September and the winter months are December to March. Personally, our favourite time to visit Vegas would be in April or September.

Las Vegas Itinerary for 5 Nights

Keep in mind that the itinerary below is just what we did. You could switch activities around depending on how you feel! Everything in Vegas is pretty centrally located so you can easily do more or less in one day.

Day One: Settle In

Even though we arrived in the morning, we were incredibly tired after a 14 hour flight from Sydney to LA. This meant we desperately needed some sleep. As afternoon arrived, we were ready to explore!

Check into Mandalay Bay Hotel, on Vegas Strip!

Mandalay Bay is situated directly on Las Vegas Strip. However, it is a little further afield than Caesars Palace and The Venetian. Saying that, it has everything you need from a massive pool area, casino, onsite spa and gym. We stayed in one of their Resort King Rooms.

Take in the View of Las Vegas from the High Roller

Located in the heart of Vegas strip is the High Roller. In brief, the High Roller is a large Ferris Wheel offering views over Vegas! But it is the largest in the world. The views are really incredible especially with the valley and mountains in the background. The entire experience is 30 minutes and each pod can fit 40 people. However, we were actually in a pod with only 2 other people.

Explore Palms for Drinks and Dinner

We highly recommend exploring the various hotels for dinner because a lot of the major restaurants are located within them. At Palms, we ate at Shark which we definitely recommend trying! The ceviche was some of the best we have ever had. Be sure to check our Mr Coco cocktail bar for a WOW experience! Let’s just say they even provide an aperitif before entering the bar!!!

Day Two: Explore Vegas Strip

You could spend days exploring Vegas and what the city has to offer! However, as our time was limited we chose a few activities that suited our interests.

Test your skills at Top Golf

You may not be into golfing, but Top Golf is no ordinary golf! It’s similar to a golfing range but a lot less competitive. There is music playing and bars on every level. It’s a great place to hang for a few hours with a group of people.

People watch at Border Grill at Mandalay Bay

We chose to eat at Border Grill as it was one of the restaurants within the hotel we were staying, Mandalay Bay. It also has a lovely balcony area overlooking the pool and beach area of the hotel. There is some serious people watching to do! The food, which is Mexican is great too!

See a Show!

If there is one thing we can recommend, it is to see a show! There are many to choose from in Vegas. We chose Le Rêve – The Dream because it was an aquatic-based show with incredible music, costumes, and choreography. The entire show was mind blowing.

Day 3: Adventure Outside of The Strip

While there is a lot to see and do in Vegas alone, we were keen to explore the surrounding terrain.

Feel the adrenaline with Sun Buggy

The Sun Buggy dune adventure is not for the faint-hearted! But rest assured you are tightly secured in the buggy. Be prepared to pick up speed as you fly across the rocky desert terrain and speed down the soft sand dunes. The buggies are most definitely indestructible (we think anyway!!!). Overall, a fun experience and amazing to see the difference in terrain outside of Vegas city.

Watch in awe at the Bellagio Fountain show

The Bellagio Hotel is pretty famous! But besides wandering though the hotel, we would recommend watching the fountain show. There is a fountain show every 30 minutes from 3pm – 8pm (from 12pm on weekends) and every 15 minutes from 8pm – 12am. There are a number of different fountain shows, so we were actually lucky to witness 3 different shows!

Go Bar hopping at The Cosmopolitan Hotel

There are some seriously impressive bars in Vegas but our 2 favourites would have to be at The Cosmopolitan Hotel. The first is the Barbershop Cuts & Cocktails which is not so easy to spot. Hint: the entrance may not look like a bar. And the second is Chandelier Bar which is located across three levels. The cocktail menu is different across the three levels so it’s worthwhile spending some time on each!

Indulge in a meal at Smith & Wollensky

Smith & Wollensky is a fine dining restaurant located in the Grand Canal Shops at The Venetian. While it is an “American Steakhouse” the food is refined and you will be dreaming about your meal for days to come! It’s that good.

Day Four: Save the best until last

There was one activity that we really, really wanted to include in our Las Vegas itinerary. And for that reason, we decided to save the best until last…

Explore Downtown Vegas

It is worth checking out downtown Vegas. The area is the historic heart of Vegas with many delicious food and beverage options as well as Fremont Street Experience, the Neon Museum and the Mob Museum. We ate at Flock and Fowl and would highly recommend their Kaya Toast!! It may sound strange but the flavours are heaven.

Go on an experience of a lifetime – a Helicopter over The Grand Canyon

Yes, this is what we meant by saving the best until last. The helicopter ride with Maverick Helicopters was the highlight of our time in Vegas. We chose the Wind Dancer Sunset tour which took us to the Grand Canyon and back. We even landed in the Grand Canyon and enjoyed some champagne and nibbles. On our return, it was sunset which made for incredible views over Las Vegas strip.

Go all out on a meal at Beauty & Essex

As one of our favourite restaurants in New York is Beauty & Essex, it was a no brainer that we wanted to try the one in Vegas. And it did not disappoint. Located in the Cosmopolitan Hotel, the entrance to Beauty & Essex is through a pawn shop. Think chicken tikka masala flatbread (amazing!!), Korean fried chicken, croque monsieur mac and cheese and Mexican street corn ravioli.

Day 5: The Last Hoorah!

Depending how much you can fit into your four day itinerary, there is one more experience that we think is worth it!

Get a sugar high at Black Tap followed by a Gondola Ride

If you have not been to Venice before then you must visit the Venetian. They have done a great job at replicating the canals! First, we went to Black Tap where we ordered the most scrumptious milkshakes. Seriously between 2 people you only need 1 milkshake! They are that big. Afterwards, enjoy a gondola ride just as you would in Venice!

Wrap Up: Las Vegas Itinerary

While we haven’t listed EVERYTHING that there is to do in Vegas, the above Las Vegas itinerary will ensure an incredible 4 night stay. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us.

X KoTravellers