48 hours in Vegas

Jinal Shah -

Friday evening: Caught a flight to Vegas from Houston.

Sunday evening: Arrived back in Houston at midnight.

Here's how I spent 48 hours in Vegas.

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Las Vegas - most people probably associate it with partying, casinos and general debauchery. However, as someone who wasn't really interested in that side of Sin City, I found during my weekend trip that Vegas still has lots to see and do. It was never a place I thought I'd want to go to, but after spending a couple of days there I can say I've never been anywhere like it. Vegas is different from any city I've been to before. Built in the desert with origins in organised crime, it has transformed into a place that attracted 40.8 million visitors in 2023. The Las Vegas strip is a hive for activity, and it's personality changes as day turns to night.

My 48 hours in Vegas consisted of little sleeping, so I had a good chance to see the city during the day, where it was more relaxed family oriented, and at night, where the place really starts buzzing when casinos, pubs and clubs come to life. I would suggest to look beyond this too - there's plenty of shows and other attractions in town to check out depending on what you're after. My 'things to do' list below will share what I managed to do with the small amount of time I had.

Getting to/around Vegas - there are lots of flights daily into Las Vegas depending on where you're coming from. We flew with Spirit Airlines (my first time using them), and had no issues. As we were going for 48 hours, I only needed to take a backpack with me which made for a quick entry and exit out of airports. When in Vegas, you can either walk around if on the main strip, or otherwise take Ubers. Public transport is limited/non-existent. If you wanted to explore places further away like the Hoover Dam, hiring a car may be your best bet. That's what we did for the weekend and it gave us the flexibility to travel anywhere.

Where to stay - Airbnb and hotels are your best bet. We stayed in an Airbnb close to the main strip, however the nicer hotels often have last minute deals on if you are flexible. In hindsight, this would have probably been a better option for us as we could have stayed in a hotel located on Las Vegas Boulevard for a very reasonable price. Keep your eye out for deals, although if there is a large group of your going, Airbnb may be more convenient.

Safety - On the whole we didn't have any safety concerns while in Vegas. If you stay on the main Las Vegas Boulevard, security and safety is pretty good - even late into the night. Whilst I didn't visit the older part of the city, the area around Fremont Street can be a bit dodgy, so stick to the main tourist areas to be safe. In the famous hotels and casinos, security is very tight.

Budget - you don't have to spend big to enjoy in Vegas. Your trip can be tailed to how much you'd like to spend, and most importantly, what you'd like to spend your money on. If like myself, the casinos and gambling don't hugely interest you, there's so much else to do. I preferred spending my money on shows, tours and seeing the rest of the city. However, I would say (like any holiday you go on) to set yourself a budget and stick to it. That way, your bank account doesn't get any unsuspected surprises, leaving you out of pocket. With that, below you can find some of the things you might want to spend your $$ on.

Things to do

Walk the Las Vegas Strip 🌆

The first evening after checking into our apartment, we had a wander along Las Vegas Boulevard at night. Towering skyscrapers and hotels, bright flashing lights and it was bustling all around you. Walking is a great way to get your bearings and figure out where things are relative to each other - although it's one street, it's a very long street that requires an Uber from one end to the other! I've never visited a city like it, and it was interesting to people watch and observe what was going on around you. Everything is designed to look rich and fancy, and the themed hotels/restaurants make it feel like you've visited a version of that city: be that Paris, Cairo, New York, Rome or Venice. Walking along, some hotels that you may have heard of caught our eye, so we decided to explore further.

Visit the fancy hotels & casinos 🏨🎰

Luxury hotels are spread along the Boulevard, with their extravagant lobbies, stunning interior design, and of course huge casinos. They are completely free to enter with no dress code, and it's worth wandering through them, even if you're not staying there. Here's a few we visited:

  • Caesar's Palace - famously seen in the movie "The Hangover", I can confirm that Caesar does not actually live here. Visiting this hotel just for the lobby is worth it, the marble statues and elaborate ceiling design. Entering through one of it's many doors, you will eventually make your way to the casino, which is equally as impressive. A word on casinos below.
  • The Venetian - with an Italian theme, complete with Venice's canals, a shopping district and casino, the Venetian was probably my favourite hotel resort to visit. I particularly liked the shopping district, which emulated an Italian-style street, with a ceiling that felt very life like!
  • Bellagio - the famous fountain show outside the front of the hotel is worth watching, and this hotel too offers a casino, sports bar and shopping.
  • Treasure Island - opening in 1993, Treasure Island was one of the older hotels I visited, and you could tell by the vibe. The casino felt more retro (which I actually preferred), and the buildings were more dated. What may interest you is that the resort has hosted  Mystère since 1993, making it the longest-running show by Cirque du Soleil.
  • New York New York - the hotel with one of the best facades! As you drive up to it, you're literally looking at a mini New York. Complete with the Statue of Liberty, the Empire States building, and it's own rollercoaster, New York New York is worth a visit. It adds nicely to the Las Vegas Boulevard Skyline, and has it's own host of restaurants, bars and casinos.

Now for a word on my experience in casinos. It was my first time visiting one in Vegas, and they were interesting places. Emotions and egos run high, dopamine hits are dished out, and looking around you money is constantly changing hands between the hotel & it's customers. I don't gamble, yet I enjoyed experiencing what a casino is all about and how they operate. If you want to give it a go, my advice would be to set a strict budget, and take that amount out as cash. Put your wallet away for the rest of the night, and play until your budget runs out. Don't get emotionally attached to your losses, or your winnings. Think of your budget as your 'entry fee' to the casino, and walk away regardless of the outcome. That way you can enjoy yourself, and not let emotions get the better of you. I observed that the casinos make it very easy for you to spend hours and hours in there: no clocks on the walls, no windows, tricky to navigate your way out, waiters walking around taking drink orders, and endless rows of games. Bear this in mind, and gamble responsibly!

See a show at the Las Vegas Sphere 🎦

A cinema screen on the wall of a huge sphere. The Las Vegas Sphere experience was an evening show lasting a couple of hours. It was hosted in the Las Vegas Sphere, a huge orb covered in LED screens both inside and out. Externally, it can project images to commemorate special occasions, events happening in Vegas or advertising. Internally, it's a giant cinema screen in ultra high resolution.

The sphere experience is in 2 parts:

  • Part 1 - interactive experiences, including holographic art installations, robots and futuristic technology on display.
  • Part 2 - postcard from earth, a nature documentary filmed in 18k resolution, shown on the world's largest screen. The show lasts about a hour.

Sitting in your seat waiting for the show to start, you look around at the other 17,000 people watching - and realise just how big the Sphere is. So big, in fact, that it can fit the Statue of Liberty inside it! When postcards from earth began to play, I was impressed by the quality of image and sound, with the screen curving far above and below you. It made for dramatic footage as scenes swept over mountains or through rainforests.

The Sphere is a great evening activity to do with friends or family, and is a nice alternative to the typical partying and drinking that Vegas is associated with.

Get a photo in front of the iconic Las Vegas sign 📷

At one end of the Boulevard is the classic 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign'. It doesn't require much time to visit, and there's parking on site if you're driving there. Grab a picture with it (but be prepared for queues!) as it's an iconic sign of the city.

Day trip to Hoover Dam 🚗

As mentioned earlier, we had hired a car for the weekend. So on our second day, we took a drive from Vegas to Hoover Dam. It was about an hour, and I enjoyed cruising through the Nevadan desert, surrounded by rock and flat plains. As a Civil Engineer by background, arriving and seeing the Hoover Dam in person was a pretty cool moment for me - a huge feat of engineering that provides so much for the area. If you're likely to geek out about it like I did, then the Guided Dam Tour is a must-do. Costing $30, it takes you through the tunnels inside the dam, up the original elevator and in the powerplant. Along the way, it explains the history, design and construction of the dam. I found this fascinating, and it was a couple of hours well spent. At the Hoover Dam visitor centre, there is also a cafe, toilets and gift shop.

You can also walk along the top of the dam, as it is open to both cars and pedestrians. Stop halfway, and get a picture half in Nevada, half in Arizona (the dam splits the state line). If you have more time, then the closest point of the Grand Canyon is another couple hours drive from the dam, so worth doing on the same day.

Bellagio fountain show ⛲

To finish (or start depending on your plans!) your evening, why not watch the Fountains of Bellagio in action. The fountain display occurs every 15-30 minutes, with water soaring as high as 460 ft in the air. Complete free to view, with a great view of the Bellagio hotel in the background.

Vegan in Vegas

Disclaimer - I did not get round to trying any of these restaurants myself, but I did do some research on being vegan in Vegas. Most of these restaurants are not on the strip itself, but along adjoining roads. Here's a few suggestions:

To conclude, I enjoyed Vegas more than I thought I would, and also found that it has something for everyone. If I had to do it all again, I would spend perhaps 3 days exploring Las Vegas Boulevard, perhaps going to some more shows, and then wander into the Nevada Desert towards the Grand Canyon, Arizona. That way, your trip can become a nice city-nature hybrid.

Stay safe, thanks for reading, and remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

Now for a word on travel insurance...

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